PHIL352 METAPHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES II
| Course Code: | 2410352 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 4.0 |
| Department: | Philosophy |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. ŞEREF HALİL TURAN |
| Offered Semester: | Fall Semesters. |
Course Objectives
What is philosophy? What is philosophy for? How should philosophy be done? What are philosophical problems? How can one come up with those problems? These and similar ones are the questions, when engaged in philosophical activity, that do not appear or be addressed explicitly. Those questions we will be dealing with throughout this course. Even when studying a philosophical position, it may be very hard, and even inappropriate to make a distinction between the content of the philosophical position and its form, or better within the activity itself. However, it can be done so at least for a pedagogical reason: to learn about the tool-box of philosophical constructions in this activity –needless to say, it is a good philosophical practice too. All this boils down to a simple question: what does it mean to engage in philosophical practice?
Course Content
For course details, see https://catalog2.metu.edu.tr.Course Learning Outcomes
Course Content: As a case study, we shall consider one of Plato’s dialogues, the Meno. As far as we know, Plato wrote no philosophical treaties, but dialogues. Nevertheless, many philosophers and commentators have tended to represent his philosophical thoughts as if he had one unified system of thought, though going through some changes in time. This simple observation suggests that we have not yet had a unified picture of Plato and his philosophical thoughts. One possible explanation for this one might be tempted to put forward is that Plato did not care about the content of his philosophical thoughts after all. All one can claim to know safely is not what Plato claims content-wise, but the structure of his dialogues. Here is the question we would address in particular in this course: Was Plato primarily not interested in the content of his philosophical thoughts, but the structure, better the activity itself?
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | Have the knowledge and skills of research method which is a requirement in order to be successful in academic studies. | ✔ | |||
| 2 | Have the capacity for applying philosophical knowledge to scientific and social issues. | ✔ | |||
| 3 | Examine and analyze a subject matter and make philosophical interpretations on it. | ✔ | |||
| 4 | Have the skills of critical thinking, analytical approach, problem solving, multi-dimensional view, making inferences and interpretations regarding to philosophical texts and scientific facts. | ✔ | |||
| 5 | Identify the basic concepts and issues in philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 6 | Evaluate and understand the underlying philosophical assumptions of fundamental and social sciences. | ✔ | |||
| 7 | Have capacity to make interdisciplinary readings and analysis. | ✔ | |||
| 8 | Have verbal and written presentation and effective communication skills, be open to team work and do interdisciplinary study. | ✔ | |||
| 9 | Make connections between contemporary ethical, social, cultural, esthetic and politic issues. | ✔ | |||
| 10 | Interpret the historical development of scientific and philosophical questions. | ✔ | |||
| 11 | Have knowledge about contemporary philosophical issues and their relations to other disciplines. | ✔ | |||
| 12 | Use modern information tools in order to make research in philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 13 | Improve their professional and personal skills lifelong. | ✔ | |||
| 14 | Use information technologies effectively in domain applications in philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 15 | Have self-confidence and develop original ideas regarding to philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 16 | Have social and ethical responsibility regarding to contemporary issues. | ✔ | |||
| 17 | Have good knowledge of English, research method and computer skills and use these skills effectively. | ✔ | |||
| 18 | Comprehend the basic theories and issues in sub-disciplines of philosophy. | ✔ | |||
| 19 | Have an advanced knowledge in certain specific fields such as environment, technology, culture, art etc. | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution