Anglo-American University in Prague Introduction to Philosophy
| Course Name | Introduction to Philosophy |
| Course Code | PHI125 |
| Description | This course is designed to give students an overview – based on close readings and in-depth discussions of materials by philosophers and non-philosophers who deal with philosophical issues – of four major philosophical areas (the foundations of knowledge, personal identity and freedom as the bases for human agency, the rational justification for moral norms, the proper limits the state may exercise over the individual, and the meaning of life) through readings and discussion of texts by a selection of noteworthy Western philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, René Descartes, David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, Jean-Paul Sartre, and P.F. Strawson, among others. Examples from the fields of literature (such as a short story by Irish writer Frank O’Connor), science (such as an article by neurologist Oliver Sacks), and film (such as The Matrix) will be used to illustrate and develop the ideas presented in the texts. All of this is meant to develop in students the ability to think about the questions a child might ask with the conceptual tools of a lawyer, multiplying the number and quality of the questions they can ask and thereby widening the scope of how much they can know. |
| Learning Outcomes | Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: – Comprehend and have a clear understanding of basic philosophical ideas in the Western philosophical tradition – Place these ideas in context and apply them in a variety of areas, lending perspective to their academic endeavors. – Develop open, flexible thinking – Speak and write more carefully, with precision |
| School | School of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences |
| Level | Bachelor |
| Number of credits (US / ECTS) | 3 US / 6 ECTS |