PHI 3250: Theories of Knowledge

TEXTS: After Philosophy: End or Transformation? Kenneth Baynes, James Bohman, Thomas McCarthy, eds.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1987. Feminist Epistemologies. Linda Alcoff and Elizabeth Potter, eds. New York: Routledge, 1993.

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE: The purpose of the course is to introduce the student to the problems of contemporary epistemology through a study of major sources in the field. This semester, feminist perspectives will be a major focus in the course.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING: Students are expected to do the assigned readings and come to class prepared to discuss the issues raised. There will be a mid-term, a final exam, and a term paper. Each will count 30% of the course grade. The remaining 10% will be based on class participation.

Grades are assigned as follows:

92-100   A
90-91.9  A-
88-89.9  B+
82-87.9  B
80-81.9  B-
78-79.9  C+
72-78.9  C
70-71.9  C-
68-69.9  D+
62-68.9  D
60-61.9  D-
0-59.9    F

Students are expected to attend class, to do the assigned reading before each class session, to submit all work by the assigned date, to know and abide by the rules of The University of Virginia's College at Wise, including the Honor Code.

	CLASS SCHEDULE
Date	Assignment
18 Aug	Introduction to the Course; General Introduction
20	Lecture: Foundationalist Epistemology
23	Lecture: The Nietzchean Critique
25	Lecture: Heidegger and Hermeneutic
27	Discussion
30	Discussion
01 Sept	Richard Rorty, "Pragmatism and Philosophy," After Philosophy, pp. 21-66
03	Jean-François Leotard, "The Postmodern Condition," After Philosophy, pp. 67-94
06	Discussion
08	Michel Foucauld, "Questions of Method: An Interview with Michel Foucault," After Philosophy, pp. 95-116
10	Discussion
13	Jacques Derrida, "The Ends of Man," After Philosophy, pp. 119-158
15	Discussion
17	Donald Davidson, "The Method of Truth in Metaphysics," After Philosophy, pp. 162-183
20	Hilary Putnam, "Why Reason Can’t Be Naturalized," After Philosophy, pp. 217-244
22	Discussion
24	Karl-Otto Apel, "The Problem of Philosophical Foundations in Light of a Transcendental Pragmatics of Language," After Philosophy, pp. 245-290
27	Jürgen Habermas, "Philosophy as Stand-In and Interpreter," After Philosophy, pp. 291-315
29	Discussion
01 Oct	Hans-Georg Gadamer, "Hermeneutics as Practical Philosophy," and "Forward to the Second German Edition of Truth and Method," After Philosophy, pp. 319-350
04	Paul Ricoeur, "On Interpretation," After Philosophy, pp. 351-380
06	Discussion
08	Alasdair MacIntyre, "Relativism, Power, and Philosophy," and "The Relationship of Philosophy to History: Postscript to the Second Edition of After Virtue," After Philosophy, pp. 381-422
18	Review
20	Mid-term Exam
22	Linda Alcoff and Elizabeth Potter, "Introduction: When Fenimisms Intersect Epistemology," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 1-14
25	Lorraine Code, "Taking Subjectivity into Account," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 15-48
27	Sandra Harding, "Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology: 'What is Strong Objectivity'?" Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 49-82
29	Discussion
01 Nov	Bat-Ami Bar On, "Marginality and Epistemic Privilege," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 83- 100
03	Discussion
05	Helen Longino, "Subjects, Power, and Knowledge: Description and Prescription in Feminist Philosophies of Science," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 101-120
08	Discussion
10	Lynn Hankinson Nelson, "Gender and Epistemic Negotiation," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 121-160
12	Elizabeth Grosz, "Bodies and Knowledges: Feminism and the Crisis of Reason, Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 187-216
15	Discussion
17	Vrinda Dalmiya and Linda Alcoff, "Are 'Old Wives' Tales' Justified?" Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 217-244
19	Susan Babbitt, "Feminism and Objective Interests: The Role of Transformation Experiences in Rational Deliberation," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 245-265
22	Discussion
29	Kathryn Pyne Addelson, "Knower/Doers and Their Moral Problems," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 265-294
01 Dec	Term Papers Due, Review
03	Review
07 Dec	11:00 am Final Exam