HONORS 201.01
 

Humanities I
Fall 2001
4 Hours; MW Noon-1:50 P.M.
CONV 212 ??

We will explore Western civilization from the world of the
ancient Greeks to the Renaissance.  Any study of the human
past requires an ordering principle to prevent drowning in
a sea of disconnected facts.  Our ordering principle is a small
set of defining characteristics of Western civilization as found within
the study of seminal texts.  These defining characteristics include
the growth of rational thought, constitutional forms of polity, and the
tensions between religion, politics, and philosophy.

Our goals are to read, understand and analyze some of the greatest
books ever composed; to investigate the most valued historical and
philosophical ideas in each time period, and to practice as well
as study exegesis, history and philosophy.
 

Texts

Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. R. Fitzgerald.
The Western Heritage. Vol. A. Ed. by Kagan, Ozment, Turner.
Great Ideas in Western Civilization. Vol. 1. Ed. by Tierney, Kagan, Williams.
Machiavelli.  The Prince.
Philosophical Classics From Plato to Nietzsche.

Grades

Midterm: 25%, Final, 25%, Paper 1, 15%, Paper 2, 15%, class preparation
and active participation, 20%.  Papers are to be 6-8 pages, double spaced, typewritten.

Policies

Papers are due at the beginning of class.  Late papers are not accepted;
you will receive an F for the assignment if you miss the deadline.
Alternate exam times will be granted only in extreme circumstances.
You must arrange alternate times in advance.

Schedule

Reading assignments must be completed before class on the date indicated.
( = Phlosophical Classics From Plato to Derrida; read all introductions
to the philosophers listed)
(WH=The Western Heritage; T = Great Issues in Western Civilization)

ACEPUF Paper Grading System

Your paper in philosophy is graded according to the following six factors:

ACCURACY ("a"):

The degree to which you accurately represent (in your own words)
someone else's intellectual position and the evidence and arguments
he or she uses to defend it.

CREATIVITY ("c"):

The degree to which you develop your own position on the subject
matter at hand, do research, and or develop your own arguments
in favor of your position.

EXECUTION ("e"):

The degree to which your paper is well written and communicates
your ideas. (This factor includes the evaluation of organization,
grammar, and spelling.)

PLAUSIBILITY ("p"):

The degree to which your position, the evidence, and the
arguments used to support your conclusions are reasonable.

UNDERSTANDING ("u"):

The degree to which you demonstrate an understanding for
the nature, scope and complexity of the subject. (This factor
includes the evaluation of how well you show the larger
significance of your conclusions about the subject matter.)

FORESIGHT ("f"):

The degree to which you anticipate, describe, and
respond to reasonable objections to your position.

Each factor (a, c, e, p, u, f) is assigned a value [v(a) for factor a,
etc.], either +1, 0, or -1. The value +1 means above average
(expected averaged tempered by the actual average), 0 means
average, and -1 means below average. The paper's grade (g) is
the sum of these values [g = v(a) + v(c) + v(e) + v(p) + v(u) + v(f)].
The numerical grade is assigned a letter grade using the following scale:

 6 = A+
 5 = A
 4 = A-
 3 = B+
 2 = B
 1 = B-
 0 = C+
-1 = C
-2 = C-
-3 = D+
-4 = D
-5 = D-
-6 = F

These numbers may be converted in proportion to the points possible of
specific written assignments.
 

Philosophy Paper Comment Key

Meaning

? It’s very difficult to see what you mean here.

CLAR Clarify.  This makes some sense, but needs to be made more clear.

DEF You need to define your terms, so the reader will know what you're saying.  Don’t use
dictionary definitions (i.e., conventional meanings) for key words under philosophic discussion.

EX You need to explain this point more fully.

MIS-U You’ve misunderstood the author's position.

OW This should be explained in your own words.

WW Appears to be the wrong word, or your choice of words is suspect.

Argumentative Support and Logical Connection

ARG You need to supply an appropriate argument for this claim.

CIRC Your reasoning appears to be circular.  That is, you arrive at your conclusion by assuming
that it’s already been proven true.  Never assume the truth of your conclusion.

COUNT-ARG You need to address the counter argument to this position.

EG An example of this would really help your paper.

EMPH This point must be emphasized; it’s very important to the discussion.

GAP There is a gap here. Show how one thing is supposed to follow from the other.

INCOMP This is incomplete. You've left out an important issue.

REL What is the relevance of this?  How is it related to your thesis?

RHET-Q Replace this rhetorical question with an argument.

STRAW You've made this argument into a straw-man (made it weaker than it really is).

Form, Convention, and Style

1X Single space.

2X Double space.

AWK This is awkwardly structured or worded.  Smooth it out.

CITE You need to cite a reference to support this assertion.

GRAM This is a grammatical error.  It’s a sentence fragment, or a noun-verb agreement error, an
ambiguous pronoun reference, a run-on sentence, or a punctuation error, et cetera.

NN This material is really not needed.

PAR This paragraph has more than one sub-topic in it. Give each point its own paragraph.

REDUN This is redundant.

SIMP Simplify. This is too wordy.

WS This is well-said; you’ve stated your point quite elegantly.

XW Excellent work! This is the kind of work that gets "A"s.

!! This is clever, relevant, and or funny.

[31 October 1998: Waterman, More]
 

A Writing Guide for Philosophy

1. Write about a philosophical question or position that interests you.

2. Your paper should be interpretive, critical, and structured as an argument.
As an interpretation, you will need to make philosophical passages intelligible.
As criticism, your paper will include an analysis of other people's views on a
subject, and will identify in what respect you find their work plausible or mistaken,
valuable or depraved. As an argument, your paper will provide sound reasons
for its claims. In your first paragraph you must state a thesis. Proceed to show
why it makes the best sense for your reader to accept it.

3. Write an abstract of your paper before you begin. Write a paragraph or a
page in which you list the flow of your planned paper. List the arguments,
the objections, and the counter-arguments which will be included. Organize
your thoughts before you write.

4. Begin your paper with a concise statement of your position, and what
you intend to demonstrate. Build the paper by carefully explaining each
part of your thesis, clarifying important terms, and giving reasons for
anything a reader would find dubious or unclear. DO NOT MERELY
STATE YOUR OPINIONS. Show the reader why your position makes
the most sense by constructing arguments in its favor.  An argument is a set
of related premises which you must establish as true, which together lead
to the conclusion which constitutes your thesis statement.

5. Anticipate and discuss objections to your view. Answer the objections.

6. Write as clearly as possible. State things directly. Make the first
sentence of each paragraph the subject of that paragraph. Do not use
technical jargon or words with ambiguous meanings unless absolutely
necessary to express a thought, and then, only if such words are explained.
Your goal is communication; simple words are often better.

7. DO NOT TURN IN A FIRST DRAFT. Proof read by reading
your paper aloud to yourself. Even better: have someone else read it.
Correct all vague or ambiguous sentences, grammatical mistakes,
colloquial expressions, and misspellings.

8. The final draft should be a well-sculpted presentation of your ideas,
with each word aiding communication, and lacking all unnecessary words.
Do not be overly ambitious. One idea presented well is better than inadequate
glosses over several. Clarity and depth on a particular matter is often better
than some grand attempt at universal summary. Imagine that someone you
admire is going to receive a copy of your paper; make your effort count.
(Perhaps this someone is you.)

9. You may want to attack a philosopher's position or defend it. In either
case, be clear and fair in your interpretation of that position. Always give
credit for someone else's ideas. Plagiarism will result in failure of this
course. If necessary, use quotations to establish a philosopher's position.
Always fully cite your source.

10. You will have to make sense of particular passages that bear on
your topic. Give reasons for your interpretation. These reasons should
be consistent with the text and the intentions of the philosopher as
far as these can be deciphered.

11. Summarize the arguments in favor of your position in a final
paragraph, and show why it is reasonable or valuable for your
reader to see things this way.

For a more detailed guide to writing philosophy papers,
see the Department of Philosophy web pages.

For a guide to writing research papers in History, see Dr.
Markowski's personal page.

Please refer to the Academic Catalogue or the Student Handbook for the College's statement on academic honesty.  You are bound to it by virtue of taking this course.

Westminster College seeks to provide equal access to the college's programs, services, and activities to people with disabilities as defined by the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  If you have a disability for which you will need accommodations in this class, please let the instructor know as soon as possible.  You will also be required to provide documentation of your disability to the Services for Students with Disabilities program in the START Center (Carleson Hall, 832-2590).

This syllabus is subject to change.

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