|
Philosophy 403 |
Office Hours in RH-428
(445-4489) |
|
Heroism and the Human
Spirit |
MWF 11:30 a.m. - 12:20
p.m. |
|
Philosophy Seminar, Fall,
2006 |
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 computer or 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, 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
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)
Toni Morrison, The
Bluest Eye.
Elie Wiesel, Night. New York:
Stephen King, Different Seasons (also published as Shawshank
Redemption and as Apt Pupil).
Ayn Rand, Anthem.
Malcolm X (& Alex Haley), The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Plato, Symposium.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Welcome to the Monkey House.
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: Wed. Aug. 30, Mass of the
Holy Spirit
(classes canceled 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM; Classes resume at 1:30), Mon.,
Sept.
4, Labor Day; Mon., Oct. 2 (Yom Kippur); Oct. 9-10
(Mon.-Tue.), Fall Break; Fri., Oct. 20 (I'm scheduled to do a
conference
presentation about works of Octavia Butler and Ernest Becker); Nov.
22-25,
Thanksgiving Break. Last day of class: Dec. 8
(Fri.). PROJECT
PROPOSALS DUE WED., OCT. 18. WRITTEN PROJECTS DUE: MON,
NOV. 20.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS ['*' MARKS WEEKS
IN WHICH
STUDENTS PRESENT ON READINGS.]
#1 (Mon., Aug. 28) Introduce course, choose groups and schedule
presentations
on readings.
No class Wed, Aug. 30 (Mass of the Holy Spirit - classes
canceled
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM; Classes resume at 1:30.
#2 (Fri, Sep. 1) --
In-class
writing on childhood heroes.
No class Mon., Sep. 4 (Labor Day) .
#3 (Wed., Sep. 6)
Discussion
of heroic scripting.
#4 (Fri., Sep.8) Instructor presents on "The Porcelain
Salamander" (from Maps in a Mirror). Group work on "The
Porcelain Salamander."
*#5 (Mon., Sep. 11) Students present on Toni Morrison's The
Bluest Eye.
SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Which character(s) in The Bluest
Eye" have self-knowledge? Why?
#6 & #7 Wed. Sep. 13 and Fri., Sep. 15)
Self-deception
and bad faith. Instructor presents on Le Guin's "Those who walk
away
from Omelas, " and Card's "The Best Day" (from Maps in
a Mirror) . The temptation to deny the best and the worst.
*#8 (Mon., Sep. 18) Students present on Night. SHORT
WRITING
ASSIGNMENT DUE: Who, by the end of Night seems
to have learned
the most? Why? (Note: You may write about one or more
people.)
*#9 (Wed, Sep.20). SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Who, by the
end of this
story knows the most about friendship? Why? Students present on
Stephen
King's "The Body" (in Different Seasons).
#10 (Fri., Sep. 22) Instructor presents on Rand's philosophy.
*#11 (Mon., Sep. 25) 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 does the book's hero resist this choice?
Does our
society also put some in a position that will keep them from hurting
the status
quo? If so, how so? If not, why not?
#12 (Wed., Sep. ) Lecture on problem of personal identity.
*#13 (Fri., Sep. 29) Students present on Octavia Butler's
"The
Evening and the Morning, and the Night" (in the Bloodchild
anthology) . SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Who in this
story
reminds you of someone you have encountered (in life or
literature)? How
so? Have they chosen to do what they do best? Why or why
not? Please explain, using examples from the story.
No class Mon., Oct. 2 (Yom Kippur).
#14 (Wed., Oct..
4)
Lecture on "Becker, Childhood, and Scary Stories"
#15 (Fri., Oct. 6) Instructor presents one way of reading King (and
others).
No class Oct. 9-10 (Mon.-Tue.), Fall Break.
* #16 ( Wed., Oct.
11)
Students present on Stephen King's "The Breathing Method" (in Different
Seasons).
SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: Give an example of "cheap
magic"? Why does it work? When does it fail? Why?
* #17 (Fri .,
Oct. 13 ) SHORT
WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE: In the world Malcolm X describes,
what
are the children told to expect from their lives? How do they respond?
How do the book's heroes resist this choice? What can we learn from
this?
Students present on The Autobiography of Malcolm X. If
time permits, we will do group work on The Autobiography of Malcolm
X, racism and deception.
*#19 (Mon., Oct. 16) 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 (Wed, Oct.
18)
Lecture on "Sex and Gender." PROJECT PROPOSALS DUE
WED., OCT. 18.
No class Fri.,
Oct. 20 (I'm scheduled to do a conference presentation about
works of Octavia Butler and Ernest Becker).
#23 -(Mon., Oct.
23)
In-class writing exercise on future autobiography.
#24 (Wed., Oct. 25) - Instructor presents on
Heroic Myths (Campbell and Raffa) and
the twice born, related to The Autobiography of
Malcolm X., and implications concerning racism and
deception.
#25 (Fri. Oct. 27) - SCHEDULE PROJECT PRESENTATIONS. Buber's
hasidut and Rebbe Nachman's "The Turkey Prince." (includes
group work on Rebbe Nachman's story). An instructor presentation
on "Middle
Woman"
or "Gert Fram." (both stories are in Maps in a Mirror)
will
take place later in the semester, as time permits.
#26 (Mon.
Oct. 30) Bring Bloodchild to class.
Group
work on "Positive Obsession."
#27 (Wed. Nov. 1) Bring Bloodchild to class.
Group
work on "Furor Scribendi."
#28 (Fri., Nov. 3) Lecture on "Possibilities
and Practice: Heroic Tasks
and Self Education."
NOTE: WRITTEN
PROJECTS DUE: MON., NOV. 20.
** (Mon.,
November 6, through Wednesday, December 6) 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. No classes Nov. 22-25
(Thanksgiving
Break). Also, for the rest of the semester, please bring Welcome
to the Monkey House to class.
Fri., December 8, Make-up presentations/final evaluations (if they
haven't
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 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.
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.
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..
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 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.
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon, and other works.
Morrow, James. Towing Jehovah, Blameless in Abaddon,
and other
works.
Mosley, Walter. 47, 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.
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.
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.
Tremayne, Peter. The Spider's Web: A Celtic Mystery.
Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, 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.
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