Syllabus – keep handy for reference
Dr. Aeon J. Skoble
341 Tillinghast, x2460
Email: askoble@bridgew.edu Web: http://webhost.bridgew.edu/askoble
Office hours: M 10-11, T,TH 1:45-2:45, or by appointment
Texts:
A Philosopher’s Compass, Jacobs (majors should already have a copy, minors see me)
Additional readings to be distributed in class or via the course web page.
Overview and
objectives:
This senior seminar is meant to be the capstone course of
your undergraduate philosophy studies.
The main idea is for you to have an opportunity to synthesize what you
have learned over the years in your various courses, attempt to make sense of
it, and write a reflective essay which ties it all together. The seminar is conceived by the department as
involving three rubrics through which you are to reexamine your work: 1, the
history of philosophy; 2, philosophical problems; and 3, application of
philosophy to (or interface with) other disciplines. By focusing on these three perspectives, you will be able to synthesize and reflect on your previous
philosophical studies and development. Subject matter will include both
analytic and normative material, and ultimately result in a synoptic reflective
essay which enables you to make sense of what you have learned, and communicate
this to others. Besides the instructor, other members of the department
will participate on an occasional basis.
We will use the Jacobs book primarily as a reference work. We will use a wide variety of other readings to stimulate discussion and reflection, but the main “texts” for the course are all of your philosophical writings to date.
Requirements:
The chief tangible product is the reflective capstone essay, which I would expect to be roughly in the 18-22 page ballpark. You will be asked to write several shorter essays which will end up being parts of the longer final essay. It’s possible that you will be asked to go back to papers written for previous classes and revise. (Since each of you has followed a different trajectory to arrive here, your first homework assignment is to compile and submit a bibliography of all your previous philosophy papers so I can see what you have to work with. In the course of compiling the bibliography, why not take the time to review these papers, and make a note to yourself what the thesis of each paper was.)
In addition to the writing, regular and actively participatory attendance is a requirement. This is the senior seminar in your department, so I will expect you to bring all your enthusiasm about philosophy to class with you each week. You should have done all assigned readings prior to class, and be ready (indeed eager) to discuss them. I shouldn’t need to police attendance in this context, but nevertheless excessive absence and lateness will result in grade reductions. Plagiarism will result in failure of the course and possibly expulsion.
General Outline:
Week
of: Topic, reading
assignment for that week; other notes:
Jan 23 Distribution
of syllabus; intro to course; review of methodology, discussion of philosophical writing and research,
discussion of main areas of philosophy and student bibliographies.
Jan 28 continued (No class Jan 30)
Feb 4 continued (No class Feb 6)
Feb 11-13 Focus:
History of Philosophy
Feb 18-20
Feb 25 (No class Feb 27)
Mar 4-6 Focus:
Problems in Philosophy
Mar 11-13 Spring
break week
Mar 18-20
Mar 25-27
Apr 1-3 Focus: Cross-disciplinary
interface/applications.
Apr 8-10
Apr 15-17
Apr 22-24 Focus:
Putting it all together
Apr 29- May 1
Final reflective essay is due NLT Friday May 9th,
12:00 noon
Readings will be distributed in class or posted on the course web page.