Sem Iv Syllabus 2009

PLS 33102: Great Books Seminar IV Spring 2009 Professor Affeldt Office: 416 Decio Hall Office Phone: 631-7655, Home Phone: 339-6945 Office Hours: M, W, 1:30-3 or by appointment E-Mail: [email protected] Texts Austen: Pride and Prejudice, Penguin Bacon: Selected Philosophical Works, Hackett Descartes: Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, Hackett Goethe: Faust, Doubleday/Anchor Hobbes: Leviathan, Penguin Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Hackett Kant: Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, Macmillan Malthus: Essay on the Principle of Population, Norton Milton: Samson Agonistes, Harlan Davidson Mozart: Don Giovani, EMI Studio (recording) Dover (libretto) Pascal: Pensees, Penguin Rousseau: Basic Political Writings, Hackett Shakespeare: The Tempest, Penguin Smith: The Wealth of Nations, Library of America Swift: Gulliver’s Travels, St. Martins/Bedford These texts have been ordered for PLS Seminar IV at the Hammes Bookstore. In order to facilitate our finding passages in class discussions, please purchase or borrow these editions. Requirements • Two short papers (5-7 pages) • Weekly class-discussion questions • Attendance and participation in discussion • Final examination. Note on Attendance Class will begin promptly at 3:15. At that point you should be present, seated, quiet, and with all non-class materials off of the table. If you are not present and seated by 3:15 you are late. Two late arrivals for class equal one absence. More than two unexcused absences will result in a grade of “F” for the course.

Due Dates First Paper: Friday, March 6. Second Paper: Wednesday, April 29. Note: You are free to submit paper-topic proposals and completed papers prior to these deadlines. The only stipulation is that one of your papers must consider a text read in the first half of the course and the other a text considered in the second half of the course. Extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances Grades Your grade for the course will be determined as follows (but see “Attendance Policy”): • Papers 25% each • Class participation (including discussion questions) 25% • Final exam 25% Improvement throughout semester will be taken into account. Schedule of Readings (Note: All readings are to be completed by the date listed) January 14: Shakespeare, The Tempest January 19: Bacon, The New Organon, Preface and Book One January 21: Bacon, The New Organon, Book Two, Sections 1-24 and 52 January 26: Descartes, Discourse on Method January 28: Descartes, Meditations, Dedication, Preface, Meditations 1-3 February 2: Descartes, Meditations, Meditations 4-6 February 4: Hobbes, Leviathan, Part I February 9: Hobbes, Leviathan, Part II (omit 25, 27, 28), Part III ch. 43 February 11: Milton, Samson Agonistes February 16: Pascal, Pensees, Section One, chs. 1-27 (with special attention to 1-17 and 26-27) February 18: Pascal, Pensees, Section Two, chs. 1-11, 21-25, 27-31, Section Four, A February 23: Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, Parts I-II February 25: Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, Parts III-IV March 2: Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, pp. 1-53 March 4: Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, pp. 53-114 March 7-15: Mid-Semester Break March 16: Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, pp. 23-60 March 18: Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, pp. 60-81 March 23: Smith, Wealth of Nations, Author’s Introduction, Plan of Work, Preamble, Book 1, chs. 1-8 March 25: Smith, Wealth of Nations, Book IV, chs. 1-2, Book V, ch. 1, Parts I, III; Article 2, Conclusion

March 30: Kant, Prolegomena, Introduction, Preamble, Part I April 1: Kant, Prolegomena, Parts II-III, Conclusion, Solution April 6: Malthus, Essay on the Principle of Population, chs. 1-4, 9, 14, 16-19 April 8: Austen, Pride and Prejudice, chs. 1-42 April 10-13 Easter Holiday April 15: Austen, Pride and Prejudice, chs. 43-61 April 20: Goethe, Faust, Prelude, Prologue, Part I April 22: Goethe, Faust, Part II (Act V only) April 27: Mozart, Don Giovanni April 29: Review, no new reading