THE Philosophy and Current Issues course introduced by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency to undergraduates in public and private universities, starting with the 2019/2020 cohort, may be the first course in philosophy for most students. There is the misconception among students that philosophy is difficult, too abstract and not relevant in preparing graduates for the workplace.
In fact, it is quite the opposite. Studying philosophy is most relevant as it encourages students to think deeply about a wide range of issues.
Unlike other disciplines, philosophy may not conclude with “one right answer”, to which many students here are not accustomed.
The emphasis is on the process of finding the answer using deductive and inductive reasoning rather than accepting without question conventional views or traditional authority, and even on questioning the question.
The aim is to get students to wonder, keep an open mind, engage in the exploration of abstract ideas, and seek answers to the big questions affecting them personally as well as Malaysian society at large.
Philosophy underpins most disciplines undergraduates pursue such as law, management, engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence, journalism, psychology, medicine, education, design and architecture.
The successful implementation of the philosophy course depends largely on how the contents are organised, how it is taught, and how students are evaluated. If it is taught like any other undergraduate course, it is likely that students will memorise the key concepts to be regurgitated later in an examination, or submit assignments that are taken from materials available on the web without deep thought and reflection, which defeats the purpose of studying philosophy. Current course contents are rather dogmatic with authors asserting their points of view to the extent of denigrating alternative perspectives. Key ideas have not been discussed in sufficient depth and the sequencing of course contents lacks cohesion, which has made understanding philosophical concepts difficult.
Keeping this in mind and adhering closely to the prescribed syllabus, I have redesigned the course to make it fun, interesting and as simple as possible.
In this course, students are exposed to philosophical concepts such as free will versus determinism (Kant), personal identity (Locke), body-mind issue (Descartes), beauty, ethical dilemmas, logical reasoning (Aristotle), anthropocentrism, eurocentrism (Amin), decolonisation, the Rukun Negara, the National Philosophy of Education and the concept of the human being.
To enhance appreciation of these concepts, I have incorporated real-world examples, analogies, illustrations (in comic form), diagrams, animations, short video clips and podcasts in the course. Students keep a “My philosophy notebook” in which they jot down their answers to various learning activities or thought experiments interspersed at strategic points in the contents.
Examples of these activities include writing a 50-word essay on:
> How the Cartesian philosophy influences man’s perception towards “others” and of the natural environment; and
> How epistemology helps in evaluating the vast amount of misinformation and disinformation students are exposed to daily.
The course is designed as a Self-Instructional Module (SIM) to facilitate independent self-paced learning. With the SIM, the role of the instructor is that of a facilitator getting students to think like philosophers.
The SIM is presented in digital format which students download and read offline. They interact with their instructor and their coursemates synchronously and asynchronously using various digital tools and technologies.
Students will have the opportunity to test their understanding of basic philosophical ideas and concepts by doing the practice quiz at the end of each topic. They will also be required to write argumentative essays exploring issues facing Malaysian society employing the tools of philosophical inquiry and logical reasoning.
These efforts are aimed at encouraging students to think deductively and inductively, examine arguments from differing viewpoints, and learn to make claims based on reasoning and analysis rather than beliefs and prejudice.Hopefully, they will learn to appreciate the relevance of philosophy in a multicultural society like ours.
PROF DR JOHN ARUL PHILLIPS
Dean
School of Education and Cognitive Science
Asia e University
