Teaching Philosophy Theoretical Reflections and Practical Suggestions

, by Kasachkoff, Tziporah; Adler, Jonathan E.; Benjamin, Martin; Cadello, James P.; Cahn, Steven M.; Callahan, Joan C.; Chern, Jo A.; Daniel, Stephen H.; Eflin, Juli; Figdor, Carrie; Garver, Newton; Gracyk, Theodore A.; Hinman, Lawrence H.; Kelly, Eugene; Mart

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ISBN: 9780742514492 | 0742514498
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 3/24/2004

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Here, two dozen distinguished philosophers share their insights and practical suggestions on a diverse range of pedagogic issues with essays on how to motivate students, constructing syllabi for particular courses, teaching particularly complex concepts, and constructing creative examinations.

Acknowledgments

xiii

Introduction Tziporah Kasachkoff

Part I. Introducing Students to Philosophy

1 Teaching Introductory Philosophy

(3)

Steven M. Cahn

Cahn describes four curriculum-defined approaches to introductory philosophy: the topical approach, the great texts approach, the historical approach, and the secondary source approach. He examines the disadvantages of each and makes recommendations as to how best to construct an introduction to philosophy course.

2 Introducing Philosophy

(14)

Newton Garver

Garver agrees with Cahn about the shortcomings of each of the four approaches to teaching introductory philosophy discussed in chapter 1, but has doubts about Cahn's suggested correctives. Garver suggests abandoning all four of the traditional approaches that Cahn describes and recommends the use of biographies as working texts for introductory philosophy courses. Garver describes how he uses such texts and makes bibliographical suggestions.

3 Teaching Introductory Philosophy: A Restricted Topical Approach

(8)

V. Alan White and Jo A. Chern

Responding to Cahn's and Garver's suggestions (chapters 1 and 2) about how best to construct an introduction to philosophy course, the authors argue for an introductory course that is structured around the analysis of a single philosophical topic.

Part II. Helping Our Students Improve

4 How to Improve Your Teaching

(5)

Steven M. Cahn

Cahn focuses on three common mistakes to which instructors, and especially beginning teachers, are prone and he makes practical suggestions for their remedy.

5 Reading and Interpretation: A Heuristic for Improving Students' Comprehension of Philosophy Texts

(17)

Jonathan E. Adler

Adler offers guidelines to help introductory philosophy students learn to read a classic text so that they can grasp what the author is saying and come to see what makes the author's claims plausible.

6 Improving Student Papers in 'Introduction to Philosophy' Courses 41

Juli Eflin

Eflin suggests an exercise to help students write better philosophy papers despite large classes which often make personal commentary on each paper impossible. She describes the exercise, her grading criteria, her classroom procedure, the advantages afforded by the exercise, and some of the problems that can arise.

7 Using Essay Exams to Teach and Not Merely to Assess

(13)

Carrie Figdor

Figdor describes a method for helping students write better and learn more through a process of writing essay examinations in stages, with each stage open to revision and improvement.

Part III. Teaching Applied Ethics

8 From the "Applied" to the Practical: Teaching Ethics for Use

(13)

Joan C. Callahan

Callahan discusses the content, focus, and goals for professional ethics courses and offers strategies for successfully engaging students in professional ethics study. She stresses the desirability of establishing a particular emotional tone in the classroom and suggests methods to structure class discussion.

9 A Social Dilemma Game for an Ethics Class

Marshall Missner

Missner describes a game that clarifies for students the notion of self-interested action in the context of cooperative ventures. He explains how it helps students see what is involved in making the right decision in free-rider situations and remarks on some possible difficulties and drawbacks of using the exercise.

Part IV. Teaching Philosophy with Computers

10 Teaching with a Screen

(15)

Lawrence M. Hinman

Hinman describes how computers can be used in the classroom as an aid to teaching philosophy. He describes various software programs that he uses for this purpose and he indicates both the advantages and the pitfalls of each.

Part V. Teaching Aesthetics

11 The Case Method Approach to the Teaching of Aesthetics

(13)

Ronald Moore

Moore describes his use of the "case method" in teaching aesthetics and argues for its effectiveness in engaging student interest in, and encouraging discussion of, aesthetics problems. He presents sample cases and suggests questions concerning each that help to focus discussion on aesthetics issues.

Part VI. Teaching Philosophy of Religion

12 Teaching Philosophy of Religion (either as a full course or as part of an 'Introduction to Philosophy')

111

(13)

Louis P. Pojman

Pojman suggests eight topics that, he claims, cover the domain of philosophy of religion. These may be covered either in a semester-long course, or as part of a general introductory philosophy course. Pojman discusses methodology and materials for teaching these topics, and provides annotated bibliographical suggestions.

13 Three Courses in Philosophy of Religion

124

(10)

Michael Martin

Martin comments on three different courses in philosophy and religion: an introductory course designed to acquaint students with philosophical issues connected with the Judeo-Christian tradition; a graduate-level seminar on philosophical issues connected with Christianity; and a middle-level seminar on religious epistemology.

Part VII. Teaching Critical Thinking

14 Using Pseudoscience in a Critical Thinking Class

134

(8)

Kathleen Dean Moore

Moore suggests using egregious examples of pseudo-science to teach techniques of critical thinking. She ex-plains the rationale for using such examples, supplies a summary of the course plan, and details a sample class exercise. She also offers readers advice on resources.

15 A Critical Thinking Portfolio

142

(7)

Theodore A. Gracyk

Gracyk describes the "portfolio" that he requires of his students-a compilation of twelve distinct items drawn from the student's own everyday reading matter, along with his or her reasoned assessment of each item. The portfolio helps students in critical thinking courses learn to apply critical thinking skills beyond the classroom.

Part VIII. Teaching Philosophy through History

16 The Teaching of Philosophy-Historically

149

(13)

John J. McDermott

McDermott argues not merely for the importance, but for the indispensability, of taking historical context into ac-count when teaching philosophy (or any other subject, for that matter). He offers the reader a detailed illustration of the philosophical pedagogy for which he argues.

Part IX. Teaching Kant/Teaching Hegel

17 A User-Friendly Copernican Revolution

162

(5)

Merold Westphal

Westphal describes how he brings home to students, via understandable analogies, Kant's view of how a priori synthetic propositions are possible, and what it means to say that the forms and categories are conditions of possible experience.

18 Charting Kant

167

(4)

James P. Cadello

Cadello suggests, as a visual aid for students, a chart that helps them grasp the outline of Kant's system as he presents it in the Critique and Prolegomena. By use of examples, Cadello shows how to use the chart to clarify terminological distinctions made by Kant, and to identify different levels of analysis.

19 On Teaching Hegel: Problems and Possibilities

171

(11)

John McCumber

McCumber reviews some of the difficulties in teaching Hegel and some of the reasons Hegel is profitably taught nonetheless. He offers suggestions as to how to present Hegel to students and includes useful bibliographical references.

20 Hegel and Family Values

182

(5)

Merold Westphal

Westphal describes two "strategic" moves he uses in teaching Hegel's Philosophy of Right. He explains the way in which these moves illuminate Hegel's views and the advantages of presenting Hegel's political philosophy in this way.

Part X. Teaching Existentialism/ Teaching Continental Philosophy

21 Teaching Existentialism

187

(10)

Eugene Kelly

Kelly details four ways to approach the teaching of existentialism. He suggests both rationales and sources for these various approaches. Kelly notes the difficulty of teaching existentialism in a way that truly conveys its spirit, and offers suggestions as to how instrutors might deal with this difficulty.

22 Teaching Recent Continental Philosophy

197

(10)

Stephen H. Daniel

Daniel reports on a course that he has developed in current Continental Philosophy. He argues for including various writers often left out of such courses and for stressing certain particular themes. In addition, he provides bibliographical suggestions for both primary and secondary sources and describes how he structures the course within the framework of one semester.

Part XI. Teaching Philosophical Explanation

23 Teaching 'Inference to the Best Philosophical Explanation'

207

(25)

David B. Martens

Martens describes a method for teaching students how to recognize, construct, and evaluate philosophical inferences to the best explanation-a method that is adaptable for various sorts of philosophy courses. Martins offers readers concrete examples that illustrate the method.

Part XII. Teaching Philosophy of Gender

24 Teaching Gender Issues-Philosophically

232

(20)

Celia Wolf-Devine

Wolf-Devine describes a course designed to acquaint students with the philosophical issues concerning gender differences. She describes the goals of the course, how she structures her own course on the topic, and the problems one is likely to encounter in such a course and how one might deal with them. She also offers specific and detailed pedagogical techniques that help to encourage and structure classroom discussion of gender issues. Throughout, Wolf-Devine gives detailed suggestions for readings relevant to each topic covered in the course.

XIII. Looking at What We Do in the Classroom

25 Uncovering the "Hidden Curriculum": A Laboratory Course in Philosophy of Education

252

(12)

Anthony Weston

Weston describes a philosophy of education course that he teaches for upper-level undergraduates. The chief aim of the course is to have students draw out and examine the presuppositions of specific forms of pedagogy as well as of education in general.

26 A Graduate Seminar on Teaching Philosophy

264

(13)

Martin Benjamin

Benjamin details his seminar on how to teach students to become better teachers of philosophy. He includes his seminar syllabus, the writing assignments, and complete bibliographical information.

About the Contributors

277

(4)

About the Editor

281

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Teaching Philosophy Theoretical Reflections and Practical Suggestions

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