Introduction to Philosophy
The Introduction to Philosophy* course at San Marin High School is not a normal high school class, and fair warning: anyone who takes this class won’t be the same by the end of the year. Run almost entirely like one of the many college courses Mr. Swedlow taught at DePaul and The University of San Francisco, the class is designed to introduce students to key ideas and arguments in the history of philosophy. Of equal importance, it also allows students to have a college experience on the high school campus. In the class, there are no seating charts, no rules about coming and going, and only a few assignments per semester. Oh yeah—there are also a lot of movies.
Well then, what does the course do?
So, what do you have to do in the course?
Did I mention movies yet? Each philosophical topic is accompanied by a relevant film to help the ideas come alive. Some of the films we watch include:
Honors or Regular?
* Side effects include, but are not limited to: short bouts of insanity, odd new life-paths, questioning of authority, the reevaluation of all values, thoughts of ruling the world, staring thoughtfully at the ocean, dementia, contemplating the stars, a sudden urge to write a book explaining the meaning of everything, a radically new understanding of Family Guy, and running off to a foreign country because it is there and not here
Well then, what does the course do?
- Teaches students how to understand, compare, and make arguments. At the end of the year, your parents won’t be able to win a fight.
- Teaches students how to think about the history of ideas and, more importantly, to think more deeply about everyday issues in their lives, such as how to live ethically, how our country should really work, what outfit your ought to wear today, and whether any of this has any meaning.
So, what do you have to do in the course?
- Students write three papers per semester. That's right--no nightly homework. The last essay is the final, so just as in many college courses, you turn it in on finals day. Since we have to have a class, instead of working, we’ll watch a film. Pizza and popcorn often accompany this bacchanal.
- As well, students will create four to five online posts a semester. This is nice because we get to prove each other wrong both in and outside of class.
- Finally, there is classroom participation. The class is based in part on lecture, but depends mostly on discussion. So in class, I may lecture a bit, but mostly we’re going to talk about the issues we bring up and apply them to everyday life. For instance, is 'yolo' a good creed to live by, or a way to waste your life? Is democracy the best political system, or the worst? Does society help us become the best we can, or does it turn us into conforming drones who don’t know how to think? And last, but not least, why does Justin Bieber exist and should he?
Did I mention movies yet? Each philosophical topic is accompanied by a relevant film to help the ideas come alive. Some of the films we watch include:
- Groundhog Day
- The Matrix
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- Waking Life
- The Dark Night
- Donnie Darko
Honors or Regular?
- Regular Philosophy: students who take regular philosophy have to show a basic understanding of the ideas we talk about in their essays and participate in class and online discussions. They are graded at the high school level.
- Honors Philosophy: students taking honors philosophy do the same assignments as regular students, but have to show a more in-depth analysis of philosophical arguments, as well as provide their own original positions. Any student who passes the honors course with a C or better gets a full grade bump (C to B, B to A, A to full 5.0). More importantly, any student who passes at the honors level is fully prepared to take a college course!
* Side effects include, but are not limited to: short bouts of insanity, odd new life-paths, questioning of authority, the reevaluation of all values, thoughts of ruling the world, staring thoughtfully at the ocean, dementia, contemplating the stars, a sudden urge to write a book explaining the meaning of everything, a radically new understanding of Family Guy, and running off to a foreign country because it is there and not here
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