T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 1
Table of ContentsTeaching Statement..........................................................2
Teaching observations.......................................................4Statistical summary of teaching observations, Fall 2011—Spring 2014........4Teaching observation select comments.......................................6
Student evaluations.........................................................7Student evaluation rating summary, Spring 2014.............................7Student Comments..........................................................10
List of courses taught & future courses....................................12
Syllabus for Art & Ethics..................................................13
Syllabus for Art, Media & Society..........................................20
Syllabus for Intro to Ethics...............................................26
Sample syllabi.............................................................34Moral Psychology..........................................................34Philosophy of Mind........................................................36
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 2
Teaching Statement
I was approached individually by several students during myfirst semester teaching at Brooklyn College, each of whom wereeach worried about their first writing assignments. To mysurprise, they were not simply struggling to understand thechallenging philosophy texts or even having difficulty developingthesis statements. They simply believed that they couldn’t dophilosophy: they weren’t “that kind of thinker,” they were morepragmatically oriented, or they weren’t talented enough students.The overarching message was that philosophy students are born,not made and most students lacked the right natural philosophicabilities.
This has become a repeat occurrence at every school whereI’ve taught: University of Missouri-St. Louis (Spring 2009-Summer2010), the College of Staten Island (Fall 2013), Brooklyn College(Fall 2011-Spring 2014), and Western Connecticut State University(Spring 2015). Students approach me every semester, belittlingtheir academic skills and giving up on philosophy before thesemester really began. I have had experiences like this as aphilosophy student myself. Philosophy classrooms can, at times,seem cold, disconnected from everyday life and concerns, anddesigned for a particular type of thinker.
Philosophy professors are faced with these challenges fromthe moment their students enter the classroom. We must developways in which we can make our students comfortable engaging inphilosophical thought and argumentation. We should also helpstudents become confident enough to place themselves in thephilosophic conversation. I have developed my own teachingphilosophy to help combat my students’ negative perspective ofanalytic philosophy. My chief goal is to help each of my studentsdevelop her own writing voice through a variety of differenttypes of written and in-class projects.
My class sessions are practice grounds for honing and
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 3
refining the critical thinking skills that are required forsuccessful analytic philosophers. I emphasize critical readingand writing in every class. Each class revolves around aparticular theme: personal identity, a theory of knowledge, aquestion about how we evaluate artworks, etc. I develop in-class,low-pressure writing activities to help the students think moredeeply on the daily theme. I also try to show how the topicapplies to their daily lives. For example, during the personalidentity unit I ask the students to consider whether they wouldconsider themselves to be literally the same person now as theywere when they were five years old. This leads to an engagingdiscussion about the importance of the body, mind, and memoriesto one’s personal identity. It also serves as the backbone forone of their graded writing assignments. Students develop skillsduring the discussions that are important for both introductorylevel students and those who are more familiar with philosophycourses. They learn to critically analyze a topic during aconversation and how to express their own opinions.
The in-class and low-stake writing exercises are designed tobuild the student’s writing skills and confidence. Used in aclass-room setting, the low-stakes writing exercises are veryeffective in engendering classroom discussions in which they canvoice their own opinions and perspectives and engage with thoseof their peers. My goal is to lower the student’s writing anxietyas well as to show them the significance of critical thinking foreveryday use. I see my role in the students’ intellectualdevelopment as a kind of coach or guide; I encourage certainskills, help them practice those that are underdeveloped, andprovide encouragement where needed. I also recognize thatphilosophy is not always a subject that students will immediatelyfind interesting or pertinent to their daily lives. I try tocombat this attitude by relating philosophical issues to currentevents—from serious news stories to sporting events—and popularculture (I am a big fan of discussing Star Wars wheneverpossible!). My classes are not about “ivory tower” philosophy,but rather function as a critical thinking boot-camp that they
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 4
can apply to their work, other classes, and even their personallives.
I use longer writing assignments to encourage personalreflection and critical thinking. These assignments also helpthem apply the skills that are important in analytic philosophy,such as strong argumentation and structural clarity. This isespecially important for more experienced philosophy students. Itis just as important for them to learn how to develop theirindividual philosophy voices as it is for new students. I assignreadings that will engage and challenge upper level philosophymajors and minors. This includes both full-length primary textsand secondary critical essays. Students learn how to developstrong, effective thesis statements and how to construct essaysin the analytic tradition. Philosophy is a conversation; my goalis to help students to see how they, too, can be a part of thatconversation.
I am dedicated to encouraging and helping all studentsexpress their own philosophical perspectives. I have beenextremely fortunate to teach at four institutions that havediverse student bodies, boasting students from a variety ofreligious, racial, cultural, sexual, and socio-economicbackgrounds. Having these students in my class has been alearning experience for both me and them. In the beginning ofeach semester, I emphasize that building intellectual open-mindedness and tolerance is paramount in a philosophy (or any)classroom. This means that students must learn to respectfullylisten and respond to others who have viewpoints that may be verydifferent from their own. It also means that I have to developassignments and discussion points that promote a respectfulexchange of ideas.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 5
Teaching observations
Statistical summary of teaching observations, Fall 2011—Spring2014
The following chart shows the average scores I received from my sixteaching observations at Brooklyn College for the PHIL 2101 course.
I was evaluated along six different aspects of my teaching abilities:1) knowledge of subject matter, 2) organization of subject matter, 3)ability to explain, 4) speaking ability and presence, 5) attitudetowards students and 6) stimulating critical thinking. Observee’scould receive a score from 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest) in each category.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 6
3.2
3.33.43.53.6
3.73.8
3.94
4.1
Summary of teaching observation statistics, Fall 2011-Spring 2014
Breakdown of scores:
Knowledge of subject matter—3.54= Very knowledgeable, displays a thorough grasp of the material3= Well-informed, quite adequate command of the material.
Organization of subject matter—3.54= Systematic and thorough organization, pacing was excellent3=Adequately organized and paced
Ability to explain—3.74= Clear, precise, to the point3=Generally good
Speaking ability and presence—3.84=Skilled, presence excellent3= Good, generally adequate
Attitude towards students—44=Sensitive and attentive, encourages questions and discussion
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 7
Stimulating critical thinking—3.84= Employs effective and creative methods to stimulate independent, critical thinking3= Regularly attempts to stimulate independent, critical thinking
Teaching observation select comments
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 8
Below are select quotations from the notes of professors at Brooklyn
College who have observed me teach the PHIL 2101 course, from Fall
2011 to Spring 2014.
Fall 2011:Prof. Mike Menser: “This was one of the most engaging class sessionsof an intro to philosophy course that I have observed in 15 years ofdoing observations…the content was well chosen and the powerpointpresentation was used effectively, not as show or a distractingafterthought.”
Spring 2012:Prof. Anna Gotlib: “Katherine obviously knows the material verywell!...This was a well-run class…Katherine is a gifted public speakerand has great classroom presence. Katherine is very friendly and open,and has great rapport with the students…Katherine is a very giftedteacher. I think that her students are very fortunate to have her inthe classroom.”
Fall 2012:Prof. Justin Steinberg: “The topic of the class that I observed wasthe relationship between determinism and moral responsibility.Professor Tullmann demonstrated a solid command of thematerial….Professor Tullmann balances mini-lectures with discussionquestions, which keeps the students engaged and informed. She alsoeffectively incorporates multi-media technology into the classroom. Ithought that she balanced these components well.”
Spring 2013:Prof. Matthew Moore: “The topic for most of this class session was theobjectivity of aesthetic judgments…Ms. Tullmann’s knowledge of thesubject matter was excellent, at exactly the right level for anintroductory class of this sort. The presentation was very wellorganized, making very effective use of PowerPoint, and of theblackboard. The presentation was not at all “dumbed down,” but wastailored to the audience. Ms. Tullmann’s explanations were very clearand accessible. Ms. Tullmann’s classroom presence is first-rate. Shehas a relaxed, friendly bearing and a good sense of humor. She wasfirmly but quite unobtrusively in control of the classroom at alltimes. The atmosphere in the classroom was excellent. Ms. Tullmannengages with her students in a very open and natural manner, highly
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 9
conducive to learning and dialogue…The level of participation in theclass was very high. This was a very well conducted class by aninstructor with a bright future in the classroom.”
Fal1 2013 & Spring 2014Prof. Penny Reppetti: “[Ms. Tullmann] uses excellent examples tofurther explain concepts [and] is extremely enthusiastic as sheexplained difficult concepts. Throughout her lecture, Ms. Tullmanneffectively explained difficult concepts with creative and interestingexamples… When answering student questions, Ms. Tullmann was veryclear and questioned her students in order to make sure that theyunderstood her explanations….The class participation was excellent andat a fairly high level for an introductory course. Throughout thelecture, it was apparent to me that Ms. Tullmann had developed a nicerapport with her students…Overall, this was a very interestingclass….Ms. Tullmann’s wonderful personality puts students at ease andoverall, it was a very successful class.”
Student evaluations
Student evaluation rating summary, Spring 2014
The charts below represent my students’ evaluation of my teachingperformance for the spring 2014 section of PHIL 2101: MajorQuestions in Philosophy. There were 22 questions in all, rangingfrom the individual student’s interest in the course to anindication of how difficult they found it. 30 of my studentsresponded to the anonymous questionnaire. The last chart sows myindividual scores vs. the philosophy department scores alongseveral different variables for the Fall 2012 semester (2013 and2014 data unavailable).
Excelle
nt
Good Fair Poor Unaccepta
ble
N/A
Instructor’s ability to
organize ideas and
68.97% 27.59
%
3.45% 0% 0% 0%
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 10
materials for classInstructor’s ability to
stimulate interest in the
topic
55.17% 37.93
%
6.90% 0% 0% 0%
Instructor’s ability to
encourage independent
thinking
44.83% 44.83
%
10.34
%
0% 0% 0%
Instructor’s ability to
generate effective class
discussion
72.41% 20.69
%
6.90% 0% 0% 0%
Instructor’s ability to
communicate clearly
65.52% 24.14
%
6.90% 0% 0% 0%
Instructor’s openness to
students’ comments,
questions, and viewpoints
concerning class topics
67.86% 25.00
%
7.14% 0% 0% 0%
Instructor’s knowledge of
the subject matter of the
class
79.31% 17.24
%
3.45% 0% 0% 0%
Instructor’s ability to
keep to the time and
schedule requirements for
the class
72.41% 20.69
%
6.90% 3.45
%
0% 0%
Instructor’s availability
to students outside of
class
57.14% 35.71
%
7.14% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Clarity of information
provided about the course
requirements and
75.86% 13.79
%
6.90% 3.5% 0.0% 0.0%
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 11
assignmentsPromptness with which tests
and assignments are graded
and returned
68.97% 24.14
%
6.90% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Too many Just
right
Too few N/A
Number of
assignments/projects/creati
ve works in this class
17.24% 82.76% 0.0% 0.0%
Very
challenging
Challengin
g
Somewhat
challengin
g
Not
challeng
ingHow challenging the class
assignments/projects/creati
ve works were
3.45% 51. 0.0%
Very useful Useful Somewhat
useful
Not
usefulUsefulness of
assignments/projects/creati
ve works
20.69% 62.07% 10.34% 6.9%
Very difficult Difficult Somewhat
difficult
Not
difficul
tDifficulty of examinations
in this class0.0% 13.79% 65.52% 20.69%
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 12
Very fair Fair Somewhat
fair
Unfair
Fairness of examinations in
this class42.86% 53.57% 3.57% 0.0%
Very
likely
Somewha
t
likely
Don’t
know
Somewha
t
unlikely
Very
unlikel
yHow likely are you to
recommend this instructor to
a friend?
62.07% 27.59% 3.45% 6.90% 0.0%
A lot A
fair
amoun
t
Some A
littl
e
Hardly
anythin
g
N/A
How much general knowledge
about the subject have you
gained?
41.38
%
44.83
%
10.34
%
0.0% 3.45% 0.0%
How much ability to analyze and
solve problems have you gained?
27.59
%
55.17
%
10.34
%
0.0% 0.0% 3.45%
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 13
How much ability to find and
use information on your own
have you gained?
31.03
%
51.72
%
13.79
%
0.0% 0.0% 3.45%
How much ability to express
your ideas verbally have you
gained from this class?
57.14
%
28.57
%
10.71
%
3.57% 0.0% 0.0%
How much ability to develop and
express your ideas through
artistic/creative means have
you gained from this class?
35.71
%
35.71
%
10.71
%
3.57% 3.57% 10.71
%
Individual vs. department scores
Individual’s % difference
above or below department
average scoresInstructor Performance +7.8Course difficulty +0.34Course usefulness/fairness +7.17Learning attained +2.84Recommend instructor +0.32
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 14
Student Comments
Below is a selection of anonymous quotes from students’evaluations from my six semesters teaching PHIL 2101 at BrooklynCollege.
“The prof was very open minded and makes the class enjoyable and
interesting.”
“If you want to explore morality in a non-religious context this
is a great class. In fact it would help in analyzing and
understanding religion.”
“It was a helpful class to learn philosophies that have developed
through the ages, learn to express opinions, and to hone skills
in response to others’ thoughts.”
“While I felt like philosophy was going to be another Gen Ed
waster of my time, Professor Tullmann really made the class
applicable to real life with a whimsical twist. She is an
absolute breath of fresh air and a nerd to boot. I really enjoy
her incorporation of nerd culture into her power points.”
“The class is not too hard, but the work has to be put in in
order to receive the grade you want.”
“Prof. Tullmann is a fair professor and teaches very well.
Philosophy is a great subject and made me think about all aspects
of philosophical situations.”
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 15
“The class is very informative and interesting. Prof. Tullmann is
a fair grader and takes interest in your thoughts and feedback
during class discussions. [I] would take another class with her.
The work load was extremely fair as well.”
“Guys, this class was awesome. At least my professor made it
awesome. [The] professor is the most friendly person ever and
every class she got us so engrossed in the topic.”
“I had a good experience with this class because my professor was
always open to discuss respectfully any point of view.”
“I thought the class was interesting and engaging. It stimulates
thought about philosophical concepts and helps you organize ideas
and arguments in a logical framework.”
“She loves to teach you can tell, more importantly she loves this
subject. [I] would definitely recommend her. Also she is very
easy to approach, super friendly, and understanding. She explains
all the readings thoroughly and gives very fair tests.”
“It is a very interesting course and by far my favorite class
since starting college.”
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 16
List of courses taught & future courses
Past courses taught:
Contemporary Moral Issues, Western Connecticut State University,
Spring 2015.
Intro to Philosophy, College of Staten Island, Fall 2013.
Knowledge, Value and Reality, Brooklyn College, Fall 2011-
Spring 2014.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 17
Humanities through the Arts, University of Missouri-St. Louis,
Spring 2009—Spring 2010.
Current courses:
First Year Preceptorial: Art & Ethics, Union College, Fall 2015
Art, Media & Society, Union College, Fall 2015
Philosophy & Film, Union College, Winter 2015
Philosophy & Literature, Union College, Winter 2015
Potential future classes:
Value theory:
Topics in Ethics (intermediate to advanced ethics courses)
Moral Psychology
Moral Perception
Intro to Aesthetics
Philosophy of Literature
Philosophy of Film
Art & Emotions
The Semantics & Ontology of Fiction
Mind:
Intro to Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of Psychology
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 18
Topics in Philosophy of Mind: Consciousness, Social Cognition,
The Self, Emotions, Perception, Perception/Cognition, Mental
Architecture
Syllabus for Art & Ethics
First Year Preceptorial: Art & Ethics
Union College, Fall 2015
Dr. Katherine Tullmann
[LOCATION]
MWF, 10:30 to 11:35 a.m.
Office: Lamont House 307
Office hours: MWF, 1:00-3:00 p.m. and by apt.
Course description
Every art form, from film to photography, has the power to move
us. Because of this, art is the perfect medium for promoting
moral values and raising awareness about immoral issues. This
course explores the relationship between art and ethics. We will
consider such questions as: what is the relationship between the
quality of art and its portrayal of morality? Can artworks teach
us about how to be better people? Is it ok for us to feel
sympathy for fictional “devils,” such as Walter White or Dexter
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 19
Morgan? Students will be asked to explain their own examples of
artworks that raise ethical issues and watch morally significant
films and TV shows. We will read both historical and contemporary
work by artists, art theorists, and philosophers of art on the
topic of morality, and write about topics like the connection
between art and religion, portrayals of race and violence in
film, and the ethical implications of pornography.
*Disclaimer: Please note that you will be asked to watch,
discuss, and write about artworks that are morally sensitive in
nature, including portrayals of violence, racial and cultural
slurs, and sexual content. Please let me know if you are
uncomfortable with any of this material and keep in mind that all
such content is intended for a genuine educational purpose!
Course material
All reading will be provided for you in a dropbox account (so
make sure that you have dropbox!). You are expected to complete
each reading assignment before the class date for which it is
assigned. This includes the required films that you must watch on
your own time. All of them can be found on either Netflix,
Netflix Instant, or Amazon Instant Video.
Course objectives
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 20
This course is designed to help you develop and fine-tune the
writing, discussion, and presenting skills that you will need to
do well in any college course. The following objectives are
intended to help you achieve these goals:
1) Students will improve writing skills by explaining, exploring,
and critically examining aesthetic and moral theories, issues,
concepts, and arguments.
2) Students will improve skills of interpreting and evaluating
scholarly writings and artworks.
3) Students will develop an openness to having their beliefs
challenged, will learn to hear and comprehend the views of
others, and to entertain objections to their own views.
4) Students will be able to explain several classic moral and
aesthetic theories, to compare and contrast these theories, and
to apply these to justify conclusions relating to concrete
artistic and moral issues.
5) Students will be able to show that issues may be regarded from
multiple viewpoints, and will be able to present reasons in
support of each viewpoint.
6) Students will improve reasoning skills and ethical decision
making skills by acquiring an understanding of aesthetic and
ethical theories that will enable them to develop their own
opinions on conceptions and practices of moral and artistic
engagement.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 21
Assignments
1. Syllabus quiz. We will be going over the syllabus together in
class. You will also be required to submit a syllabus quiz
on the second class session. This will be worth 10 pts. The
quiz covers information in this syllabus.
2. Reading reflection papers. You will be required to submit 4 reading
reflection papers during the first half of the term. These
papers are intended to get you to carefully read and engage
with the assigned reading. I will pass out reflection
assignments as I assign the corresponding reading (so, for
instance, when I assign a selection of Plato’s Republic to
read, I will also give you the reflection assignment on
Plato’s Republic. The papers will be due one week later
(e.g., if I assign the paper on a Wednesday, the paper will
be due the following Wednesday).
Each paper should be at least 1 page single spaced or 2
pages double spaced, at most 2 pages single spaced or 4
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 22
pages double spaced. They will be graded according to the
effort that you put into them. They will each be worth 30
points.
3. Art examples. This is a class about art!! Ideally you will be
able to make connections between the assigned reading and
actual artworks (broadly construed!). To get you thinking
about this, I ask that you email me with an example of an
artwork that pertains to the assigned reading, along with a
picture, sound, or video clipš that I can show in class. You
will then be expected to explain this example at the next
class session. The example is due by 10:00pm the night
before the class session. You can do this at any point
throughout the term. Each one is worth 10 points.
4. Scaffolded final assignment. We will dedicate a large portion of
the term to a scaffolded final assignment. “Scaffolding”
simply means that we will build up to the final project in
steps, starting about halfway through the semester. You will
work on these steps on your own and in class during Friday
workshop days. You cannot complete the following step until
the previous ones are completed. The scaffolded steps
include:
a. Brainstorming map (10 points)
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 23
b. Thesis statement (10 points)
c. Paper proposal (20 points)
d. Paper outline + 3 annotated sources (30 points)
e. Peer review day (30 points)
f. Final project, with cover letter (50 points)
g. In-class presentation (20 points)
The final project can be as creative or traditional as you
like! You can either write a standard research paper that’s
approximately 8 to 10 pages or do something more creative: a
short film, a painting, a dance, song or poem collection,
short story, blog—think outside the box! You will also have to
complete a 4 to 5 page “artist’s statement” if you choose to
do the creative project. I will be giving you more details
about the assignment as the semester progresses!
You will also be expected to schedule a meeting with me during
the early stages of the scaffolded assignment to discuss your
project, life, the universe, and everything
5. Class participation. You are expected to show up to class. You
are also expected to engage with the class—not play on your
phone or your computer! I will assign a grade to you based
on you participation in discussion, opening class
activities, and participation in group work.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 24
Grade breakdown:
Syllabus quiz……………..……. 10 pts.
Reflection papers (4)………120 pts.
Art examples (3)………………..30 pts.
Scaffolded final project…… 170 pts.
Class participation………………50 pts.
Total: 380 pts.
Attendance & late work
Your attendance is required. You may have up to two unexcused
absences before your grade is penalized. An excused absence is a
missed class that has been approved by me before the class
begins, either in person or via email. An unexcused absence is a
missed class that has not been previously approved by me.
All late work will be penalized by a full letter grade off for
each weekday late, unless the lateness has been previously
approved by me either in person or via email.
Bottom line: please contact me if you think that you are going to
miss class or are unable to turn an assignment in on time!
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 25
Workshop days
Monday and Wednesday courses will be traditional courses: a
mixture of discussion, lecture, and in class activities. All
Fridays after the first week will be a workshop day. You will
break up into discussion groups of 3 or 4 that you will work with
all semester. The first few weeks you will work on the reflection
papers or in-class activities that I assign. Groups will work on
the scaffolded assignment after that.
Academic integrity
I have zero tolerance for plagiarism. This includes:
-not citing material from texts, online, or any other source
that did not originate from you.
-copying sentences, paragraphs, or whole papers from any
source without quotation and citation.
You *do not* need to use any outside sources (besides the
assigned reading) for the reflection papers since I am only
looking for your thoughts and opinions about the readings. You
will be expected to do outside research for the final project. I
will report any and all cases of suspected plagiarism and that
assignment will receive a zero.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 26
Tentative reading schedule
*all readings are subject to change!
Week 1: Historical Perspective, pt. 1: Plato’s Republic, Book X &
review of Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary.
Week 2: Historical Perspective, pt. 2: David Hume, “Of the
Standard of Taste”; bring in a critical review of a film or
TV show of your choosing (ideally a film that portrays an
ethical issue, broadly construed).
*Reflection paper #1
Week 3: Aestheticism: J.M. Whistler, “Ten O’Clock Lecture” and
Oscar Wilde, Salome
*Reflection paper #2 due
Week 4: Immoralism: Matthew Kieran, “Art, Morality, and Ethics”;
clips from Triumph of the Will (in-class)
*Reflection paper #3 due
Week 5: Sympathy for the Devil: Noël Carroll “Sympathy for
Soprano”; watch The Sopranos, Season 1, episode 1
*In-class brainstorming map
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 27
*Reflection paper #4 due
*Schedule a meeting with me sometime during Week 5-7.
This is required!
Week 6: Portrayals of Violence: David Trend, selection from The
Myth of Media Violence & Dena Shottinkirk “Kitsch is a Funny
Thing” (blog post, see below); watch Pulp Fiction
https://denashottenkirk.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/gta5-
kitsch-is-a-funny-thing/
*Thesis statement due Wednesday
Week 7: Portrayals of Race: Harry Bensoff & Sean Griffin,
selection from America on Film: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies
[reading subject to change] & watch Django Unchained
*Paper proposals due Wednesday
Week 8: Cultural Relativism: Jesse Prinz, “Morality is a
Culturally Conditioned Response”; watch A Separation
*Paper outline + 3 annotated sources due
Week 9: Pornography: Catherine McKinnon “Sexuality, Pornography,
and Method: “Pleasure under Patriarchy” & D.H. Lawrence “The
Horse-Dealer’s Daughter.”
*Peer review day; 4 copies of draft of paper due in
class
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 28
Week 10: In-class presentations
*Final draft of paper due w/ scaffolding material and
cover letter due on Monday.
Syllabus for Art, Media & Society
Art, Media, & Society
Union College, Fall 2015
Dr. Katherine Tullmann
[LOCATION]
MWF, 3:05 to 4:10 pm.
Office: Lamont House 307
Office hours: MWF, 1:00-3:00 pm and by apt.
Course description
Course material
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 29
All reading can be found in the required text Aesthetics: A
Comprehensive Anthology, eds. Steven Cahn & Aaron Meskin or in the
class dropbox—so make sure you have a dropbox account! You are
expected to complete each reading assignment before the class
date for which it is assigned. You are also expected to bring the
text to every class session.
Course objectives
This course is designed to help you develop and fine-tune the
writing, discussion, and presenting skills that you will need to
do well in any college course. The following objectives are
intended to help you achieve these goals:
1) Students will improve writing skills by explaining, exploring,
and critically examining aesthetic and moral theories, issues,
concepts, and arguments.
2) Students will improve skills of interpreting and evaluating
scholarly writings and artworks.
3) Students will develop an openness to having their beliefs
challenged, will learn to hear and comprehend the views of
others, and to entertain objections to their own views.
4) Students will be able to explain several classic moral and
aesthetic theories, to compare and contrast these theories, and
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 30
to apply these to justify conclusions relating to concrete
artistic and moral issues.
5) Students will be able to show that issues may be regarded from
multiple viewpoints, and will be able to present reasons in
support of each viewpoint.
6) Students will improve reasoning skills and ethical decision
making skills by acquiring an understanding of aesthetic and
ethical theories that will enable them to develop their own
opinions on conceptions and practices of moral and artistic
engagement.
Assignments
1. Syllabus quiz & course contract. We will be going over the syllabus
together in class. You will also be required to submit a
syllabus quiz on the second class session. This will be
worth 10 pts. The quiz covers information in this syllabus.
2. Reading reflection papers. You will be required to submit 4 reading
reflection papers during the first half of the term. These
papers are intended to get you to carefully read and engage
with the assigned reading. I will pass out reflection
assignments as I assign the corresponding reading (so, for
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 31
instance, when I assign a selection of Plato’s Republic to
read, I will also give you the reflection assignment on
Plato’s Republic. The papers will be due one week later
(e.g., if I assign the paper on a Wednesday, the paper will
be due the following Wednesday).
Each paper should be at least 1 page single spaced or 2
pages double spaced, at most 2 pages single spaced or 4
pages double spaced. They will be graded according to the
effort that you put into them. They will each be worth 30
points.
3. Art examples. This is a class about art! Ideally you will be
able to make connections between the assigned reading and
actual artworks (broadly construed!). To get you thinking
about this, I ask that you email me with an example of an
artwork that pertains to the assigned reading, along with a
picture, sound, or video clip that I can show in class. You
will then be expected to explain this example at the next
class session. The example is due by 10:00pm the night
before the class session. You can do this at any point
throughout the term. Each one is worth 10 points.
4. Scaffolded final paper. We will dedicate a large portion of the
term to a scaffolded final paper. “Scaffolding” simply means
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 32
that we will build up to the final project in steps,
starting about halfway through the semester. You will work
on these steps on your own and in class during Friday
workshop days. You cannot complete the following step until
the previous ones are completed. The scaffolded steps
include:
a. Brainstorming map (10 points)
b. Thesis statement (10 points)
c. Paper proposal (20 points)
d. Paper outline + 3 annotated sources (20 points)
e. Peer review day (30 points)
f. Final project, with cover letter (50 points)
g. In-class presentation (20 points)
This is a standard research paper that’s approximately 8 to 10
pages in length. I will be giving you more details about the
assignment as the semester progresses!
5. Class participation. You are expected to show up to class. You
are also expected to engage with the class—not play on your
phone or your computer! I will assign a grade to you based
on you participation in discussion, opening class
activities, and participation in group work. I don’t want to
see cell phones during class sessions and I will penalize
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 33
your grade if I do. Please leave the classroom quietly if
you need to make/take a call, or for any other reason.
Grade breakdown:
Syllabus quiz……. 10 pts.
Reflection papers (4)………120 pts.
Art examples (3)………….. 30 pts.
Scaffolded final paper…… 170 pts.
Class participation………….50 pts.
Total: 380 pts.
Attendance & late work
Your attendance is required. You may have up to two unexcused
absences before your grade is penalized. An excused absence is a
missed class that has been approved by me before the class
begins, either in person or via email. An unexcused absence is a
missed class that has not been previously approved by me.
All late work will be penalized by a full letter grade off for
each weekday late, unless the lateness has been previously
approved by me either in person or via email.
Bottom line: please contact me if you think that you are going to
miss class or are unable to turn an assignment in on time!
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 34
Workshop days
Monday and Wednesday courses will be traditional courses: a
mixture of discussion, lecture, and in class activities. All
Fridays after the first week will be a workshop day. You will
break up into discussion groups of 3 or 4 that you will work with
all semester. The first few weeks you will work on the reflection
papers or in-class activities that I assign. Groups will work on
the scaffolded assignments after that.
Academic integrity
I have zero tolerance for plagiarism. This includes:
-not citing material from texts, online, or any other source
that did not originate from you.
-copying sentences, paragraphs, or whole papers from any
source without quotation and citation.
You *do not* need to use any outside sources (besides the
assigned reading) for the reflection papers since I am only
looking for your thoughts and opinions about the readings. You
will be expected to do outside research for the final project. I
will report any and all cases of suspected plagiarism and that
assignment will receive a zero.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 35
Tentative reading schedule
*all readings are subject to change! Please complete the assigned reading by the
assigned day listed below.
Week 1: Plato’s Republic Book X & review of Chris Ofili’s The Holy
Virgin Mary
*Syllabus quiz due
Week 2: David Hume, “Of the Standard of Taste”; bring in a
critical review of a film or TV show of your choosing
(ideally a film that portrays a social issue, broadly
construed).
*Reflection paper #1 due
Week 3: Friedrich Nietzsche, “The Birth of Tragedy”
*Reflection paper #2 due
Week 4: J.M. Whistler, “Ten O’Clock Lecture” & Leo Tolstoy, “What
is art?”
*Reflection paper #3 due
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 36
Week 5: Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of
Mechanical Reproduction”
*Reflection paper #4 due
* In-class brainstorming map
Week 6: Martin Heidegger, “The Origin of the Work of Art”
*Thesis statement due
Week 7: Arthur Danto, “The Artworld”
*Paper proposals due
Week 8: Berys Gaut, “The Ethical Criticism of Art”
*Paper outline + 3 annotated sources due
Week 9: Mary Devereaux, “Oppressive Texts, Resisting Readers, and
the Gendered Spectator: The ‘New’ Aesthetics”
*Peer review day; 4 copies of draft of paper due in class
Week 10: In-class presentations
*Final draft of paper due w/ scaffolding material and cover
letter due on Monday.
Syllabus for Intro to Ethics
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 37
Contemporary Issues in Moral Philosophy
WCSU, HUM 110
Prof. Katherine Tullmann
Course overview
Historically, the study of morality has been concerned with answering
three questions: what kind of person should I be? How should I behave?
Are moral values universal, or relative to persons or cultures? In
this online class, students will learn the basics of ethical theory
and questions concerning moral philosophy. We will examine portions
of philosophical texts from ancient Greece to contemporary times. We
will also discuss various issues in contemporary applied ethics,
including euthanasia/physician assisted dying, distributive justice,
animal rights, same-sex marriage, gun control, and more.
Required reading
Course lectures will be based on Russ Schafer-Landau’s text, The
Fundamentals of Ethics, 3rd edition and James Rachels’ The Elements of Moral
Philosophy. These books are optional. You are required to have Russ
Schafer-Landau’s The Ethical Life: Fundamental Readings in Ethics and Moral
Problems, either 2nd or 3rd edition. I will post the first few readings on
Blackboard to give you a chance to purchase the text. Other required
class readings will be made available to you on Blackboard. You are
responsible for keeping track of which readings to do and when.
Student learning outcomes
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 38
1) Students will improve writing skills by explaining, exploring, and critically examining philosophical theories, issues, concepts, and arguments relating to the philosophical areas of epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics clearly in writing.
2) Students will improve skills of interpreting and evaluating philosophical writings.
3) Students will develop an openness to having their beliefs challenged, will learn to hear and comprehend the views of others, andto entertain objections to their own views.
4) Students will be able to explain several classic ethical theories, to compare and contrast ethical theories, and to apply these to justify conclusions relating to concrete moral issues.
5) Students will be able to show that issues may be regarded from multiple viewpoints, and will be able to present reasons in support ofeach viewpoint.
6) Students will improve reasoning skills and ethical decision making skills by acquiring an understanding of ethical theories and philosophical concepts that will enable them to develop their own opinions on conceptions and practices of moral interaction.
Attendance
Since there is no classroom meeting for this class, I cannot grade you
on in-class attendance. However, I can see if you have accessed the BB
website and assignments, and assignments are due on a regular basis. I
will count your “attendance” based on whether you have done the
required assignments.
Assignments
All assignments should be emailed to me with a subject line with your
LAST name and unit title. (e.g., “Tullmann, Hedonism”). The document
title (how you save the document) should be the same. You will be
marked off points for not formatting documents this way.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 39
Your grade for this online course will be based on 4 factors: a
syllabus quiz, participation in the online discussion boards, response
papers, and lecture responses (see below for details). There is no
midterm or final exam. I have broken the semester into 11 units (see
the course schedule below). For each unit, I will assign 2 readings, 1
discussion board forum to which you must post two times, 1 interactive
lecture, and 1 reading response assignment.
Some of you may be tempted to put off all the work for the semester
until late spring. I have designed the course so that this is not an
option. All assignments will be due by 11:59 pm the last day of the
unit. New units will be available at 12:01 a.m. the following day.
I will try to make the all of the course readings available in the
beginning of the semester; most assignments will also be available
ahead of schedule. You can work ahead if you’d like.
I will not accept late work unless it has been previously approved by
me. Make sure to email me if, for some reason, you do not think that
you will be able to submit an assignment on time. I will accept late
work at my discretion.
Syllabus quiz
The first unit includes a syllabus quiz. You should read the entire
syllabus before or while taking the quiz. Answers can be found
directly on the syllabus. The quiz will be available on BB until 11:59
pm on Friday, January 16th. Late quizzes will not be accepted, so be
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 40
sure to submit it on time.
Unit lectures
I have broken the semester into 11 units, most lasting 1 week with a
few lasting two weeks. Each unit requires that you read through the
posted Power Point presentation. Some of the slides will ask for your
response. For instance, I may ask you to come up with an example that
pertains to a particular theory or point a philosopher makes. Or, I
may ask you to try to explain a point from the reading in your own
words. Write out your individual responses to each of these
questions/prompts. There will be about 5 to 6 prompts per lecture. You
must complete each the lecture responses for all 11 units and email me
your responses in .doc or .docx format by the end of the unit combined
with your reading response if you chose to do one that week (see list
of dates below).
Your responses will be graded for completion and effort, not
correctness! Make sure to put some thought into your responses. Each
one should be about 1 paragraph long.
Discussion boards
Each unit will have 1 discussion board based on the lecture and/or the
reading. For full points (10/unit) you must respond to the board at
least twice. You must complete any 9 of the total 11 discussion boards
during the semester. One of these posts must be in response to the
original prompt. The other must be in response to a point made by
another student. So, for example, your first post can simply answer
the prompt and say whether you agree or disagree with the position
presented. This is entirely based on your reasoned opinion. In the
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 41
second posting, you should read through your classmates’ responses,
choose one that you either agree or disagree with, and explain why.
Make sure to give reasons to support your point in both postings. Do
not simply repeat or summarize the prompt.
I will grade discussion board postings based on the quality of your
participation. Very short or incomplete posts will receive no or
reduced points. For example: “I agree with X” (and that’s it) won’t
earn any points. “I agree with X, and here’s why….” will earn points.
You should try to be as specific as possible and give evidence and
reasons for your response. Three sentences should be a good goal to
strive for (more is fine; less would probably be incomplete).
The discussion boards provide the only opportunities for you to
interact with the other students in your class, so make the most of
it! Be respectful, friendly, and willing to engage. Feel free to
introduce yourself and put your name on the posts. This will make for
an interesting and lively discussion.
Reading response papers
I will post a reading response paper prompt for each unit. You must
complete a reading response paper for 3 of the 10 units that have
reading response options. Each paper should be about 2 pages long,
size 12 font, with 1 inch margins. The header should not be more than
a few lines long and include your name. Email me the response paper by
the end of each unit, combined with your lecture responses. I will
grade and respond to your response paper within 1 week.
The reading response prompts will ask for you to give *your* opinion
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 42
about a particular ethical problem or point in the reading. You should
not use outside material to help
How you will be graded:
-I will be looking for your argument. You must take a stance on
the issue or question, not just describe it. Include a thesis
statement in the first paragraph of the response.
-I don’t really care if your answer is right. I’m looking to see
that you have thought about the question and put some effort into your
response.
-Edit your responses for grammar, organization, and clarity. You
will be graded on this.
-Each prompt will include several points that you must address.
Make sure to address each of them for full points.
I’d recommend that you don’t wait until the last four units to
complete your response papers. Spread them out through the semester,
if possible, and try to give yourself a few days to complete each one.
Please be sure to refer to my plagiarism policy (below).
Grade breakdown
I will post grades for each assignment on Blackboard approximately 1
week after the assignments for each unit are due (this includes
discussion boards, response papers, and lecture responses). I ask that
you please do not email me about grades until at least 10 days have
passed after the assignment is due.
Here is the grade breakdown for the course:
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 43
1. Syllabus quiz……………………………………………………10 pts.
2. Discussion board participation (9)…………………...90 pts. total
3. Lecture responses (11)…………………………………..220 pts. total
4. Reading responses (3)……………………………………90 pts. total
Total: 410 pts.You can easily calculate your semester grade by dividing how many
points you have earned on the assignments by the total points you
could have earned.
About me
My name is Katherine Tullmann, I am a Ph.D. candidate at the City
University of New York Graduate Center. I study moral philosophy,
philosophy of mind, and philosophy of art. I live in Brooklyn (I’ll be
grading, reading, and posting lectures from the comfort of my tiny New
York apartment!) but I am originally from St. Louis, MO. Luckily for
you, this is the spring semester so you don’t have to witness my agony
over whether the St. Louis Cardinals do well in the postseason
How to contact me
Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions about the
course! My email is [email protected]. Try not to use my
WCSU email address as I will not check that as often. I do ask that
you consult the syllabus and/or assignment document about assignment
due dates and requirements before emailing me. But please feel free to
ask if any assignments are unclear or you need help. I am here for
you!
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 44
In additional to normal email checks, I will hold “virtual office
hours” every Sunday evening from 7 pm to 10 pm (unless otherwise
noted). During this time, I will be available for gchat. Please feel
free to ask me questions about the reading, lectures, discussion
boards, reading responses, or to just say ‘hello.’ Email me during
that time if you don’t have gmail and I will respond as quickly as
possible.
Please have an up-to-date email account registered with Blackboard. I
will periodically contact you during the semester with assignment
updates and changes, so it’s important for these emails to reach you!
Please be sure to check your registered email on a regular basis.
How to do well in this course
Complete all of the assignments on time! This is the single most
important thing that you can do for your grade. Furthermore, most of
your grades are based on effort and completion. The readings and some
of the concepts in the lectures can be quite challenging; I ask that
you attempt to answer the prompts to the best of your ability. Hard
work will be rewarded; lack of effort will be penalized.
Here’s how I recommend that you work:
1. Do the reading.
2. Go through the lecture. The lecture often builds off the
reading, so it’s important to read first.
3. Respond to the discussion board. The prompts will be
based on concepts from the reading.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 45
4. Complete the reading response. The prompt will often be
based on a point made in the lecture and require you to
draw upon the reading.
5. Submit a document with the lecture responses + reading
response by 11:59 pm the day the assignment is due.
Plagiarism policy
I have zero tolerance for plagiarism. This includes:
-not citing material from texts, online, or any other source that
did not originate from you.
-copying sentences, paragraphs, or whole papers from any source
without quotation and citation.
You *do not* need to use any outside sources for the reading response
papers since I am looking for your thoughts and opinions about the
readings. Hopefully, this means that plagiarism will not be an issue.
I will report any and all cases of suspected plagiarism.
Course schedule
Each unit will have its own folder containing the reading or link to
the reading, lecture ppt, and reading response prompt. You can find
these under the “course documents” tab. You can find all the
discussion forums under the “discussion board” tab. The reading
response prompts will be under the “course assignments” tab. Remember
to email the assignments to me by 11:59 pm on the last day of each
unit. The first unit will open on January 12th. All readings not in The
Ethical Life will be posted on Blackboard.
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 46
Reading schedule (note: individual readings are subject to change):
1. Intro to Ethics (1 week)Read course syllabus and submit quiz; Intro to Ethics lecture; discussion boardReading: watch “How philosophy can save your life” on Youtube (link on BB).Assignments due: syllabus quiz due Friday January 16th; lecture and db due January 20th
2. The Good Life (1 week)Reading: Plato’s Apology (link on BB).Assignments due: Jan 27th
3. Hedonism (1 week)Reading: Epicurus “Letter to Menoeceus” and Robert Nozick “The Experience Machine”; Optional: Aldus Huxley, excerpt from Brave New World (useful for reading response!)Assignments due: February 3rd
4. Morality & religion (1 week)Reading: Plato, “Euthyphro” and John Corvino “Why shouldn’t Jimmy and Tommy Have Sex? A Defense of Homosexuality”Assignments due: February 10th
5. Natural law (1 week)Reading: Phillippa Foot, “Natural goodness” and Stephen Pinker “History of Violence” (posted on BB)Assignments due: February 17th
6. Relativism & objectivity (2 weeks)Reading: Jesse Prinz “Morality is a Culturally Conditional Response” and James Rachels “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism” (both BB)
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 47
Assignments due: March 3rd
***Midterm grades due, March 6th***
7. Egoism (2 weeks)Reading: James Rachels, “Egoism and Moral Skepticism” and Julian Savulescu “Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancements of Human Beings”Assignments due: March 17th
**Spring break, March 16th –21st
8. Consequentialism (2 weeks)Reading: J.J.C. Smart “Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism" and Peter Singer “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”Assignments due: April 7th
9. Deontology (2 weeks)Reading: Immanuel Kant “The Good will and the Categorical Imperative” and Alan Dershowitz, “Should the Ticking Bomb Terrorist be Tortured?”Assignments due: April 21st
10. Virtue ethics (1week)Reading: Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics and TBAAssignments due: April 28th
11. Feminist ethics (1 week)Reading: Hilde Lindemann “What is feminist ethics?” and Judith Jarvis Thompson “A Defense of Abortion”
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 48
Assignments due: May 5th
Sample syllabi
Below are several sample course descriptions and reading lists
for classes that I have the capability and desire to teach in the
future. There are also other courses that I have considered
teaching; I would be happy to discuss them with the search
commitee.
Moral Psychology
Course description:
This class explores the psychological foundations of our moral values
and moral judgments. We will investigate which mental states are
involved in make moral judgments, where moral values originate, and
the kinds of mental processes we utilize in moral situations. We will
begin with historical philosophical perspectives on the debate between
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 49
rationalism and sentimentalism before moving on to contemporary
theories and issues. Although we will primarily focus on readings by
philosophers, the course is decidedly interdisciplinary, utilizing
resources from all areas of cognitive science. The second half of the
course will focus on traditional philosophical issues like freedom of
will and moral motivation from the perspective of experimental
philosophy and social psychology.
This course is designed for the intermediate philosophy and psychology
student who wishes to gain a better understanding of the theoretical
and basic empirical work in moral issues. Students will be evaluated
on class participation, three medium length (3-6 pg) papers, and an
in-class group presentation.
Course readings:
Most readings can be found in Moral Psychology: Historical and Contemporary
Readings, Thomas Nadelhoffer, Eddy Nahmias, & Shaun Nichols (Eds.),
except when noted by an asterisk (*). These readings will be made
available electronically.
Week 1. Historical perspectives, pt 1: Emotions and moral judgments
Francis Hutcheson, An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue
(selections), 21-23 & An Essay on the Nature and Conduct of the Passions and
Affections, with Illustrations on the Moral Sense (selections), 24-31.
David Hume, Enquiries Concerning the Principles of Morals (selections), 32-36.
Week 2 & 3. Historical perspectives, pt. 2: Reason and moral judgments
*Immanuel Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals: Introduction, Part 1
& 2
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 50
Week 3 & 4. Contemporary rationalism
Lawrence Kohlberg, “The Claim to Moral Adequacy of Highest Stage of
Moral Development,” 40-47.
*Response: Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice (selections)
Michael Smith, selections from The Moral Problem, 64-72.
Weeks 5 & 6. Neosentimentalism
R.J.R. Blair, “A Cognitive Developmental Approach to Morality:
Investigating the Psychopath,” 48-63.
Shaun Nichols, “How psychopaths threaten moral rationalism: Is it
rational to be moral?” 73-84.
*S. Schnall et al. “Disgust as embodied moral judgment”
*Jesse Prinz, “The emotional basis of moral judgments”
Weeks 7 & 8 Moral intuitionism
W.D. Ross, selections from The Right and the Good, 321-326.
Judith Jarvis Thompson, “The trolley problem,” 327-334.
Jonathan Haidt, “The emotional dog and its rational tail,” 343-358.
Joshua Greene, “The secret joke of Kant’s soul,” 359-372.
Weeks 9 & 10 Altruism & moral nativism
C. Daniel Batson, “How social an animal: The human capacity for
caring,” 117-123.
Robert L. Trivers, “The evolution of reciprocal altruism,” 124-134.
Barry Schwartz, “Why altruism is impossible…and ubiquitous,” 148-160.
*Edouard Machery & Ron Mallon, “The evolution of morality.”
Weeks 11, 12, & 13 Moral responsibility, moral luck, and character
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 51
Harry Frankfurt, “The freedom of will and the concept of a person”
Daniel M. Wegner & Thalia Wheatley, “Apparent mental causation:
Sources of experiences of the will,” 274-275.
*Shaun Nichols & Joshua Knobe “Moral Responsibility and Determinism.”
Alfred R. Mele, “Scientific skepticism about free will,” 295-305.
Aristotle, selections from Nichomachean Ethics, 239-245.
John Doris, “Persons, situations, and virtue ethics,” 197-209.
*John Doris & Dominic Murphy, “From Mai Lai to Abu Graib: The moral
psychology of atrocity.”
*Kwuame Anthony Appiah, “Experiments in Ethics.”
Weeks 14 & 15 Moral motivation
*Michael Smith, “The Humean Theory of Motivation”
*R. Jay Wallace, “How to Argue about Practical Reason”
*Michael Smith, “The Externalist Challenge”
*Adina Roskies, “Are Ethical Judgments Intrinsically Motivational?
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 52
Philosophy of Mind
Course description:
The study of philosophy of mind is dedicated to understanding the
nature of the mind. We will mainly be focused on questions concerning
what the mind is: what relationship the mind has to the body, the
nature of conscious and sensory states, mental content, etc. We will
examine both historical and contemporary perspectives on dualism and
physicalism, arguments for and against behaviorism, mind-brain
identity theory, functionalism, and eliminativism. After discussing
the nature of the mind, we will consider questions concerning its
content, specifically propositional attitudes and sensory states. This
will lead into a discussion of one of the hottest topics in
contemporary philosophy: the nature of consciousness. Along the way,
we will consider whether or not animals have consciousness, whether
computers have minds, and whether Martians can feel as we do. We will
utilize traditional philosophical texts, intriguing thought
experiments, and empirical work from cognitive science to inform our
investigation,
This course is intended as an intermediate level, survey
introduction to philosophy of mind. Students will be evaluated on
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 53
three, 3-5 page papers, reading quizzes, an in-class group
presentation, and classroom discussion.
Course readings:
This is a tentative, weekly reading schedule. Students are expected to read all
of the selections and bring them to class with them. Most of the readings are from
The Nature of Mind (ed. David Rosenthal). All others are marked with an
asterisk (*). These readings will be made available to the student by
the professor.
Dualism, historical perspectives
René Descartes, selections from Meditations on First Philosophy (pp. 21-29)
René Descartes, selections from Principles of Philosophy (pp. 30-33)
John Locke, selections from Essay Concerning Human Understanding (pp. 38-45)
Dualism, contemporary debates
Frank Jackson, “What Mary Didn’t Know” (pp. 392-394)
Thomas Nagel, “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” (pp. 422-428)
Arguments for behaviorism
Gilbert Ryle, “Descartes’ Myth” (pp. 51-57)
*Andre Kukla, Joel Walmsley, “Psychology Loses Its Mind: The Behavioral Revolution” (29pp)
Arguments Against Behaviorism
*B. F. Skinner: “The Causes of Behavior” (6pp)*Noam Chomsky, “Review of B. F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior” (excerpt, 7pp)
*Daniel C. Dennett, “Skinner Skinned” (18pp)
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 54
The Mind-Brain Identity Theory
J. J. C. Smart: “Sensations and Brain Processes” (pp. 169-176)
*U. T. Place: “Is Consciousness a Brain Function?”
Saul Kripke: from Naming and Necessity (236-246)
Functionalism, Part I
*Jerry A. Fodor “The Mind-Body Problem” (12pp)
David M. Armstrong, “The Causal Theory of Mind,” (pp. 181-188)
Hilary Putnam, “The Nature of Mental States” (pp. 197-203)
Functionalism, Part II
David K. Lewis, “Psychophysical and Theoretical Identifications” (pp. 204-210)
Ned Block “Troubles with Functionalism” (pp. 211-228)
David K. Lewis, “Mad Pain and Martian Pain” (pp. 229-235)
Eliminative Materialism
Paul Churchland “Eliminative Materialism and the Propositional Attitudes” (pp. 601-612)
Paul K. Feyerabend, “Mental Events and the Brain” (pp. 266-267)
Propositional Attitudes and Intentional Content
Jerry A. Fodor, “Propositional Attitudes” (pp. 325-338)
Daniel C. Dennett, “True Believers: The Intentional Strategy and Why it Works” (pp. 339-353)
T u l l m a n n t e a c h i n g p o r t f o l i o | 55
Computational Psychology, Artificial Intelligence, and The Chinese Room
John Searle, “Minds, Brains and Programs” (pp. 509-519)
Jerry A. Fodor and John Searle, An exchange in four parts (pp. 520-526)
Sensations, Part I: “Qualia” and the Inverted Spectrum
*Daniel C. Dennett, “Qualia Disqualified,” ch. 12 in Consciousness Explained (pp. 369-411)
*Alex Byrne, “Inverted Qualia,” available at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qualia-inverted/
Sensations, Part II: Qualitative Character and Representationalism
*Paul Churchland, “Cognitive Neurobiology and Sensory Coding” from M&C(pp. 146-155)
*Michael Tye, “The Subjective Qualities of Experience” (17pp)
Consciousness, Part I: The Hard Problem
*David Chalmers, “Facing up to the Problem of Consciousness” (with a reply by D. C. Dennett)
David M. Rosenthal, “Two Concepts of Consciousness” (pp. 462-477)
Consciousness, Part II: Phenomenal Consciousness and Access Consciousness
*Ned Block, “On a Confusion about a Function of Consciousness” (excerpt, 6pp)
*David M. Rosenthal, “How Many Kinds of Consciousness?” (12pp)
Top Related