By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Transcription

1 Course outline for PHIL 137: Topics in 19 th Century Philosophy Course Description The goal of this course is to study some major philosophic works of the 19 th Century, a highly productive and highly tumultuous period in philosophy s history. Some of the most important thinkers of this period are Fichte, Hegel, Bentham, Marx, Mill, Schopenhauer, Sidgwick, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. This course will focus on some of their major works. The authors and works covered in this class might change from year to year and instructor to instructor. The following is just one example. In this instance of PHIL 137: Topics in 19 th Century Philosophy, we will study some central texts from John Stuart Mill and Friedrich Nietzsche. While being concerned with some of the same questions, Mill and Nietzsche provide quite different answers and adopt quite different philosophic methods. For this reason, studying their works will help students both to develop their understanding philosophy in this period and to get a sense of how diverse thinkers of the same age can be. Among the questions we will consider are: what is good for human beings, and how to we know about? Can we have objective knowledge of what is good and true, or are the good and the true subject to change from place to place and time to time? Is what is good for the many more valuable and more important to pursue than what is good for the few? Should governments be concerned to increase liberty for all persons, or it should they restrict freedom so to encourage certain ways of life believed to be best? How much, and in what way, should philosophy involve the study of history and art? Is philosophizing always subject to philosopher s prejudices? And what is the best mode of philosophic writing? The course will help develop their critical reading and thinking skills through an emphasis on thesis and argument analysis. Course Goals 1. Students will study, evaluate and discuss some of the central texts in 19 th Century European philosophy. 2. The course requirements should, so far as is possible, encourage students to cultivate philosophical skills that will serve them throughout their student and postgraduation careers. Course Learning Outcomes (This is a topics course, and as such the course contents will change each time the course is offered. Most of this syllabus is an example of the type of course that will be offered. However, the CLOs below are generic and should apply to any version of the course.) By the end of this course, students will be able to:

2 1. Explain some important questions and problems in moral philosophy, political philosophy, epistemology, and metaphysics as they are found in philosophic texts of the 19 th Century. 2. Develop and defend interpretations of philosophic arguments and positions found in philosophic texts of the 19 th Century. 3. Construct and critique philosophical arguments in writing. 4. Describe and comprehend the differences in philosophical method between philosophers of the 19 th Century. Program Learning Outcomes To support student services coherently across Philosophy coursework, these CLOs help students to meet the Philosophy Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) 2 and 3: Logic: Identify arguments, distinguish premises from conclusions and check arguments for soundness. Topics: Identify and explain at least one central question an area of philosophic research and describe one or more standard answers for these questions from within ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, and metaphysics. Ideas: Explain and assess arguments associated with major thinkers in the history of philosophy (in this case: John Stuart Mill and Friedrich Nietzsche). General Education Principles Students in this course can expect to increase their communication skills through examination and assessment of philosophical arguments, to better understand self and society through comprehension and analysis of philosophic problems relevant to how to act, to better appreciate facets of ethics and responsibility through moral reasoning, and to enhance their development of personal potential through exposure to some important contemporary moral questions. Required Texts Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty, Utilitarianism, and Other Essays. Oxford 2008 Nietzsche, Friedrich. Beyond Good and Evil. Penguin, 2003 Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Birth of Tragedy: Out of the Spirit of Music. Cambridge, 1999 (Includes On Truth and Lies in the Nonmoral Sense) Nietzsche, Friedrich. On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life. Hackett, Assignment Structure and Grading 05% Participation 15% Weekly Quizzes 20% 1 Final Exam 20% Midterm Exam 40% 4 three-page papers Readings Philosophy texts are often difficult to read and require effort to understand. I suggest that you try to read each one at least three times: at least once before lecture, once after lecture, and once in preparing for your quizzes and exams. Mastering a text well enough to write on it might require even more effort.

3 Quizzes You will take in-class quizzes most weeks without the aid of notes or the textbook. They will be based on the readings, lectures, and class discussions. There will be no make-up quizzes without (a) an excused absence (such as a family or personal emergency) and (b) the instructor s approval prior to the day of the exam. Quizzes must be your own work; if caught cheating you will receive a zero on that quiz and will be reported to the Dean. Exams You will have one midterm and one final exam without the aid of notes or the textbook. They will be based on the readings, lectures, and class discussions. There will be no makeup exams without (a) an excused absence (such as a family or personal emergency) and (b) the instructor s approval prior to the day of the exam. Exams must be your own work; if caught cheating you will receive a zero on that exam and will be reported to the Dean. Papers You will write four three-page (12 point font, double spaced, with standard margins) papers on assigned topics. Topics will be posted on CatCourses at least two weeks in advance of the paper s due date. I will provide a handout with more specific expectations. No late papers without a valid excuse (such as a family or personal emergency) and the instructor s approval prior to the day that the paper is due. Papers must be your own work; if caught plagiarizing you will receive a zero on that paper and will be reported to the Dean. Participation A student s participation grade will depend on the frequency and quality of his or her contributions to class discussion both in lecture and in discussion section. The instructor will ask students questions about the reading, often without waiting for them to volunteer. The best way to prepare oneself for this is to do the readings and come to class prepared to discuss and ask informed questions about them. Attendance Students are required to attend all classes and to arrive on time. More than two unexcused absences will result in a lowering of the student s total score in the class. Academic Support For free academic support, go to the Calvin E. Bright Success Center located at KOLLIG 222 or them at learning@ucmerced.edu. Course Policies All members the class must treat one another respectfully at all times. No cell phone use whatsoever in class; please turn them off before class begins. Laptops, tablets, etc. maybe used only for taking notes. Students caught doing anything else with their laptops, tablets, etc. will no longer be allowed to use them in class. Students with Disabilities Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, UCM Disabilities Services at disabilityservices@ucmerced.edu, call them at , or stop by their office, located at SSB 230. Academic Honesty

4 Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts for the purpose of improving one's grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another student to do so. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) as one's own work. Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a particular assignment, through an F for the course, to expulsion from the university. For more information on the University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the UC Merced Academic Honesty Policy. Schedule of Readings and Assignment 1. Introduction Paper 1 Mill, Utilitrianism 5. Mill, On Liberty Mill, On Liberty 6. Mill, On Liberty Mill, On Liberty 7. Paper 2 Mill, On the Subjection of Women Mill, On the Subjection of Women 8. Mill, On the Subjection of Women Midterm 9. Nietzsche, On the Advantages and Disadvantages of History for Life Nietzsche, On the Advantages and Disadvantages of History for Life 10. Nietzsche, On the Advantages and Disadvantages of History for Life 11. Paper Nietzsche, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense

5 13. Nietzsche, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense 14. Paper Review 16. Final Exam