WEEK 1
7/2 – TUE
Syllabus
TEXTS
Ptah-hotep (Fordham, sofiatopia, Prisse)
Pyramid Texts
Osirian Revolution
Eloquent Peasant / Excerpt
Negative Confessions / Scroll / Text
Amenemope
Proverbs
VIDEO
In the Beginning God Created Heaven and Earth: Crossroads of Faith and Science (50 mins)
DISCUSSION
How does one’s view of cosmic order affect one’s view of ethical analysis?
WEEK 2
7/9 – TUE
WORKSHOP #1 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph discuss how the value of the terms of ethical analysis, as found in the text, appear to depend (or not) upon the author’s view of cosmic order.
In a third short paragraph discuss whether the terms of ethical analysis discussed in the text could have value for you, given your own view of cosmic order.
TEXTS
Hinduism
Bhagavad Gita
Gandhi’s Gita
Hind Swaraj
Buddhism
Dhamma (Access to Insight)
Thich Nhat Hanh (Plum Village)
VIDEO
The Ground of Being: Approaches to Conceptualizing God (28 mins)
DISCUSSION
How does one’s view of God affect one’s view of ethical analysis?
7/11 – THU
WORKSHOP #2 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph discuss how the value of the terms of ethical analysis, as found in the text, appear to depend (or not) upon the author’s view of God?
In a third short paragraph discuss whether the terms of ethical analysis could have value for you, given your own view of God?
TEXTS
Confucius
-Great Learning (classics.mit.edu)
-Analects (YellowBridge)
see Bks. 2, 7: after Foust 2012 (The Dial); also see 12.1, 17.6: after Shirong Luo 2012
-Doctrine of the Mean (nothingistic.org)
Mencius (nothinistic.org)
Xunxi (excerpts)
Taoism: Preface: Confucius and the Rectification of Names
Laozi: Dao de Ching
Chuang Tzu (nothingistic.org)
Zhou Dunyi (Kenyon.edu)
–overview
–image
–Tongshu
Afterword: Hindu Self and Buddhist No-self
VIDEO
The Long Search [Vol. 11] Taoism in Taiwan (DVD)
DISCUSSION
The concept of Tao and ethical analysis?
WEEK 3
7/16 – TUE
Workshop #3 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph discuss how the value of the terms of ethical analysis, as found in the text, appear to depend (or not) upon the author’s concept of Tao?
In a third short paragraph discuss whether the terms of ethical analysis could have value for you, given your own view of Tao?
TEXTS
Popol Vuh
Prof Notes
Christenson Translation: Click on “English Translation” to get a free pdf
Dekanawidah
Iroquois Constitution (Fordham)
Franklin on Canassatego
Black Elk
Deloria
Anzaldua
-Borderlands / La Frontera (The Homeland, Aztlan)(How to Tame a Wild Tongue)
-keywords: Coatlicue / Nepantla / la Facultad / nahual / mestiza / mestizaje
DISCUSSION
Ethical Analysis from a Classical American perspective?
7/18 – THU
Workshop #4 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph discuss whether the terms of ethical analysis could have value for you?
TEXTS
Plato (ProfNotes)
-Alcibiades (@ Sanderson Beck)
-Phaedrus (@ Adelaide)
-Symposium (@ Adelaide)
-Republic (See esp. Bk IV @Adelaide)
-Timaeus (Adelaide / ProfNotes)
DISCUSSION
Developing cases for contemporary ethical analysis. Interpersonal. Public Policy.
WEEK 4
7/23 – TUE
Workshop #5 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph present the main outlines of a contemporary case that would seem to require ethical analysis for the purpose of deliberating some choice going forward. It can be either interpersonal or a matter of public policy.
In a third short paragraph show how the terms of ethical analysis developed in paragraph one would guide deliberation in the case presented for paragraph two.
TEXTS
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics (1.1 @ nothingistic.org)
al-Kindi
Averroes
Maimonides
Aquinas
MacIntyre
Laurence Thomas
VIDEO
A Breath of Hope (42 mins)
NO DISCUSSION TODAY
7/25 – THU
Workshop #6 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph present the main outlines of the case that we reviewed in last week’s film, A Breath of Hope.
In a third short paragraph show how the terms of ethical analysis developed in paragraph one would guide evaluation of the experiences presented for paragraph two.
TEXTS
Epicurus
Marx: On Epicurus / On Feuerbach / On Capital
Bentham / Mill / Singer
Nietzsche: (Zarathustra: First Part XV)
Carol Gilligan: “Pleasure will become a marker, a compass pointing to emotional true north” (The Birth of Pleasure, III). “I had approached the study of morality as a naturalist” (Joining the Resistance, Ch. 5)
VIDEO
Healing Neen (54 mins)
NO DISCUSSION TODAY
WEEK 5
7/30 – TUE
Workshop #7 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph present the main outlines of the case that we reviewed in last week’s film, Healing Neen.
In a third short paragraph show how the terms of ethical analysis developed in paragraph one would guide evaluation of the experiences presented for paragraph two.
TEXTS
Epictetus
Aurelius
Spinoza (Ethics @MTSU: see IV. “joy”)
Kant
Rawls
DISCUSSION
Developing cases for contemporary ethical analysis. Interpersonal. Public Policy.
8/1 THU
Workshop #8 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph present the main outlines of a case that we developed during last week’s discussion.
In a third short paragraph show how the terms of ethical analysis developed in paragraph one would guide deliberation of the case going forward.
TEXTS
Hobbes
Hegel (Recognition)
Douglass
VIDEO
What is an American? (51 mins)
DISCUSSION
We the People? Who counts?
WEEK 6
8/6 – TUE
Workshop #9 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph present the main outlines of issues raised in last week’s video, What is an American.
In a third short paragraph show how the terms of ethical analysis developed in paragraph one would (1) guide evaluation of the experiences in the film and would (2) guide deliberation of the question “We the People: Who Counts?” going forward.
TEXTS
Addams
de Beauvoir
Gilligan
Butler
VIDEO
Identity (60 mins)
8/8 THU
Workshop #10 (due at beginning of class)
1-2 pages printed in MLA style: Choosing one of the texts presented last class, present in a short paragraph three direct quotes that help to establish the text’s terms of ethical analysis. Provide parenthetical citations in MLA style (see Purdue Owl for a refresher).
In a second short paragraph present the main outlines of issues raised in last week’s video, Identity. Or present the main outlines of a choice, either for an individual in an interpersonal situation or for a society in terms of some policy option (whether there ought to be a law).
In a third short paragraph show how the terms of ethical analysis developed in paragraph one would (1) guide evaluation of the experiences in the film.
TEXTS
Farmer, Sr. (TSHA)
Thurman (Jesus and the Disinherited)
King (Letter from Birmingham Jail)
ViDEO
Out of Control (50 mins)
WEEK 7
8/13 – TUE
Final Workshop (four pages)
(1) Present a Choice for Public Poiicy (whether there ought to be a law or not)? Introduce pros & cons.
(2) Present One Text from from last class (using at least three quotes in MLA style). In a separate paragraph show how the text would guide ethical analysis of the policy question going forward.
(3) Present Second Text from any of the above Course Materials and show how the text would guide deliberation. Two paragraphs as above.
(4) Set forth ethical criteria of your own and show how they would guide deliberation. Two paragraphs as above.
Attendance will cancel previous absence. Absence will count for double.
8/15 THU
Last chance for late work, accepted from 12:00 – 12:30 HCH 218.
HAVE A NICE BREAK!
CourseLinks 