Philosophy 403 | Office Hours in RH-436 (445-4489) |
Heroism and the Human Spirit | MWF: 11:30 AM -12:20 PM |
Philosophy Seminar | and by appointment |
Fall, 2000 | Phone: 445-4489 |
Prof. Michael Kagan | Email: kagan@maple.lemoyne.edu |
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 [for Fall 2000].
Required Reading List: (in approximate reading order)
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.
Haley, Alex, and Malcolm X. The Autobiography
of Malcolm X.
Plato, Symposium.
SPECIAL NEEDS
In coordination with the Academic Support Center (ASC), reasonable accommodations are provided for qualified students with disabilities. Please register with Anne Herron in 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 with Ms. Herron.
IMPORTANT DATES
No Classes on the Following dates: Sep.
4 (Labor Day), Sep. 6 (Mass of the Holy Spirit preempts classes from
10:20 - 1:30)), Oct. 7 - Oct. 10 (Long Weekend), and Nov. 22-26
(Thanksgiving Break).
PROJECT PROPOSALS DUE Monday, OCT.
16. WRITTEN PROJECTS DUE: MON., NOV. 20.
LAST DAY OF CLASS - December 11
ABOUT STUDENT PRESENTATIONS ON READINGS:
All students are expected to do all readings and to share their understanding with one another in class discussions and 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, feel free 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.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS ['*' MARKS WEEKS IN WHICH STUDENTS PRESENT ON READINGS.]
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie:
An Old Man, a Young Man, and the Last Great Lesson.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Howatch, Susan. Glamorous Powers,
and other works.
Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany,
The World According to Garp.
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.
Kress, Nancy. Beggars in Spain,
Maximum Light.
Leonard, George. Mastery
(New York: Penguin/Plume, 1992).
Lowry, Dave. Autumn Lightning.
Le Guin, Ursula K. 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.
Plato. The Republic, and
other works.
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.)
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club.
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.
Wiesel, Elie. Dawn, The Accident,
and other works.
Willis, Connie. Lincoln's Dreams,
Doomsday Book, Bellwether, Remake.
Yoshikawa. Musashi.
Zettel, Sarah. Fool's War.
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