Fall 2006 Phil 413 syllabus

Syllabus for PHIL 413.500: History of Modern Philosophy

Spring 2010; Dr. Stephen H. Daniel
Tuesday and Thursday 9:35-10:50; Bolton 018

Click here for a one-page pdf version of the course syllabus.

In the History of Modern Philosophy you will develop the skills needed to write and speak effectively about major themes and figures of 17^th- and 18^th-century philosophy (Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant). This means being able to identify issues, explain the reasoning behind positions and arguments, evaluate objections raised against those arguments, and formulate replies to those objections.

Required textbooks: Readings in Modern Philosophy, vols. 1 & 2, ed. by Roger Ariew and Eric Watkins (Hackett)
Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics by Immanuel Kant, trans. Carus/Ellington (Hackett)

Recommended Text: The History of Philosophy, by Frederick Copleston; vols. 4-6: Modern Philosophy (Vol. 4: Descartes to Leibniz; Vol. 5: Hobbes to Hume; Vol. 6: French Enlightenment to Kant)

Class Date	Topic	Reading Assignment	Class Date	Topic	Reading Assignment
Jan. 19	Introduction	2-12	Mar. 23	Locke: Essay	70-85
Jan. 21	Descartes: Meditations I-II	27-34	Mar. 25	Berkeley: Dialogues	175-95
Jan. 26	Descartes: Meditations III-IV	34-45	Mar. 30	Berkeley: Dialogues	195-205
Jan. 28	Descartes: Meditations V-VI	45-55	Apr. 1	Berkeley: Dialogues	205-223
Feb. 2	Hobbes-Descartes: Objections III	63-70	Apr. 6	Test 2
Feb. 4	Hobbes: Leviathan	128-39	Apr. 8	Hume: Enquiry	328-49
Feb. 9	Hobbes Leviathan	139-50	Apr. 13	Hume: Enquiry	349-69
Feb. 11	Spinoza: Ethics	158-78	Apr. 15	Hume: Enquiry	380-94
Feb. 16	Spinoza: Ethics	178-95	Apr. 20	Kant: Prolegomena	1-34
Feb. 18	Spinoza: Ethics	195-209	Apr. 22	Kant: Prolegomena	35-63
Feb. 23	Test 1		Apr. 27	Kant: Prolegomena	64-84
Feb. 25	Leibniz:	234-45	Apr. 29	Kant: Prolegomena	85-116
Mar. 2	Leibniz: Discourse	245-57	May 4	(No class: redefined Friday class)
Mar. 4	Leibniz: Monadology	285-93	May 7 (Friday)	Final exam 12:30-2:30
Mar. 9	Locke: Essay	17-34
Mar. 11	Locke: Essay	42-61	Cell phones must be turned off during class.

The semester grade is based on:

Two in-class essay tests and a final exam (25% each). Questions for the tests and exams will be announced a week prior to the tests.
A 1000-word essay (25%) on an instructor- approved reading from the textbook other than what the class at large is discussing. The guidelines for the essay can be found here. Students can select their topics by email beginning on a date and time announced in class.
There is no separate grade for attendance or participation, but demonstration of class preparedness affects the grading of essays and quizzes.

If you miss a test, contact Dr. Daniel immediately; it must be taken before the next class meeting. If you miss the final exam, it must be taken within 48 hours.

Instructor: Dr. Stephen H. Daniel
Office hours (Bolton 302-B): Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:30, 2:15-3:30
Phone: 979-845-5619 (office), 979-846-4649 (home)
E-mail: sdaniel@people.tamu.edu

Course website: http://people.tamu.edu/%7Esdaniel/413sy10a.html

Students with disabilities are guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Disability Services, Cain Hall B118, or call 845-1637.

Students are bound by the Aggie honor code not to lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. Using notes during a quiz or test, submitting another someone else's work as one's own (e.g., plagiarizing from the Internet), copying from another student's test, or modifying a previously graded test to improve the grade are acts of scholastic dishonesty. If you violate the code, you will fail the course; no second chances. For more on cheating and plagiarism, see http://www.tamu.edu/ aggiehonor/.

Go to Dr. Daniel's Home Page