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Philosophy 301: Ancient Philosophy

Fall 2010, Caldwell Lab 0120, TuTh 12:30–2:18.

Professor : David Sanson, 372 University Hall, Office hours: Tue 2:30-3:30; Wed 10:30-11:30; or by appointment; sanson.7@osu.edu

Teaching Assistant : Lindsay Mouchet, 214 University Hall, Office hours: Tues 11:15-12:15; Wed 3:30-4:30; or by appointment, mouchet.2@osu.edu

Course Webpage : http://www.davidsanson.com/301

Course Description

An introduction to Ancient Greek Philosophy, from its traditional beginning in 585 BCE through the death of Aristotle in 322 BCE. We will cover several Presocratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. We will focus on issues in natural philosophy and metaphysics.

Required Texts

  • McKirahan, R. D. (1994) Philosophy before Socrates: An Introduction with Texts and Commentary. Indianapolis: Hackett. ISBN: 9780872201750
  • S. Marc Cohen, Patricia Curd, and C.D.C Reeve (eds.) (2005) Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: From Thales to Aristotle. Third Edition. Indianapolis: *Hackett. ISBN: 9780872207691

If buying a used copy of Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy, be certain to buy the 3rd edition.

Requirements

  1. Two Papers

    • One short (1 or 2 page) paper, worth 20% of your grade, due early in the term
    • One longer (4 or 5 page) paper, worth 30% of your grade, due late in the term

  2. Two Exams

    • An in-class midterm exam, worth 20% of your grade, on Tuesday, October 26th
    • A final exam, worth 30% of your grade, on December 8th, from 11:30am--1:18pm, in our ordinary lecture hall.

I will not let you take the final exam on a different day in order to accomodate your exciting winter break travel plans. Don't ask. Don't let your parents ask.

Academic Misconduct

You are encouraged to discuss the course material with your peers--philosophical conversation is one of the best ways to get better at doing philosophy. But your papers must be your own work, and all sources must be cited. I will report offenders to the committee on academic misconduct. Academic misconduct can take on many forms, and you are responsible for understanding it: if you are confused, or need more guidance on this issue, ask. If you have not already, take a look at http://oaa.osu.edu/coam/faq

Disabilities

If you need (or may need) an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, you should contact me now to discuss your needs. I will work with the Office for Disability Services to coordinate reasonable accommodations for any student with a documented disability. http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu/current-students/

Email

Email is the best way to reach me outside of class and office hours. However, I am not always online. Please allow me 48 hours to respond. If I have not responded in 48 hours please email me again, letting me know it is your second email (I won't take this as harassment).

Please include "301" in the subject line of your email and your full name somewhere in the body of your email.

Before you dash off an email, take a moment to think about whether or not it is appropriate to do so. For example,

  • Don't email me to ask what happened in a class you missed (get notes from a classmate).
  • Do email me if you are sick or have a genuine emergency and need to miss class or have missed class.
  • Don't email me to ask me to read a draft (I am happy to look over drafts in office hours).
  • Don't email me your paper without specific prior arrangment: hand it in in class.
  • Do email me if you want to make an appointment and cannot make my office hours.

GEC Categories

This course has been approved to fulfill both the Arts & Humanities Literature requirement and the Arts & Humanities Diversity (International--Western) requirement. The expected learning outcomes associated with these requirements are reproduced below. This course aims to achieve these outcomes through intensive reading and analysis of those ancient greek philosophical texts that arguably form the backbone of western intellectual culture.

  • Arts and Humanities

    1. Students develop abilities to be informed observers of, or active participants in, the visual, spatial, performing, spoken, or literary arts.
    2. Students develop an understanding of the foundations of human beliefs, the nature of reality, and the norms that guide human behavior.
    3. Students examine and interpret how the human condition and human values are explored through works of art and humanistic writings.

    • Literature

      1. Students learn to analyze, appreciate, and interpret significant literary works.
      2. Through reading, discussing, and writing about literature, students learn to understand and evaluate the personal and social values of their own and other cultures.

    • Diversity

      1. Students exhibit an understanding of some combination of political, economic, cultural, physical, social, and philosophical differences in or among the world's nations, peoples and cultures outside the US.
      2. Students are able to describe, analyze and critically evaluate the roles of categories such as race, gender, class, ethnicity, national origin and religion as they relate to international/global institutions, issues, cultures and citizenship.
      3. Students recognize the role of national and international diversity in shaping their own attitudes and values as global citizens.