Instructor: Julian Bruno, MA

Email: brunoj@lamarpa.edu

Phone: 409-984-6330 (GEDS Main office)

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday's 10:00am - 12 Noon. Room 112

Additional Contact Information:

A study of major issues in philosophy and/or the work of major philosophical figures in philosophy. Topics in philosophy include the six branches of philosophy, theories of reality, theories of knowledge, theories of value, and their practical applications.

For the Course: many handouts throughout the length of the semester will be distributed.

Therefore, all students are to have a 3 ring notebook, at least 1 1/2" to 2" inch thick, for your course material. Be organized and have it for the beginning of the class. Consider it an assignment for points/a grade, because it will be.

Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

There are no Pre-requisites.

1.      Critical Thinking Skills – Uses creative thinking, innovation, inquiry and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information.

2.      Communication Skills – Demonstrates effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and/or visual communication.

3.      Social Responsibility Skills - Expresses intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.

4.    Personal Responsibility Skills – Integrates choices, actions and consequences in ethical decision-making

Over View

1st class Lecture: overview of Syllabus and Student Introductions to fill out and turn in, Learning Retention Rates (Show Pyramid).Program Student Learning Outcomes – the 4: Critical Thinking, Communications, Personal Responsibility, Social Responsibility.

- Overview: Philosophy History Compilations: Which is more appealing?

Dividing Philosophy Chronologically: Ancient, Medieval, Modern, Contemporary.

Or Considering it as The Great Ages of Western Philosophy: Greek Philosophy, The Age of Belief, The Age of Adventure, The Age of Reason, The Age of Enlightenment, The Age of Ideology, The Age of Analysis

What will your Age be Defined as? What Part will you Play?

[Thinking of yourself as at least 400 years of age]

Objectives:

  After successfully completing this overview students should be able to:

- describe/differentiate the ages of philosophy and how they are often divided.

- explain what is the definition of Philosophy.

 Objectives:

- define various philosophical terms

- apply new philosophical words learned into your daily vocabulary.

Objectives:

        After successfully completing this module students should be able to:

- list/label the various symbols associated with the imagery of Wisdom being personified as either Sophia or the Logos. These are both Greek words. Sophia is the feminine depiction, while Logos is the masculine form of Wisdom. 

- describe/interpret what the various symbols/symbology associated with the imagery of Wisdom being personified, such as an owl, laurel crown, spear, a globe, etc.

Objectives

After successfully completing this module, students will/should be able to:

- differentiate between you as a Soul, your belongings as virtues, and your belongings' belongings as the virtues that give the soul authority to rule over its body and other people (and not be ruled by other people who you shouldn't be subject to).

- relate as to how and what one can do to Know Thyself and to Self-Cultivate themselves.

- Identify/describe what is Primary in Philosophy?  Is it Matter or is it Consciousness?

- summarize Plato's Divided Line - the analogy between what the physical light provides in contrast to the Intellectual light.

Objectives

After successfully completing this module, students will/should be able to:

- name/list/identify  the 6 Branches of Philosophy.

- differentiate and distinguish the 6 Branches of Philosophy: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Aesthetics, Logic, Political Philosophy

- explain what the meaning of Plato's Cave is.

Objectives:

    After successfully completing this module, students should be able to:

- discover and identify the development of their own authentic Self.

-discuss/differentiate/give examples of the vast array of psychological terms dealing with the reflexive prefix Self-.

- realize/articulate that your true Self is a God-image.

- relate/ discuss How it is that we Participate in this creation.

Objectives    

After successfully completing this module, students will/should be able to:

- relate/describe/discuss Socrates Divine Mission of Philosophical Midwifery,

- Read/recite/explain Socrates way of being and attitude about facing death, and what he thought of death.

- Describe Socrates "inner voice".

- Read/recite/explain about the reasons for Socrates judicial death as the Apology professes to be a record of.

- Discuss Socrates idea of the immortality of the Soul

- Discuss/recite/explain the 4 Cardinal Virtues of Plato's teachings.

Objectives:

                After successful completion of this module, students will/should be able to:

- Evaluate/assess/critique the lyrics of a favorite song compared to the teachings of Socrates, Plato, and other teachings presented in class.

 Objectives:

        After successful completion of this module, students will/should be able to:

- compare the differences between the Idealists versus the Empiricists.

- compare/select/indicate which school in Philosophy (or which philosopher) adheres to which has Primacy or what is Primary: Consciousness or Matter.

Over View

1st class Lecture: overview of Syllabus and Student Introductions to fill out and turn in, Learning Retention Rates (Show Pyramid).Program Student Learning Outcomes – the 4: Critical Thinking, Communications, Personal Responsibility, Social Responsibility.

You must have a 3 ring notebook dedicated for this class because of all of the handout materials to be distributed.

Lecture: Compilations of Philosophy: How to Sort It? Defining your own Age. Being/Becoming an Historical Human Figure. 

- Sharing my Master’s degree in Consciousness Studies course content – [promote interest to get students to Minor in Philosophy]

Lecture:  Building a vocabulary of Philosophy terms, and the need to have a personal library 

Lecture:  Making a Collage for your Philosophy Notebook Cover:

    Theme: The Personification of Wisdom as a Sophia/Logos

    Showing categories of various Imagery

Lecture

- The Primary Question: What is Primary? Consciousness or Matter

   Power Point Presentation:

-  Know Thyself - Psyche (Soul)– the paper

Lecture and Presentation:

The Main Branches of Philosophy: Power Point Presentation: - 6 Branches.

I've written up.

- The Psyche: As the Witness and Sacramental Container. Only the Psyche is Universally   Present in all philosophical experiences (even for all the materialists or empiricists).]

Lecture – What is the Self? The Self as viewed from Jungian Analytical Psychology.

 - Excerpts from Plato's Timaeus: A Rational Creation story.

What it means to be Created in the Image and Similitude of the Creator of the Universe.

Lecture: Socrates as the Hero of Philosophy

Socrates as a Philosophical Midwife, his Divine Mission, and the Immortality of the Soul

  Lecture: "What are you Listening to?  

 What songs do you listen to? Are you conscious of the lyrics to the songs you listen to? What are the messages they give you. Compare one song to the philosophical teachings we've discussed thus far this semester.

Lecture: Charting the Multi-Millennial Philosophical debate, Rationalism vs. Empiricism.  The Primacy of Theory vs The Primacy of Data.

Activities: Student Introductions to fill out and turn in.

Activity:

 – First Power Point Presentation– Definition of Philosophy.

Activities:

      Making a Collage for Your Philosophical Notebook Cover

      Theme:  The Personification of Wisdom as Sophia and/or Logos

- Engage in internet web searches for the imagery of, what does the Personification of Wisdom as a Woman look like as Sophia? Or Wisdom as the Logos (masculine).

- Pop Quiz

Activities:

- Power Point Presentation: What is Primary? Consciousness or Matter

- “After Skool” Video– Carl Jung: How to Find Your Soul

- My article: Know Thyself! - Psyche

- Watch and read items referenced in the Lecture.

- View Graphs of Plato’s Divided Line and excerpts from Plato’s Republic Book VI.

- Pop Quiz

Activities

 - Power Point Presentation - 6 branches of philosophy.

 - Metaphysics – show three different writings that are metaphysical/metaphorical

- "After Skool" – The Profound meaning of Plato's Allegory of the Cave

- Excerpts from Plato’s Republic Book VII on the Allegory of the Cave

- reading of my paper Cognition: Rising above Sense Perception; Cognizing what is.

-Pop quiz.

Activities:

- Reading of Chapter on: The Self.  What is the Self?  From Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering, 11th Edition, by James L. Christian.

- Jung's Analytical Psychology: From Robert Frager's book.

- Reading of the multitude definitions of the word self, and of terms that begin with the reflexive prefix, self-. An impressive list/array of psychological terms.

- My "dialogue" with Plato. With passages from Plato's Timaeus.

- "After Skool" Video – The False Idea of Who You Are. (Overcoming the ego).

- “After Skool” Video – (Transcend Ego) The Prison of Narcissism – Eckhart Tolle

-Test over the Self Module material.

- Journal Writing Assignment

Activities –

 Readings from Plato that speak of:

            The Divine Mission of Socrates: Philosophical Midwifery

- Reading excerpts of Plato's Apology: The divine mission of Socrates.  For centuries this writing had defined what the philosophical life is all about.

- My "dialogue" with Socrates: major excerpts of his quotes from Apology and Phaedo

- Reading of overview biography of the Teachings of Socrates. (Peter Kreeft).

- Video scene from Pinocchio – Jiminy Cricket as the "still small voice" of conscience.

- . Plato's Alcibiades ("Because of it's emphasis on Self-knowledge as the necessary foundation of any other worthwhile knowledge, Alcibiades held pride of place of place in later antiquity as the ideal work with which to begin the study of Platonic philosophy" (Cooper, p. 557)

- test over both dialogues Apology and Alcibiades.

-Journal Writing Assignments

Activities:

- Essay writing Assignment - "What are you Listening to?  

      Comparing a favorite song to Platonic and Socratic Philosophical Teachings discussed in class

Activities:

- Readings on Charting the Multi-Millennial Philosophical debate, Rationalism vs. Empiricism.  The Primacy of Theory vs The Primacy of Data.  Plato vs. Aristotle.

- Readings:  Excerpts from his De Anima or On the Soul, Politics, and his Nicomachean Ethics.  

- Continuing the dualistic debate by considering/reading John Locke vs. Gottfried Leibniz take on this contrast.

Final Exam.

December 10, 2026.

90 - 100 = A

80 - 89 = B

70 - 79 = C

60 - 69 = D

59 and below = F

The grade is determined by simply adding up the points obtained in contrast to the points possible.

No phones in class other than to double authenticate entry into your class account.

No headphones of any kind, no old school types or new cordless types.

Participation grading will be taking into consideration for various assignments. Keep this in mind, particularly if at the end of the semester and you need a few points for getting your grade level up. You not participating when asked to in class, and/or consistently turning in assignments late won't help you come the end of the semester if you need a few points. 

If you are going to use Artificial Intelligence to assist you in writing your papers, you must treat it like a resource and quote/cite it properly in your bibliography.

Please allow 24-hours for a response when you contact me. I am usually faster than that, but it is best if you realize that I cannot always be available. And, you can expect less consistent email communication during the weekend. On the weekend it may be 48 hours. I will try my best to check my email during the weekend, but I may not always be. As far as getting back grades on your assignments – all submitted assignments will be graded and returned no later than two weeks after submission.

This is an In-Person Class. Attendance is required.

This course is divided into Modules. Each module has multiple parts and anything due on a date will be due at the time posted on the assignment particulars. Any discrepancies will defer to this due date time structure. There are things that can alter that structure occasionally, for example weather events. 

If you expect an “A” in this course: You can expect to write approximately 2-3 pages (double-spaced) per week for the class – or have some other near-equivalent level of work that will be required. Participation in class discussions will part of your overall grade. Sending questions and comments to my email for answering will contribute to your grade, and these too can be used for following day class discussion time. 

LATE WORK POLICY.  I will frequently give students extra time to complete assignments if they contact me ahead of time and give me a sufficiently rational explanation for why they need it. In other words, I DO ACCEPT LATE WORK if you asked me well before the assignment was due whether I can give it to you. On the other hand, if you only contact me AFTER an assignment is due, and ask to turn it in late, I will either not accept it, or penalize it, at my discretion. I can be very generous if you contact me ahead of time, but not after.

PLAGIARISM POLICY.  [There is an official plagiarism policy written into the normal Syllabus Template, I believe, but you may want to including something more here. I usually put in a very high “potential” penalty so that your hands are not tied if they do plagiarize. In other words, sentences like “Any academic dishonesty may result in penalties on the assignment, failure for the class, and even suspension or expulsion from the university.” There is no way that a student would be expelled for one instance of Plagiarism, but again what you’re doing here is not setting limits for yourself.  

   Students today are presented with the metaphorical "double edge sword" or "a blessing and a curse" of Artificial Intelligence.  Artificial Intelligence can sure assist you in saving an immense amount of time, especially if one is operating under time constraints.  But maybe you have read about AI negatively affecting our cognitive capacities, so there is the adage of being aware of ill gotten gains.  The point is, when doing research and you ask or prompt AI to get an answer on something, you do need to quote your sources, just like you'd have to do if you were quoting some resource to avoid plagiarizing.

Attendance is required.

Just a tip: In college you have to study more than you probably want to, but the objective is to get to Truthfulness. So, know that.

Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.

Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator, Room 119, in the Ruby Fuller Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.

No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.

This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.

As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.

LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.

For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.

If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.