|
Philosophy 403 |
Office Hours in RH-428 (445-4489) |
|
Heroism and the Human Spirit |
MWF 9:35 -10:20 AM and by appointment. |
|
Philosophy Seminar, Fall, 2010 |
Email:kagan@lemoyne.edu |
|
Prof. Michael Kagan |
Le Moyne College website: http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/index.html |
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
SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: You
are to select and complete five of
the seven
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
2 minutes of videotaped material for your presentation.
If the
class is
meeting in a room with a built-in VCR/DVD player, make sure you know
how to use
it. If you need to bring in a computer or video player for the
presentation,
you may order one from AV by calling 445-4380; for more information on
the web
see http://lemoyne.edu/ITHOME/ABOUTIT/CLASSROOMSERVICESIT/Equipment/tabid/833/Default.aspx.
In
the event of a technical glitch, power failure, or delivery problem,
make
sure you can present without the computer/videotaped material.
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS ON READINGS: All
students are expected to do
all
readings and to share their understanding with one another in class
discussions
by leading their own and participating in other students' presentations
on the
various readings. Student presentations on readings begin the second
week of
class, and will be scheduled during the first week. The subtopics will
be
divided up into student groups whose size will be determined by the
class size.
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 8:00 PM. YOU CAN
ALWAYS LEAVE A VOICE MAIL MESSAGE AT
445-4489.
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
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 five short writing assignments (the grade will be the average of the best four out of five).
25% is determined by the project and its presentation.
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)
Walter
Mosley, Always
Outnumbered, Always Outgunned.
Stephen King, Different Seasons
(also published as Shawshank
Redemption and as Apt
Pupil).
Ayn Rand, Anthem.
Ernest Becker, Denial
of Death.
Octavia E. Butler, Bloodchild
and Other Stories, 2nd edition.
Orson
Scott Card, Maps in a Mirror
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 class or office hours on the following dates:
Mon.,
Sept. 6, Labor Day; Wed. Sep. 8,
Mass of the
Holy Spirit
(classes canceled 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM; Classes resume at 1:30), Thurs.,
Sep. 9 (Rosh HaShanah); Oct.
11-12, Fall Break; Nov.
24-27,
Thanksgiving Break.
Last
day of class: Dec. 10
(Fri.). PROJECT PROPOSALS DUE
FRI, OCT. 15. WRITTEN PROJECTS
DUE: Mon.,
NOV. 22.
CLOSINGS/CANCELLATIONS
If campus/dorms are closed due to flu or other circumstances, my intent is that the course continue. Assignments continue to be due by email. 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 my Le Moyne College website at http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/index.html
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.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS ['*' indicates
student
presentation.]
#1 (Mon., Aug. 30) Introduce course, choose groups and schedule
presentations on
readings.
#2 (Wed., Sep 1) -- In-class writing on childhood heroes.
#3 (Fri., Sep. 3) Discussion of heroic
scripting.
No class,
Mon.,
Sept. 6, Labor Day.
#4 (Wed., Sep.8) No class, Mass of the
Holy Spirit
(classes canceled 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM; Classes resume at 1:30)
#5 ((Fri.,
Sep 10)
Self-deception and
bad faith.
Read Orson Scott Card's "The Best Day" (from Maps
in a Mirror)
. The temptation to deny the best and the worst.
*#6 (Mon.,Sep. 13) Students present on
Walter Mosley's
"Crimson
Shadow" (in Always
Outnumbered, Always Outgunned)
SHORT
WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: How do the
characters in this reveal what is
important to them? What can we learn from this?
#7 (Wed., Sep.15) Read
Orson Scott Card's
"The
Porcelain
Salamander" (from Maps in a
Mirror).
Group work on
"The
Porcelain Salamander."
*#8 (Fri.,
Sep. 17). SHORT
WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Students
present
on Stephen King's "The Body" (in Different
Seasons).
How does luck influence the characters in this story?
What can we learn from this?
#9 (Mon., Sep. 20) Instructor
presents on Rand's philosophy.
*#10 (Wed., Sep. 22) Students present on Anthem.
SHORT
WRITING
ASSIGNMENT DUE: In the world
Rand describes, one's career is
chosen
by others at an early age - how do the book's heroes resist this
choice? Does
our society also put some in a position that will keep them from
hurting the
status quo? Why or why not?
#11 (Fri., Sep. 24) Lecture on problem of personal
identity.
*#12 (Mon., Sep. 27) 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).
Have they
chosen to do what they do best? Why or why not?
#13 (Wed., Sep. 29 ) Lecture on "Becker, Childhood, and Scary
Stories" Read Denial
of Death, Introduction &
Part
I (Chapters 1-6).
#14 (Fri., Oct. 1) Instructor presents one
way of reading King (and
others).
* #15 (Mon., Oct. 4)
Students present on Stephen King's "The Breathing Method" (in Different
Seasons). SHORT
WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Who learns best from their experiences
in this story?
Why?
#16 (Wed., Oct. 6). Instructor
presents on Heroic Myths
(Campbell and
Raffa) and the twice born, related to the readings in and implications
concerning discrimination and deception.
#17 (Fri., Oct. 8)
Bring Bloodchild
to class. Read
Butler's
"Positive Obsession" and "Furor Scribendi."
Group work.
Oct. 11-12
- Fall Break.
*#18 (Wed.,
Oct. 13) Students present on "Last
Rites" in
Walter Mosley's Always
Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. SHORT
WRITING
ASSIGNMENT DUE: What is difficult for the characters in this
story? Why?
*#19 (Fri., Oct. 15) 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 beliefs about
love that
are consistent with 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.
#20
(Mon., Oct.18) Lecture on "Time and
Chance
& Sex
and
Gender" Project proposals due.
#21 (Wed., Oct. 20) Buber's hasidut and Rebbe
Nachman's "The
Turkey Prince." (includes group work on Rebbe Nachman's
story). SCHEDULE
PROJECT PRESENTATIONS.
#22 (Fri., Oct. 22)
In-class writing exercise on future
autobiography.
#23 (Mon., Oct.
25) Lecture
on "Possibilities and Practice:
Heroic
Tasks and Self Education."
#24 (Wed., Oct.
27)
Read Orson Scott Card's "Mortal Gods"
(from
Maps in a Mirror). Group work on "Mortal Gods"
#25 (Fri., Oct. 29) TBA.
#26 (Mon., Nov. 1) Read Card's
"Bicicleta." Group work on
"Bicicleta."
#27 (Wed., Nov 3.) Instructor presents on
"Philosophy of
hair"
#28 (Fri., Nov. 5) TBA.
Nov.
24-27,
Thanksgiving Break.
*#28ff. Mon.,
Nov. 8 - Wed., Dec. 8) Student
presentations on projects.
WRITTEN
PROJECTS ARE DUE Mon.,
NOV. 22.
These presentations are to be about
10 to
15 minutes in length per student, depending on the size of the class,
and the
number of students presenting. A solo presenter will have 15
minute; a
group of 2 or 3 students will have 20-30 minutes; groups of 3 or
4 will
have 30-45 minutes). 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. 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.
*(Fri., Dec. 10) Make-up presentations/final evaluations (if they
haven't
already
taken place). LAST DAY OF CLASS.
SOME
SUGGESTED WORKS
FOR FINAL PROJECTS
Ajami,
Fouad. The
Dream Palace of the Arabs
(Pantheon Books, 1998).
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
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,
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. Games People Play,
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.
Butler, Octavia E. Parable of
the Sower, 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.
Ushpizin (2004, directed by Giddi Dar).
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.
Effinger, George Alec. When
Gravity Fails,
Budayeen
Nights,
and other works.
Elgin, Suzette Haden. Native
Tongue, The
Judas Rose, The
Gentle
Art of Verbal Self Defense and
other works.
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man.
Eugenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex.
Frankl, Viktor. Man's Search
for Meaning. Pocket Books
Washington Square
Press printing, 1985.
Friedman, C.S. This Alien Shore, and other works.
Gaiman, Neil. Graveyard Book, Coraline, and other works.
Gardner, John. The
Art of
Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers.
Gibson, William. Neuromancer.
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.
Goodkind, Terry. Sword of Truth series, which
begins with Wizard's
First
Rule.
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, Stranger
in a
Strange Land,
Citizen of the Galaxy,
Double Star
and other works.
Henderson, Zenna. Ingathering:
The Complete People
Stories
(NESFA Press, 1995).
Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha,
The Journey to the East,
The
Glass
Bead Game, Steppenwolf,
and other works.
Hitchens, Christopher. Letters
to a Young Contrarian.
Hoeg, Peter. Smilla's Sense of
Snow, Borderliners.
Hong Kingston, Maxine. The
Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood
Among Ghosts.
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 India, and Stalking
Elijah:
Adventures with
Today's Jewish Mystical Masters.
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 Spain,
Maximum Light.
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.
Martinez, Guillermo. The
Oxford Murders (New York:
Penguin Books,
2006).
Monroe, Kristen Renwick. The
Heart of Altruism, The
Hand of
Compassion: Portraits of Moral Choice during the Holocaust,
and other
works (recommended by Lowell A. Dunlap, Ph.D.).
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon,
and other works.
Morrow, James. Towing Jehovah,
Blameless in Abaddon,
and other
works.
Mosley, Walter. 47,
Always Outnumbered, Always
Outgunned,
Devil in a Blue Dress,
Fearless Jones,
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.
Rosenbaum, Lisa Pearl. A
Day of Small Beginnings.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Rubin, Henry Alex, and Dana Adam Shapiro (directors). Murderball.
Russell, Mary Doria. The
Sparrow, and Children
of God.
Sacks, Oliver. Musicophila:
Tales of Music and the Brain.
Salmonson, Jessica Amanda. A
Silver Thread of Madness, and
other works.
Sapphire. Push: A
Novel.
Silverberg, Robert. Lord
Valentine's Castle.
Smith, Dominic. The Beautiful
Miscellaneous (New York: Atria
Books,
2007).
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.
Stephenson, Neal. Cryptonomicon,
Snow Crash,
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.
Tremayne, Peter. The Spider's
Web: A Celtic Mystery.
Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of
Ivan Ilyich, and other works.
Vinge, Vernor. Rainbows
End, and other works.
Vonnegut, Jr., Kurt. Mother
Night, Slaughterhouse Five, and
other works.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple.
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.
Some of this page's links:
Other materials for PHL 403: http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/403index.html
Back to Kagan's Homepage: http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/index.html