|
Philosophy 403 |
Office Hours in RH-436 (445-4489) |
|
Heroism and the Human Spirit |
MWF |
|
Philosophy Seminar, Spring, 2005 |
and by appointment. |
|
Prof. Michael Kagan |
Email: kagan@lemoyne.edu |
Goal: The main purpose of this
course is
to provide students with an opportunity 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.
Requirements and grading
ABOUT THE SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: You are to select and
complete five
of the eight short writing assignments. A reading question is
given along
with each assignment. Unless otherwise indicated, please answer the
reading
question in less than one TYPED page (all assignments, except
in-class
writings, are to be typed). Make sure you are working with the
current
version of this syllabus.
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS: For every presentation, you will be
required to
turn in an outline or abstract of your presentation, complete with
a list
of all works used. Also, if you use any web pages, not only should
these be
listed on the outline with the rest of your bibliography, but you are
also
required to turn in a printout of all web pages used in preparing the
presentation. If your group divides the work into separate parts, each
member of
the group will need to provide his or her own outline/abstract and
printouts.
Outlines/abstracts, and printouts are to be given to me BEFORE
the presentation. Failure to do so BEFORE the
presentation
will result in a 30% deduction from the relevant presenter's
presentation
grade. If the outline and printouts are not turned in by the next
class, there
will be an additional 30% deduction. You may use up to but not
more than
5 minutes of videotaped material for your presentation. If the
class is
meeting in a room with a built-in VCR, make sure you know how to use
it. If you
need to bring in a VCR for the presentation, you may order one from AV
by
calling 445-4380 or on the web at http://www.lemoyne.edu/information_systems/audio_visual/class.html
In the event of a technical glitch or delivery problem make sure you
can
present without the videotaped material.
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS ON
Remember: You have less than an
hour to
present. Focus on the aspects your group finds most interesting and
important.
Do not try to cover everything. Your presentation will be improved if
you make
it easier for others to participate. (Please try to help others'
presentations
by participating!) Please feel free to meet with me to discuss your
presentations. If you don't find me on campus, you are welcome to call
me at
home before
THE PROJECT might involve further investigating the issue of human
greatness and heroism, a philosophical essay concerning some related
issue of
philosophical interest in a work of literature, a creative literary
work of the
student's own [e.g., a short story, 1st chapter of a novel, & c.],
or a
philosophical analysis of some related issue present in one of the
works we
studied, detailing the position[s] set forth in the work, and
developing and
defending one's own philosophical response.
GRADING
Grades are
based on a
10 point
scale as follows:
90-100 - 'A' range (97-100 = A+; 94-96=A; 90-93=A-).
80-89 - 'B' range (87-89 = B+; 84-86=B; 80-83=B-).
70-79 - 'C' range (77-79 = C+; 74-76=C; 70-73=C-).
60-69 - 'D' range (67-69 = D+; 64-66=D; 60-63=D-).
Below 60 - 'F'.
Failure to complete any of (1)-(4) can result in a failing grade.
Plagiarism
will result in a failing grade.
Required Reading List: (in approximate reading order)
Vonnegut, Jr., Kurt. Welcome to the Monkey House.
Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York:
King, Stephen. Different Seasons (also published as Shawshank
Redemption).
Rand, Ayn. Anthem.
Butler, Octavia E. Bloodchild and Other Stories.
Brown, Claude. Manchild in the Promised Land.
Plato, Symposium.
SPECIAL NEEDS
In coordination with the Academic
Support
Center (ASC), reasonable
accommodations
are provided for qualified students with disabilities. Please register
with the
ASC Office for disability verification and determination of reasonable
accommodations.
After receiving your accommodation form from the ASC, 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.
IMPORTANT DATES
No classes on the following dates: Mon., Jan. 17 (Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day), Mon, Feb. 21 (President's Day), Wed. Mar. 23 (instructor attending conference), Mar 24-27
(Easter Break), Mar. 28-April 3 (Spring Break).
PROJECT PROPOSALS DUE Fri., Feb.
25. WRITTEN PROJECTS DUE:
Fri., Apr. 15.
LAST DAY OF CLASS - May 6.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS ['*' MARKS WEEKS
IN WHICH
STUDENTS PRESENT ON
#1 (Wed., Jan. 19) Introduce course, choose groups and schedule
presentations
on readings.
#2 (Fri, Jan. 21) -- In-class writing on childhood heroes.
#3 (Mon., Jan. 24) Discussion of heroic scripting.
#4 (Wed., Jan. 26) Instructor presents on "The Porcelain
Salamander." Group work on "The Porcelain Salamander."
*#5 (Fri., Jan. 28) Students present on Toni Morrison's The
Bluest Eye.
SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Give an example or two of when and how
some of the characters show resistance to what's happening to
them. What do you think of this kind of resistance?
#6 & #7 (Mon. Jan. 31 and Wed., Feb.
2) Self-deception and bad faith. Instructor
presents on Le Guin's
"Those who walk away from Omelas" and/or Kurt Vonnegut's "More
Stately Mansions" (please bring Welcome
to the Monkey House)
and/or Card's "The Best
Day." The temptation to deny the best and the worst.
*#8 (Fri ., Feb. 4) Students present on Night. SHORT
WRITING
ASSIGNMENT DUE: Give an
example or two of when and how some
of the characters show resistance to what's happening to
them. What
do you think of this kind of resistance?
*#9 (Mon., Feb. 7). SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Who are the
best
friends in this story? What does this show about
friendship?
Why? Students present on Stephen King's "The Body" (in Different
Seasons).
#10 (Wed., Feb. 9) Instructor presents on
* #11 (Fri., Feb. 11) Students present on Anthem. SHORT
WRITING
ASSIGNMENT DUE: In the world
#12 (Mon, Feb. 14) Lecture on problem of personal identity.
* #13 (Wed., Feb. 16) Short writing assignment due: Students
present on Octavia Butler's "The Evening and the Morning, and the
Night" (in the Bloodchild anthology) . SHORT WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Do you know (or know about) anyone like the
people in this story? Have
they
chosen to do what they do best? Why or why not?
Please
explain, using examples from the story.
#14 (Fri., Feb. 18) Lecture on "Becker, Childhood, and Scary
Stories"
Mon.,
Feb. 21. No class - President's Day.
#15 ( Wed., Feb. 23) Instructor presents
one way of reading King (and
others).
* #16 ( Fri., Feb. 25) PROJECT
PROPOSALS DUE. Students present
on Stephen King's "The
Breathing
Method" (in Different Seasons). SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT
DUE: Who are the
best
friends in this story? What does this show about
friendship?
Why?
#17 (Mon., Feb. 28) Instructor presents on
Heroic Myths (Campbell and
Raffa)
and the twice born.
* #18 (Wed., Mar. 2) SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: In the
world Claude
Brown describes, one's future seems decided at an early age - How do
different
people in the book respond to this? What can we learn from their
experience?
Students
present on Manchild in the Promised Land.
#19 ( Fri, Mar. 4) Group work on Manchild in the Promised Land. Lecture
on racism and deception.
*#20 (Mon., Mar. 7)
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 which of the people
described in
the Symposium has a theory about that love you think
makes sense
of their own life. 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.
#21 (Wed., Mar. 9) Lecture on "Sex
and Gender."
# 22 (Fri, Mar.
11) Lecture on
"Possibilities and Practice: The Heroic
Task and Self Education."
#22 (Mon., Mar. 14) -SCHEDULE PROJECT PRESENTATIONS. Buber's
hasidut and Rebbe Nachman's "The Turkey Prince" (includes group work
on Rebbe Nachman's story)
#23 (Wed. Mar. 16) - .Instructor
presentation on "Middle
Woman" or
"Gert Fram."
#24 (Fri., Mar.
18) - Instructor presentation on "Mortal Gods."
#25 (Mon., Mar . 21). Class
group work on Saki's "The
Open Window."
No class Wed.,
Mar. 23 (instructor attending conference), Mar 24-27/Mar. 28-Apr.
3
(Easter Break/Spring Break).
#26 (Mon., Apr. 4). In-class writing exercise on future
autobiography.
#27 (Wed., Apr. 6)
Bring Bloodchild to
class.
Presentation on "Positive Obsession."
#28 (Fri., Apr. 8) Bring
Bloodchild to
class.
Presentation on "Furor Scribendi."
NOTE: WRITTEN PROJECTS DUE: Fri., Apr. 15
**#29 (Mon., April 11 through Wed., May 4 - Student
presentations
on projects (these are to be between 20 and 50 minutes in length,
depending
on the size of the class, and the number of students presenting). These
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. Please bring Welcome
to the Monkey House to
class April 11
- May 6.
Fri., May 6, TBA & Make-up
presentations. LAST DAY OF CLASS.
SOME
SUGGESTED
WORKS FOR
FINAL PROJECTS
Ajami,
Fouad. The
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and
the Last
Great Lesson.
Amdur, Ellis. Dueling with O-Sensei: Grappling with the Myth of the
Warrior
Sage, Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions.
Available from www.ellisamdur.com.
Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.
(The
movie "Smoke Signals" is based on this.)
Becker, Ernest. The Birth and Death of Meaning, The Denial
of Death,
and other works.
Belenky, et al. Women's Ways of Knowing.
Berne, Eric. What Do You Say After You Say Hello? - The Psychology
of Human
Destiny, and other works.
Brown, Claude. Manchild in the Promised Land.
Brown, Christy. My Left Foot.
Bujold, Lois McMaster. Cordelia's Honor, and other works.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Second ed.
Card, Orson Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card,
Ender's
Game, and other works.
Chandler, Raymond. The Simple
Art of Murder,
and other works.
Chesbro, George. Shadow of a
Broken Man.
Cross, Amanda. Death in a Tenured Position, and other works.
Davies, Robertson. The Deptford Trilogy : Fifth Business/the
Manticore/World
of Wonders, and other works.
DeWitt, Helen. The Last Samurai.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, Notes
from
the Underground, "The Crocodile, " and other works.
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible
Eugenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex.
Friedman, C.S. This Alien Shore, and other works..
Gardner, John. The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers.
Gilligan, Carol. In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and
Women's
Development.
Gilman, Dorothy The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax, Tightrope Walker,
Incident
at Badamya, and other works.
Goldman, William. The Princess Bride.
Goldstein, Lisa. Dream Years, The Red Magician, Travellers
in Magic and other works..
Haley, Alex, and Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Hammett, Dashiel. The Maltese Falcon (the book and the
movie).
You should look at his other novels as well.
Hargrove, Anne C. Getting Better: Conversations with myself and
other
friends while healing from breast cancer.
Heinlein, R. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Citizen of the
Galaxy,
Double Star and other works.
Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha, The Journey to the East, The
Glass
Bead Game, Steppenwolf, and other works.
Hoeg, Peter. Smilla's Sense of Snow, Borderliners.
Howie, Noelle. Dress
Codes: Of Three Girlhoods--My Mother's, My Father's, and
Mine.
Howatch, Susan. Glamorous Powers, and other works.
Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According
to Garp.
Jarmusch, Jim. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.
Jewell, Lisa. One-Hit Wonder.
Kafka, Franz.
"Penal Colony, " "Hunger Artist, "
The
Trial, The Castle, and other works.
Kagan, Michael . Educating Heroes (Durango, Colorado:
Hollowbrook,
1994).
Kamenetz, Rodger. The Jew in the Lotus : A Poet's Rediscovery of
Jewish
Identity in Buddhist
Kaye, Ronnie. Spinning Straw into Gold.
King, Stephen. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Hearts in
Atlantis,
Bag of Bones, and other works.
Kiyosaki, Robert T., and Sharon Lechter. Rich
Dad, Poor Dad.
Kress, Nancy. Beggars in
Leonard, George. Mastery (New York: Penguin/Plume, 1992).
Lowry, Dave. Autumn Lightning, Persimmon Wind.
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Telling, Left Hand of Darkness, The
Lathe of Heaven, The Dispossessed, and other works.
Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted.
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon, and other works.
Morrow, James. Towing Jehovah, Blameless in Abaddon,
and other
works.
Noddings, Nel. Caring.
McBride, James. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His
White
Mother.
Oates, J. C. On Boxing.
Parker, Robert B. Mortal Stakes,
and
other works.
Plato. The Republic, and other works.
Pohl,
Frederik. Gateway.
Polster, Miriam F. Eve's Daughters : The Forbidden Heroism of Women.
Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass (New York: Alfred A.
Knopf,
1996).
Raffa, Jean Benedict. The Bridge to Wholeness: A Feminine
Alternative to the
Hero Myth.
Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, The
Virtue of
Selfishness.
Rollin, B. First, You Cry.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Russell, Mary Doria. The Sparrow, and Children of God.
Salmonson, Jessica Amanda. A Silver Thread of Madness, and
other works.
Sapphire. Push: A Novel.
Silverberg, Robert. Lord Valentine's Castle.
Steiner, Claude M. Scripts People Live: Transactional Analysis of
Life
Scripts.
Suzuki, D.T. Zen and Japanese Culture.
Sturgeon, Theodore. More than Human, and other works.
Scriptures, religious tales and teachings of interest to the student,
from a
variety of traditions (including, but not limited to, African,
Buddhist,
Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Native American, Taoist, Vedic.)
Stout, Martha. The Myth of Sanity: Divided Consciousness and the
Promise of
Awareness.
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club, The Hundred Secret Senses.
Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and other works.
Vonnegut, Jr., Kurt. Mother Night, Slaughterhouse Five, and
other works.
Walker,
Wachowski, Andy and Larry. The Matrix and its sequels
(including The
Animatrix). .
Wiesel, Elie. Dawn, The Accident, and other works.
Willis, Connie. Passages, Doomsday Book, Bellwether,
and other
works..
Yoshikawa. Musashi.
Zettel, Sarah. Fool's War.
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