Course Description

In this honors-level course, students will discover that ideas have serious consequences, and humans have grappled with deep and profound questions for millenia: What is real? What is a person? What can we know? Students are invited to enter into this conversation in order to understand the ways ideas have sprouted, grown, died, and been replaced with new ideas that constitute contemporary thought. To develop a basic understanding of the history of philosophical ideas, students well attend  to the three major branches of philosophy: metaphysics (what exists); epistemology (what we can know and how we can know), and ethics (what is right) by encountering the thoughts of humanity’s most influential philosophers (e.g., Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, Hume, Nietzsche, etc.). Additionally, students will develop philosophical reasoning skills (e.g., logic, rationality, argumentation, evaluation, synthesis, etc.) and philosophical writing skills (e.g., argument outlining, argument construction, reasoned and principled critique, philosophical essay, etc.). The inherently more challenging reading selections, as well as the emphasis on logic and critical thinking related to philosophical treatises sets this apart as an Honors level course.  The course material in Introduction to Philosophy is different from the material that is covered in its sister-course, Philosophy in Literature, which primarily focuses on worldviews as interpretive lenses for literary analysis of novels, short stories, and poetry. 

However, what students learn will stay with them for the rest of their lives and will not only serve to enhance their appreciation of the beauty of God and His creation but will also equip them with practical skills of being able to listen to and analyze arguments carefully, while also communicating their own viewpoints clearly and effectively. 

Additional Expectations: The workload and expectations are intended to prepare students for college application essays, college-level analysis, and college writing.

Note: Juniors and seniors may choose between American Literature, African American Literature, British Literature, Screenwriting, and Philosophy in Literature. The courses are comparable in work and requirements. If juniors wish to join the AP track, they select AP Language & Composition, followed by AP Literature & Composition their senior year if they remain in Advanced Placement classes. Introduction to Philosophy Honors (UC Approval pending) may be taken in the junior or senior year; the workload and rigor are commensurate to an AP course.

Course Number	0161
Grade Level	11,12
Pre-Requisite	Completion of English 10 or English 10 Honors. Grade A in previous general English course and B in AP or Honors course.
Application and/or Audition Date	None
Credits	10
VCHS Graduation Credit	English
UC Approval	Yes, Area G (Elective)
Fees	None