| Prof: Jonathan
Bain |
Spring 2008 |
Office: RH
201A
|
T/Th 9:00-10:50
room to be announced
|
| Off. hr: W 1-2pm |
phone:
260-3688 |
I.
Description
Almost everyone lives in society. But what is society?
How should society be understood? How does living in society
change
the way people think and act? How does it change the way they
ought
to think and act? How should it be set up, organized and
governed?
We will consider these and related questions through a survey of
influential
works by writers ranging from Hobbes, Rousseau and Marx to Rocco,
Palmieri
and Goldman.
II.
Required
Text
Horowitz, T. (ed.) (1996) Social
Philosophy,
New York: McGraw-Hill.
III.
Course Requirements
| 1. |
Six quizzes will be given at the begining of
class
on the dates above. These will consist of three or four questions
from the study
guide questions.
They will come directly from the readings and are meant solely to
encourage
good reading habits. You will have 15 minutes to complete them. |
2.
|
You will be required to
write three papers of about 5
pages each (typed, 10- or 12-point, double-spaced,
spell-checked!). Suggested topics for papers will be provided at
least 2 weeks before their due dates. These papers should conform
to the guidelines for writing philosophy papers that will be handed out
in class. Late paper
policy: Late papers will be accepted but will be given an
initial penalty of a third of a grade point, and a further penalty of a
third of a grade point for every period of 4 days after the due
date. Example: An A paper turned in one day late will
receive an A-; an A paper turned in 4 days late will receive a B+; an A
paper turned in 8 days late will receive a B; etc. Late papers will not be accepted after the
date of the final. |
| 3. |
One midterm and one final will be
given.
Makeup exams can only be given in very
extenuating circumstances and only for legitimate reasons.
Holiday scheduling is not a legitimate reason. Please schedule
and manage your time effectively. |
IV.
Grade
Distribution
| Quizzes: 10% total |
Midterm: 25%
|
Papers: 30% total (3
@10%)
|
Final: 35%
|
V.
Reminders on University Policies
| 1. |
Incompletes. It is university
and HuSS departmental policy that
incompletes can be given only in very extenuating circumstances
(medical emergencies, etc.). In particular, an incomplete cannot
be
given because of a heavy course load, job commitments, or because
you've simply fallen behind in the course. For this reason, you
should
attend every lecture and make sure you're aware of assignment deadlines
and exam dates. If for whatever reason you find yourself falling
behind during the semester, do not hesitate to see the instructor as
soon as possible. |
2.
|
University Honor System. All
students should be aware of the
university policy on cheating and plagiarism. Cheating on an
exam, or
plagiarizing on an essay assignment, are sufficient reasons for
receiving an F in the course |
VI.
Class
Schedule
The following schedule may be subject to revision over the course of
the semester. Reading assignments must be completed by the date
on which they appear. Page numbers refer to the reader.
| Week 1 |
Tues 1/22
Introduction
|
Thurs 1/24
Hobbes, "Of Natural Condition of Mankind".
Rousseau, Diss. on the Origin and Foundation of the
Inequality of Mankind.
|
| Week
2 |
1/29
Rousseau, cont.
|
1/31
Rousseau, cont..
Quiz #1
|
| Week
3 |
2/5
Marx, "Wages of Labor" and "Estranged Labor".
|
2/7
Marx, cont.
|
| Week
4 |
2/12
Veblen, "Conspicuous Leisure".
|
2/14
Veblen, cont.
Quiz #2
|
| Week
5 |
2/19
NO CLASS
|
2/21
Friedan, "The Happy Housewife Heroine".
Dowd, "What's a Modern Girl to Do?"
|
| Week
6 |
2/26
Friedan, cont.
|
2/28
Fanon, "Concerning Violence".
Quiz #3
|
| Week
7 |
3/4
Fanon, cont.
King, "Letter from the Birmingham Jail".
|
3/6
King, cont.
Hobbes, "Of the Causes, Generation, and Definition
of a Common-wealth".
Paper #1 due
|
| Week
8 |
3/11
Mill, On Liberty, Chaps 3, 4.
|
3/13
MIDTERM
|
| Week
9 |
3/18
NO CLASS (Spring Break)
|
3/20
NO CLASS (Spring Break)
|
| Week
10 |
3/25
Mill, On Liberty, Chap. 5.
|
3/27
Marx, "Private Property and Communism".
Quiz #4
|
| Week
11 |
4/1
Rocco, "The Political Doctrine of Fascism".
|
4/3
Palmieri, "Fascism and the Meaning of Life".
Paper #2 due
|
| Week
12 |
4/8
Goldman, "Anarchism: What it Really Stands For".
|
4/10
Nozick, "Equality, Envy, Exploitation, Etc.".
Quiz #5
|
| Week
13 |
4/15
Nozick, cont.
|
4/17
Cohen, "The Structure of Proletarian Unfreedom".
|
| Week
14 |
4/22
Cohen, cont.
|
4/24
Freire, Pedogogy
of the Oppressed, Chap. 1.
Quiz #6
|
| Week
15 |
4/29
Freire, cont.
Paper #3 due
|
|
| Week
16 |
Final (Date to be announced
by registrar) |
|
|