PHIL 254         Ancient and Mediaeval Philosophy

Waggle Section

Initial Encounter - Class Management Policies

Welcome to the study of Ancient, and, to some extent, Mediaeval philosophy.  This course is the first of two “history of philosophy” courses required for all philosophy majors and minors.  Although the course does presuppose some background in philosophy, I shall not presuppose that experience, initially.  I shall presuppose that you have some interest in it.  One thing needs to be said at the beginning, philosophy, unlike other disciplines, does require students to ask questions.  Questions are a normal part of learning and are an indication for me to gauge your understanding of the materials we are covering.

What this course begins with are the earliest claims of philosophical thought.  When I say “philosophical”, I mean Western philosophy.  Also, by “philosophical” I mean a mode of inquiry probing into the nature of things in order to offer an explanation of the nature of things.  This explanation or account is justified by rules of reason and is open to scrutiny or further rational inquiry.  This appeal to reason, human reason, is unique among the ancient Greeks, who pioneered this mode of explanation.  An exhaustive investigation into the origins of Greek speculative thought would take us far afield from our intended goal: namely, the origins of philosophy in the west.  Needless to say, an exhaustive investigation would also entail an examination of other forms of Greek literature other than what the Canon has demarcated as philosophic.

We will spend a portion of this course charting out some of these origins of philosophical inquiry, in part, in order to understand how the great Classical systems of Plato and Aristotle came into being.  We will also examine these early attempts in order to comprehend modes of thought that came after these two great figures.  Finally, we will examine these early origins because they are interesting in their own right.

In order to proceed, we should establish some ground rules for the semester.  This is the purpose of the class syllabus.  What I intend to do is to cover some of the more important portions of this document today.  It is upon your shoulders to read it in its entirety.  This document should be consulted often should you have any questions or concerns about class management.  I, also, want to stress that I understand this document to be the course “contract”.  What I mean by that is, provided you decide to remain enrolled in the course throughout the semester, this document governs our mutual conduct.  The course expectations, requirements, reading assignments or other assignments, and class room management policies are all listed in this document.  Whenever any situation covered in this document arises, what is written herein is the default ruling.  So, take the time necessary to read it carefully, and decide on that bases whether you intend to remain enrolled.  You are free, given the University-wide time constraints, to withdraw from the course, and thereby no longer to be bound to the content of this document.  Otherwise, it rules for the duration of the semester.

Some portions of the syllabus must be addressed in order to make sure that there are no misunderstandings. 

Attendance policy: Mine is simple.  You are to be in class every time class meets.  Please be prompt and prepared to discuss the materials.  If you know that you are going to be over 10 minutes late, please do not disrupt the class in progress.  What this does not mean is that class starts 10 minutes after the designated starting point.  What this does mean is that you have a 10 minute grace period to get to class and be prepared before I shut the door.  Once the door is shut, your entry into class constitutes disrupting the class in progress.  In the event that any of the following occur, please act accordingly.

A.     In case of extreme weather, please consult the local weather channels and the university information line to determine if the university has cancelled classes.  If classes have not been canceled, use your best judgment.  If the roads are dangerous, please think of your own safety.

B.     In the event that you have an appointment that requires you to miss class, then you may be exempt provided you follow the procedure outlined below: You are to inform me in writing if you are unable to attend class.  In your written note, tell me: a) Why you re unable to attend class. b) what you will be doing instead of attending class. c) Give me some details about the event in question (is this related to your major? Is this a job interview?  Is this an out-of-town class project?)  This written note must be delivered to me or e-mailed to me before the event in question.  Attendance waivers are not guaranteed.  Without a written attendance waiver in my file at the end of the semester, the attendance was not excused.  There are no oral attendance waivers granted.

C.     Absences due to illness are excusable only if you provide me with a doctor’s note for my file.  Please do not come to class if you are contagious.

D.     Attendance for religious holidays may be waived provided you prepare the written attendance waiver.

E.      In case of family emergencies or accidents that require you to miss more than one class, I expect that you communicate with me early in the absence so that make up arrangements can be pre-arranged.  Excessive absences for any reason create an obstacle to completion of the course.  Without regular communication from and with you to negotiate changes in deadlines during the absences, progress in and thus completion of the course is impossible.  It is impossible to “re-teach” extensive parts of the course.

One final word on attendance.  I will be circulating for each class period an attendance sheet.  Please sign these each class period you attend.

Student Learning:  As a part of this syllabus, there is a list of all of the required readings for the entire semester.  It is imperative that you stay on top of these readings, and be prepared for each class by having read and either summarized or outlined the readings.  In the study of philosophy, written arguments are the primary tool philosophers use to express positions.  The lecture portion of this course will not outline these readings.  In order to dig deeper into the implications of these readings, you should not only have read but prepared a summary of these positions.  This will prepare you for class participation.  Consistent participation in this course is essential to your success, because the reading assignments, class discussions, and other activities are designed to help you better understand. 

You will need to set aside at least two hours per week for every hour you spend in class.  Since this is a three credit hour course, I will assume that you have spent at least six hours outside of class with the readings, doing outlines, and any projects or assignments given over the course of the semester.  You should record all of the reading assignments and due dates for all projects or assignments on your personal calendar.  The actual number of hours you will need to prepare for this course depends greatly on your study habits, and your comprehension of the readings.  I do anticipate that you will need to read each of the readings assignments at least twice in order to better understand the author.  Ideally, you would read each assignment three times. 

I should mention that there will be an essay portion of any assignment I assign throughout the semester.  For those assignments that are take home, I anticipate and expect you to write multiple drafts of these essays, and to make use of the writing rubric I will hand out during this semester. 

Professor’s Role:  I see my role in this course as three fold.  First, I will provide guided commentary on the readings assignment materials we are investigating.  I must assume that you are current with your readings in order to facilitate your understanding.  I will use a number of methods to aid your understanding of this material.  Some of these methods range from providing needed historical information, thought experiments, etc.  I will have more to say about my teaching methods below. 

Second, I will try to set an example of what a professional philosopher does with respect to the materials we are investigating.  In this role, I see the types of objections I raise to the positions held by our authors to be not only starting points for challenging these views, but also as standard examples of criticisms leveled against these views.  You should not be confused between the views held by the author, and the criticisms leveled against these views.  This is not to say that the author's views have been completely rejected, nor that the author might have something to say against this criticism.  The idea here is to show you ways to probe these views and construct criticisms of these views on your own. 

Third, I will try to assist you in your understanding of this material to the best of my abilities.  That does not mean that I can give you all of the answers to these problems.  What it does mean is that I am committed to your success in learning this material, and committed to improving your writing skills.  I take the concept of writing across the curriculum very seriously.  During this semester, I will hand out a writing rubric that I use to evaluate your written work.  This rubric serves as a good model for the level of expectations a college student ought to be able achieve in his or her writing.  This rubric is exhaustive, and covered a number of important features any persuasive essay should contain.  I strongly encourage you to make use of it in self-criticism of your own writing. 

Academic Discipline: At whatever level, all survey courses serve a double purpose: 1.  To introduce the student to a wide variety of topics in a given subject matter.  2.  To inform and guide the student to develop basic skills assumed in any career.  It is this second purpose that I would like to elaborate on.  I understand academic discipline to be a matter of time management and organizational skills.  These skills are important not only for success at the college level, but are also important in the wider work environment.  You should maintain a daily calendar and write your assignments, tasks, expectations, etc., on this calendar.  This is the first step to successful time management.  On your calendar, you should note all important deadlines: reading assignments, project deadlines, reviews, test dates, etc., so that you can always be aware of the time demands each week and day will place on you.  Plan accordingly, and review your weekly commitments so that you are managing your time, and not that time is managing you.

Grading Policies:  I will use a 10% gradation scale for evaluating all of the work you submit during the semester.  Your total grade at the end of the semester will consist of the total number of points you have earned compared to a 10% gradation scale from the total number of points possible.  Hence, 100 - 90, 89 - 80, etc., scale.  Should you have any questions concerning your grade, please discuss it with me in my office.

Class Participation:   One of the best ways to learn philosophy is to discuss what you have read.  There is a difference between discussion and participation.  What I mean by participation is the normal responses that any student ought to offer when that student is asked a question.  Any student ought to be prepared to respond in this manner whenever that student is asked a question.  By discussion I mean that particular form of participation in which a student freely expresses, whenever there is time set aside for discussing the implications and reactions to the ideas or positions presented in the work of one of the authors we are reading.  It is that second type of participation that I will be assessing.  There seems to be some confusion about class participation.  With each class period, there will be a portion of the class devoted to discussing the readings.  These discussions are for you, the student, to discuss with each other your thoughts about the issues raised in these readings.  What I am anticipating is a thoughtful discussion of the relevant merits and deficiencies of these topics.  Remember, rational people of good will can legitimately differ about the correctness of any philosophical position.  A good philosopher will recognize that often good points can be made on both sides of any issue.  Some issues and topics may be of a sensitive nature.  I expect that you will conduct yourself with maturity.  Class time is a precious commodity.  Please respect it and your fellow students.

Office Hours:  There seems to be some confusion about the purpose of holding office hours.  They are to afford you the opportunity to discuss matters related to this class and to seek additional assistance.  Office hours are not replacement class periods.  As I have already mentioned, it is not possible to “re-teach” extensive portions of this or any class.  The reason for holding office hours is to provide a venue for students and professors to meet outside of class for the purpose of discussing matters related to class.  Often, students cannot make officially designated office hour times.  If that is the case, you have two choices.  Either you may schedule an appointment to meet with me, or you may contact me by e-mail.  In order to have some sense of privacy, I do not offer my home phone number to students.  My home phone number is unlisted, and should you obtain it, I would appreciate it if you did not use it without explicit permission from me.  If you schedule an appointment with me, please be on time.  If you are delayed for any reason, contact me or the philosophy department.  We should be able to reschedule.  If you miss an appointment and do not contact me, I will be far less willing to reschedule.  For reasons of your safety, I do not hold weekend office hours, and I do not set appointments on the weekends.  The best way to reach me if you are unable to meet me during office hours is by e-mail.  I check my e-mail at least once a day, including weekends.  Please use proper e‑mail etiquette.

Incompletes:   I follow the official college policy, as found in the College Catalog, as illustrated by the following excerpt: "An incomplete grade may be given to a student who, by the withdrawal date, can reasonably be expected to pass the course.  An Incomplete may be granted only when justified by extreme circumstances (e.g., serious illness, accident, death or serious illness in the immediate family)."

Extra Credit:   Extra credit is available only after an office visit with me.  Extra credit is not guaranteed.  The purpose of the office visit is to determine whether extra credit is should be extended, the amount of extra credit possible on the assignment, and the due date for the extra credit assignment.  Before extending extra credit, all of these items must be negotiated between myself and the student.  We will write up a formal agreement, and keep copies of it so that there is no misunderstanding about extra credit.  Extra credit should be reserved for extreme circumstances that without which the student would not have a fair chance of success in the course. 

Make-up of tests and assignments:  Late work is a serious problem.  I would appreciate it if you were pro-active rather than reactive with any of the assignments.  What I mean by this is, if you are having some problem with any assignment that might delay you from meeting any particular deadline, please talk to me, via e-mail or in person, before the assignment is due in order to determine whether an extension should be granted.  Any assignment that is turned in late without a written extension will receive a zero (0).  Make-up tests are also an administrative problem.  Again, please be pro-active and inform me of any problem that will prevent you from meeting a particular test deadline.  I reserve the right to negotiate with students over make-up exams.  In order for any assignment where an extension has been granted to be considered for grade consideration, this assignment must be completed no later than one week after the initial deadline.  I do allow students "one bite at the apple" during the semester.  What this means is that one time during the semester, excluding the final exam, you may request to rewrite an essay for grade reconsideration.  Use this wisely. 

Deadlines:  Barring the exceptions noted above, all of the assignment or exam deadlines are listed in this syllabus.  Work turned in after these deadlines will receive a zero unless a written extension has been granted.  Assignments must be turned in "hard copy".  I do not accept digital copies of assignments.  I do this to be uniform and fair to every student.  E-mailing me a digital copy of any assignment, then turning in a paper copy of it, does not constitute turning the assignment in on time. 

Let me remind you what the word "deadline" means.  The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines the word "deadline" as 1) a time limit as for payment of a debt or completion of an assignment. 2) a boundary line in a prison that prisoners can cross only at the risk of being shot.  I understand the word "deadline" to mean that any given "project" is "dead" (will receive zero grade consideration) after the date in question.  Some important deadlines to keep in mind during the course of the semester are: the semester ends when you take the final for this course.  All extensions terminate on the last day of class before the final.  There are no "post-semester" assignments, and there is no extra credit post-semester.

General Description of the course assignments and grade break down: There will be two exams during the course of this semester, a final exam, one term paper, a number of possible quizzes, and class participation that I will use in order to determine your course grade.  The percentage of these items is as follows: Each exam will constitute 20% of your total grade; the final will constitute 20% of your total grade; the term paper will constitute 20% of your total grade; class participation, as outlined in the syllabus, will constitute 10% of your total grade; and the total of the quizzes will constitute 10% of your total grade.  No single item on this list of projects will make or break your grade.  You are expected to complete and turn in all of these items during the duration of the semester.  Please be aware that the exams, the final, and the term paper each constitute 2 letter grades in the overall assessment of your progress in the semester.  If you fail to complete any of these, this will diminish your potential overall grade by two letter grades.

Please read the remainder of the syllabus at home.  Consider this your first assignment of the semester.

Just to make sure that we all start from the same place, I shall now spend some of the remaining time today defining some common philosophical terms that we shall use for the rest of the semester.  Please familiarize yourself with these terms as soon as possible.

1.  Metaphysics: The study of being: that sub-field of philosophy that attempts to discover the fundamental nature of things.

2.  Epistemology: The study of knowledge.

3.  Ethics: That sub-field of philosophy that attempt to discover the nature of the good life for the individual.

4.  Politics: That sub-field of philosophy that attempts to discover the nature of the good life for the collective.

5.  Theology: That sub-field of philosophy that attempts to discover the nature of the relationship between the good life, and humanity’s relationship with divinity.

6.  Aesthetics: That sub-field of philosophy that attempts to discover the nature of the beautiful.

7.  Teleology: The study of purpose, or the notion of end terminating or goal terminating activity.

8.  Theoretical sciences: Those sub-fields of philosophy whose purpose is the production of knowledge.

9.  Practical sciences: Those sub-fields of philosophy whose purpose is the production of action.

10.  Productive science: Those sub-fields of philosophy whose purpose is the production of a product.