In Socrates’ Footsteps: The Philosophical Quest for Right ...



INQ120-B: Living An Examined LifeIn Socrates’ Footsteps: The Philosophical Quest for Right and WrongFall 2014Roanoke CollegeT/Th 4:30-6:00 PMRoom: West 228Prof. Monica VilhauerEmail: vilhauer@roanoke.eduOffice: West 317Office Hours: Wed. 2:00-4:00pmSyllabus:This syllabus is a contract between professor and students:Read it carefully and keep it handy.Course Description:How should I live? What is the good life? How can I achieve my highest potential? These questions were for Socrates the most important and pressing questions human beings can ask, and must ask, as he believed “the unexamined life is not worth living.” They are questions that drive us to investigate what it is that we value most and why, what we ought to value most and why, what we should strive to achieve in our individual and communal lives, how we should treat others, and by what standards we can know and judge such things. Following in Socrates’ footsteps, we will embark on the philosophical quest to grasp the truth about right and wrong. This means that we will strive to move beyond popular opinions about the good life, which we too commonly accept without much thought, and toward knowledge grounded in reasons and evidence. In this course we focus on a careful reading of Plato’s Apology, Crito, and Republic. Methods: This class is structured as a seminar, and is discussion-based. Under this model, students are asked to consider questions that the professor and other participants pose to the text, and to engage in a joint effort to explore and evaluate the meaning and relevance of the philosophical insights we read. This class is writing intensive, and involves three textual analysis papers of increasing length and difficulty. Students will be learning to write in an argumentative mode that includes both an explanation and critique of the philosophical ideas we read, and students will be offered guidance in outlining, drafting, and revision work throughout the course. Finally, this class will emphasize not only informal, but also formal oral communication. Students will be introduced to strategies for effective formal presentations, and will give two oral presentations based on papers they write. Outcomes:Students will be able to formulate and evaluate arguments about ethical positions — specifically those presented by Socrates and Plato.Students will be able to describe connections between the course topic and broader traditions of critical reflections on the good life — in this case the tradition of virtue ethics.Students will be able to give an effective oral presentation — in this case on their written papers.Students will be able to write a paper with a clear thesis, cogent argumentation, effective organization, and a minimum of sentence-level errors.Students will be able to better identify, examine, and critically evaluate prominent ethical beliefs in our culture, and develop, strengthen, and defend their own ethical positions with reasoned argument both orally and in writing. Required Texts: (Available at the College Book Store)1. The Trial and Death of Socrates, translated by G.M.A Grube, Hackett2. The Republic of Plato, translated by Allan Bloom, Basic Books3. A Writer’s Reference (Roanoke College edition) by Diane Hacker Any other required readings will be posted on Inquire (as pdf files).Course Requirements:Class Participation/Preparation20%Mini Textual Analysis Paper 1 (2-3 pages)15%Midterm Textual Analysis Paper 2 (5-7 pages)20%Final Textual Analysis Paper (6-8 pages)25%1 short oral Presentation on Midterm paper (5 min. )5%1 longer oral presentation on final paper (10 min.)10%Participation: This is a discussion-based seminar (not a lecture). Discussion-based seminars emphasize student participation and engaged learning, and depend upon students coming to class having already read, thought about, and written about the texts we will be discussing each day. (See my handout “What’s a Seminar?”)Your ability to participate is a reflection of your preparation for the class and counts as 20% of your final grade.At the beginning of each class I will randomly select a handful of students to start us out with their preliminary answers to the homework questions, in order to get the ball rolling in our conversation. Everyone will then be expected to contribute further to the conversation. Be ready to play both roles in class (of starter and helper) on a daily basis. Your ability to engage in both ways is the “proof” of your preparation (see how preparation/participation is graded below).Preparation: Readings and Homework QuestionsFor each meeting there will be an assigned selection of text to read and a handful of homework/discussion questions (posted on Inquire) that all students are expected to answer in writing before class, and come to class ready to talk about. Homework questions are meant to help direct students to the important issues to focus on while they are reading the text, challenge each student to develop skills of reading comprehension, analysis, and written articulation, and serve as preparation for class discussion and papers.Students will be asked to discuss, summarize, or read their answers in class as a springboard for further discussion. Homework answers are to be individual efforts – that is, a result of your own careful reading and analysis of the primary text alone (stay away from the internet or other kinds of study guides – we are trying to learn to read, analyze, and critique for ourselves, as are the primary goals of a liberal arts education).Being prepared for this class means:You have read the assigned material before class.You have written down your preliminary answers to our homework/discussion questions in your notebook, so that you are ready to read, summarize, and discuss them in class.You have marked for yourself the passages in the text that are relevant to our discussion questions and are ready to point them out.You have your own question(s) ready to ask in class, or a passage to point out that you find particularly interesting.You have all materials with you and are ready to take notes on the deeper answers we arrive at in class.Tip: Give yourself ample time to prepare for class. Philosophy selections are dense, difficult, and require slow, thorough, and often repeated readings. I suggest that you set aside 2-3 hours to prepare each reading in order to make base line/average progress in the course.Penalty for Being Unprepared: Our group work demands that everyone contribute. Your commitment to prepare for and contribute to our sessions is the basic work ethic necessary for this seminar (or any kind of group work) to function, and it is key for keeping the class relevant to your own concerns and interests. Students will be allowed one day where they can “pass” on preparation of the reading/homework and still attend our discussion. If I find you are unprepared a second time, you may attend our discussion but will be asked to take an absence for the day (and you are allowed four absences maximum). How Participation/Preparation is Graded: Since a discussion-based seminar can only succeed with the participation of its members, your preparation and engagement in our conversation about the texts we read is essential.Excellent (A level): Excellent participation reveals excellent preparation for class. Your contributions show that you have read and thought carefully about the material, and your comments provide depth of insight to the rest of the class. You are able to point out relevant passages in the text, dig beneath the surface of their meaning, make connections to previous ideas we have studied, and think critically about what we are reading. You participate every day at this level. Our conversation would suffer without you. Good (B level): Good participation shows that you have done the work of reading and defining relevant concepts for yourself before class. You are able to come up with thoughtful questions that show you have a basic understanding of the ideas we are reading, but want to dig into their deeper meaning. You participate most days at this level. Our conversation is better because of you.Fair (C level): Fair participation shows that you have read the material, though perhaps not very closely, and have half-heartedly done the homework questions. Your comments show you are thinking about our class discussion, but they are not grounded in your own reading of the text. Your questions lead us to review basic concepts and definitions. You only really participate when called on. Our conversation stays on task with your input. Barely There (D level): You avoid participating, so it is very difficult to know if you have engaged the reading, or if you are engaged in our class-time work. You find ways to avoid participating even when you are called on. You seem alert enough to be listening, but our discussion would not lose anything if you were absent.Non-Participant (F level): You are basically silent and do not participate. I have to assume you did not read the material or do the homework. You seem to have your mind elsewhere, or it is not totally clear that you are listening or awake. This, in itself, can be a real distraction and bring down the level of the class. Our discussion would be more focused if you were not there.Papers:Textual Analysis Papers: Students will write 3 textual analysis papers over the course of the semester (one 2-3 pager, one 5-7 pager, and a final 6-8 pager). TA papers are meant to help students engage more deeply with the text, develop skills of explanation, analysis and critical argument, and articulate their thoughts clearly in writing.For each textual analysis paper, students should pick one of the textual analysis paper questions that I post on Inquire to write on (I will select a few of the best homework questions and make them into textual analysis paper questions). A philosophical paper is structured as an argument. Detailed guidance regarding what is expected in philosophical papers (i.e., a statement of a focused question; a thesis, reconstruction and explanation of the philosopher’s argument with textual support (quotes); critique of the philosopher’s argument) will be discussed in class ahead of time (see my handout “Writing a Philosophy Paper: Textual Analysis”). The final (longest) paper will involve the usual parts of all textual analysis papers, plus an additional component of “application,” which we will discuss ahead of time in class. Writing a philosophical paper takes quite a lot of time. It requires the steps of outlining, drafting, revision, and proofreading. It takes multiple days to complete all these steps. We will discuss outlining, drafting, revision, proofreading, and peer review strategies in class. One of the most important resources for you while working on any/all of the steps of your paper is the writing center.The Writing Center is Your Friend!The Writing Center @ Roanoke College, located on the lower level of Fintel Library, offers tutorials focused on written and oral communication for students working on assignments and projects in any field.? Writers at all levels of competence may visit the Writing Center at any point in their process, from brainstorming to drafting to editing, to talk with trained peer tutors in informal, one-on-one sessions.? The Writing Center is open Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 9 pm.? Simply stop in, or schedule an appointment by going to roanoke.edu/writingcenter, where our schedule of writing workshops and creative writing playshops is also posted.? Questions?? Email writingcenter@roanoke.edu or call 375-4949.Paper-related penaltiesPapers that are turned in to me late will drop one step of a grade (i.e., from an A to an A-) each day that it is late (this means each calendar day, not each class day). If you are absent on the day your final paper is due, email it to me that day.In each of your papers you are expected to include all the parts of the paper assigned. If I find that you have not done the assignment, you may have your paper returned for you to complete. In this case the late penalty will apply to your paper, and you will lose a step of a grade (i.e., from an A to an A-) each day it takes for you to return it to me.Papers are expected to be proofread, polished, and professional. It is expected that you can recognize and correct your own grammatical mistakes, having graduated from grammar school. A college level paper should have few to no grammatical errors. If I find that there are more than three grammatical errors per page, then your paper is not yet in a state for another person (me) to read, and you may have your paper returned for you to proofread. In this case the late penalty will apply to your paper, and you will lose a step of a grade (i.e., from an A to an A-) each day it takes for you to return it to me.For some papers you are asked to fulfill certain steps in the planning and drafting stages of writing. For instance, you might have a required individual meeting with me to discuss an outline, you might be required to attach an outline, a draft, or a peer review form to your final paper, or you might be required to visit the writing center before handing in your paper. (The calendar below specifies which things are required and when). For each required planning or drafting step that is missing, your grade on your paper will drop a step of a grade (e.g., from an A to an A-).On a scheduled peer review day, if a student does not have a complete first draft of their paper to bring, they will not be able to participate by trading papers with a partner, and will have to take one of their absences for the day. In this case, the student will still have to go through the peer-review process with a willing friend (who will read the paper and fill out the peer-review questionnaire) outside of class before they turn in their final paper to me, with their draft and the peer review questionnaire attached. Oral Presentations: Students will do two oral presentations during the semester: 1 short presentation on the midterm TA paper (about 5 min, worth 5 %), and one longer presentation on the final TA paper (about 10 min., worth 10%) at the end of the semester. We will discuss ahead of time in class what should be included in the presentation, such as (1) an explanation of the question investigated and its relevance, (2) a declaration of your thesis, (3) a summary of the main argument found in the text, and (4) the student’s own critical evaluation of this argument. We will also discuss how presenters can most effectively communicate with their audience and utilize aids/handouts. (See my handout “Effective Oral Presentations”)Students will make an outline to use during their presentation, using guidance from the “Effective Oral Presentations” handout, and will turn in that outline to me when their presentaiton is complete.Penalty for not showing up to your Oral Presentation: If you have to be absent on the day your oral presentation is scheduled, you must make other arrangements with me far in advance. If you simply do not show up on the day of your oral presentation, you forfeit the credit.Course Policies:Attendance: One of the reasons you and I have come to Roanoke College is that we believe that genuine education is an interactive endeavor. If you are not in class, you are not actively engaging in your education. For a class that meets twice a week, I will allow a student 4 absences (regardless of reason) before dropping him/her from the course. This means you should THINK AHEAD! Everyone will likely have something happen during the semester which will cause them to miss class (flu, funeral, etc.). You should save your absences for such emergencies! If you must miss a class due to some emergency or other pressing reason, please talk to me about it or email me asap. If you are absent, you are responsible for asking a classmate about the contents of our class discussion.When you have reached your maximum absences in the class, you will receive an email officially notifying you of this fact.Lateness: If you are more than a couple of minutes late to class, it is a problem. Three times late will equal one absence. Academic Integrity: This course will uphold all academic integrity policies as laid out in the pamphlet “Academic Integrity at Roanoke College.” Students are responsible for knowing these rules, and professors are obliged to report any violation of these rules when they find evidence for it.Plagiarism: Philosophy, in particular, is about learning to think, reason, articulate and know for oneself. Nothing is learned by copying someone else’s work. Borrowing another’s ideas or words without giving the author their due credit, and presenting them as one’s own, is a deception and contrary to academic and social/moral values. Plagiarism is met with serious consequences at Roanoke College (the usual minimum penalty being an F in the course, and the maximum penalty being expulsion). It is the student’s responsibility to familiarize himself/herself with the school’s policy as laid out in “Academic Integrity at Roanoke College” (esp. p. 16-19).To avoid inadvertent plagiarism, remember the following:All direct quotes should be placed in quotation marks, and accompanied by a citation.All ideas, interpretations, or arguments learned from another source should be credited with an introduction such as “Taylor argues that . . . .” or “Sallis believes that . . . .”. Your summary of another’s ideas should be put in your own words, and organized in your own way – that is, in such a way that it supports your point or argument – as well as accompanied by a citation.Professionalism: All students are expected to behave in their courses as young professionals. This involves treating your classmates, your professor, and the privilege of attending college with respect. To be clear, this involves:coming to class on timecoming to class preparedcontributing to the group work of the classtaking notes in classlistening to others while they speakshowing up on time to appointments you make with your teachernever sleeping in classnot leaving the room during class, except in the event of an “emergency” (such “emergencies” should be rare for any given student)embracing the challenges of your classes as laid out in this syllabus, and not complaining about them, avoiding them, or trying to find ways to get out of them. Electronic Devices: It is my aim to make our classroom a space that is as free from distracting technology as possible. It is my aim to eliminate texting, emailing, web-surfing, facebook, etc. from our classroom. There should be no use of phones, laptops, etc. in class except in an emergency situation (which would only happen very rarely for a given student).Class Grading Scale:A 93-100%A- 90-92B+87-89B83-86B-80-82C+77-79C73-76C-70-72D+67-69D63-66D-60-62F0-59Special Services:The Office of Disability Support Services, located in the Goode-Pasfield Center for Learning and Teaching in Fintel Library, provides reasonable accommodations to students with identified disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are provided based on the diagnosed disability and the recommendations of the professional evaluator. In order to be considered for disability services, students must identify themselves to the Office of Disability Support Services. Students requesting accommodations are required to provide specific current documentation of their disabilities. Please contact Rick Robers, M.A., Coordinator of Disability Support Services, at 540-375-2247 or e-mail robers@roanoke.edu.??If you are on record with the College's Office of Disability Support Services as having academic or physical needs requiring accommodations, please schedule an appointment with Mr. Robers as soon as possible.? You need to discuss your accommodations with him before they can be implemented.? Also, please note that arrangements for extended time on exams, testing, and quizzes in a distraction-reduced environment must be made at least one week before every exam.Schedule: (The schedule of readings is meant to be somewhat flexible; there may be changes to fit the pace of the group.) Date:Reading Due:(Homework Questions on Inquire)Topics:Week 1:Tues.Aug 26:Introduction: What is Philosophical Ethics?Thurs.Aug. 28“Ethical Relativism: Who’s to Judge What’s Right and Wrong?” (p. 26-41, posted on Inquire)Facing Ethical RelativismIs ‘right and wrong’ whatever you think it is? Is ‘right and wrong’ in the eye of the beholder?Week 2: Tues Sept. 2Plato’s Apology 17a-28b (12p)The Search for an Ethical Standard Begins: Plato’s Apology: Short Intro to Plato LectureDiscussion topics from the Apology: Truth and persuasion, sophistry and philosophy, the charges against Socrates, Socrates’ mission to cultivate a care for wisdom and virtue in his fellow citizens.Discuss “Writing a Philosophy Paper: Textual Analysis”Thurs. Sept. 4:Plato’s Apology 28b-42a (12p)How should we face death? Why the “unexamined life is not worth living.”Discuss Chicago Manual of StyleVisit from writing center tutor (?)Make a (recommended) appointment to see me about your outline for your first TA paperMake a (recommended) appointment to take your draft into the writing centerWeek 3:Tues. Sept. 9Plato’s Crito (12 p.)Plato’s Crito: Should one abide by the laws, even when they seem unjust?Thurs.Sept. 11Class CancelledPlease attend, instead, Nicholas Davey’s lecture on the practical value of the humanities, Pickle, 4:15-5:45Mini Textual Analysis Paper due by email on the Apology (2-3 pages, with outline attached)Week 4: Tues. Sept. 16Plato’s Republic: Book I, 327a-350d (25p.)Plato’s Republic: What is Justice? Is Justice settling your debts? Can money buy you justice? Is Justice helping your friends and harming your enemies? Should the just man ever harm? Is Justice the advantage of the stronger? Is it better to be unjust?Discuss Nicholas Davey’s LectureThurs. Sept.18Book I, 350d -354c Book II, 357a-373e (~22p.)Why is being just good? Why is being just good in itself?, shouldn’t we be unjust if we can get away with it?, defining justice by first looking for justice in the city, healthy cities and feverish cities, the origin of war. Week 5:Tues. Sept. 23Book II, 373e-383c Book III, 386a-398c (~25 p.)The need for guardians, how do we educate good guardians of the city? Do we need censorship?In Class: Sign up for midterm paper topicsSign up for (required) individual meeting time with me Review of what should go into your outline that you bring to your individual meetingHand out oral presentation guidelinesMake (required) writing center appointmentThurs. Sept 25Book III, 412b-417b Book IV, 419a-427cWho should rule?, The state’s noble lie to its citizens: Should it be told?In ClassDiscuss oral presentationsWeek 6:Tues. Sept. 30Individual Meetings with me in my office about outlinesBring your Outline Homework: Draft midterm paper and visit writing center (one writing center visit for midterm paper required)Thurs. Oct. 2Individual Meetings with me in my office about outlinesBring your Outline Homework: Draft midterm paper and visit writing center (one writing center visit for midterm paper required)Week 7:Tues. Oct. 7Book IV, 427c-445eThe virtuous city and the virtuous soulDiscuss oral presentations againThurs. Oct. 9Midterm Textual Analysis Paper Due (5-7 pages, with outline, and draft you took to the writing center attached)Short Oral Presentations in class (with presentation outline that you’ll turn in)Week 8:Tues. Oct. 14Thurs. Oct. 16FALL BREAKWeek 9:Tues. Oct. 21Book V, 449a-473b (25p.)The role of women in the just cityDiscuss Final Paper, especially the additional “application” componentThurs. Oct. 23Class Cancelled (Vilhauer at Conference)Week 10:Tues. Oct. 28Book V, 473b-480a Book VI, 484a-505a (~30p)Who are the true rulers? Who are the truly wise?Thurs. Oct. 30Book VI, 505a-509d Book VII, 514a-521d (~15p)The highest study needed for wisdom, the sun analogy, the cave analogy, the turning of the soul of a true educationWeek 11:Tues Nov. 4Book VIII, 543c-569c (28p.)The five types of political regimes, good andbad, what’s so bad about democracy?, too much freedom leads to too much slavery, tyranny.In Class:Sign up for Final Paper Topic, and (required) Individual Meeting time with meReminder about what goes into your outline, including new application componentThurs. Nov. 6Book IX, 571a-576c, 588b-592b The soul of the tyrantFinal Discussion of the RepublicIn Class:Discuss final oral presentationsSign up for oral presentationsWeek 12:Tues. Nov. 11Individual Meetings in my office Bring your Outline Homework: Draft your final paper Thurs. Nov.13Individual Meetings in my office Bring your Outline Homework: Draft your final paper Week 13:Tues. Nov. 18In Class: Watch Movie: The Examined LifeWork on paperThurs. Nov.20In Class: Watch Movie: The Examined LifeWork on paperWeek 14:Tues. Nov. 25Thanksgiving – No Evening Classes Thurs. Nov.27Thanksgiving – No classesWeek 15Tues. Dec. 2 Long Oral Presentations (Group 1) (with presentation outline you will turn in)Homework: Work on Final revisions and visit Writing Center (one visit required on final paper) Thurs. Dec. 4Long Oral Presentations (Group 2) (with presentation outline you will turn in)Homework: Work on Final revisions and visit Writing Center (one visit required on final paper) Week 16Tues. Dec. 9Final Exam Period 6:30-9:30 Long Oral Presentations (Group 3)(with presentation outline you will turn in)Final Textual Analysis Paper Due(with outline and draft attached. The writing center will send me proof of your required visit.) ................
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