My major is accounting and in my senior year. Thx
August 2021 Dear Students, Welcome to the course titled Problems of Philosophy, which is an introductory philosophy course. Why should you study philosophy or why did you enroll in this course? Of course, the main reason you may have enrolled is the course fulfills a general education requirement for the college. Why does Lehman College want you to take a philosophy course? I could give you the traditional answer that the study of philosophy makes you a “better citizen” since it requires the students to engage in critical thinking. Or I could give you the statistics that students who study philosophy are more apt to graduate and get accepted to graduate schools such as Law School or Medical School or PhD programs. But that is not my reason for studying and teaching philosophy. I think about what “turned me on” to philosophy when I was an undergraduate student back in the 1970’s and I thought about how I could inspire undergraduate students to think philosophically about their lives and pursuits. When I was a freshman in college, I registered for an Introduction to Philosophy course because it fit into my schedule and I figured “what the heck.” I was originally enrolled in the Business School at my college, and I thought while I am in college, I should take courses in subjects that I cannot study on my own. Professor William Barrett was the instructor for the course, and as I began to read the material and discuss the texts with my classmates, I realized that these writers and thinkers were speaking to me, but not just to me, but to all of us as modern day individuals trying to make sense of our existence. I found the questions and problems posed by Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Sartre and others both intriguing and enlightening. After completing that first philosophy course in the fall semester, I enrolled in a second philosophy course with Prof. Barrett in the spring term and finally switched my major to philosophy. (My father was not too happy.) I continued to study with Prof. Barrett who was a brilliant thinker and a wonderful and kind man. He engaged all different levels of students in critical enquiry as many of us would go to his office during office hours and continue the discussions from the class. Prof. Barrett taught me the love of philosophy and a good scotch whiskey (the drinking age was 18 years old in those days and it was a more relaxed atmosphere). I hope to engage you as students in a love of philosophy as Prof. Barrett once did for me (but there will be no scotch drinking!). I hope you will enjoy this philosophical quest with me and please do not be upset if we do not arrive at all the answers you seek. We may create even more questions. The critical mind that you develop in this course will help you with all your studies. At this critical time in our culture, it is most important that we develop the skills to actively engage in thought and discussions about truth and human values. Ok, so why am I writing this letter of introduction to you as my student? I want to engage you in short writing assignments and this is the first writing. You are to write a letter in response to this letter. Your letter should be emailed to me as a Word Document or pdf attachment and emailed to
[email protected]. Although letter writing is a lost art, mailto:
[email protected] it is a good way for you to articulate your ideas in an informal or “low stakes” format. Take your time and write a letter of introduction to me that you think I would be interested to read as we begin our philosophical journey. The writing assignment is due by Friday September 4. In your letter, you may want to discuss some of the following issues: Why did you take this class? What is your major and if you are a transfer student, why did you transfer to Lehman College? How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your educational goals and pursuits? Tell me something about your intellectual self. I do not want to “pry” into students’ personal lives, but I am interested in your intellectual and academic journeys. Remember you are writing a letter to me as an introduction of your “student self” so please develop your ideas and thoughts clearly and coherently. You do not need to be hindered by the formal rules of grammar and syntax, as long as I can understand your meaning. After reading this letter and engaging in our first class sessions, what do you hope to get out of this class? (be honest). If you have any questions or concerns about the course, please include them in your letter. I look forward to meeting you in the “digital landscape” and hope you enjoy the semester. Regards, David Gantz Dept. of Philosophy
[email protected]