Senior Seminar: Keep it real
Lou Tenzis
Spring, 2007
Our
philosophy courses are designed to help you develop an informed opinion about the
relevance of philosophy within one’s life--personally, professionally and as a
member of one’s community. All LAS Senior Seminars focus on the moral
dimensions of a person’s life and are intended to be multidisciplinary and
integrative. This course, LAS 453, deals human fulfillment and the requirements
of moral character in today’s world; it focuses on the so-called virtues (or
good moral habits) needed for good moral character in today’s (complex,
rapid-paced, rapidly-changing, economics driven, globalizing, and unstable)
society.
Goals for this course. In this course the participants (1) identify
and explore moral questions, particularly those related to virtues and to the
issue of good (or corrupt) moral character in today's society. As part of the course each student (2)
selects one or two contemporary "virtues" for special attention and, (3) writes a
definitional essay on a virtue he or she has carefully researched and (4) as a
final project engages in a class venture of developing a "Book of Contemporary
Virtues" for presentation in class. By the end of this course, you should become a
‘resident expert’ on one or more virtue you select.
How
this course is taught. Our explorations will draw on many disciplines, if only to get the
context straight about what kind of world we live in. However, our explorations well also lean
toward the philosophical side (for applicable theories and for what goes into
having “an informed opinion.”) There are several reasons for this. First, all
LAS Senior Seminars require the study of Aristotle’s Ethics, an
important work in philosophy. Second, all LAS Senior Seminars
deal with ‘virtues and values,” an important area of philosophy. Finally, in addition, LAS 453, unlike other
LAS Seminars, satisfies both the philosophy general education requirement as
well as the LAS Senior Seminar graduation requirement. So a stronger philosophical preoccupation is
to be expected.
Typically
classes are conducted as informed and reflective group discussions on relevant
moral issues, usually selected by the Seminar participants. For good discussions we need to assume that
everyone does his or her homework when assigned, does it well, and so is fully
prepared to enter into an intelligent and open discussion. On-time and regular attendance is also
important. Lectures are mostly short and function to provide needed
concept-introductions and distilled summaries of topics discussed.
Assignments
and homework.You will have homework, an
extended essay, and a final project (your “Book of Virtues” presentation) for
this course. No exams. I will tell you
more about the extended essay and the “Book of Virtues” in class.
The
homework may include assigned readings, Internet explorations, film viewing, as
well as written précis and short essays, (usually one or the other for each
class.) For some assignments, you may
be asked to write an essay using reading questions provided in the syllabus for
the assignment. For other assignments
you may be asked to summarize, outline, précis, or otherwise respond to the
reading. Please keep in mind that at
times you may not understand the reading or you may completely disagree with
it. In both cases you should make a note
of this. It is always a good idea to
point up in your essay response what you do not get or what you particularly
disagree with. When you bring this up in
your essay be sure to point to a specific section of the text that is causing
you your greatest difficulties and why.
Please consider that there are several ways to approach a reflective
reply to a reading. For instance, you might respond to how something
significant in the reading affects you personally; or you can connect the
reading with something else you have read or learned about in this or another
class (or other sources); you might also find some ways in which the reading
can be put to some practical use; finally you might instead talk about how
something in this reading opens up all sorts of new and further possibilities
and applications. In any case using
specifics to make or to illustrate a point is always a good idea.
Evaluating written work. When I evaluate written
work I look for accurate, reasonably complete and well-supported replies; as a
rule of thumb I ask whether the work could serve as an good independent source
for an exam review; I also ask whether the reading gives credible evidence of a
serious effort to come to grips with the reading, which can be true even when
the student is explaining what she or he did not understand. Finally I look for thoughtful, well-focused
and coherent essays. I do “take-off” for
poorly written work. If I can’t easily
figure out the writing, I take that as confusion and/or a sign of rushed, last
minute or cursory work. Written assignments must be well focused, coherent and relevant. Remember your work is usually your only
documentation of the seriousness with which you approached the assignment. So very short replies may sometimes be
correct without revealing how well you grasped the reading and will be graded
accordingly. Long but basically verbatim
replies may suffer the same fate.
Intuitively if you don’t say much or if what you write doesn’t amount to
much in relationship to the reading, you won’t get much of a grade. On the other hand, serious thoughtful work,
work that draws significantly from life experiences, that
brings to bear what you know from other sources, etc.—especially if it
is well written-- can expect a better grade.
It all depends how much evidence you give me of serious, senior-level,
work.
Grading performance.
30% of your grade comes from the Book project; 20% of your grade comes the definitional essay; 25% of the grade is based on
your active participation in the course; 25% of your grade comes from the
regular written assignments.
Unless otherwise indicated,
writing assignments are to be typed and turned in for the class after the
reading associated with it. Late work
will be evaluated at one letter-grade below what it would otherwise have
received. Work turned in three or more
weeks late will usually get a D or F, depending on the quality of work. I do not give a grade of incomplete for this
course. I also do not have an “excused
absences” policy. Please note, however,
that sometimes for very good reasons I can make individual accommodations. However, I can consider this only if you give
me sufficient advance opportunity to do so.
Attendance/participation.
This course is highly participative and is based on the full,
informed, active involvement of each participant in every class. Full attendance and serious preparation for
each class is expected. Your
participation grade consists of a participation grade (50%) and an attendance
grade (50%) [A=0-1 absence; B=2 absences; C=3; 4=D; 5=F] Six absences from
class will result in the student being asked to withdraw in order to avoid a
failing grade for the course. The grade of
A for participation is reserved for those who regularly give evidence of
serious and thoughtful preparation and who frequently take an active role in
initiating and forwarding positive and lively class discussions.
Academic integrity. Any form of academic
dishonesty such as plagiarism, cheating on exams, etc. will result in an F for
the given assignment and the case will be turned over to the Academic Dean for
further disciplinary consideration. Students are expected to understand the
University policy regarding academic integrity.
If you have any doubts please review p. 29-30 of the 2006-2007
Undergraduate Bulletin.
Final notes. Please note that the instructor reserves the right
to make changes in assignments at any time for the educational best interests
of the class. All electronic devices
must be put away and out of sight during the class period.
My Office is Power
205. My Office Phone is
708-524-6302. My e-mail is Ltenzis@dom.edu and my fax is
847-358-1429. E-mail is a really good
way for us to communicate. Only don’t
count on an immediate reply, especially if you send your e-mail to me between
midnight and 9 am.
Senior Seminar
Keep it Real: Moral Issues for the 21st
Century
Spring, 2007
Lou Tenzis
January
Eleven Introduction
Sixteen Exploring what counts as a
“virtue.”
Assignment: The purpose of this exercise is
to get familiar with what makes something a virtue. For this exercise please
place each “virtue candidate” listed into the category you think best
identifies the candidate. For each
selection give your best reason for why you placed it in the category you chose
rather than the others. Please see the
assignment (class handout) for details. Not to be turned in but completed for
class use.
Eighteen Tying to answer some key
questions on the topic of virtues.
Assignment: The purpose
of this exercise is to get familiar with the kinds of questions you will have
to get comfortable with as you research your chosen virtue. For directions,
please see the handout for this assignment. (Class handout) Not to be turned in but completed for class
use. Preliminary list of virtues
developed in class today.
Twenty-three What is philosophy? Who is Aristotle?
Assignment: Please read the introductory section of your
book Aristotle’s Ethics. Please prepare
one good question you got from this reading and be prepared to bring it up
during this class. No written assignment
for this class.
Twenty
five Specializations
we might consult today about human behavior, motivations, causes, on the topic of moral habits, virtues and
vices, motivation, causes of human behavior, etc.
The purpose of this exercise is to think about
what various intellectual fields might contribute to our understanding of
virtues today. Assignment: For
directions, please see the class handout) Not to be turned in but completed for
class use.
Selection of virtues for
individual study done today in class.
Thirty Aristotle’s Ethics—what
is happiness or human fulfillment?
Assignment: Book I, i-v.
Suppose ethics is about making the choices
that will bring about a satisfying and fulfilling life. Choices are always about wanting some
perceived or real good. Further,
ultimately our choices aim not at the goods serving as a means to an end but at
the good we want for itself. Politics
and ethics deal with that ultimate good.
However, how sure can we be of our claims to know about what is really
good or morally fulfilling for a person?
This is a question worthy of serious study, Aristotle says. He notes all the different opinions people
have about this ultimate sort of good, about happiness. Nonetheless, he thinks a careful thinker can
articulate the kind of good any person should pursue to have a
fulfilling life. Aristotle takes a first
stab at identifying it here.
On written assignments: Many
of the class readings involve a written assignment as well. Unless otherwise
specified these assignments are to be typed and turned in the class period after
the assigned day for the reading. This
is to give you a better opportunity to write an articulate and thoughtful
response. Please, before you do the reading, first familiarize yourself with
the written assignment. Aristotle reading for this class calls for a one-page
summary and a one page personal response to the reading. Minimum 200 words each. Typed
to be turned in.
February
One Assignment: Reading:
The Pacific and Other Stories, Mark Helprin, “Il Colore Ritrovato.” A
premise for this course is that the real questions about a fulfilling life
arise from the “bite” of our daily existence—and sometimes “turning points”
that nobody but ourselves even knows about. And that
is why I assigned this story to start the course. Please read it carefully. Then for next class, write a
coherent, well-focused essay in response to this story, particularly regarding
the things that influence character over time.
You may wish to draw on questions such as the following to build your
essay. What point do you think the
author intends to make with this story?
What kind of person is Rosanna?
Could she be a fulfilled person? A good person? What
about the narrator, what kind of person is he?
How does the author get the reader to realize that we become who we are
slowly, over time? Does the narrator
think that sometimes crucial turning points come up, where the choices we make
will define us? Do you get the sense that the narrator really cares about
anybody besides himself? Does this story
capture anything similar in your own life experiences?
Typed to be turned in next class.
Six What is happiness again? Assignment: Aristotle's Ethics, Book I,
vii-viii.
Suppose the good we should live for is happiness--what exactly is
it? Aristotle will say that happiness
consists in being virtuous--"the virtuous act of the soul," he
says. He thinks that even the
conflicting opinions about happiness, each in their own way, all suggest
this.
For next class please write a one-page summary and one page
personal response to the reading. Typed to be turned in next
class.
Eight Assignment:
Reading: The Pacific and Other
Stories, Mark Helprin, “Vandevier’s
House.” This is a story about a wealthy
man who defines fulfillment at first with the satisfaction he gets from buying
and liquidating businesses and then, as we enter the story, with possessing the
comforting and opulent things of eminent good taste. Much of the story reads like a high-end
catalog of the good-stuff that tells us we have it all—and life is good. What will he do when he sees it all about to
go up in smoke? This reading is meant as
a contemporary tie-in to the Aristotle reading about the importance of fame,
riches, and pleasures for fulfillment and happiness. How does Vandervier’s idea of fulfillment square with what Aristotle
said about happiness? What do you think Vandervier’s idea of happiness was before he got the
estate? Why did his wife leave him? Do you think he has had (another?) epiphany
about human fulfillment as he watches his place go up in smoke? Think his wife will come back?
For next class, please write up a thoughtful response to this
story, focusing on these questions and on what you think he believes human
fulfillment truly requires, What might Aristotle have
told him? What might you tell him about what really counts? Typed
to be turned in next class.
Thirteen On souls, human nature, programs
and software, owner’s manuals? What’s the best way to
understand a human being? Assignment:
Aristotle's Ethics, Book I, ix and xiii. Three questions: (1) At what point in a person’s history can we call someone
happy? Then an
important theoretical question.
(2) Supposing that ultimately happiness is the “virtuous act of the
soul.” What soul? [Aristotle thinks that
the human soul is intellectual, animal and vegetable.] Finally a question
strange to the modern ear: (3) How do the vegetative
and animal relate to the intellectual aspect of the human soul? [He will say
the human soul is a single unit defined as an intelligent life form but an
animal and vegetative soul or life form virtually’ This will be important
because he will argue that human beings are supposed to rationally govern their
responses to their vegetative, animal and intellectual needs.] .
For next class please write
a one-page summary and one page personal response to the reading. Typed to be turned in next class.
Checking on your choices and your
research. Last
chance to pick a different virtue.
Fifteen Taking
a good shot at defining ‘virtue.’ Assignment: Aristotle's Ethics, Book II, i-iii; v
Ethics is about the human good in practice. It's not just theory. In practice what counts as good varies. For
instance, sometimes standing firm in the face of danger is courageous and at
other times it may be foolish. Given
this variability, given that being virtuous is never as simple as obeying some
rule, how can we hope to generalize about what is virtuous? His answer has become a classic: Virtue is
achieved by acting along a 'mean' (as in the concept of 'mean and
extremes'). How we respond to pleasure
and pain plays a role in the building of virtues, in building the
'mean." Aristotle next offers a
“strict” definition of virtue. For him,
a strict definition is one of genus and specific difference, as in "A human
being is defined as a rational [difference] animal [genus]." In this reading he concludes that the genus
of the definition of virtue is "a disposition to act." He needs to find its specific difference to
complete the definition. That happens in the next reading. .
For next class please write
a one-page summary and one page personal response to the reading. Typed to be turned in next class.
Introduction
to the “definitional essay.”
This assignment is important as a way to focus your class presentation
on the virtue of your choice. You need
to be able to explain what you mean by the virtue you are working
on. That is what definitional writing
does. A good definitional essay explains what is meant by a given term or
expression, in such a way that it will not readily confused with other terms
and in such a way that the reader can readily figure out what it situations,
actions emotions, etc it covers and which it does not. Unless you are following another theoretical
framework about virtue, it is probably best to follow Aristotle’s approach, as
a default structure, one that identifies whether the virtue is about emotions
or action—and if so which emotions and what sorts of actions; one that
specifies some of the chief the conditions such as right times and place,
person, intention, motive etc. This
essay might also cover what makes this virtue different from other virtues
easily confused with it, what vices are associated with it, and, if applicable
what makes this virtue different today from how it might have been understood
in other eras. This essay is to be
minimally 400 words, well-focused, coherent, making good uses of the various
relevant disciplinary inputs on the topic, including, of course, Aristotle’s Ethics.
Please turn in your completed final
draft of the definitional essay no later than 3 pm, April 3. My office Power 205.
Twenty On habits, skills, aptitudes,
hardwiring, compulsions, addictions, responsibility—and virtues.
Assignment: Aristotle's Ethics, Book II, vi-ix.
Virtue is a disposition to act. What makes a virtue different from other
dispositions to act [such as ‘having a temper’ or ‘a craving for chocolate’] is
that a virtue is a consciously developed habit that comes from using reason to
do what is good. (Chapter ix sums up what he has been saying so far.)
For next class please write
a one-page summary and one page personal response to the reading. Typed to be turned in next class.
Lotto day for which day you
will make your presentation. If
for some reason you are absent from today’s session, you will be assigned a
date that fits into the remaining slots in the schedule.
April
Assigned times for presentations (Three presentation
per session)
Five Easter
break No class.
Ten Presentations on Virtue
Twelve Presentations on Virtue
Seventeen Presentations on Virtue
Nineteen Presentations on Virtue
Twenty-four Presentations on Virtue
Twenty-six Presentations
on Virtue. Course
evaluation. No final exam.
Twenty-two “Beyond my control”, wishing and
choosing.
Assignment: Aristotle's Ethics, Book III, iii-v
This reading is about the relationship of (a) doing what one wants
to do [volition] (b) rationally arrived at choices regarding the appropriate
means to achieve an end [deliberation] and (c) wishing for something as opposed
to choosing it. He is developing a
thesis that says people are responsible for their bad habits because while they
may not be as capable of deliberation once they are victims of their habits (1)
they are acting volitionally [unless we are talking about what we today call
clinical addictions and compulsions perhaps] and (2) they did have a choice at
the beginning, before they developed the bad habit.
For next class please write
a one-page summary and one page personal response to the reading. Typed to be turned in next class.
Twenty seven On the virtue of courage.
Typed to be turned in next class.
March
One On
the virtue of courage—he now tries out his theory about virtue on some
“virtues” broadly accepted among Athenians Assignment: Aristotle's Ethics, Book III, vi-ix. For next class
please write a one-page summary and one page personal response to the reading. Typed to be turned in next class.
.
March 6-8
Spring break. No
classes this week
Thirteen On the virtue of self-control.
Assignment: Aristotle's Ethics, Book III, x-xii. For next class please write a one-page
summary and one page personal response to the reading. Typed
to be turned in next class.
Fifteen On liberality and magnificence. Assignment: Aristotle's Ethics, Book IV, i (Liberality.) Book
IV, ii-iv (Magnificence). For next class please write a one-page summary and
one page personal response to the reading. Typed to be turned
in next class.
Twenty On patience, amiability and sincerity. Assignment: Aristotle's Ethics, Book IV, v-x.
For next class please write a one-page summary and one page personal response
to the reading. Typed to be turned in to my office by March
22.
Twenty-two No class meeting. Individual meeting times to discuss your
draft of the definitional essay and your presentations. Please sign
up for an appointment. If you do not have an appointment I strongly suggest you work on your essay
and do a preliminary reading of the essay for the following class because (1)
it suggests some ways you might develop your essay (2) it is long and a bit
complicated. At this point it might be
helpful to remember the distinction between “I don’t agree with…………” and “I
don’t understand…………” You might find
yourself mixing the two together as you read this essay.
Twenty-seven On
sexual modesty (an example of an essay on a virtue) Assignment: from Return to Modesty, Wendy Shallit. (Class handout)
Her thesis is that by nature men and women are different and that this
difference places a different (heavier) moral obligation on women regarding
sexual modesty than on men. In this
essay she gives us a very clear definition of sexual modesty, tells us what
makes it relevant in today’s society, and draws on contemporary thinking about
various intellectual disciplines—particularly evolutionary human psychology—to
support her position that it is because men and women have evolved with very
different drives, that women have a very different responsibility concerning
sexual modesty. While you may or may not
agree with her thesis or her argument, it is a serious contemporary work that
does many of the things you might do when completing your definitional essay on
the virtue or your choice. No written
assignment.
Twenty-nine No class. Getting your definitional essay completed.
Individual meeting times to discuss
your draft of the definitional essay and your presentations. Please sign up for an appointment. If you do not have an appointment please use
your time to work on your essay/ the details of your presentation.
On the definitional essay. A good definitional essay explains what is
meant by a given term or expression, in such a way that it will not readily
confused with other terms and in such a way that the reader can readily figure
out what it situations, actions emotions, etc it covers and which it does
not. Unless you are following another
theoretical framework about virtue, it is probably best to follow Aristotle’s
approach, as a default structure, one that identifies whether the virtue is
about emotions or action—and if so which emotions and what sorts of actions;
one that specifies some of the chief the conditions such as right times and
place, person, intention, motive etc.
This essay might also cover what makes this virtue different from other
virtues easily confused with it, what vices are associated with it, and, if
applicable what makes this virtue different today from how it might have been
understood in other eras.
This essay is to be minimally 400 words, well-focused, coherent,
making good uses of the various relevant disciplinary inputs on the topic,
including, of course, Aristotle’s Ethics.
April
Three No class. Please turn in your completed final draft of
the definitional essay no later than 3 pm today. My office Power 205.
Five
Easter break No class.
Ten Presentations
on Virtue
Twelve Presentations
on Virtue
Seventeen Presentations
on Virtue
Nineteen Presentations
on Virtue
Twenty-four Presentations
on Virtue
Twenty-six Presentations
on Virtue. Course evaluation. No
final exam.
Class Assignment
For January 16
Exploring what counts as a “virtue.”
Directions: Please place the
itemized list of “virtue candidates” in the category you think best identifies
the candidate. For each selection give
your best reason for why you placed in the category you chose rather than any
of the other categories. Not to be
turned in but completed for class use. The categories are (A) ‘virtue,’(B) ‘definitely not a virtue or a vice,’ (C) ‘not
sure where it goes,’ (D) ‘vice.’
Examples:
Justice A because justice is the moral habit of giving
everyone what they have a right to.
Affluence B
because having wealth it not by itself a moral quality
Dishonesty D because it is a
habit and a morally bad one to have.
Cautious C because it could be
a natural disposition or an acquired habit and can be good or bad.
Virtue Candidates
(Categories: (A) ‘virtue,’(B)
‘definitely not a virtue or a vice,’ (C) ‘not sure where it goes,’ (D) ‘vice.’
Anger
Pity
Intelligence
Modesty
Wittiness
Sexiness
Pride
Lucky
Stupid
Shrewdness
Miserliness
Healthiness
Leadership
Love
Class Assignment
For January 18th
An intellectual treasure
hunt
This is a
familiarization exercise. Its purpose is to acquaint you with issues you will
need to handle as you become the resident expert on the virtue of your choice. (This
exercise is to be done for use in class but not to turn in.) Directions: Consider the questions on this
list. Then spend a couple hours asking yourself (A) where you might go to find
answers and (B) how you would answer the questions based on your general
knowledge of things now.
a.
Where would one
find a good definition and explanation of “cleanliness?” Is it a habit? A virtue?
Does the dictionary suffice?
b.
Is cleanliness
more about dealing with emotions or with actions? How about “humility?”
c.
How about some
good examples that serve as evidence of the presence
or absence of cleanliness or humility as a virtue in today’s society? (Poems,
letters, lyrics, speeches, news stories, essays, sermons……)
d.
Is there some
theoretical framework that enables one to justify the claim that cleanliness is
a virtue and is important as a virtue today?
Or instead, if you prefer, consider ‘loyalty.’ For instance, would we call the habit of cleanliness
a virtue because it helps keep us from getting diseases? Or is something more required?
e.
Where would one
find a good definition of what we mean by “virtue.” Does the dictionary definition suffice?
f.
“Loyalty” is
supposed to be an important virtue. What are some of the defining conditions
for its application (such
as the right time, the right situation, the right motivation, the right
person? How does one find good answers
to these? How would you answer these today?
g.
Virtues are moral
habits we develop with guidance and practice. What fields of knowledge might be
relevant to understanding the genetic, personal, and social conditions that
have to do with the task of becoming or being virtuous. Consider, for example, the virtue of sexual
modesty or the virtue of compassion and mercy.
Class Assignment
For January 25
When Aristotle began his inquiry into
human fulfillment and moral character he asked himself and his intended
audience which fields of study to consult.
(His answer was politics) We live
in a far more intellectually sophisticated world today when it comes to the
understanding of human behavior, motivations and various social conditions
affecting our desires, drives, means and goals.
The purpose of this exercise is for you to consider what the following
intellectual disciplines might contribute to our study of fulfillment and moral
character. For each discipline state
what each is about and how it might contribute to the topic of what it take to
be of sound moral character in today’s world.
For example, take religion. Religion offers a theory of being human, destiny,
obligations, and desirable actions—all supported as required because of divine
revelation and church teachings.
Ask yourself what each of the following
might contribute to matters pertaining to living a good moral life.
Psychology:
Sociology
Economics
Physics
Biology
The arts (such as visual art, music, literature, drama, cinema,
dance, etc.)
History
Anthropology
Engineering
Other
Class Assignment
For January 16
Exploring what counts as a “virtue.”
Directions: Please place
the itemized list of “virtue candidates” in the category you think best
identifies the candidate. For each
selection give your best reason for why you placed it in the category you chose
rather than any of the other categories.
Not to be turned in but
completed for class use. The categories are (A) ‘virtue,’(B)
‘definitely not a virtue or a vice,’ (C) ‘not sure where it goes,’ (D)
‘vice.’
Examples:
Justice A ‘Virtue” because justice is the moral habit of giving everyone
their due.
Affluence B
“Definitely neither” because having wealth in itself is morally neutral.
Dishonesty D “Vice” because it
is a habit and a morally bad one to have.
Cautious C “Not sure” because
it could be a natural disposition or an acquired habit and can be good or bad.
Virtue Candidates
(Categories: (A) ‘virtue,’(B)
‘definitely not a virtue or a vice,’ (C) ‘not sure where it goes,’ (D) ‘vice.’
Anger
Pity
Intelligence
Modesty
Wittiness
Sexiness
Pride
Lucky
Stupidity
Self-reliance
Miserliness
Healthiness
Leadership
Love
Class Assignment
For January 18th
An intellectual treasure
hunt
This is a
familiarization exercise. Its purpose is to acquaint you with issues you will need
to handle as you become the resident expert on the virtue of your choice. (This
exercise is to be done for use in class but not to turn in.) Directions: Consider the questions on this
list. Then spend a couple hours asking yourself (A) where you might go to find
answers and (B) how you would answer the questions based on your general
knowledge of things today.
a.
Where would one
find a good definition and explanation of “cleanliness?” Is it a habit? A virtue?
Does the dictionary suffice?
b.
Is cleanliness
more about dealing with emotions or with actions? How about “humility?”
c.
How about some
good examples that serve as evidence of that cleanliness or humility are
considered virtues in today’s society? (Poems, letters, lyrics, speeches, news
stories, essays, sermons……)
d.
Is there some
theoretical framework that enables one to justify the claim that cleanliness is
a virtue and is important as a virtue today?
For instance, would we call the habit of cleanliness a virtue because it
helps keep us from getting diseases? Or
is something more required? Or instead, if you prefer, consider ‘sexual
modesty’. Is it a “hang-up” left over from Puritanism? Or ‘loyalty’ somehow a
result of biological evolution.
e.
Where would one
find a good definition of what we mean by “virtue.” Does the dictionary definition suffice?
f.
“Loyalty” is
supposed to be an important virtue. What are some of the defining conditions
for its application (such
as the right time, the right situation, the right motivation, the right person?
How would you answer these today?
g.
Virtues are moral
habits we develop with guidance and practice. What fields of knowledge are
relevant to understanding the genetic, personal, and social conditions that
have to do with becoming or being virtuous.
Consider, for example, the virtue of courage or the vice of laziness.
Class Assignment
For January 25
When Aristotle began his inquiry into
human fulfillment and moral character he asked himself and his intended
audience which fields of study to consult.
(His answer was politics) We live
in a far more intellectually sophisticated world today when it comes to the
understanding of human behavior, motivations and various social conditions
affecting our desires, drives, means and goals.
The purpose of this exercise is for you to consider what the following
intellectual disciplines might contribute to our study of fulfillment and moral
character. For each discipline state
what each is about and how it might contribute to the topic of what it takes to
be of sound moral character in today’s world.
For example, take religion. Religion offers a theory of being human,
destiny, obligations, and desirable actions—all supported as required because
of divine revelation and church teachings.
Ask yourself what each of the following
might contribute to matters pertaining habits involved in living a good moral
life.
Psychology:
Sociology
Economics
Physics
Biology
The arts (such as visual art, music, literature, drama, cinema,
dance, etc.)
History
Anthropology
Engineering
Other
Keep It Real: Moral Issues for the 21st
Century: LAS 453
Prerequisites: Senior class standing.
Core requirement fulfilled: LAS Senior Seminar.
General
requirement fulfilled: Philosophy general education
requirement.
Main
goals for this course: All our philosophy courses are designed to help develop an informed
opinion about the relevance of philosophy within one’s life--personally,
professionally and as a member of one’s community. All LAS Senior Seminars use
Aristotle’s book Ethics and other sources to explore the moral
dimensions of a person’s life. “Keep it Real” deals with human fulfillment and the requirements of
moral character for today’s world; it focuses on so-called virtues (or good
moral habits) needed for good moral character in today’s complex society. This course draws on many disciplines but
leans mainly toward the philosophical because it satisfies the general
education requirement for philosophy
In this course the participants (1) explore moral questions
related to virtues and to what counts as good (and corrupt) moral character in
today's society. In this course each
student (2) selects a contemporary "virtue" for special attention and, (3) writes a definitional
essay on it after careful research and (4) makes a class presentation on ways
in which this virtue manifests itself in today’s culture. By
the end of this course, you should become a ‘resident expert’ on one or more
virtue you select.
How
this course is taught. Typically classes are informed and reflective group discussions on
relevant moral issues, usually selected by the Seminar participants. Lectures are mostly short and function to
provide needed concept-introductions and distilled summaries of topics
discussed. Good discussions assume that
everyone does his or her homework when assigned, does it well, and so is fully
prepared to enter into intelligent and open discussions. On-time and regular attendance is also
important.
Assignments and homework. You will have homework, an
extended essay, and a final project (your “Book of Virtues” presentation). No exams. The homework may include assigned
readings, Internet explorations, film viewing, as well as written précis and
short essays, (usually one or the other for each class.) For some assignments, you may be asked to
write an essay using reading questions provided in the syllabus; for others,
you may be asked to summarize, outline, précis, or otherwise respond to the
reading. (See syllabus for details)
.
How
you will be graded: 30% of the final grade is from the
class presentation; 20% from the definitional essay; 25% based on your active participation
in the course; 25% from the regular written assignments. (See syllabus for
details) This course is highly participative and is based on the full,
informed, active involvement of each participant in every class. Full attendance and serious preparation for
each class is expected. Your
participation grade consists of a participation grade (50%) and an attendance
grade (50%) [A=0-1 absence; B=2 absences; C=3; 4=D; 5=F] Six absences from
class will result in the student being asked to withdraw in order to avoid a
failing grade for the course. (See syllabus
for details) General policy: no excused
absences and no grade of “Incomplete” for this course.
Academic integrity. Any form of academic
dishonesty such as plagiarism, cheating on exams, etc. will result in an F for
the given assignment and the case will be turned over to the Academic Dean for
further action. (See p. 29-30 of the 2006-2007 Undergraduate Bulletin
for details) To support the college
commitment to academic integrity, the Philosophy Department reserves the right
to use Turnitin.com to screen and written student assignment.
Final notes. Please note that the instructor reserves the right
to make changes in assignments at any time for the educational best interests
of the class. All electronic devices
must be put away and out of sight during the class period.