Describe the characteristics of the strongest/most powerful individual in Book I of the Iliad as well as the characteristics of the weakest individual. Be sure to define what strength/power is as well as weakness.
Good Luck and remember that there are no wrong answers!
Monday, August 30, 2010
A Rash Class
Okay Guys everything went really quick today. We discussed a number of topics and aimed for breadth over depth. No worries, this will be switched in the coming classes. In any case the main themes today were the questions "Who is a Great Individual? What characteristics lend themselves to "greatness"? How does the Good Life follow from this determination? Must one be typically happy or content to lead the Good Life? Can one be miserable, i.e., suffering and still be living the good life?"
We then moved onto to discuss the specific virtue of courage and how this concept applies to determining a person's "greatness." We started asking about how this virtue relates to other virtues like wisdom, prudence, piety/humility and whether this virtue can "stand alone." We also started to question how courage may be easily deformed or how the so-called "villain" or "fanatic" rather than simply the hero or saint may also be courageous. We even questioned whether one may be both a coward and a hero as well as trying to distinguish between moral versus physical courage.
This is a lot, I know and don't worry there will be more! Yet from now on we will have plenty of time and, since we have this blog, plenty of space to discuss everything.
Also I want to thank all of you who had the courage to write something honest about yourselves. Yet, keep in mind, unlike the specific virtue of wisdom where once one acquires it or seems to possess it, the virtue of courage seems more precarious, i.e., it can be lost easily. Possessing a courageous disposition seems to take practice and thus, endure and keep attempting to speak fearlessly in this class, regardless of the risk.
Cheers,
Dr. Layne
We then moved onto to discuss the specific virtue of courage and how this concept applies to determining a person's "greatness." We started asking about how this virtue relates to other virtues like wisdom, prudence, piety/humility and whether this virtue can "stand alone." We also started to question how courage may be easily deformed or how the so-called "villain" or "fanatic" rather than simply the hero or saint may also be courageous. We even questioned whether one may be both a coward and a hero as well as trying to distinguish between moral versus physical courage.
This is a lot, I know and don't worry there will be more! Yet from now on we will have plenty of time and, since we have this blog, plenty of space to discuss everything.
Also I want to thank all of you who had the courage to write something honest about yourselves. Yet, keep in mind, unlike the specific virtue of wisdom where once one acquires it or seems to possess it, the virtue of courage seems more precarious, i.e., it can be lost easily. Possessing a courageous disposition seems to take practice and thus, endure and keep attempting to speak fearlessly in this class, regardless of the risk.
Cheers,
Dr. Layne
Seeing You Soon
Thanks Class for all the wonderful tidbits of curiosities. I can't wait to find out what will happen in class today.
Until soon,
Dr. Layne
Until soon,
Dr. Layne
Thursday, August 26, 2010
THE COURAGE TO KNOW THYSELF
Okay over the next few days you will be introducing yourself in a ton of classes. Many will just be asking for your name, your major and, perhaps even, where you are from or what you would like to do with the rest of your life. By the end of it you might think you have a pretty good answer to the question "Who are you?" and to be honest, as you grow older, this "Cocktail Party" question will continue to haunt you. The only thing that will change is that they won't care about your major but will want to know what you do. Are you a doctor, a lawyer and so on. You will answer this question a million times in your life and it will seem easy to live up to the Greek adage KNOW THYSELF. You are simply "John Smith" from "USS Suburbia" who now practices child psychology and has 1 kid and a dog. Okay, this is a reasonable answer. You may know yourself but to my mind something seems amiss. I seem and suspect that I am whole lot more than this.
In any case, if you have gotten a google account and can post something to this comment. Please tell me something about yourself but not something typical. Tell me something that you think really reflects who you are, something personal or particular to only you. It could be embarrassing, strange, perhaps confessional but just don't pretend to do it and put something trivial. Really confess something. If you honestly do this then reflect on what it took for you to be so "crazy" as to post such a thing. What characteristic, what comportment to the post did you take?
Of course you are not required to do this but eh, I thought it would or could be a fun way to start this blog.
I will go first. I am Dr. Layne and when I was 14 I was arrested for stealing a ferret.
Cheers,
Danny
In any case, if you have gotten a google account and can post something to this comment. Please tell me something about yourself but not something typical. Tell me something that you think really reflects who you are, something personal or particular to only you. It could be embarrassing, strange, perhaps confessional but just don't pretend to do it and put something trivial. Really confess something. If you honestly do this then reflect on what it took for you to be so "crazy" as to post such a thing. What characteristic, what comportment to the post did you take?
Of course you are not required to do this but eh, I thought it would or could be a fun way to start this blog.
I will go first. I am Dr. Layne and when I was 14 I was arrested for stealing a ferret.
Cheers,
Danny
Opps!
The DEADLINE FOR THE FINAL PAPER IS DEC. 13! Not DEC. 19 as stated below! Once again, the deadline for the final paper is DEC.13!
Syllabus
HONS H295
Honors Foundational Seminars: The Self and the Good Life
WHAT IS COURAGE?
LACHES: For I fancy that I do know the nature of courage; but, somehow or other, she has slipped away from me, and I cannot get hold of her and tell her nature.
PLATO
Class Time: MWF 9:30-10:30, 10:30-11:30 Instructor: Dr. Danielle A. Layne
Classroom: Miller 208 Office Location: Bobet 448a
E-mail: dalayne1@loyno.edu Office Hours: T/TH 9a.m-3.pm.
Texts:
Aeschylus Prometheus Bound
Euripides, Medea
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
Blackboard Texts
Course Description: On trial for his life Socrates declares to his fellow citizens that they are terribly mistaken in their value judgments. He asserts that individuals must not consider the prospects of death, wealth or prestige, but only whether they “act rightly or wrongly.” In other words, for the philosopher, the only thing that mattered was to will the Good and to act accordingly. For Socrates, one wills the Good by committing oneself to the virtue of the examined life regardless of the cost. Indeed, Socrates is not the only paradigm for individuals who, in their search for and commitment to the Good, willingly say and do what seems dangerous. There are many historical figures, such as the Titan Prometheus, Jesus, Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, who embody both Kierkegaard’s passion to “Will One Thing” and Foucault’s ideal to “speak fearlessly” despite all danger. Accordingly then, this seminar will explore texts from Greek drama and philosophy, as well as biblical passages and world literature, to examine the importance of the individual's struggle in the search for the Good Life. Here, we will question the concepts of “courage,” “free speech” and “civil disobedience” as well as attempting to discover the characteristics of the hero/martyr/saint. Alongside this we shall analyze the nature of truth, human freedom and commitment while discussing the precarious line between the “Great Individual” and the blind dogmatist or fanatic.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes (provided by University Honors Advisory Board)
In HONS H295, Honors students will:
1. be introduced to the study of the liberal arts through an integrative, values-centered curriculum;
2. become familiar with Loyola’s mission and the principles of an Ignatian education that encourages the development of whole persons;
3. conduct close readings of texts using methods and terms of academic criticism appropriate to several disciplines;
4. explore the difference between primary and secondary texts;
5. learn to construct analytical arguments through clear, persuasive prose;
6. conduct basic library research;
7. engage in in-class discussion and oral presentation appropriate to an academic seminar;
8. cultivate reading, writing, and speaking skills that will prepare them for advanced disciplinary Honors Seminars and the Senior Independent Project (a.k.a. the Honors Thesis).
COURSE GRADES
Course grades will be determined by participation, diary entries, written assignments and 1 presentation.
· Participation (25%): Determined by class discussion and the class blog at http://theselfandthegoodlife.blogspot.com. Each day, throughout the semester, sections of the text will be assigned and I expect that all of you will read each text with great joy and enthusiasm. However, just in case you ever feel deterred from such splendid activity, the incentive becomes the threat of having to actively answer questions related to the text in class each day. If you have not done the reading assignment, then your ignorance of the text will become obvious to both me and your fellow classmates. How humiliating, I say! Thus to ensure that you read, participate and avoid horrible embarrassment, in each class students will be given 1 question to answer, helping navigate and focus the assigned reading. Your answer must be at least three sentences long and written well.
o Example Question: Can we call Medea a hero? Why or why not?
Example Answer: Since Medea’s actions arise from a simple desire to get revenge, one might recoil from deeming her a hero. In fact when she murders her own children, many immediately associate her with villainy. Yet, regardless of this, Medea was victimized by Jason and by refusing to be passive to his betrayal she expresses a strength of mind and courage to act that is worthy of admiration.
o EVERYONE MUST POST THEIR ANSWERS TO THE BLOG BEFORE EACH CLASS. The most interesting answer will be read in class and with a little bit of luck this should stimulate class discussion. Further reactions or comments on the class discussion or lecture should then carry over to the CLASS BLOG. By the end of the semester the participation grade will be evaluated on the basis of class discussion and participation on the blog. Each student’s overall participation grade will also reflect your ability to form questions and ideas which explicitly deal with the text and issues at hand.
o You may earn EXTRA PARTICPATION CREDIT by blogging on whatever you find relevant with regards to the material of the class. That is, you are more than welcome to post comments on the movies we screen, the material we read as well as other material you believe “fits” the theme of the class.
· Writing Assignments (30%): There will be 2 short papers essays assigned in the semester.
o The topic of the fist paper must be an argumentative essay describing your own theory of courage. Here I want you to analyze the readings we have done in order to develop your own idea of what this virtue entails. Looking to such authors as Euripides, Plato, Aristotle or Aquinas determine what you think the five main features of true courage is and support these features with arguments. In contrast you may also write about the concept of fanaticism or villainy. If so then you must describe what you think are the five main features of the villain or fanatic using the material from class. In either case, you may utilize one quote from the assigned readings per page and one quote from outside or extra readings per page. Furthermore, how papers are organized and developed will be taken into account as well as spelling and grammar. Above all the papers will be marked on the clarity and quality of insight and the understanding of the material we have read.
o The topic of the second paper should be on an individual of your choosing. Returning to your first paper, you should argue how this individual either fits your conception of courage or villainy that you outlined in your first paper.
o These papers must be 3 full pages and written in Times New Roman 12pt Font. You will be graded on spelling/grammar, ability to explain the argument, and proper citations (no more than 3 quotes per paper). The format of the paper is your choice; however, be consistent throughout the paper.
o ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT ROUGH DRAFTS OF THEIR PAPERS A WEEK BEFORE THE DEADLINE TO THE WAC LAB, located on the first floor of Bobet HALL. I will be given an evalution of your work from the tutors there and will take their comments into consideration when I grade the final versions.
o Final papers must be UPLOADED TO THE BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENT AREA!!!
· “Great Individual” Presentation (20%): Since this class is concerned with questioning the lives and philosophies of “Great Individuals” I am assigning a 15-minute presentation in which you choose a person whom you believe fits the paradigms of the saint, hero, martyr or even the fanatic. In this presentation you will need to discuss the life and work of the person in question while also defending in-depth both your criteria for being classified as a “Great Individual” and how this person fits your criteria via showing the relevance of this figure in this particular class. If you like, this presentation can be based on your two writing assignments.
· Final Essay (25%): A ten-page argumentative essay which should, if done well, include rewriting and researching the work you did for your two short papers and presentation. In other words, please consider your short papers and your presentation to be “drafts” preparing for this final paper. ROUGH DRAFTS OF THESE PAPERS MUST ALSO BE SUBMITTED TO A TUTOR AT THE WAC LAB at least one week before the due date.
Blackboard and BLOG: Many of the readings are only available on blackboard. Moreover, you are all required to post your daily assignments (your answers to the questions given in and discussed in class) on the class BLOG at http://theselfandthegoodlife.blogspot.com. In light of this, all of you must familiarize yourself with using online tools. To get started with BLACKBOARD go to http://www.loyno.edu/ and click on the Blackboard icon located in the upper right hand of the screen. Your Blackboard username is the same as your Loyola e-mail username. If your Loyola e-mail address is iggy@loyno.edu, your Blackboard username is just iggy (in lowercase letters). If you do not know your Loyola e-mail address, you can find it under the "Personal Info" section of your LORA account. Password: Your password will be 6 characters long, consisting of the first two letters of your first name, lowercase, followed by the last four digits of your SSN. e.g. Mary Smith SSN xxx-xx-3456 the PIN will be ma3456 (lower case) If you have questions about Blackboard, you may: Visit the Learning Commons desk at the Monroe Library or call the 24/7 Blackboard assistance numbers at 1-866-562-7278. To get started on the CLASS BLOG go to http://theselfandthegoodlife.blogspot.com and attempt to post a comment. If you do not have a google account, it will demand that you sign up for one. Sign up for a GOOGLE account using your loyno.edu address and be sure to make your username your real name so that I know who is posting when. If you already have a google account under a different name, please create a new one with your loyno.edu account so that I may be able to identify you.
WAC Lab: WAC administers a writing center and electronic classroom in Room 100 Bobet Hall where students can conduct Internet research, draft papers, consult with writing tutors, and revise their work. The writing center makes available a library of print and online resources for writers, including discipline-specific guides to college writing, dictionaries, handbooks, grammar guides, style and citation guides, and other resources. In this class you will be required to submit your papers to the WAC lab before the final deadline. You must sign up for a tutor session prior to the ROUGH DRAFT WAC deadline as spaces for tutoring are limited and if you wait until the last minute, they may not be able to see you. I will be given a report of your session and will take this into account when grading your final papers. For more information about WAC and WAC services, contact Robert Bell at rcbell@loyno.edu.
Disability Services: A student with a disability that qualifies for accommodations should contact Sarah Mead Smith, Director of Disability Services at 865-2990 (Academic Resource Center
Academic Dishonesty: Your written work must be your own. I have absolutely no tolerance for any kind of cheating and/or plagiarism and, to be sure, I am constantly fiddling on the internet and checking up on all my students’ work so if you cheat you will be caught. Also to be clear, the Loyola University Bulletin follows Alexander Lindley and defines plagiarism as “the false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind, and presenting it as one’s own” (Plagiarism and Originality). They also turn to the MLA Handbook and similarly define it as “Plagiarism may take the form of repeating another’s sentences as your own, adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own, paraphrasing someone else’s argument as your own, or even presenting someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a thesis as though it were your own.” The Philosophy Department’s Policy requires that every case of plagiarism receive all three of the following sanctions: 1) A report of the incident to the Department Chair and the Associate Dean; 2) A zero on the particular assignment; 3) A failing grade in the course.
Late Assignments: Late assignments will not be accepted unless you receive concrete permission from myself. If you are unable to hand in an assignment and you know in advance, then you must contact me at least 24 hours prior to the deadline. I do not accept hardcopies of your papers as I want everyone to send electronic versions. I must receive this email or post on BLACKBOARD with your papers before the class in which the assignment is due.
Emergency Evacuation Procedures: It is Loyola University
General Policies:
- Your attendance is expected in all classes as class participation is 1/5 of your grade. Every time you are absent you are hurting not only this grade but your overall average.
- The lectures will be based on the assigned readings, therefore you are expected to have read the material. Come to class prepared to take notes and ready to answer and ask questions.
- Laptops in class are to be used for note-taking purposes only. If I catch you doing anything else with them (e.g. surfing the web, updating your Facebook profile), I will ask you to leave class.
- Turn off your cell phones when in class. NO TEXTING!
- Lastly and perhaps most silly of me, I expect that everyone come ON TIME, READY (NOT HALF ASLEEP), and dressed appropriately (NO PYJAMAS or BUNNY SLIPPERS). If you cannot do this, then do not come at all!
If you are falling behind in the course, or are earning a below average grade, I strongly encourage you to stop by my office to discuss your work in the class. I will be happy to address any questions concerning the material and I always love helping students. I am good at it. So even if you think it is impossible, just come and we can figure things out.
COURSE AGENDA
(THIS AGENDA IS TENTATIVE, I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR ADAPT THIS PROGRAM AT MY WILL!)
BB=Available on Blackboard
Week 1
M 8/30 Introduction to Course: Courage, the Individual and the Risks of our Lives
(Boldness and the Homeric Hero)
W 9/1 BB: Homer, Iliad Book 1
F 9/3 BB: Homer, Iliad Book 24
Week 2
M 9/6 NO CLASS
W 9/8 Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound pp.215-265 (where Io enters)
Thursday Night Film Screening of Dark Knight
F 9/10 Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound pp. 265-315
Week 3
(Questioning the Hero, Courage and the Object of Fear)
M 9/13 BB: Plato, Laches pp.7-43
W 9/15 BB: Plato, Laches pp.43-83
F 9/17 BB: Aristotle Book III
Week 4
M 9/20 BB: Aristotle Book III
W 9/22 BB: Epictetus, Discourses Book I Section 29, 30 and Book II.1
F 9/24 BB: St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica pp.422-424 and pp.451-453
Question 123: What is Fortitude?
Question 124: What is a Martyr?
Week 5
M 9/27 BB: Kierkegaard, The Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing pp. 167-182
W 9/29 BB: Kierkegaard, The Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing pp.182-197
DRAFT of SHORT PAPER due in WAC LAB
Thrusday Film Screening of Jesus Christ Super Star
F 10/1 BB: Gospel of Luke, Chapters 22-24
Week 6
M 10/4 BB: Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra Prologue pp.3-20
W 10/6 BB: Voltaire, “Fanatic” from The Philosophical Dictionary.”
BB: “Fanaticism in the Modern Era” by Barrie
Conflict in the Modern Age
FIRST SHORT PAPER DUE
F 10/8 Genesis, The Story of Abraham Chapters 17-23
Euripides, Medea
Week 7
M 10/11 Euripides, Medea
W 10/13 Women and Courage—William Ian Miller “Courage and Chastity” from The
Mystery of Courage
Thrusday Film Screening of Breaking the Waves
F 10/15 BB: Paul Tillich, “Being and Courage” from A Courage to Be pp.1-31
Week 8
M 10/18 NO CLASS
W 10/20 Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
F 10/22 Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Week 9
M 10/25 BB: Plato, Apology
W 10/27 BB: Plato, Apology
F 10/29 BB: Plato, Apology
DRAFT of SHORT PAPER due in WAC LAB
Week 10
M 11/1 BB: Foucault, Fearless Speech, “The Word Parrhesia [free speech].”
W 11/3 BB: Foucault, Fearless Speech, “The Word Parrhesia [free speech].”
F 11/5 BB: Foucault, Fearless Speech, “The Word Parrhesia [free speech].”
2nd SHORT PAPER DUE
Week 11
M 11/8 Mill, “Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion” from On Liberty
W 11/10 Mill, “Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion” from On Liberty
F 11/12 Mill, “Of Individuality, As One of the Elements of Well-Being,” from On Liberty
Week 12
M 11/15 BB: Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
W 11/17 BB: Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Thursday Film Screening of Gandhi with Ben Kingsley
F 11/19 BB: Gandhi, “Conscience, Heroism, and Humility,” and “Ahimsa-The Scope and
Power of Non-Violence” from The Essential Writings of Mahatma Gandhi
Week 13
M 11/22 Presentations
W 11/24 NO CLASS
F 11/26 NO CLASS
Week 14
M 11/29 BB: Dr. Martin Luther King, “Letter from Birmingham
Autobiography of Martin Luther King
W 12/1 BB: Dr. Martin Luther King, “Unfulfilled Dreams” and Raya Dunayeskaya “New
Passions and New Forces: The Black Dimension, The Anti-Vietnam War Youth, Rank and File Labor, Women’s Liberation.”
Thursday Film Screening: MALCOLM X
F 12/3 Presentations
Week 15
M 12/6 Presentations
W 12/8 Presentations
F 12/10 The Courage of Simply Being: The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
DRAFT of LONG PAPER due in WAC LAB
FINAL DRAFT OF LONG PAPER DUE
DEC. 17, 2010
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