Class meetings at 2:30PM TH
Office hours via zoom (please email me for a zoom link) - TU & TH– 1:10-1:55pm, and by appointment..
Tel:315-445-4489 - Campus voice mail - you should receive a reply within a few days.
Email:kagan@lemoyne.edu - You should receive a reply within a day or so (not including weekends).
In his 1907 address to the Alumnae Association at Radcliffe College, William James suggested that the aim of a successful college education is that those who have it will be able to recognize a good person when they are fortunate enough to encounter one. This course shares that aim. It will involve varied readings from world literature, augmented by some extra readings from philosophy and psychology in search of responses to the question, “What makes a person great?” Of central concern will be the issue of the nature of the heroic; we will also be concerned with some other philosophical problems which arise in connection with this question (such as: the problem of evil; personal identity; determinism, free will and fatalism; death; the mind-body problem and the problem of other minds; philosophical anthropology and philosophical psychology as well as some philosophy of psychology; philosophical analysis of religious experience). Students will be encouraged and expected to bring their own learning from other disciplines to this quest.
The main purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to bring their disciplinary training and life experience to develop their own answers to the question, “What makes a person great?” It is hoped that giving students a chance to address this problem while seeing its inter-connections with fundamental philosophical issues will help them integrate their heroic visions into their own philosophies of human existence and/or philosophic religious faith.
Students in COR 400G are expected to develop their own approaches to the goals of this course, encounter new ways of approaching texts and problems, and to bring their own backgrounds and disciplinary training to bear on specific questions raised in the readings. Students are expected to develop, present, and demonstrate:
Students will also demonstrate critical speaking, listening, reading and writing skills as they present interdisciplinary reflections and arguments.
COR 400 sections include all of Le Moyne's Core Learning
Outcomes except Quantitative Reasoning. The full list is
appended below in the "Some of this page's links and other important
information" section. This semester, assignments related to the
following three core learning objectives may be read by core evaluators
in the Core 400 assessment process.
CLO 2
Interdisciplinary Inquiry: Students will synthesize knowledge drawn
from different fields of study (the arts, humanities, natural sciences,
and social sciences). [Reading presentations, Final Project]
CLO
7 Information Literacy: Using technologies integral to information
access, students will identify, locate, evaluate, and responsibly use
information that is relevant to a given problem.
[Reading presentations, Final Project]
CLO
9 Creating a More Just Society: Students will investigate complex
challenges involving cultural and social diversity, and the
individual's role in developing just solutions. [Short writing
assignments on readings as indicated in the schedule of assignments]
25% of the grade is based on participation, in-class writings, and the optional journal and other optional writing assignments. Since you are not participating when you don’t attend class, you will need to make up any absences with extra-credit assignments and journaling.
25% of the grade is based on the presentation on the readings.
25% for the top three short writing assignments (the grade will be the average of the best three out of four).
25% is determined by the project and its presentation (this can be done as a presentation, a paper, or both).
Grades are based on a 10 point scale as follows:
Failure to complete any of (1)-(4) above can result in a failing grade.
Plagiarism will result in a failing grade.
In coordination with the Academic Support Center (ASC) and Disability Support Services, reasonable accommodations are provided for qualified students with disabilities. Please register for disability verification and determination of reasonable accommodations. After receiving your accommodation form, you will need to make an appointment with me to review the form and discuss your needs. Please make every attempt to meet with me within the first week of class so your accommodations can be provided in a timely manner. You can either stop by the ASC, Library, 1st floor, or call (445-4118-voice or 445-4104-TDD) to make an appointment.
A copy of a recent Le Moyne College COVID-19 Syllabus
Statement and the Le Moyne College Student Support Statements can be
found below the course schedule in the links and other imprtant
information section.
If you miss class for any obligation or religious observance
throughout the semester, please let me know (so it gets recorded as an
excused absence).
No classes or office hours on the following dates:
Sep.
7., Wed., Mass of the Holy Spirit, 10:45 a.m. in the Panasci Family
Chapel. Classes that run 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. or 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
will dismiss at 10:30 a.m. Classes scheduled for 11 a.m. and noon will
not be held.
Sep. 26, Mon., Rosh Hashana
Oct. 5, Wed., Yom Kippur
Oct. 10-11 Mon-Tues - Fall break
Nov. 23-27 Wed-Sun - Thanksgiving Break
Due dates:
Project proposals due Thurs., Oct. 13.
Optional (for those who present their projects), written projects due Thurs, Nov. 17, and
student project presentations begin Thurs., Nov. 10.
Last day for our class is Thursday, December 8.
Last day of classes, Fri., Dec. 9.
CLOSINGS/CANCELLATIONS AND ONLINE VERSIONS OF THIS COURSE
This semester (Fall 2022) the plan is to start meeting synchronously in person in the classroom [RH345].
When campus/dorms are closed due to flu or other circumstances, my intent is that the course continue. Assignments continue to be due electronically (if Canvas is down, email to kagan@lemoyne.edu may still work). Presentations will be replaced by papers, virtual presentations, or extended descriptions of presentations. In addition to notes and group work already available there on-line, I will post updates, lecture notes, etc., to Canvas and to my Le Moyne College website.
As at other times, if your situation results in your needing an extension, please let me know. Also, if internet service is down or there are other infrastructure problems, please complete the assignments and turn them in when services are restored.
#1 (Thurs., Sept. 1) Introduce course, choose groups and schedule presentations on readings. In-class writing on childhood heroes.
#2 (Thurs., Sept. 8) Discussion of heroic scripting. Read Orson Scott Card’s “Middle Woman” (from Maps in a Mirror). Group work on “Middle Woman.”
*#3 (Thurs., Sept. 15) Students present on Walter Mosley's "Crimson Shadow" (in Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned). SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT: How do the characters in this story prepare for the future? Why? What can we learn from this?
Self-deception and bad faith. Read Card's "The Best Day" (from Maps in a Mirror). The temptation to deny the best and the worst. Group work on self-deception.
*#4 (Thurs., Sept. 21). SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Students present on Stephen King's "The Body" (in Different Seasons). How do the characters in this story prepare for the future? Why? What can we learn from this? Instructor presents on Rand's philosophy.
*#5 (Thurs., Oct. 29) Students present on Anthem. SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: In the world Rand describes, people's careers are chosen by others at an early age - how do two of the book's characters respond to this choice? Is our society like the one in Anthem? Why or why not? Lecture on problem of personal identity.
PROJECT PROPOSALS DUE (for presentation and/or optional project paper) Thurs., Oct. 13.
*#6 (Thurs., Oct. 6) Students present on Octavia Butler’s” The Evening and the Morning, and the Night" (in the Bloodchild anthology). SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Compare someone in this story to someone you have encountered (in life or literature). What can we learn from this comparison? Lecture on "Becker, Childhood, and Scary Stories." Read Denial of Death, Introduction & Part I (Chapters 1-6).
#7 (Thurs., Oct. 13)
SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT: How might you relate Becker's views to
the experiences of two characters we have read about so far? Instructor
presents one way of reading King (and others). Read Orson Scott Card's
"Mortal Gods" (from Maps in a Mirror). Group work on "Mortal
Gods."
Project proposals due Thursday, October 13.
*#8(Thurs., Oct. 20) Students present on Stephen King's "The Breathing Method" (in Different Seasons). SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Compare someone in this story to someone you have encountered (in life or literature). What can we learn from this comparison? Instructor presents on Heroic Myths (Campbell and Raffa) and the twice born.
*#9 (Thurs., Oct. 27) Students present on "Last Rites" in Walter Mosley’s Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: How do the characters in this story prepare for the future? Why? What can we learn from this? Bring Bloodchild to class. Read Butler's "Positive Obsession" and "Furor Scribendi." Group work.
SCHEDULE PROJECT PRESENTATIONS. These presentations
are to be about 10 minutes in length per student, depending on the size
of the class, and the number of students presenting. A solo presenter
will have 10 minutes; a group of 2-3 students will have 15 minutes;
groups of 3-5 students will have 20 minutes). Presentations will
continue until the end of semester. Students who are unable to do their
individual presentations at the scheduled time will need to schedule a
make-up presentation. If re-scheduling is not possible, the student
will need to turn in a written version of their presentation if they
have not yet done so.
*#10 (Thurs., Nov. 3) TWO PART SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Write a brief description of a friend or a brief story in which the sex of at least one major character is neither stated nor implied. THEN explain how one or two characters presented in the Symposium share beliefs about love that contradict or affirm the way they live their own life/lives. Explain why. Note: You are welcome to do this within one page if you can, but, for this assignment, the page limit is 3 TYPED pages. Students present on Symposium. Lecture on "Time and Chance & Sex and Gender."
*#11 (Thurs., Nov. 10). Buber's hasidut and Rebbe Nachman's "The Turkey Prince." (includes group work on Rebbe Nachman's story). In-class writing exercise on future autobiography. Lecture on "Possibilities and Practice: Heroic Tasks and Self Education." Student presentations on projects begin. Optional (for those who present their projects) WRITTEN PROJECTS DUE.
*#12 (Thurs., Nov. 17) Read Card's "Bicicleta" (from Maps in a Mirror). Presentation/Group work on "Bicicleta." SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Compare someone in this story to someone you have encountered (in life or literature). What can we learn from this comparison? Student presentations on projects continue.
NOVEMBER 23 - 27: THANKSGIVING BREAK.
*#13 (Thurs., Dec. 1) Student presentations on projects continue.
*#14 (Thurs., Dec. 8) LAST DAY OF CLASS. Student presentations on projects continue. Make-up presentations and final evaluations (if not done, and depending on the implementation of the new evaluation system).
Last day of fall semester classes, Dec. 9.
Other materials for COR 400G, Heroism and the Human Spirit
Broad Knowledge
Students will explore meaningful questions, both practical and transcendent, through study in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
Students will synthesize knowledge drawn from different fields of study (the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences).
Intellectual Skills
Students will comprehensively evaluate issues, ideas, events, and works before making informed conclusions.
Students will produce coherent arguments in writing.
Students will prepare and present in a variety of contexts, as speaker and listener.
Students will analyze numerical or graphical information.
Using technologies integral to information access, students will identify, locate, evaluate, and responsibly use information that is relevant to a given problem.
Personal and Social Responsibility
Students will make reasoned ethical decisions by assessing their own moral values, recognizing different ethical perspectives, and thoughtfully analyzing ethical and moral dilemmas.
Students will investigate complex challenges involving cultural and social diversity, and the individual's role in developing just solutions.
Information about Covid policies follows the student support statements.
Some Student Support Statements (from the Syllabus checklist of April, 2021)
Student Support Statements
Students are encouraged to speak up, be engaged, and participate in class. Classes will represent a diversity of individual beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences. We may not share the same views on some topics, but we converse in a respectful manner. Le College is a zero-tolerance campus.
Students who believe they have experienced bias or discrimination are encouraged to report the incident. Please refer to Le Moyne’s Bias-Related Incident Reporting webpage to submit a report and for further information.
Le Moyne faculty are concerned about the well-being and development of our students and we are available to discuss your concerns. As faculty, we are obligated to share information with the College’s Title IX coordinator to help ensure that the student’s safety and welfare are being addressed, consistent with the requirements of the law. These disclosures include, but are not limited to, reports of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.
Please refer to Le Moyne's Sexual Misconduct Resources webpage for contact information and further details.
Le Moyne College Face Covering Policy and Protocols
Updated August 8, 2022
Effective Monday August 15th, 2022 the College face covering policy will be updated as follows.
Throughout
the pandemic, the College has been closely monitoring transmission
levels and disease activity on campus, in Onondaga County and across
the state, and has been adjusting health and safety protocols
accordingly. With transmission levels and hospitalizations stabilizing
at a low level in our local community and on campus, the following
adjustments, which are subject to change1, have been made to the College’s face covering policy.
Regardless
of the following changes, individuals may choose and are encouraged to
wear a face covering at any time based on personal preference and as
informed by one’s personal risk level. Individuals are encouraged to
follow CDC guidelines and consult with their healthcare provider,
particularly if they are immunocompromised or at increased risk for
severe disease from COVID-19, or if they have someone in their
household who is immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease
or not fully vaccinated. Wearing a face covering based on personal
preference is fully supported by the College.
As
a caring community, the College respects and supports both an
individual’s choice to wear a face covering as well as the request of
any College office, recreational, and residential spaces that request
face coverings be worn. Individuals can print and display the sign available at this link to express your preference.
Within
the context presented above, the following adjustments have been made
to the face covering requirement. With the exception of the following
spaces
and circumstances, face coverings are no longer required to be worn in
most areas of the campus. However, appropriate2 face coverings are
required to be properly worn (i.e., covering both mouth and nose) by
all persons, regardless of vaccination status, until further notice,
In the following spaces:
Therefore,
instructors may require that face coverings be worn properly by all
persons in their classrooms or labs. At this time, face coverings are
optional in classes and labs if not explicitly required by the
instructor.
In the following circumstances:
Despite
these changes, members of the campus community should continue to carry
their face covering with them should they need to put it on.
The
College will continue to monitor transmission levels in the local
community. If campus, county, or state public health conditions
warrant, we will adjust our face covering policy accordingly. We offer
our thanks to all members of the College who take the necessary steps
to ensure that ours is a safe and healthy community.
_______________________________________________________________
For example, should the CDC determine that Onondaga County’s COVID-19 community level is medium, and the medium community level is sustained, then the College at a minimum may require face coverings in all academic and event spaces. Additionally, should the CDC determine that Onondaga County’s COVID-19 community level is high, and the high community level is sustained, then the College at a minimum may require face coverings in all public indoor settings.
2 Appropriate
and recommended face coverings include N95, KN95 or KF94 respirators,
surgical masks, and face coverings made of at least two layers of
cloth. Above all else, a snug fit (no gaps, wired nose bridge,
adjustable ear loops), offers the best protection to the user and the
community. Most importantly, face coverings with an exhalation/release
valve, single-layer gaiter-style neck fleeces, and bandanas should NOT
be worn on campus.
Le Moyne College
COVID-19 Syllabus Statement
Fall 2022
Overview.
The following information describes the health and safety guidelines
for in-person classes and classrooms, which are subject to change1. The
College may adjust health and safety protocols pending prevalence
of the COVID-19 virus and its transmissibility on campus, in Onondaga County, and/or the State of New York. Please
note, given the dynamic nature of the
coronavirus, all students, faculty, and staff are expected to
monitor campus email announcements for policy updates.
Summary of Key Classroom Health and Safety Protocols:
Viral Transmission Levels. The NYS Department of Health has adopted and implemented guidelines
provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The
CDC monitors levels of community viral transmission of the coronavirus
by tracking case numbers for each county and state as well as measures
the impact of COVID-19 illness on health and healthcare systems.
Community levels are classified as low, medium, or high. The CDC
provides guidance for the implementation of COVID-19 prevention
strategies for each community level and within the context of each
community’s
vaccination coverage. For example, when the COVID-19 community level is
low, members of the Le Moyne community may not be required to wear a
face covering indoors. However, when the COVID-19 community level is
high,
the CDC indicates that individuals wear a face covering in public
indoor settings regardless of vaccination status. Additionally, the CDC
recommends that fully vaccinated individuals may choose to wear a face
covering regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they
are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease from
COVID-19, or if they have someone in their household who is
immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease or not fully
vaccinated. As a caring community, the College respects and supports
individuals who choose to wear face coverings.
College
Face Covering Requirement. As fall approaches, transmission levels and
hospitalizations are relatively stable in our local community and on
campus. And vaccination rates are high among members of the campus
community. Within
the aforementioned context presented above, the following adjustments
have been made to the face covering requirement. At this time, with the
exception
of the following spaces and circumstances, face coverings are no longer
required to be worn in most areas of the campus. However, appropriate2
face coverings are required to be properly worn (i.e., covering both
mouth and nose) by all persons, regardless of vaccination status, until
further notice,
In the following spaces:
Therefore,
instructors may require that face coverings be worn properly by all
persons in their classrooms or labs. At this time, face coverings are
optional in classes and labs if not explicitly required by the
instructor.
In the following circumstances:
Despite
these changes, members of the campus community should continue to carry
their face covering with them should they need to put it on.
Covid-19 Vaccine and Boosters. All undergraduate and graduate students (together with faculty, staff,
and administrators) are required to have the COVID-19 vaccine by the
start of fall semester classes. As part of the College’s strategy to
reduce the risk of transmission and serious illness, Le Moyne
highly
recommends that all eligible undergraduate and graduate students remain
up to date on their COVID-19 booster vaccinations as well.
Medical or Religious Exemption. Students may request a medical or religious exemption from vaccination. Please contact the Office of Student Development at studentdevelopment@lemoyne.edu for an application.
Approved Student Absences from Class. Students
are expected to attend classes in-person as scheduled and require
appropriate approval to be excused from in-person classes. Students may
be excused from attending in-person classes for short-term absences due
to illness such as colds or the flu, accidents,
or quarantine/isolation from a confirmed COVID infection. Students who must miss class for illness should follow the Policy on Student Absenteeism in the Event of Illness of Accident, which stipulates that, “It
is the student’s responsibility to contact his or her instructors, as
soon as possible, to explain the absence and make arrangements for the
completion of missed work or tests.” If
illness or injury requires more than three consecutive days of hospital
or
home care, Health Services needs to be informed [(315) 445-4440]. If
the student has been treated by a doctor off campus, some documentation
from that office will be expected. Health Services will then notify the
Registrar who will inform the student’s instructors, advisor, and the
appropriate academic dean.
COVID-19
Symptoms. Regardless of vaccination status, students who are
experiencing COVID-19-related symptoms must not attend class and are
encouraged to contact the Student Health Center [healthservices@lemoyne.edu,
(315) 445-4440] or their primary medical provider. COVID-19-related
symptoms may include one or some combination of the following:
Finally,
in keeping with our values as a Jesuit college, each member of the
community is expected to act honestly and ethically regarding both
their vaccination status and any experienced COVID-19-related symptoms.
Further,
each member of the community is expected to take care of not only their
own health, but to be mindful of the health of others and to avoid
actions that may jeopardize the health and welfare of those we learn,
work and live with at the College. A well-vaccinated and attentive
community better protects the vulnerable amongst us and loved ones
at home.
_______________________________________________________________
For
example, should the CDC determine that Onondaga County’s COVID-19
community level is medium, and the medium community level is sustained,
then the College at a minimum may require face coverings in all
academic and event spaces. Additionally, should the CDC determine that
Onondaga County’s COVID-19 community level is high, and the high
community level is sustained, then the College at a minimum may require
face coverings in all public indoor settings. Additionally,
the College’s policies remain subject to public health orders issued by
the Onondaga County Health Department and New York State Department of
Health, and will be adjusted if directed by public health authorities.
2 Appropriate and recommended face coverings include N95, KN95 or KF94 respirators,
surgical masks, and face coverings made of at least two layers of
cloth. Above all else, a snug fit (no gaps, wired nose bridge,
adjustable ear loops), offers the best protection to the user and the
community. Most importantly, face coverings with an exhalation/release
valve, single-layer gaiter-style neck fleeces, and bandanas should NOT
be worn on campus.