Dr. Tamara Albertini, 956-6030, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Office Hours: TR 10-11 a.m. and by appointment (Sakam D-303)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The aim of this writing intensive course is to give students a solid understanding of Hegel's place within Western tradition in general and German idealism in particular. Various topics and themes will be discussed on the basis of Hegelian philosophy, such as human passion (the "woof in the great tapestry of world history"), happiness ("world history is not the place for happiness"), and free will ("only the will that is obedient to the law is free"). Themes of less existential appeal include the notion of the state as "the actuality of the ethical Idea" and of personality as "the first determination of the absolute and infinite will." This course is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Readings will cover Hegel’s major works: Aesthetics, Phenomenology of Spirit, Science of Logic, and Philosophy of Right. (For a more detailed syllabus look up the course number under MyUH starting in December.)
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES/ COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course will deliver enlightenment in fifteen easy to follow weekly installments. By the end of the course students should be able to:
- appreciate the specific philosophical contributions of Hegelian thought;
- learn about Hegel’s major philosophical sources;
- understand in what ways Hegelian philosophy influenced political thought on both ends of the spectrum;
- appreciate German as a philosophically relevant language;
- acquire basic Hegelian technical terms;
- recognize Hegelian writing strategies;
- think of the history of philosophy not as the museum of past and dead achievements of the mind but as a living pool of ideas, concepts, patterns, and thinking strategies that can be tapped into to approach and possibly solve current philosophical problems as well; and
- C BECOME BETTER WRITERS BY STUDYING THE STYLES OF THE MASTERS OF THE PAST.
COURSE ASSESSMENT:
Student evaluation will be based upon participation (20%), two short papers (6-8 pp., 20% each) and a final essay (10-12 pp., 40%). [Graduate students wishing to take the course will be given longer and more complex writing assignments.]
Failure to deliver any written assignment on time will entail a grade deduction: 1/3 grade with every elapsing session. Assignments not submitted within one week from the due date are considered failed performances. Re-writes are encouraged. They need to be turned in no later than one week after the instructor returned the original paper.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
- Hegel, G. W. F. Phenomenology of Spirit. Trans. by A. V. Miller. Oxford, New York...: Oxford U. P., 1977. ISBN: 0-19-824530-0
- Hegel's Philosophy of Right. Trans. by T. M. Knox. London, Oxford, New York: Oxford U. P., 1967. 0-19-500276-8
Houlgate, Stephen. An Introduction to Hegel. Freedom, Truth and History. Second Edition. (Blackwell, 2005). ISBN: 978-0-631-23063-2
(A reader with excerpts from Hegel's Aesthetics, The Philosophy of History, and his Science of Logic will be distributed at semester beginning.)
S C H E D U L E
January
13 Historic Introduction
15 Introduction to Hegel´s Aesthetics 1 (Houlgate, 211-241)
20 Introduction to Hegel´s Aesthetics 2
22 Discussion of some excerpts (xerox copies)
27 Discussion of some excerpts (xerox copies)
29 Hegel´s notion of recollection (Erinnerung)
February
3 Reserve Session
5 Introduction to Hegel´s Science of Logic (Houlgate, 26-47)
10 Discussion of some excerpts (xerox copies)
12 Discussion of some excerpts (xerox copies)
17 Hegel's debt toward Anaxogoras
19 Introduction to Hegel's Philosophy of History (Houlgate, 4-25)
24 Discussion of some excerpts (xerox copies)
26 Discussion of some excerpts (xerox copies)
March
3 Some alternative views on time, history, and philosophy of history
5 Reserve Session
10 Phenomenology: Preface (1-24) (Houlgate, 48-66)
12 Phenomenology: Preface (24-45)
17 Phenomenology: Sense-Certainty (58-66)
19 Phenomenology: Force and the Understanding (79-103)
(23-27 Spring Recess)
31 Aristotle's Politics (xerox copies)
April
2 Phenomenology: Lordship and Bondage (111-119) (Houlgate, 67-105)
7 Phenomenology: Freedom of Self-Consciousness (119-138)
9 Reserve Session
14 Introduction to Hegel's Philosophy of Right (Houlgate, 181-210)
16 Philosophy of Right: The Ethical Life (105-111)
21 Philosophy of Right: The Ethical Life - The Family (111-122)
23 Philosophy of Right: The Ethical Life - Civil Society (122-140)
28 Philosophy of Right: The Ethical Life - The State (155-163)
30 A feminist assessment of Hegel's philosophy
May
5 Final session
Final Papers due Tuesday, May 5, 2009 (for re-write chance)
WHAT IS A WRITING INTENSIVE COURSE?
Phil 414G is a writing intensive course, i.e., it uses writing as a means to learn course materials. Since the course materials are all philosophical texts, for students to be able to respond intelligently and creatively to assignments it is essential for them to spend much time reading. My writing intensive course is, therefore, also a reading intensive course. Reading entails learning and familiarizing oneself with the philosophical terminology used in the texts. Depending on how advanced a student you are, reserve 5-6 hours a week for reading and digesting course materials.
STYLE
All papers need to be paginated. Quotations and sources used are to be referenced. Book titles and foreign terms are to be italicized. Web sources consulted have to be attached to papers. Please, avoid sexist language. For bibliography and footnotes follow instructions in Chicago Manual of Style.
SOME USEFUL WRITING DEVICES
1) Why quote? Your reader enjoys to hear the original author’s voice. This gives the reader a chance to get in touch more directly with the text you are referring to.
2) Why paraphrase? By lending your voice to the author and thus using your own words to render the author’s position or idea, you show your reader that you understand your source. It is also for you a means to clarify your understanding of what you read.
3) Why comment? With this device you start expanding on the ideas you encountered in the text. More importantly, you show your ability to go beyond the source(s) used. You elaborate on a given passage or an entire text. For instance, you analyze and/or expand on key terms, questions and concepts. You explore by making inner-textual connections. You may also go substantially beyond the text by bringing in additional voices (fellow-philosophers or scholars in the field or even from a different philosophical tradition) who have dealt with the same text.
4) Why contrast? You contrast technical terminology, ideas and/or positions vis-à-vis a philosophical problem by bringing in additional voices (fellow-philosophers or scholars in the field or even from a different tradition) who have dealt with the same problem. It is also possible to contrast an author’s early position with a later one. For instance, Plato’s first works with the ones he has written later in life.
5) Why compare? The purpose of comparisons is to sharpen the understanding of a given text or problem. Comparisons may be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The first ones give equal attention to two or more original sources analyzed. The comparison here helps with a better understanding of all sources. The latter ones focus on one main original source and use (the) other source(s) to shed light on specific aspects of the main source. Here too, you may compare technical terms, ideas, and/or positions vis-à-vis a philosophical problem within one and the same work
6) Why critique? You detach yourself from the author’s point of view and speak entirely in your own voice. At this point you show your reader that you are not merely regurgitating what you have read but are perfectly able to express an independent opinion. A critique does not necessarily disagree with the original author’s position. It is well possible that you develop a qualified opinion that actually supports the position you critique.
FEEDBACK
Instructor will provide concise written comments and suggestions to help students improve their papers. For detailed feedback students are urged to meet with their instructor during office hours. This has proven to be the most effective way to enhance the quality of students’ writing.
ATTACHMENTS
While students may send their papers as an attachment in order to meet the deadline, they are expected to provide the instructor with a hard copy. Instructor will not print out e-mailed papers.
USEFUL WEBSITES
Evaluating Internet Research Sources
http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
Writing a Philosophical Essay (Adapted from the pages of William Myers, Birmingham-Southern College)http://www.rogue-scholars.com/classes/writing_philosophy.htm
Online Resources for Students in Philosophy
http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/studres.html
NOTE ON ACADEMIC ETHICS (Plagiarism)
For your information, the University of Hawai‘i Student Conduct Code defines plagiarism as follows:
“Plagiarism includes but is not limited to submitting, in fulfillment of an academic requirement, any work that has been copied in whole or in part from another individual’s work without attributing that borrowed portion to the individual; neglecting to identify as a quotation another’s idea and particular phrasing that was not assimilated into the student’s language and style or paraphrasing a passage so that the reader is misled as to the source; submitting the same written or oral or artistic material in more than one course without obtaining authorization from the instructors involved; or ‘drylabbing,’ which includes obtaining and using experimental data and laboratory write-ups from other sections of a course or from previous terms.”
In obvious cases of plagiarism such as downloading from the web or copying from printed or otherwise copyrighted materials without signaling it, students will fail the course and be referred to the Dean of Students.
What Is Plagiarism? (From the Honor Council of Georgetown University)
http://gervaseprograms.georgetown.edu/hc/index.html
. They Said It So Much Better. Shouldn't I Use Their Words?
. What is a Paraphrase, Anyway?
. My Friends Get Stuff From the Internet
. I Don't Have Time to Do It Right
. A Citation is Not a Traffic Ticket
. What If My Roommate Helped Me?
. In My Country/High School, Using Someone Else's Work is a Sign of Respect
. I Really Didn't Do It!
. What About Copyright?
. Examples of Plagiarism
. Acknowledging Work of Others
KOKUA
If you have any disabilities that might affect your school work, KOKUA is a confidential service for students with disabilities that is available to offer assistance to you. KOKUA is located in Student Services Center #013; the phone number is 956-7511.
FOODS AND BEVERAGES
Sorry, no consumption of foods and beverages in class (unless there is a medical condition). Lady Philosophy is a jealous teacher. She requires your full and undivided attention.
