Ph 66 Fall '06 David Banach
GBS: Late Modern
Our Epoch is a birth-time, and a period of transition. The Spirit of man has broken with the old order of things hitherto prevailing, and with old ways of thinking, and is in the mind to let them all sink into the depths of the past and to set about its own transformation. (Hegel. Preface to the Phenomenology of Spirit)
You
say that science itself will teach man . . . that he himself is nothing
more than a sort of piano-key or organ stop. . . .
Then . . . new economic relations will be established,
. . . so that all sorts of problems will vanish in a twinkling simply
because ready-made solutions will be provided for all of them. . . . Everything
will be so splendidly rational. . . .
Quite right, but there's the rub! . . . Reason is only reason and it can
only satisfy the reasoning ability of man, whereas volition is a manifestation
of the whole of life. . . . And although our life, thus manifested, very often
turns out to be a sorry business, it is life nonetheless and not merely
extraction of square roots. . . .
The whole meaning of human life can be summed up in the one statement that man
only exists for the purpose of proving to himself every minute that he is a man
and not an organ-stop.
(Dostoevsky, "Notes from the Underground")
Our age reminds one vividly of the dissolution of the Greek city-state: everything goes on as usual, and yet there is no longer anyone who believes in it.
Passion is the real thing. . . . And the age in which we live is wretched because it is without passion.
Have you seen a boat aground in the mud. . . . And so the whole generation is stuck in the mud banks of reason.
(Kierkegaard, Notebooks)
The Course:
This course is a seminar devoted to an examination of a sampling of the great works of Western Civilization in the period that coincides roughly with the nineteenth century. The main work of the course is a careful reading and discussion of the texts.
The late modern period is characterized by dominance of two related problems: (1) An attempt to come to terms with the problems caused by an application of Enlightenment views of man and nature to the formation of a new order of human societies and human relations. The main questions asked by many of the important works of this period are "Can Reason form the basis of a human society, and how would human society be transformed by a recognition of the limits of reason?" (2) An attempt to recognize the problems caused by application of the new scientific view of nature to human beings and an attempt to reformulate a view of human nature in light of these problems. Another important question dealt with in many of the works of this age is "How can human life have meaning in world that science reveals to be mechanical and devoid of value?"
Office: Bradley House 309 Office phone: 641-7062
email-
dbanach@dbanach.com personal webpage and
moodle server
http://dbanach.com
course
webpage:
http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/gbs6.htm
Texts:
1. Wordsworth and Coleridge: Lyrical Ballads 1798, (ed.) WJB Owen
2. W. Blake: Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience
3. Soren Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling
4. Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
5. Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D'Urbervilles,
6. Hamilton, Madison, Jay: The Federalist Papers, Bantam
7. De Tocqueville: Democracy in
8. Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zaarathustra
9. Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
10. Jane Austen, Pride
and Prejudice
11.
Tolstoy, The Kreutzer Sonata and
Other Stories.
12. Darwin, Charles, The Origin of Species
You may use other editions, Electronic versions of these texts are available on our course website.
Requirements:
Participation 45% Two Thesis Papers/Presentations 20% Final Exam 35%
Participation:
This Course is a seminar in which most of the learning is effected by your direct engagement with the great minds of this period. You are expected to come to each seminar prepared. This preparation should involve:
1. Reading of the required material.
2. Familiarizing yourself with the background information necessary to understand the context, audience, and intended purpose of the text.
3. Making a written list or outline of important ideas, facts, or issues in the reading. This may be collected at any time and be used in determining your participation grade.
4. Formulating your ideas, opinions, and arguments concerning these issues or problems.
5. Formulating a list of questions, ideas, observations, or comments on the general topic of the required reading.
You will be given a grade each meeting for your participation in the seminar discussions. You will get a zero for any seminar which you do not attend. All valid excuses for missing class must be presented in writing.
Criteria for evaluation:
1. Familiarity with material in readings: If you show, by your inability to answer a question, or in some other way, that you failed to do the reading, you will most likely get a failing grade for that seminar.
2. Ability to identify and comment on important issues and ideas: You should have prepared a list of important issues and your ideas on them, so you can volunteer them or provide them when asked.
3. Organization and clarity of presentation: Your comments should be related to the issue under discussion, should further the discussion, and should be presented as clearly and concisely as possible.
4. Rigorous Argument: You should be prepared to defend your claims with arguments.
5. Seriousness and interest: You should take the issues we discuss seriously and try to become interested in them.
6. Originality and creativity: You should demonstrate an ability to think for yourself, to evaluate claims for yourself, and to formulate your own arguments for your positions.
You are encouraged to check you participation grade regularly and to discuss any deficiencies with me.
Final
Exam:
The Final Exam is a cumulative exam. It will include short questions on
the readings as well as essay questions requiring you to discuss issues.
Besides being 35% of your grade it is also the primary factor in deciding
borderline cases. In cases of extraordinarily good performances on the final
exam, I retain the option of raising the final course grade to accord more with
the final exam grade. The Final Exam must be taken when scheduled. Under no
circumstances may it be taken after the scheduled date.
Thesis Paper/Presentations: Each student must defend a thesis about one work from two of the three sections of the course. The student is expected to (1) choose an issue, problem, or interesting insight from one of the works we have read, (2) explain the origin and significance of the issue or problem, and (3) to defend a thesis on this issue. You should note that this project cannot be merely exposition or explanation of a text. Each student must do at least one of their three thesis projects on a literary work and one on a philosophic or political work. You are encouraged to discuss your topic with me before beginning work. You may complete your thesis project in one of two ways:
(A) Paper Option: A 3-7 (800 to 2000 words) paper. This is a formal paper and if you choose this option part of your grade will be determined by writing, grammar, and documentation. Expectations for clarity of exposition and expression will be higher for the written option.
(B) Oral Thesis Defense Option: To use this option you must make an appointment 1week in advance to come to my office for your defense. You will orally present a 5-10 minute introduction to the issue and your thesis and then will undergo a 10-20 minute examination in which you will defend your thesis against objections. There is no written requirement for this option. Here the emphasis is on your ability to defend your thesis with rigor against objections.
Guidelines for papers and oral examinations will be handed out in class at the appropriate time. No late projects or extensions.
Grading:
Your grade will be determined as follows:
Participation 45%
3 Thesis Papers/Presentations (100 apiece) 20%
Final 35%
|
A 93.5% |
A- 90% |
|
|
B+ 87.5% |
B 83.5% |
B- 80% |
|
C+ 77.5% |
C 72.5% |
C- 70% |
|
D+ 67% |
D 60% |
|