Course Profile - Curriculum Services Canada

Course Overview
Philosophy: The Big Questions, Grade 11, Open, HZB3O
Course Description
Philosophy: The Big Questions provides students with an opportunity to discuss some of the great
questions of our age such as: What defines good music? What is art? Is beauty really in the eyes of the
beholder? Should the Bicentennial man be considered a person? What makes your life meaningful?
Students develop inquiry and critical analysis skills, enabling them to tackle these and many other
questions. This course develops students’ research and writing skills and assists them in becoming
stronger logical thinkers. Philosophy: The Big Questions engages students’ interest and challenges them
to think about the world in a new light.
Philosophy: The Big Questions is to be comprised of three (or more) units selected from the six outlined
in this profile. The course requires that students examine three (or more) of the following questions: 1)
What is a person?; 2) What is a meaningful life?; 3) What are good and evil?; 4) What is a just society?;
5) What is human knowledge?; 6) How do we know what is beautiful in art, music, and literature? Unlike
other courses it is neither the strands nor the grouping of expectations that defines the units of study.
Rather, the six questions define the units. Question one, “What is a person?” is central to all of the
remaining questions and is consequently the focus of the first unit. Aside from addressing the question
“What is a person?” Unit 1 provides students with a sound introduction to the study of philosophy, laying
the foundations for philosophical inquiry. The remaining units are selected from units built around the
remaining five questions. A unique feature of this course is that all of the overall and specific
expectations are addressed in each of the units. Regardless of the fact that all expectations are addressed
in each unit, it is necessary that a minimum of three units be covered so as to address three of six
questions outlined.
Units: Titles and Times**
* Unit 1 What is a Person: An Introduction to the Study of Philosophy 35.5 hours
Unit 2 On Living A Meaningful Life 27 hours
Unit 3 On Being A Moral Person: Exploring Good and Evil 27 hours
Unit 4 In Search of a Just Society 27 hours
Unit 5 Understanding Human Knowledge 27 hours
Unit 6 The Search for Beauty 27 hours
Culminating Activity A Philosophical Self-Portrait 20.5 hours
* This unit is fully developed in this Course Profile.
** Select two units from Units 2-6 (2 units x 27 hours = 54 hours).
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• Philosophy: The Big Questions - Open