PHIL 460. CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY

Earlham College, Fall Semester 2005-2006
Monday, Thursday 1:00-2:20 Carpenter 315
Instructor: Ferit Güven
Office: Carpenter 328
Office Hours: Wednesday, Friday 10:00-11:00 and by appointment
Office Phone: 983-1399
e-mail: guvenfe@earlham.edu

Course Description:  In this course we will study Martin Heidegger's Being and Time.  We will try to read this text in its entirety.  However, we will especially concentrate on sections on death and try to understand Heidegger's articulation of the notion of death as an instance of negativity.  Being and Time is one of the most important and influential texts of 20th Century Philosophy.  With this text Heidegger engages in a deconstructive reading of the philosophical tradition which subsequently leads to a radical criticism and reevaluation of that tradition.  Reading this text will allow us to situate several contemporary philosophical concerns into their conceptual and historical context.  We will supplement our reading of Being and Time with several texts from Jacques Derrida including Aporias and try to understand  Derrida's interpretation of the question of death and negativity in Heidegger.

Reading Assignments: (available in the Earlham College bookstore)
Heidegger, Martin. Being and Time, trans. by Joan Stambaugh (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996).
Derrida, Jacques. Aporias,  trans. by Thomas Dutoit, (Standford: Stanford University Press, 1993).
In addition to these texts, there will be other texts from Jacques Derrida on reserve at the Lilly Library and in the Philosophy Department.

Requirements and Evaluation: This course will be conducted in a seminar format. Therefore, attandance and participation are important dimensions of the course and your grade. I expect you to come to class prepared and ready to participate, i.e., having read the text carefully, and ready to raise and answer questions.

You are expected to write three papers (5-7 pages). The first three papers will be mainly explanation or exegesis of the text. I will provide topics for each of these assignments. For the last paper you are encouraged to decide on your own topic/question.  For every paper (including papers on topics of your own choice) you are responsible for the general guidelines provided.  See "Comments and Suggestions for Papers."

Each student will prepare one presentation. These presentations will consists of two parts. The first part will be a protocol.
A protocol is a carefully edited summary/notes of the previous class session written in full sentences. Protocols will be 2 single-spaced pages and will be photocopied by the student who wrote it and handed out to all students at the beginning of each class to be read aloud.  The protocol will serve as a cumulative record of the course. In addition to reviewing the material covered in the previous class, it should include announcements made in class and questions not addressed in class. The best protocols will be those that do not simply reproduce word for word everything that was said during class, but that rearrange the material thematically, editing out what was unimportant and emphasizing what was significant. One of the advantages of the protocols is to allow you to think during class and not just take notes; because someone will be taking notes for you, you can concentrate on the ideas being presented, and participate without having to write constantly. Also, you will have a summary of every class which will help you with writing papers.
The second part of your presentation will introduce us to the new reading for the day. The most important dimension of this part of your presentation is to articulate the connections between the material we covered in the previous class and readings we will cover in the current session. This presentation will include a brief summary of the readings assigned for the day, and raise questions concerning this material. I do not expect you to cover everything in the reading for the day. These presentations are designed to initiate and maintain class discussion at a high level.

Your grade will be calculated according to the following distribution: Paper 1: 20%; Paper 2: 30%; Paper 3: 20%; Presentation: 20%; Participation and Attendance: 10%. There will be no final examination.

The success of this course depends on your contribution. Even though I am not inclined to legislate strict attendance policies, you will fail this course, regardless of your grade, if you miss more than four sessions.

Office hours are for students to discuss ideas, assignments and questions. You are encouraged and welcome to come by my office or make appointments for times other than scheduled office hours. You should take advantage of office hours and appointments not simply to discuss your papers (you are obviously welcome to do that too) but also to understand ideas, and texts discussed in class, or discuss your own ideas.

Our sessions will start at 1:00 pm. Students are expected to come on time. Walking into (and out of) the classroom while the session is in progress is very disruptive for everybody.  I ask you not to do these. For every two late attendance you will be marked absent for one class session.

Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the instructor and Disability Services Office (Academic Support Services) at the beginning of the semester. Accommodation arrangements must be made during the first-two weeks of the semester.

Calendar: There may be some modifications to this calendar. It is your responsibility to be aware of these changes. These changes will be announced in class. If you miss a class you should make sure that you are informed about the assignments for the next session.

Week 1: Introduction to the course
August 25:  Heidegger, Being and Time

Week 2:
August 29:  Being and Time, (BT) pp.1-12
September 1:  BT, pp. 13-35

Week 3:
September 5:  BT, 37-56
September 8:  BT,  37-56

Week 4:
September 12:  BT, 59-105
September 15:  BT, 59-105

Week 5:
September 19: BT, 107-122
September 22: BT, 107-122

Week 6:
September 26:  BT, 123-168
September 29:   BT, 123-168

Week 7:
October 3: BT, 169-211
October 6: BT, 169-211

Week 8:
October 10:  BT, 213-246
October 13:  Mid-Semester Break

Week 9:
October 17:  BT, 247-277
October 20:  BT, 279-306

Week 10:
October 24: BT, 279-306
October 27: BT, 307-340

Week 11:
October 31:  BT, 341-369
November 3: BT, 341-369

Week 12:
November 7: BT, 371-398
November 10: Derrida, "The Ends of Man"

Week 13:
November 14: Derrida, Aporias
November 17: Derrida, Aporias

November 21-November 25:  Fall Break 

Week 14:
November 28: Derrida, Aporias
December 1:   Derrida, Aporias

Week 15:
December 5:  Derrida, Aporias
December 8:  Review and Evaluation

Back to Homepage.