PHI 101: Introduction to Philosophy
Course Description
Have you ever wondered about “the big” questions: Why are we here? Does God exist? Is morality real? Do we have free will? PHI 101 explores these and other philosophical questions. It aims, not to tell you the correct answers, but to provide you with the philosophical framework and critical thinking skills to wrestle with these questions yourself.
Learning Outcomes
Analyze key concepts in philosophical literature, such as the meaning of life, the problem of evil, moral relativism and free will.
Recognize the major sub-divisions in philosophy, such as epistemology, ethics and metaphysics.
Associate major philosophers of the ancient and modern periods with their respective positions on key issues.
Apply philosophical reasoning and critique to contemporary debates.
About Your Instructor
Andrew Khoury is a philosopher working at the intersection of moral philosophy, moral psychology, and metaphysics on issues surrounding free will and moral responsibility. Prior to coming to Arizona State University, he was a senior fellow in the Department of Philosophy, Logic, and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics. Khoury’s work has appeared in Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, The Journal of the American Philosophical Association, Philosophical Studies, and Journal of Value Inquiry. Khoury regularly teaches such courses as PHI 101: Introduction to Philosophy, PHI 105: Introduction to Ethics, PHI 306: Applied Ethics, and PHI 329: History of Modern Philosophy.
Email is the best way to contact. Send an email to ask a question about the material, course logistics, or to set up a zoom meeting. You can expect a response within 24 hours, usually much sooner.
Required Materials
There are no materials that you are required to purchase, all readings will be made freely available online.
Grading
Assignment Points
All assignments have roughly equal weight:
| Discussion Board Assignments | 105 points |
| Quizzes | 105 points |
| Exam I | 100 points |
| Exam II | 125 points |
| Total | 435 points |
Grading Scale
| Points Range | Grade Percentage |
| 435-422 points | A+ 100-97% |
| 421-409 points | A 96.9-93% |
| 408-392 points | A- 93-90% |
| 391-379 points | B+ 89.9-87% |
| 378-366 points | B 86.9-83% |
| 365-348 points | B- 82.9-80% |
| 347-335 points | C+ 79.9-75% |
| 334-305 points | C 74.9-70% |
| 304-261 points | D 69.9-60% |
| 260 points and below | E/F Below 60% |
FAQ
Each week you’ll complete the required reading and watch the lecture videos (Mon-Tues), respond to a prompt in a discussion board post (Wed), complete two additional reply posts to your classmates (Fri), and take a short quiz (Sun). Additionally, there are two essay exams (end of Week 4 and end of Week 7).
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