Instructor: Daniel W. Skubik, PhD JD MDiv
Office: J266; T/R, 2:00-4:00PM & by app’t
Voice: 951.343.4288 / Fax: 951.343.4520
Web: http://www.calbaptist.edu/dskubik
E-Mail: dskubik@calbaptist.edu

 

History of Western Philosophy II

HIS/PHI 302
 Tuesdays/Thursdays, 12:30 – 1:50PM

California Baptist University
Spring Semester, 2008

 

This course is the second segment of a two-semester sequence, serving as an advanced introduction to the rich history of persons, texts and ideas in the Western philosophic tradition. While that tradition is predominately analytic in nature, and since the 18th century largely Anglo-American, in character, we shall nonetheless also explore some Continental works that treat of broader metaphysical issues along with the usual epistemological and axiological concerns more familiar to those in the English-speaking world.

 

The traditional division in a two-semester sequence is for the first course to cover ancient (Plato & Aristotle) through medieval (Aquinas & Ockham) periods, while the second course is devoted to the modern period (Descartes—the putative father of modern philosophy—to near contemporary figures of note such as Wittgenstein and Quine). We shall follow that traditional division here, and so begin our studies with Descartes, using a new edition of the principal text edited by Baird & Kaufmann, utilized during the first semester.

 

While our principal text comprises a collection of extracts from selected philosophers, with brief introductions to their lives and times, it should be emphasized that the study of texts and ideas in context requires sensitivity to the broader intellectual milieu in which these philosophers are ensconced. Hence, one primary focus of our studies will be constructing an intellectual history for these figures and so tracing any significant history of ideas, rather than simply assuming any writer’s work can be understood from its textual “face,” analyzing ideas and terms as we would presume their force and content today.

 

The course is open to all students able and willing to engage in upper division study, and can be used to fulfill History major or minor upper division unit requirements, Philosophy major or minor upper division requirements, or General Education requirements.

 

 

Required Text

Forrest Baird (ed.) & Walter Kaufmann, From Plato to Derrida 5th ed. (Prentice Hall, 2008) [N.B.: If you were enrolled in the first semester, the 4th edition can suffice; alternative page references noted in brackets, below, though cross-referencing will present some computational hurdles during lectures/discussions.]

This new edition is readily available from web shops such as Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble, as well as the CBU bookshop. Other books, like those noted below, and websites may be referenced throughout the term, contents of which all students also will be responsible.

Suggested supplemental titles of interest

 

Frederick Copleston, S.J., A History of Philosophy 9 vols. [available in a variety of formats]

 

Dictionary of Literary Biography [with volumes devoted to philosophers by date]

Readings & Assignments Schedule

 

  Week #1
  (Jan 10)

  Introduction to course
  Introduction to Modern Western Philosophy

  Week #2
  (Jan 15/17)

  Intro to Descartes, 371-376 [393-398] & Correspondence, 417-420 [443-446];
  Descartes, Meditations, 377-416 [399-442]

  Week #3
  (Jan 22/24)

  Descartes, Meditations, 377-416 [399-442]

  Week #4
  (Jan 29/31)

  Hobbes, Leviathan, 421-462 [447-488]
  Paper #1 due to Bb no later than 11:59PM the 31st on Descartes

  Week #5
  (Feb 5/7)

  Hobbes, Leviathan, 421-462 [447-488]

  Week #6
  (Feb 12/14)

  Berkeley, Three Dialogues, 623-684 [649-710]
  Paper #1 due to Bb no later than 11:59PM the 14th on Hobbes

  Week #7
  (Feb 19/21)

  19th – Berkeley, Three Dialogues, 623-684 [649-710]
  21st – no class meeting

  Week #8
  (Feb 26/28)

  26th – no class meeting
  28th – Oral MidTerm Exam
  Paper #2 due to Bb no later than 11:59PM the 28th on Berkeley

  Week #9
  (Mar 4/6)

  Wollstonecraft, Vindication, 900-906 [922-928]; and
   de Beauvoir, Second Sex, 1145-1159 [n.p.]

  Week #10
  (Mar 11/13)

  Mill, Utilitarianism, 921-962 [943-984]
  Paper #2 due to Bb no later than 11:59PM the 13th on Wollstonecraft/de Beauvoir

  Week #11
  (Mar 18/20)

  Spring Break

  Week # 12
  (Mar 25/27)

  25th – Mill, Utilitarianism, 921-962 [943-984]
  27th – Kierkegaard, Two Selections, 963-985 [985-1007]
  Paper #3 due to Bb no later than 11:59PM the 27th on Mill

  Week #13
  (Apr 1/3)

  Kierkegaard, Two Selections, 963-985 [985-1007]

  Week #14
  (Apr 8/10)

  Wittgenstein, Tractatus & Investigations, 1097-1125 [1121-1149]
  Paper #3 due to Bb no later than 11:59PM the 10th on Kierkegaard

  Week #15
  (Apr 15/17)

  15th – Wittgenstein, Tractatus & Investigations, 1097-1125 [1121-1149]
  17th – Quine, Two Dogmas, 1160-1177 [1176-1193]

  Week #16
  (Apr 22)

  Quine, Two Dogmas, 1160-1177 [1176-1193]

  Week #17
  (Apr 29)

  Final Exam period: 11:00AM – 1:00PM, as scheduled per University catalog
  Oral Exam on Wittgenstein & Quine

Caveat

This syllabus schedule is composed in good faith, with a schedule of readings and assignments that will guide us throughout the term. Still, the instructor reserves the right to make adjustments to this schedule as deemed necessary for the overall enterprise of the course. Any changes will be communicated as far in advance as feasible, and you are responsible for knowing if and when any changes have been made.

 

 

Assessment & Grading Scale

  Review Papers = 60% (3 x 20%)

  90 - 100 = A range   (90-94 = A-)

  MidTerm Oral Exam = 15%

  80 - 89 = B range   (80-83 = B-  /  87-89 = B+)

  Overall Participation = 5%

  70 - 79 = C range   (70-73 = C-  /  77-79 = C+)

  Final Oral Exam = 20%

  60 - 69 = D range   (60-63 = D-  /  67-69 = D+)

 

  0 - 59 = F

 

 

Review Papers

Each student will write three (3) review papers during the semester, each paper being worth 20% toward the final grade for the course. The papers should be ~1800 words in length (~6 pages: longer is fine; shorter will almost certainly be too short to meet requirements), and composed in the following manner: section 1 for personal and intellectual biography of the philosopher chosen; section 2 for historical and intellectual positioning of that figure’s corpus; and section 3 for interpretive analyses of the figure’s key work(s) that clearly takes our discussions into account. In short, this is first and foremost an essay grounded in intellectual history. Papers will then be submitted through Blackboard (Bb) for my review and marking. Early submissions are encouraged but not required.

 

We are dealing altogether with nine (9) philosophers this term, and the papers are subdivided accordingly. Your first paper must be on Descartes or Hobbes; your second paper on Berkeley or Wollstonecraft/de Beauvoir (the latter two can be addressed either together or separately); and your third paper on Mill or Kierkegaard. See the syllabus for respective due dates, and choose accordingly. Due dates are otherwise not flexible, and will be strictly enforced. N.B. You cannot mix and match your choices (e.g. Descartes and Hobbes cannot be papers one and two; Berkeley cannot be your first with Wollstonecraft/de Beauvoir as your second, and so forth).

 

Extra credit for any single assignment can be earned by providing an annotated bibliography of the chosen philosopher’s major works. See me for details before you attempt these annotations, as the requirements differ with each philosopher. You cannot earn this extra credit after the paper is due; the annotations must be submitted with the original paper by its due date.

 

 

 

MidTerm and Final Oral Examinations

Oral examinations (closed book/closed notes) will be conducted during the midterm and final examination periods, worth 15% and 20%, respectively, of the final course grade. The MidTerm will cover weeks 1-7 (Descartes/Hobbes/Berkeley), and the Final will cover our concluding readings about/by Wittgenstein and Quine. You may form groups of 2 or 3 for each of these exams, or elect to respond individually. But once you designate a mode for answering questions for an exam, there is no alteration permitted. If you are part of a group, all will share the same mark. Make-ups will be allowed and scheduled only under extraordinary circumstances.

 

Participation

Although speaking in class, publicly putting and defending a position or interpretation, can be daunting, you are strongly encouraged to learn to think through your own and others’ experiences and insights within the context of our discussions. For these purposes, you are not being evaluated for reaching “right” conclusions, but for demonstrating your facility in forming arguments for any conclusions put, given the material we will cover in class.

To give direct incentive to so engage, 5% of your mark for the course will be comprised of my assessment of your classroom participation during the semester. Participation is to include in-class discussions during the semester, and does not include attendance.

 

Because of the nature of the course and its content, attendance is expected, with a simple threshold requirement: we have 25 scheduled regular class sessions, and you are required to attend at least 19 class sessions (~75%). Should you miss more than 6 class sessions, you must speak with me before you will be permitted to complete the course.

 

 

 

CBU Statement on Academic Dishonesty

 

Faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) have been asked to include the following statement in all our syllabi. Do speak with your instructor if at any time you have questions or concerns about this statement and its meaning for or application in your classes.

 

Academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, copying, and other forms) will be reported to the Dean of Students. Judicial sanctions for offense [sic] are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the seriousness of the violation, prior violations and other factors. Judicial sanctions may include, but are not limited to, loss of a letter grade or failure in the course in which the offense occurred, suspension, and/or dismissal from the University. A detailed discussion of academic dishonesty is located in the Student Handbook.

 

Source: 2006-2007 Undergraduate Catalog, at p.80