HR100B: Ideas that Shaped the West

HR100B: Ideas that Shaped the West

Fall 2010

Monday and Thursday 12:30-1:45

Wednesday 12:00-12:50

The Dying of Transcendence

Click here for the course syllabus.

Dr. Robert Epstein, English

Office: Donnarumma Hall 120

E-mail: repstein@fairfield.edu

Office Phone: (203) 254-4000, ext. 2787

Office Hours:

Tuesday, Friday 1:30-3:00

Meetings may also be arranged by appointment.

Dr. Dennis Keenan, Philosophy

Office: Donnarumma Hall 318

E-mail: dkkeenan@fairfield.edu

Office Phone: (203) 254-4000, ext. 2558

Office Hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Meetings may also be arranged by appointment.

DESCRIPTION AND GOALS

This course explores the idea of the dying of transcendence from the 17th century to the 19th century, and the way this idea shaped western thought.

GRADING SYSTEM

There will be two 7-page papers. Each paper will be an exercise in explaining and criticizing a variety of readings on a particular question considered in the course. YOU MUST RECEIVE APPROVAL FROM ONE OF THE PROFESSORS BEFORE YOU WRITE THE PAPER. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE APPROVAL, THE PAPER WILL NOT BE GRADED. The paper is to be 7 double-spaced, typed pages with standard (1") margins (6 pages is the minimum requirement). The paper should be clear, concise, well-ordered, and precise in its presentation. Grammar and spelling will be taken into account in the grading of the paper. LATE PAPERS WILL NOT BE GRADED. The paper is not a summary or a report. We expect your paper to explore a specific topic. This means that your paper must focus on a particular issue, problem, or critical point in the texts you choose. For example, if you choose to write on the shift from typological thinking to population thinking in evolutionary theory, a particular focus might be “How does the Shift from Typological Thinking to Population in Evolutionary Theory Change a Traditional Conception of God?” Your focus should be articulated in the form of a question, as in the example provided here. This question is to be both the title and the thesis of your paper. Your question must be examined critically. This means that the careful thinking you have done about your question should guide your analysis of the material. Your paper is, in effect, a response to your question. In addition, you should be able to formulate credible judgments about the material that reflect your understanding of it. We expect that your paper will be based solely on the texts on which you choose to write. We are most interested in the paper as a presentation of your own critical reflection.

There will be eight short in-class quizzes on the material covered in the assigned readings and the lectures. Each quiz will take approximately 10 minutes. Make-up quizzes will not be given. There will be an oral final exam.

No extra credit work will be accepted.

If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact: Aimee Tiu-Wu at Academic and Disability Support Services: 203.254.4000, ext. 2615; atiu-wu@mail.fairfield.edu. You need to inform us of any academic accommodations within the first two weeks of the semester.

The Fairfield University Writing Center is a free resource available to all Fairfield University students. At the Writing Center, a trained peer tutor will work individually with a student on anything he or she is writing, at any point in the writing process from brainstorming to editing. Tutors have special training to work with students for whom English is a second language. The tutoring conference is collaborative; peer tutors do not write, proofread, or grade papers for students. Appointments are recommended, but not required. For more information or to make an appointment, visit the Writing Center website at www.fairfield.edu/writingcenter or stop by DMH 255.

Please note: Plagiarism is the appropriation of ideas, data, work, or language of others and submitting them as one’s own to satisfy the requirements of a course. Plagiarism constitutes theft and deceit.

Students are often confused by just what constitutes plagiarism. When the ideas or writings of others are presented in assignments, these ideas or writing should be attributed to that source.

Special care should be taken, when cutting and pasting materials or when paraphrasing, to cite sources correctly and to use quotation marks around exact words from source materials.

Actions that result in plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Consequently, students must understand the concept of plagiarism. When reading, processing, or using materials from any source, appropriate documentation is always essential.

Resources such as the library (203.254.4000, ext. 2178) and the writing center are available on campus to assist you in your academic endeavors. You are encouraged to take advantage of these resources.