Online Class: Philosophy 101

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13

Lessons
28

Exams &
Assignments
1,784

Students
have taken this course
12

Hours
average time
1.2

CEUs

Course Description

Philosophy is a mystifying, confounding, and wondrous discipline that affects virtually every aspect of human existence. While it attempts to consider the big issues of our lives, including our very existence, the nature of the world, whether or not knowledge is possible, what actions and thoughts are considered to be ethical, and more, philosophy--in one way or another--strives to place things in a meaningful context.

While often considered the purview of humorless old men that spend their lives in ivy-covered towers, philosophy is actually an integral part of the human experience. Indeed, it is often noted that most everyone engages in some sort of philosophy--whether they realize it or not. It is the aim of this course to introduce the student to the basics of philosophy and to provide a better appreciation and awareness of philosophy in a historical and, more importantly, personal context.

This course provides a brief overview of the academic discipline known as philosophy, a succinct history of philosophy from Ancient Greece to our modern day, a lexicon of philosophical terms and concepts, as well as an examination of the sub-disciplines of philosophy and several of the major philosophies that have shaped our world since the times of the pre-Socratic philosophers.

Philosophy Is Everywhere!

There is a feeling in modern popular culture that philosophy is a discipline of purely historical value or, if it is still in practice today, it is only engaged in by those with multiple graduate degrees on university campuses or various academic think tanks around the world. While there may be some truth to both of these views, the fact is that philosophy is much more common and pervasive than that.

The fact is, most people deal with philosophical issues every day, whether or not they recognize them as such. For example, most have an idea of what makes actions right or wrong, what types of things (or people) they find attractive, the value of learning, whether or not there is a God or ultimate authority in the universe, and so forth. Granted, most will not deem their thoughts on these issues as "doing philosophy", but these issues (and many others) are more than tangential parts of most human beings' lives.

A great deal of popular culture is built on philosophical observations and famous quotations from the philosophers of the near and distant past. "The unexamined life is not worth living" (Socrates/Plato), "God is dead" (Nietzsche), "What goes around comes around" (an American summation of the Buddhist concept of karma), "finding my soul mate" (Plato), and many others.

While this type of popular usage is fine, it is not true philosophy, but an altered, shorthand version. Thus, this course will periodically use some of these references as a springboard to the more refined concepts that birthed them.

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6 Months to Complete

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Universal Class is an IACET Accredited Provider

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:

"Extraordinarily Helpful"

(1,396 votes)

Lesson 1: What Is Philosophy?

This lesson will present a working definition for philosophy that will be used throughout this course, as well as the major sub-disciplines within the field of philosophy. 39 Total Points

Lesson 1 Video A
Lesson 1 Video B : Introduction Discussion
Review Article: What is Philosophy?
Take Poll: Philosophy Course
Take Survey: Reasons for Taking this Course
Complete Assignment: An Introduction
Complete: Lesson 1 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 1: What Is Philosophy?

Lesson 2: Coming to Terms: A Philosophical Lexicon, Part I

A proper understanding of philosophy requires at least a basic familiarity with some of the most commonly-used words and phrases in the philosophical lexicon. 34 Total Points

Lesson 2 Video
Review 2 Articles: Philosophy Dictionary; Philosophical Terms
Complete: Lesson 2 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 2: Coming to Terms: A Philosophical Lexicon, Part I

Lesson 3: A Manner of Speaking: A Philosophical Lexicon, Part II

In the continuing study of the terms and concepts central to the study of philosophy, this section completes the glossary of terms for this introductory course. 34 Total Points

Lesson 3 Video
Review Article: Philosophy of Mind
Complete: Lesson 3 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 3: A Manner of Speaking: A Philosophical Lexicon, Part II

Lesson 4: Metaphysics

From a purely linguistic standpoint, metaphysics is a combination of two root words: meta (meaning "more than") and physics (which refers to the physical world that surrounds us). 34 Total Points

Lesson 4 Video
Review 2 Articles: Metaphysics; Metaphysics in Philosophy
Review Video: Aristotle
Complete: Lesson 4 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 4: Metaphysics

Lesson 5: Epistemology

The major concepts and issues related to epistemology will be presented briefly in the following sections of this lesson 32 Total Points

Lesson 5 Video
Review 2 Articles: Epistemology; Epistemology in Philosophy
Complete: Lesson 5 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 5: Epistemology

Lesson 6: Philosophy of Mind

In this lesson, the basic concepts and schools of thought related to philosophy of mind will be presented. 34 Total Points

Lesson 6 Video
Review Article: Leibniz's Philosophy of the Mind
Review Video: Functionalism
Complete: Lesson 6 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 6: Philosophy of Mind

Lesson 7: Philosophy of Religion

This lesson will briefly touch on these questions within the philosophy of religion. 34 Total Points

Lesson 7 Video
Review 2 Articles: Philosophy of Religion; Pascal's Wager
Review Video: Does God Exist?
Take Poll: God
Complete: Lesson 7 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 7: Philosophy of Religion

Lesson 8: Ethics, Part I

This lesson will discuss the basic nature of ethics, including the specialized concepts unique to the field. 31 Total Points

Lesson 8 Video
Review 2 Articles: Ethics; What is ethics?
Complete: Lesson 8 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 8: Ethics, Part I

Lesson 9: Ethics, Part II

A continuation of our consideration of ethics, this lesson provides a brief overview of some of the major ethical schools of thought within philosophy. 35 Total Points

Lesson 9 Video
Review 2 Articles: Utilitarianism; Stoicism
Review Video: Cynicism Video
Complete: Lesson 9 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 9: Ethics, Part II

Lesson 10: Logic

This lesson will discuss the basic concepts of classical logic and touch briefly on the more recent development of symbolic logic. 35 Total Points

Lesson 10 Video
Review 2 Articles: Aristotle; Fallacies
Complete: Lesson 10 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 10: Logic

Lesson 11: Social & Political Philosophy

This lesson concentrates on the philosophical sub-discipline of political and social philosophy and the issues related to it. 34 Total Points

Lesson 11 Video
Review 2 Articles: Karl Marx; Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Complete: Lesson 11 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 11: Social & Political Philosophy

Lesson 12: Unsolved Problems & Paradoxes in Philosophy

This lesson delves into some of the more entertaining mental conundrums that pervade philosophy, but is by no means exhaustive. 34 Total Points

Lesson 12 Video
Review 2 Articles: Molyneux's Problem; Sorites Paradox
Complete: Lesson 12 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 12: Unsolved Problems & Paradoxes in Philosophy

Lesson 13: An Overview of the Great Philosophers

This lesson provides a brief overview of the major philosophers throughout history. 85 Total Points

Lesson 13 Video
Review 3 Articles: John Stuart Mill; David Hume; Ren� Descartes
Take Poll: Favorite Philosopher
Take Survey: Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course)
Complete: Lesson 13 Assignment
Complete Exam: Lesson 13: An Overview of the Great Philosophers
Complete: The Final Exam

495

Total Course Points

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

Define what philosophy is.
Describe the philosophical lexicon.
Summarize metaphysics.
Summarize epistemology.
Describe philosophy of mind.
Describe philosophy of religion.
Summarize ethics in relation to philosophy.
Describe logic and how it is used in philosophy.
Summarize social and political philosophy.
Identify unsolved problems and paradoxes in philosophy.
Summarize the works of the great philosophers, and
Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.

Additional Course Information

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Course Title: Philosophy 101

Course Number: 7550466

Course Requirements: View Course Requirements

Lessons Rating: 4.7 / 5 Stars (1,396 votes)

Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries

Course Type: General Education (Self-Paced, Online Class)

CEU Value: 1.2 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)

CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).

Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.

Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams

Instructor: C. Michael McKenna

Syllabus: View Syllabus

Duration: Continuous: Enroll anytime!

Course Fee: $60.00 (no CEU Certification) || with Online CEU Certification: $85.00

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Student Testimonials

"Great experience with you." -- Yasar S.
"Good instructor. I enjoyed the course!" -- Carlos C.
"Every part of the course added to my knowledge and understanding of philosophy." -- Adam B.
"Instructor was great; responded quickly, very fair, enjoyable to work with. also enjoyed the way it was broken down by categories - logic, ethics, religion, social and political, etc.; I thought the terms and definitions were excellent." -- Mark D.
"I will be taking Greek Mythology with this same Instructor next." -- Robert K.
"This is my first philosophy course. No previous experience. Found the content excellent. Easy to follow and understand. Feedback always encouraging which was a great help. Really enjoyed it all. I am converted. I thought philosophy was intense and difficult but I found it interesting, easy to follow. I realize I have only made a small start but it was every encouraging. Will go further with this subject." -- Frankie S.
"This is an excellent instructor." -- Karen R.
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