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INQ 120
LEADING AN EXAMINED LIFE: HAPPINESS AND GOODNESS
Spring 2015
Hans Zorn
West 315 Office hours:
375-2024 (office); 989-1890 (home) M 2:20-3:20
E-mail: Th3:00-4:00
The INQ curriculum is designed to provide students with the abilities in critical thinking needed for the main goal of the liberal arts, to become productive and responsible members of a free society. This is the second seminar in the introductory portion of that curriculum, designed to develop in students the fundamental skills needed to pursue a liberal arts education. In this course the focus is on ethical values: becoming familiar with ethical concepts and developing the ability to make and reasoned moral judgments. Acquiring these skills also requires understanding the living traditions of thought and action that provide the cultural context for ethical living. The point of the course is normative: not only to learn what others have believed or done, but to be in a better position to evaluate the value judgments of others and to be equipped to make better informed ones ourselves.
This section explores the relation between leading a happy life and living a morally good life. We will use ancient and modern classics to identify conceptions of happiness as well as different ways of conceiving moral goodness. In the process, we will examine the standards we use to make value judgments and the larger views of what it means to be a flourishing human being in which those standards are embedded. By examining the traditions of ethical thought that embody these views and debating their practical applications we can hope to arrive at a better understanding of the grounds for our moral judgments.
OUTCOMES
Students will be able
To formulate and evaluate arguments about ethical issues;
To describe connections between conceptions of happiness and traditions of critical reflection on what it means to lead a good life;
To give an effective oral presentation;
To write papers with clear theses, cogent argumentation, effective organization, and a minimum of sentence-level errors.
REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance (dropped after 3 skips)
Participation in class discussions 15 % of final grade
Peer reviews10 %
2 analysis papers (3-4 pp.)10 % each
Reading presentations15 % total
Final project (5-6 pp.)
Paper15 %
Presentation15 %
Final examination 10 %
It is important that everyone come to class having read and reflected on the readings assigned for that day. Class participation should suggest a serious and thoughtful attempt to engage the topics at hand, and will be evaluated accordingly.
In addition to participating in class, students will develop skills in oral presentation through several types of class presentations:
At the beginning of the semester, each student will be assigned a section of text to summarize for the class and to raise a pertinent question concerning the text for discussion. These will not be graded.
Twicein the semester, each student will be assigned a passage from the reading to read and explain in class. These presentations will be graded.
Finally, each student will prepare a major presentation, accompanied by a paper, on the topic of his or her own choosing. Presentations will be in the last week and a half of the class. Papers will be due on the last day of class.
Two medium-length papers during the course of the semester will call for students to reflect on some of the ethical traditions encountered in the course. The final paper will be based on the major oral presentation, and will be due on the last day of class.
All course material, including assignments, announcements, and case studies will be posted on Inquire. Please make a habit of consulting it regularly. It is difficult to imagine a legitimate excuse for not being aware of an assignment.
All papers and presentations will be evaluated on their clarity of expression and cogency of argument. In general, “A” work is clearly organized, reflects proper English usage, and has a clear thesis with a well-reasoned argument to support it. It goes beyond what is required by the assignment in the depth and thoroughness of its analysis. “B” work meets the assignment by critically engaging the material and arguing effectively, but typically does not go beyond it. Its argument may not as rigorous or thorough as that of an “A” paper or presentation; often it has less effective organization and use of language. “C” work also meets the assignment, but is not well-organized or argued. “D” work is seriously deficient in all areas, while an “F” indicates that the author or presenter has not understood the material or has made little effort to analyze it.
In addition, papers that are deficient in grammar and/or spelling will be returned to be rewritten. If a corrected version of the paper is turned in by the next class period, the paper will be graded as usual; otherwise it will receive an F. Students are encouraged to consult the Hacker book and to talk to me on matters related to grammar and composition.
Late work will not be accepted except under exceptional circumstances. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the dates noted in the syllabus. This includes all drafts. Similarly, not showing up for an oral presentation will result in an F for that assignment. If there is a compelling reason to turn work in late, e.g., violent illness or a death in the family, arrangements should be made with me in advance if at all possible.
Students are expected to abide by the Roanoke College Academic Integrity Code at all times and for all work, including drafts and informal writing. We all have a responsibility to seek the truth and to be truthful in the way we seek it, but we have additional responsibilities as members of an academic community. As members of a community of scholars we draw on the work of others, but simple justice as well as intellectual integrity requires that we acknowledge the work of others by properly citing sources. If you have any questions about what to cite or how, you should talk to me.
The Office of Disability Support Services, located in the Goode-Pasfield Center for Learning and Teaching in Fintel Library, provides reasonable accommodations to students with identified disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are provided based on the diagnosed disability and the recommendations of the professional evaluator. In order to be considered for disability services, students must identify themselves to the Office of Disability Support Services. Students are required to provide specific current documentation of their disabilities. Please contact Richard Robers, M.A. Ed., Coordinator of Disability Support Services, at 540-375-2247 or e-mail .
The Writing Center @ Roanoke College, located in Room 15 on the Lower Level of Fintel Library, offers writing tutorials for students working on writing assignments/projects in any field. Writers at all levels of competence may visit the Writing Center at any point in their process, from brainstorming to drafting to editing, and talk with trained peer writing tutors in informal, one-on-one sessions. The Writing Center is open Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 9 pm.beginning Monday, January 23rd. Simply stop in, or schedule an appointment by going to
TEXTS:
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
Cahn and Vitrano, ed., Happpiness: Classic and Contemporary Readings in Philosophy
Camus, The Stranger
H. H. the Dalai Lama and Cutler, The Art of Happiness, 10th ed.
Hacker, A Writer’s Reference, RC ed.
Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecco Homo
Electronic texts posted on Inquire
Tentative Schedule:
Jan. 12Introduction
I. Two Views of Happiness
14 The Dalai Lama and Cutler, The Art of Happiness, Part I: The Purpose of Life
16 Part II: Human Warmth and Compassion
19 Part III: Transforming Suffering
21Part IV: Overcoming Obstacles
23Part V: Closing Reflections on Living a Spiritual Life; Nozick, “The Experience Machine” in Cahn and Vitrano
26Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book I.1-5; 7-13
28Aristotle, Ethics II
30Aristotle, Ethics III
Feb. 2Aristotle, Ethics IV
4Aristotle, Ethics VIII
6Aristotle, Ethics IX 3- 4; 8-9
9No class
11Aristotle, Ethics X
Rough draft due
13Peer review conferences
16Annas, “Happiness as Achievement” in Cahn and Vitrano
Final draft due
18Epicurus, “Letter to Menoeceus” and “Leading Doctrines” in Cahn and Vitrano
II. Views on Morality
20Hume, “The Sceptic” in Cahn and Vitrano
23Kant, selections from Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals in Cahn and Vitrano
25Kant, from Critique of Pure Reason in Cahn and Vitrano
28Cahn and Murphy, “Happiness and Immorality” in Cahn and Vitrano
SPRING BREAK
Mar.9Bentham, selections from An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation in Cahn and Vitrano
11Mill, selections from Utilitarianism in Cahn and Vitrano
13Mill, continued
16Case studies
Rough draft due
18Paper conferences
III. Alternative Views of Morality and Happiness
20Nietzsche, The Genealogy of Morals, First Essay
23Nietzsche, Second Essay
Final draft due
25Nietzsche, continued
27Niezsche, Ecce Homo” “Why I Write Such Good Books”; “Why I Am a Destiny”
30Conferences on final papers
Apr.1Camus, The Stranger, Part One
GOOD FRIDAY
6Camus, Part Two
8Vitrano, “Happiness and Morality” in Cahn and Vitrano
Drafts due
10Peer review and oral presentation workday
13Presentations
15Presentations
17Presentations
20Presentations; final papers due
27 FINAL EXAMINATION 8:30-11:30