PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy

General Course Description:

Historical-cultural introduction to philosophy. Considers a broad range of philosophical problems in relation to the major historical and cultural conditions which have influenced their formulations and proposed solutions. Topics: the principles of rational inquiry; the nature of knowledge; the metaphysics of mind, world, and God; and the sources and authority of morality.

Required Book:

The Outward Path: the Wisdom of the Aztecs, Sebastian Purcell [ISBN: 978-1-324-02056-1]

Course Specifics:

• Syllabus

• Student Inquiry Projects

  • Essentially, the Student Inquiry counts for 25% of the final grade. It is organized into four levels. Passing a level involves completing various smaller assignments and earning a particular score on the exam for the level. Each exam is composed of an in-class portion and an at-home portion. Until Level 4, the at-home portion is not graded. Students simply receive feedback on their at-home work. At least one section of each exam asks students questions about their at-home work. This is the way that I attempt to provide students with the opportunity to benefit from longer, self-directed projects while circumventing the concern that students can simply use AI to pass the class.

  • Below, I’ve posted anonymized examples of student work from the course. I select the examples by having the students vote on their favorite ones after each exam.

Student Work:

Fall 2026:

• Level 1

  • Student 1

  • Student 2

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