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41
Fall
2006
TTh,
2:10-4
109
Hartley
Samuel
Moyn
Associate
Professor
Department
of History
Fayerweather
Hall 616
(212)
854-3009
s.moyn@columbia.edu
http://www.columbia.edu/~sam2008
AOL
IM: samuelmoyn
Office Hours: Tues., 11 am-1 pm.
This
required undergraduate course is intended to introduce you to some of the major
Western texts and thinkers of the ancient, medieval, and early modern ages.
This section is designed as a contrast of two traditions Ñ Greek and Hebrew Ñ
that began separately but eventually collided and were combined with one
another with very different results from period to period and thinker to
thinker.
The
texts are difficult, but they have to be read (very carefully) if the course is
to succeed both for you personally and for the group as a whole. The course is
not a lecture: each session is intended to consist mainly of guided discussion
through which you can hone your ability to communicate and clarify your ethical
and political commitments in light of the opinions of your fellow students.
There is also a substantial writing component, to allow you to improve the
lifelong skill of writing clearly and interestingly. Most of all, the course is
about learning to read and evaluate arguments. For this reason, doing the
reading is the first and most important requirement.
http:///www.college.columbia.edu/core
via
https://courseworks.columbia.edu
The
following texts are available at Columbia University Bookstore and elsewhere. I
have also listed the publisher and ISBN for each in case you should want to
order them online. You should always bring the text(s) under discussion to
class. Note: many of these texts are available via the Columbia Virtual Reading
Room, at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/ebooks/vrr.html,
but you should buy the books or check them out from reserve in order to avoid
having to print them from the web.
Plato,
Republic (Hackett), ISBN #
0872201368
Aristotle,
Nicomachean Ethics (Hackett), 0872204642
Aristotle,
Politics (Hackett), 0872203883
Epictetus,
The Handbook (Hackett),
0915145693
The
Holy Bible, Revised Standard Ed.
(Meridian), 0452006473
Augustine,
City of God (Penguin),
0140444262
The
Koran (Penguin), 0140449205
Niccol˜
Machiavelli, The Prince
(Penguin), 0140449159
Hans
J. Hillerbrand, ed., The Protestant Reformation (Harper and Row), 0061313424
RenŽ
Descartes, Discourse on Method etc.
(Hackett), 0872204200
Thomas
Hobbes, Leviathan (Oxford
WorldÕs Classics), 0192834983
John
Locke, Second Treatise on Government (Hackett), 091514493X
There
is also one additional text, ordered at Labyrinth Books on 112th St.
Baruch
Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (Hackett), 0872206076
This
semester involves a few shorter readings that appear in the online CC Reader,
downloadable whenever you want. You must print them out for class. Other
materials will be handed out.
The
final grade in this class is computed as follows:
Attendance/Participation/Quizzes
30%
Papers
40%
Midterm
Exam 10%
Final
Exam 20%
As
the focus of the course is discussion of the texts with one another, attendance
is mandatory. If you have a good reason to be absent, say so Ñ if possible, in
advance. All absences matter; but, in accordance with college policy, four or
more unexcused absences will severely affect your grade in this class.
Simply
attending without speaking, however, will lead to a poor
attendance/participation grade. Participation in discussion is also
mandatory, and your grade will suffer if you never talk in class or contribute
too rarely.
This
section has a website. It includes a discussion list. Web posts are highly
encouraged for everyone and I will take them into consideration when assessing
grades (especially for those shy about speaking in person, though nothing can
replace participation in class).
In
order to test your reading, on six occasions during the semester I will ask you
to take out a piece of paper and compose a summary, of the length of a short
paragraph, of the assignment for the day. You will be graded according to one
criterion: whether your response makes clear that you did the reading. I will
drop the worst grade on these quizzes in calculating your final grade.
You
may write either two 6-7 page or three 4-5 page papers. Once you commit to one
ÒtrackÓ or the other, you have to stick with it. Mastery of the texts and of
basic writing skills will lead to a good grade; exceptional clarity, elegance,
insight, or creativity will lead to a superior grade. I will hand out topics by
e-mail as the course progresses. You are encouraged to meet with me to discuss
your papers in advance of the due date. You are welcome to revise any papers
with a grade of C+ or below. Plagiarism: please donÕt. Think of the
consequences if you are discovered. On the syllabus below, the due dates for
two-paper track are indicated with numbers (i.e., Paper 1, 2); those for the
3-paper track are indicated with letters (i.e., Paper A, B, C).
The
midterm and final exams will consist of short-answer or essay questions or
(most likely) both.
The
materials marked with an asterisk (*) are supplements available on the CC
website.
Sept.
5: Introduction and Organization
Sept.
7: Plato, Republic, Books 1-3,
focusing on Books 2-3 (entire)
Sept.
12: Plato, Republic, Books 4-6
(entire)
Sept.
14: Plato, Republic, Books
7-10 (entire, Book 10 to be skimmed)
Sept.
19: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics,
Books 1-2 (entire); 3: 1-3; 5: 1-7; 6: 5-8, 12-13; 10: 6-9
Sept.
21: Epictetus, The Handbook
Sept.
26 (Special Guest Teacher: Melissa Schwartzberg, CU Political Science):
Aristotle, Politics, Books 1
(entire); 2: 1-5; 3: 1-16; 4: 1-12; 7: 1-3; 8: 1-2; Optional: Book 5
Sept.
28: Greeks contÕd
Paper
A Due
Sept.
30: The Hebrew Bible, Genesis 1: 1-9; 11: 31-13:18; 15:1-18:33; 21:1-23:20 and
Deuteronomy 1:1-45; 4:1-11:28; 15:1-19:21; 21:10-26:19; 27:11-28:68; 30:1-34:12
Oct.
3: The Hebrew Bible, Isaiah, 1-40 and Daniel (entire)
Oct.
5: NO CLASS
Oct.
10: The New Testament, Matthew (entire) and Acts 1:1-7:60; 9:1-11:18;
13:1-15:35; 17:1-28:30
Paper
1 Due
Oct.
12: The New Testament, Romans, Galatians (entire)
Oct.
17: The QurÕan (in order) Suras 1, 114, 112, 68, 63, 56, 39, 26, 17, 12, 4, 3,
2
Oct.
19: Midterm (one hour)
Oct.
24: Augustine, The City of God,
Books 4: 1-4; 8: 1-12, 14 (entire); 19 (entire); and 29-30 (entire)
Oct.
26: *St. Thomas Aquinas, Averroes, Maimonides, Selections
Paper
B Due
Oct.
31: Medieval Authors contÕd
Nov.
2: Niccol˜ Machiavelli, The Prince,
entire
Nov.
7: NO CLASS Ð Election Day Holiday
Nov.
9: Hans J. Hillerbrand, ed., The Protestant Reformation, pp. 4-28, 38-42, 88-107, 43-63
Nov.
10: Vacl‡v Havel: CC Coursewide Lecture (Mandatory)
Nov.
14: RenŽ Descartes, Discourse on
Method and Meditations on First
Philosophy, pp. 1-18, 47-103
Nov.
16: Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan,
pp. 7-27, 33-42, 58-106
Nov.
21: Hobbes, pp. 111-48, 175-86, 212-35, 441-57, 467-75
Nov.
23: NO CLASS -- Thanksgiving
Nov.
28: John Locke, Second Treatise on Government (entire)
Nov.
30: Locke, Letter Concerning Toleration (handout)
Paper
2 Due
Paper
C Due
Dec.
5: Baruch Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, pp. 1-58, 71-85, 105-15
Dec.
7: Spinoza, pp. 153-57, 172-230
Reading
Period: Review Session
Later:
Final Exam, 12:30 Ð 3:30 p.m.