Philosophy 201:
Syllabus
SPRING 2026 - DR. KEITH KORCZ
Course Details:
PHIL 201 How To Think About Weird Things Section 001 3 credit hours No Prerequisites MWF 12:00 – 12:50 Griffin Hall, HLG 503
How To Contact Professor Korcz:
You are supposed to have questions! Ask them! In addition to class, here are some good times to do so: My office is in H. L. Griffin Hall, rm. 563. My office hours are MW 11:00 – 12:00 & 1:00 – 3:00, Th 12:00 – 3:00, and F 11:00 – 12:00. We can also meet at other times by arrangement - just ask. A good way to contact me (or ask questions) at any time is by e-mail at keithk@louisiana.edu. My office phone number is (337) 482-6806.
Required Texts:
1. How To Think About Weird Things, Ninth Ed., by Theodore Schick, Jr. and Lewis Vaughn (McGraw-Hill, 2024).
2. A Beginner's Guide to Scientific Method, Fourth Ed., by Stephen S. Carey (Wadsworth, 2012).
3. Course Pack.
The course pack is available only via Moodle.
Course Objectives:
This course is designed to give you the opportunity to acquire, at an introductory level, an understanding of:
(1) and an ability to identify some common errors people make when reasoning and how to avoid making those mistakes yourself,
(2) how to evaluate and use testimony to establish whether a given claim is true,
(3) common methods of reasoning and how to use them carefully,
(4) how to identify causes and evaluate causal reasoning, and
(5) the basic components of scientific reasoning.
Evaluating Achievement of Course Objectives:
TAKE-HOME QUIZZES: There will be 7 take-home quizzes, six each worth 5% of the course grade, and your lowest grade counting as extra credit. These will typically involve doing exercise problems. While 5% may not seem like a lot, it amounts to half a letter grade in the course (and taken together they constitute nearly 1/3 of your course grade), so you are strongly encouraged to make sure you take the time to do well on them.
EXAMS: There will be two exams during the semester each will be worth 20% of your course grade, and a final exam worth 30% of your course grade. The last two exams are cumulative. The exams will consist primarily of short answer and multiple-choice questions. However, all make-up exams will be primarily essay. The exams will cover both lectures and assigned readings (material in lectures and assigned readings will not always overlap). All exams are closed book/closed note.
Grading:
The course grades will initially be determined according to the standard scale, i.e., 90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, 59% and below = F, and then may be modified as follows: Course grades might be curved, but, if so, the curve would not be such that any student's grade is lowered. Such factors as improvement over the length of the course, class participation, attendance, etc., may be taken into consideration, especially when doing so may improve a borderline grade. You must complete all three exams to receive a passing grade (i.e., a grade other than F, NC or U).
Class Policies:
Missing Class: If you must miss class, for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to get class notes from another student. If you wish your absence to be excused, promptly provide me with an appropriate excuse, e.g., illness requiring medical attention, participation in certain university-sanctioned events, dangerous weather, etc. We cover something important every day, so for every five unexcused absences or partial absences, your course grade will be dropped by a letter grade. Skip class, and you won’t pass!
Tardiness: It’s important to attend class, so for every five times you arrive unexcused after I have called your name, you will lose a letter grade in the course. On those very rare occasions where you absolutely must arrive late to class, see me at the end of class so I can mark you present.
Cell Phones: Cell phones, earbuds, smart watches, etc., must be turned off and remain out of sight during class and during exams unless the professor explicitly indicates otherwise.
Missing Assignments: If you miss an assignment due date, you must notify me within one week of either the due date or the cessation of a medically documented persistent vegetative state in order to make up the assignment. Missed assignments can be made up for full credit only if an appropriate excuse is promptly provided. An unexcused late assignment will be dropped 2/3 of a letter grade per day it is late.
Classroom: In class discussions, it is perfectly fine to disagree with your classmates or myself, but you should do so respectfully and with reasoning. Philosophy is all about intellectual controversy and debate! However, disruptive or persistent distracting classroom behavior (e.g., use of phones, frequent tardiness or leaving class early, making excessive noise, etc.) may result in your being asked to leave (counted as an unexcused absence), losing a letter grade in the class, receiving an F in the class, and/or being dropped from the class, at my discretion.
Ethics Policy: If you don’t do your own work, you don’t get an education. Thus, all assignments for this class must be completed individually, and any instance of academic dishonesty (e.g., cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized use of AI on assignments, furnishing false information regarding absences, etc.) will be sufficient to fail the course
Unauthorized Websites: Neither lectures nor any class materials may be posted on the internet or otherwise published. Students who rely on internet sites (other than my own, listed below), search engines, AI, etc., for class notes, quizzes, study guides, etc., do poorly in my classes. Such sites are often unreliable, and they prevent you from acquiring valuable note taking, study, and learning skills that you will need after you graduate. Do not use them.
University Policies: Be sure you are familiar with all university policies described in the UL Lafayette Undergraduate Bulletin and Code of Student Conduct.
Disability Accommodations:
Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first be registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS) to verify the disability and to establish eligibility for accommodations. Students may call 337-482-5252 or visit the ODS office in the Conference Center/Agnes Edwards Hall, room 126 (the ODS website address is: https://disability.louisiana.edu/). Once registered, students should then schedule an appointment with the professor to make appropriate arrangements. If your needs are not being met for any reason, inform the instructor and ODS as soon as possible so that we may rectify the problem.
Some Helpful Tips For A Successful And Happy Course Experience:
1. On class evaluations, students often state that they would tell friends planning to take my classes that good class attendance and good class notes are essential to doing well on the exams.
2. I strongly recommend taking advantage of the following resources! My Philosophy 201 Home Page contains links to an on-line syllabus (which contains numerous links to home pages of authors we'll be reading, etc.), study aids, links to sites relevant to the course, and other resources you will find helpful. The web address is: https://userweb.ucs.louisiana.edu/~kak7409/201Home.html.
My How To Survive Your First Philosophy Course pages contain useful information about what I look for when grading assignments, how to study for my exams, reading philosophy, taking notes, doing research in philosophy, etc. This is linked from the course home page.
My home page contains links to all my course home pages, extensive links pages on philosophy, general research, fun sites, and lots of other information. The web address is: https://userweb.ucs.louisiana.edu/~kak7409/.
A Moodle page for the course will be activated at the beginning of the semester.
3. There is a very strong correlation between reading the required articles listed on the syllabus and passing the tests. Virtually no one who ignores the readings passes this class. Similarly, you cannot expect to study 30 minutes for an exam and have any hope of passing. You will need to spend a significant amount of quality time studying for the tests. If you are just looking for an easy class that you don’t have to put any work into, do not take any of my classes - you will fail them
4. Philosophy differs from other disciplines, and it’s common to have difficulties figuring it all out. If you are having difficulty with course material or assignments, let me know so I can help you out!
Emergency Evacuation Procedures:
A map of this floor is posted near the elevator marking the evacuation route and the Designated Rescue Area. This is an area where emergency service personnel will go first to look for individuals who need assistance in exiting the building. Students who may need assistance should identify themselves to the teaching faculty.
COURSE CALENDAR & PLANNED READING ASSIGNMENTS
NOTE: Assignment due dates, topics, readings, and procedures are tentative and may change at my discretion. However, we can negotiate due dates for assignments if most students in the class prefer a change. Due dates for take-home quizzes will be given in class.
(WT) = How To Think About Weird Things
(BGSM) = Beginner's Guide to Scientific Method
(CP) = Course Pack, only available via Moodle (https://moodle.louisiana.edu/).
Topic 1: Knowledge, Belief and Truth
a. How Beliefs Change. (WT): Chapter 1, "Introduction: Close Encounters With The Strange," & p. 130-148; (CP): "The Propensity to Believe" by James E. Alcock and "Houdini's Impossible Demonstration" by Massimo Polidoro.
Monday, January 19 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No Classes.
b. Is Truth Relative? (WT): Chapter 8, "Relativism, Truth and Reality."
c. The Ethics of Belief. (CP): "The Milgram Experiment" by Saul McLeod.
Topic 2: Evaluating Testimony
a. Rhetoric vs. Reason. (no readings)EXAM #1: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13.
b. Anecdotal Evidence. (CP): "Eyewitness Testimony and the Paranormal" by Richard Wiseman, et al, "Why Bogus Therapies Seem to Work" by Barry L. Beyerstein, "They See Dead People – Or Do They?: An Investigation of Television Mediums" by James Underdown, "Fakers and Innocents" by James Randi; (WT): p.153-161). (In-Class Video: Secrets of the Psychics.)
c. Fake News. (WT): p. 60-67.
d. Appeals to Experts. (CP): “Appeals to Experts” by Keith Korcz.
e. Additional Fallacies. (no readings)
Monday, February 16 through Wednesday, February 18 - Mardi Gras Holiday - No Classes.
Topic 3: Ways of Knowing: Problems and Prospects
Monday, March 23 – Advising for FA26 begins.
a. Overview. (WT): Chapter 4, "Knowledge, Belief and Evidence."
b. Introspection. (no readings).
c. Pure Reason. (WT): 36-46, and Chapter 2, "The Possibility of the Impossible."
d. Intuition. (CP): "The Psychology of Intuition" by Edward Wisniewski.
e. Observation and Personal Experience. (BGSM): Chapter 2, "Observation"; (WT): Chapter 5, "Looking for Truth in Personal Experience", p. 109-123; (CP): "'Cold Reading': How To Convince Strangers That You Know All About Them" by Ray Hyman.
f. Induction. (WT): p. 46-52 and p. 149-153; (CP): "Inconsistent Decisions and Bad Bets" by Stuart Sutherland.
g. Memory. (WT): p. 123-129); (CP): "Emotion and False Memory" by Robin L. Kaplan, Elizabeth Loftus, et al.
h. Mysticism. (no readings)
EXAM #2: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1.
Topic 4: Causation and Causal Reasoning
a. Kinds of Cause. (no readings)Friday, April 3 – Sunday April 12 – Spring Break – No Classes.
Topic 5: Explanation and Scientific Method
b. Mill's Methods. (CP): "Mill’s Methods for Identifying Causes" by Keith Korcz.
c. Testing for Causation. (BGSM): Chapter 1, "Science," and Chapter 5, "Establishing Causal Links".
a. Overview: The Scientific Approach. (CP): "Wonder and Skepticism" by Carl Sagan.
b. Scientific Explanation. (BGSM): Chapter 3, "Explanation," and Chapter 4, "Experimentation"; (WT): Chapter 6, "Science and its Pretenders.”
c. Science and Pseudoscience. (CP): "How to Sell a Pseudoscience" by Anthony R. Pratkanis; (WT): Chapter 7, "Case Studies in the Extraordinary"; (BGSM): Chapter 6, "Fallacies in the Name of Science"; (CP): "Faith Healing" by Joe Nickell.
LAST DAY OF CLASSES: FRIDAY, MAY 1.
UNIVERSITY STUDY DAY: WEDNESDAY, MAY 6.
FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM, IN REGULAR CLASSROOM.
