Earlham College, Fall Semester 2002-2003
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00-11:50, Carpenter 211
Instructor: Ferit Güven
Office: Carpenter 331
Office Hours: Monday 3:00-4:00, Wednesday 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 primary aim of this course is to introduce
you to philosophy. The theme of the course is peace and justice.
This theme is introduced because this course is also a Peace and Global
Studies requirement. Therefore, we have two separate yet closely
connected goals in this course. First, we will try to understand
the fundamental questions of philosophy and how they relate to politics,
society, culture, and our everyday life in general. Second, we will
concentrate on the connection of philosophy to peace and justice.
What do we mean when we use the concepts "justice" and "peace"? How
do they differ from their opposites (injustice and war)? What are
the presuppositions of our desire to live in a peaceful and just society,
or world? Does philosophy help us to achieve peace and justice?
In trying to answer these questions we will try to understand the difficulties,
as well as the philosophical problems associated with peace and justice
issues. Through philosophical reflection we will see how questions
of peace and justice are not merely pragmatic problem-solving issues, but
require extensive conceptual clarity and historical sensitivity.
We will start with a text from Ancient Greek Philosophy.
Plato’s
Republic
is one of the most important texts of the history
of philosophy, where Plato develops the argument that a person cannot be
just unless she or he lives in a just and society. The relationship
between the individual and society will be a question throughout the rest
of the course, and perhaps explain our desire for justice and peace.
Next, we will read Kant’s Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals,
which is an example of the Enlightenment’s idea of morality based on individuality
and human reason. We will continue with Kant's essay "Perpetual Peace",
in which Kant envisages a “perpetual peace” based on human reason, a fundamental
assumption of modernity. After Kant we will read Marx's Communist
Manifesto, where Marx presents a critque of modernity and predicates
the possibility of peace upon justice formulated in terms of class struggle.
For Marx, the individual is not a free moral subject engaged in producing
peace and justice, but a product of the class to which he or she belongs.
After Marx, we will turn more explicitly to the question of violence, and
read Hannah Arendt’s On Violence. The rest of the class will
focus on essays by Emmanuel Levinas and Frantz Fanon. In Levinas’s
essay we will see a critique of the model of truth based on the struggle
of opinions and a conception of peace based on truth. With Frantz
Fanon, we will raise a question that would have been implicit throughout
the course, namely as to whether it is possible to achieve justice without
violence and if not what are the consequences of this impossibility.
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; rather, it 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, Republic, trans. G.M.A Grube, (Indianapolis: Hackett,
1992)
Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, (Indianapolis:
Hackett, 1981)
Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto, (New York: Signet Classic,
1998)
Hannah Arendt, On Violence, (New York: Hartcourt, 1969)
In addition to these texts, there will be some reading material placed
on reserve at the Lilly Library. This material is also required reading
for the course, and you are expected to photocopy it. These are:
Emmanuel Levinas, “Peace and Proximity” from Basic Philosophical
Writings
Frantz Fanon, “Concerning Violence” and “Violence in the International
Context” from The Wretched of the Earth
Kant, "Perpetual Peace" from Perpetual Peace and Other Essays
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 that will be provided.
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.
There will be no final examination!
Your grade will be calculated according to the following distribution:
Paper I: 20%, Paper II: 20%, Paper III: 20%, Protocol: 15%, Quizzes: 15%,
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 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 in and out of the classroom while the session is in progress is extremely disruptive for everybody. 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.
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:
August 28: Introduction
August 30: Plato, Republic, Book 1
Week 2:
September 2: Plato, Republic, Book 2
September 4: Plato, Republic, Book 3
September 6: Plato, Republic, Book 4
Week 3:
September 9: Plato, Republic, Book 5
September 11: Plato, Republic, Book 6
September 13: Plato, Republic, Book 7
Week 4:
September 16: Plato, Republic, Book 8
September 18: Plato, Republic, Book 9
September 20: Plato, Republic, Book 10 and Review
Week 5:
September 23: Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Preface
and First Section
September 25: Kant, Grounding, First Section
September 27: Kant, Grounding, First and Second Sections
Week 6:
September 30: Kant, Grounding, Second Section
October 2: Kant, Grounding, Second Section
October 4: Kant, Grounding, Second and Third Sections
Week 7:
October 7: Kant, Grounding, Third Section
October 9: Kant, Grounding, Third Section
October 11: Kant, Grounding, Third Section and Review
Week 8:
October 14: Kant, “Perpetual Peace,” pp.107-126
October 16: Kant, “Perpetual Peace,” pp.126-139
October 18: Midsemester Break
Week 9:
October 21: Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto, pp.49-65
October 23: Marx, The Communist Manifesto
October 25: Marx, The Communist Manifesto
Week 10:
October 28: Marx, The Communist Manifesto, pp.65-91
October 30: Marx, The Communist Manifesto
November 1: Marx, The Communist Manifesto, Review
Week 11:
November 4: Hannah Arendt, On Violence, pp.3-31
November 6: Arendt, On Violence, pp.3-31
November 8: Arendt, On Violence, pp.35-56
Week 12:
November 11: Arendt, On Violence, pp.35-56
November 13: Arendt, On Violence, pp.59-87
November 15: Arendt, On Violence, pp.59-87
Week 13:
November 18: Levinas, “Peace and Proximity,” pp.161-169
November 20: Levinas, “Peace and Proximity,” pp.161-169
November 22: Review
November 25 -November 29: Thanksgiving Break
Week 14:
December 2: Fanon, “Concerning Violence,” pp.35-95
December 4: Fanon, “Concerning Violence,” pp.35-95
December 6: Fanon, “Violence in the International Context,” pp.95-106
Week 15:
December 9: Fanon, “Violence in the International Context,” pp.95-106
December 11: Review and Evaluations
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