Section 2: L/L
Earlham College, Fall Semester 2001-2002
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00-11:50, Carpenter 321
Instructor: Ferit Güven
Office: Carpenter 328
Office Hours: Monday 10-11, Tuesday 2:30-3:30, Friday 2:30-3:30, and by appointment
Office Phone: 983-1399 (voice mail)
e-mail: guvenfe@earlham.edu
http://www.earlham.edu/~guvenfe/

Course Description: The aim of this course is to introduce you to philosophy by examining several important texts from the history of philosophy.  The common theme of this course is the relationship between philosophy and life/death.  As you know, this course is associated with a living-learning hall. In a living-learning course all the students live on the same dorm hall.  The point of this arrangement is to encourage course-related discussions in and out of the classroom.  Since you will be living together, it will be easier for all of us to continue our discussions outside the classroom, and foster a philosophical friendship among us.  The theme of the course is designed to correspond to this living/learning aspect.  We will investigate how philosophers responded to the question of life and death.  In his dialogue, Phaedo, Plato defines philosophy as a preparation for dying and death.  We will try to understand what Plato means by this and how this definition affects the subsequent history of philosophy.  In order to assess the fate of the question of life/death and philosophy, we will continue our readings with selections from Montaigne's Essays including "To Philosophize is to learn how to die."  After Montaigne we will concentrate on Descartes who is considered to be the founder of Modern Philosophy.  We will read Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy in their entirety.  Finally, we will read two important critics of modernity,  concerning the relationship between life and death (Freud) on the one hand and the relationship between power and life/death (Foucault) on the other.  The theme of life/death is introduced as a way of connecting this course to our own living/learning experience.   Therefore, this class will not simply discuss the ideas or opinions of philosophers in an abstract fashion. We will see that since its inception philosophy has been much more than an academic discipline.  Philosophizing has been mainly conceived as a way of living.  Thus, philosophy is not an "abstract" discourse, but on the contrary has important implications for our lives. This does not mean, however, that we will reduce philosophy to our own ideas and opinions. Instead we will try to rethink our lives in terms of philosophical discourse.  This will require a close reading of, and a thoughtful engagement with, the texts.

Required Texts: (available in the Earlham College bookstore)
Plato, Five Dialogues, trans. G.M.A Grube, (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1981)
Michel de Montaigne, The Essays: A Selection, trans. M.A. Screech (Penguin, 1993)
Rene Descartes, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, trans. Donald A. Cress, (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1998)
Sigmund Freud, Beyond The Pleasure Principle trans. James Strachey, (New York: W.W. Norton, 1961).
Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality Vol.1: An Introduction, trans. Robert Hurley, (New York: Vintage, 1990)

Reading Assignments:
The amount of reading you will be doing throughout the semester is not much. Therefore, I expect you to read every text assigned for the week very carefully at least twice. As you will see, some of the passages we will read are very difficult. An important aim of this class is to learn how to read and think about a text.

Course Requirement and Evaluation:
You are expected to write three 5-6 page papers: I will provide paper topics for each assignment. You are also allowed to decide on your own topic provided that you discuss your topic with me at least a week before the deadline. Along with the paper topics I will also provide specific guidelines for each topic. Besides this, for every paper (including papers on topics of your own choice) you are responsible for following the general guidelines provided. (See "Comments and Suggestions for Papers").

For each week, two students will work together in order to prepare a two paged (single-spaced) protocol of the material discussed during the previous week. A protocol is a carefully edited summary of the previous class sessions written in full sentences. Protocols will be photocopied by the student who wrote it and handed out to all students at the beginning of each Monday to be read aloud, and will serve as a cumulative record of the course. The students who prepare the protocol should come to class a couple of minutes early, so that the protocols will have been distributed at the beginning of the class (i.e., at 11:00). In addition to reviewing the material covered in the previous class, the protocol should include questions raised in class, and future questions for the material to come. The best protocols will be those that do not simply reproduce word for word everything that was said during class, but those that rearrange the material thematically, editing out what was unimportant, and emphasizing what was significant. The point of this is not only to get you to work together, but also 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 frantically. Also you will have a summary of every class which will help you with writing papers and studying for quizzes.

There will be announced or unannounced quizzes either at the beginning or at the end of the sessions. There will be no make-ups for the quizzes.

In order to continue our discussions of the material covered you will usually meet in small groups for at least one hour of discussion per week.  You should choose a convenient time for all of you.  Each member of the group will prepare one (or two) discussion question(s) concerning the material discussed during the previous week, or the material to come.  These questions must be interesting, creative and should generate discussions.  For each week you need to choose one discussion leader and a recorder (and rotate these responsibilities every week).  The discussion leader has the responsibility to ensure the quality of the discussion and make sure that everybody listens carefully to each other and participates (more or less) evenly. The recorder will keep notes and submit a brief report that includes the following information: a) the date and time of the meeting; b) the name of the discussion leader and the recorder as well as the names of the participants (full name) and their questions; c) answers that are generated by the groups as the discussion developed; d) questions and concerns that the group has for the class discussion.  These meetings have to be conducted in a respectful and serious manner, you need to trust each other and address each other's ideas rather than personalities.

There will be no final examination!

Your grade will be calculated according to the following distribution: Paper I: 15%, Paper II: 15%, Paper III: 20%, Protocol: 15%, Quizzes: 15%, Discussion Groups: 10%, Class Participation and Attendance: 10%.

Participation and Attendance:
Even though participation counts for only 10% of your grade, it may still mean a lot if you are between two grades, e.g., A and A-. However, I expect you to participate not simply for the sake of your grade, but hopefully because you will be interested in what will be discussed in class. The success of this course depends heavily on your contribution. You need to come to class prepared (having read the assigned readings, and ready to answer questions) and ready to participate in the discussions.
If you miss more than six classes you will fail this course regardless of your grade.

Our sessions will start at 11:00 am. Students are expected to come on time. Walking into the classroom while the session is in progress is extremely disruptive for everybody; so is walking out while the session is in progress. I ask you not to do these. I will mark late students absent, and reduce their grade.

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.

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:
August 29: Introduction
August 31: Plato, Euthyphro, 5-22

Week 2:
September 3: Euthyphro, 5-22
September 5: Apology, 23-39
September 7: Apology, 39-44

Week 3:
September 10: Meno, 57-69
September 12: Meno, 69-75
September 14: Meno, 75-88

Week 4:
September 17: Phaedo, 93-106
September 19: Phaedo, 106-126
September 21: Phaedo, 126-147 (147-155)

Week 5:
September 24: Montaigne, To the Reader (3) "That to Philosophize is to learn to die," (17-36) 1st Paper (on Plato) Due
September 26: Montaigne, same as above
September 28: Montaigne, same as above

Week 6:
October 1: Montaigne, "On Solitude" (96-108) "On Experience" (364-426)
October 3: Montaigne, same as above
October 5: Montaigne, same as above

Week 7:
October 8: Descartes, Discourse on Method,  Parts One, Two, and Three
October 10: Descartes, same as above
October 12: Descartes, same as above

Week 8:
October 15: Descartes, Discourse, Part Four; Meditations 1 and 2
October 17: Descartes, same as above
October 19: Midsemester Break

Week 9:
October 22: Descartes, Meditations 3-4-5-6
October 24: Descartes, same as above
October 26: Descartes, same as above

Week 10:
October 29: Descartes, Discourse Parts Five and Six
October 31: Descartes, same as above
November 2: Descartes, same as above

Week 11:
November 5: Freud, BPP, 3-39  2nd Paper (on Montaigne and Descartes) Due
November 7: Freud, same as above
November 9: Freud, same as above

Week 12:
November 12: Freud, BPP, 40-78
November 14: Freud, same as above
November 16: Freud, same as above

Thanksgiving Break

Week 13:
November 26: Foucault, pp.1-50
November 28: Foucault, same as above.
November 30: Foucault, same as above.

Week 14:
December 3: Foucault, pp.53-131
December 5: Foucault, same as above
December 7: Foucault, same as above

Week 15:
December 10: Foucault, pp.133-159
December 12: Review
December 14: Review

December 17: 3rd Paper (on Freud and Foucault) Due

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