Syllabus: PHIL 413.500 (History of Modern Philosophy)
Spring 1999, Dr. Stephen H. Daniel
History of Modern Philosophy examines the major themes and figures of the 17th- and 18th-century.
Primary Text:
Secondary Texts:
Pages listed below should be read prior to each class meeting.
Office (Bolton 302 B) hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11-12:30, 2:15-3:30
Phone: 845-5619 (office), 846-4649 (home)
Email: sdaniel@unix.tamu.edu
Web: people.tamu.edu/~sdaniel/413sy99.html
Grades/Tests: Grades are based on the mid-semester and final (essay type) exams (40% each) and on two short (two typed page) reading summaries (10% each). Both reading summaries must be turned in by March 11. Extra credit for additional reading summaries is also available (see the back of this sheet). If you miss the mid-semester exam, contact me before the next class meeting to take a make-up exam. Class attendance significantly affects how your exams or summaries are graded, but there is no specific grade for attendance as such.
About the Reading Summaries
Out of the 26 class days for which there are readings assigned, you have to select at least two on which to write brief (two typed-page) summaries of the material covered that day. Summaries are to be submitted at the beginning of the class the day we discuss the material; after that class, you should work on another reading. The decision about which readings to write on is up to you, though at least two summaries must be submitted by March 11. You may submit more than two summaries if you want to improve your final grade or perhaps even be exempted from the final exam.
Here is how you can be exempted from taking the final exam. Everyone must take the mid-semester exam (which counts for 40% of the final grade). The remaining 60% of the grade is determined by the final exam grade plus your two highest grades for reading summaries and any points from other reading summaries. For additional summaries, you will receive extra grade points: three points for an A, two for a B, and one for a C (+ or - grades do not make a difference except for calculating the two required summaries). If you get 12 A's on the additional summaries--that is, in addition to the two summaries that form the base--the additional summaries are worth 36 points.
Let's say you make a 90 on the mid-semester exam (which is worth 40% of your final grade, or 36 points). And let's say you turn in two summaries that are A-'s (A- is 92, A is 95, and A-plus is 98; the same 2-5-8 scheme applies to the other letter grades as well.) Since each base summary is worth 10% of the final grade, the two summaries (9.2 points each) total 18.4 points. Added to the 36 from the mid-semester exam, that gives you 54.4 points. If you do twelve more summaries and get A-'s on all of them, you amass 36 more points, which when added to the 54.4 points gives you 90.4 points, enough for an A in the course without having to take the final.
So by getting an A on the mid-semester exam and turning in 14 summaries for which you receive A-'s, you ace the course without having to do the final. Even if you don't collect enough points to exempt the final, you can improve your possibilities for getting an A in the course by doing more than the minimum two summaries. Every summary you turn in adds to your final grade. Suppose you get an 80 on the mid-semester exam (=32 points), turn in two B summaries (8.5 x 2=17 points) and get another 82 on the final exam (=32.8 points). Those four B grades would get you a B (81.8) for the course. But if you had turned in four additional B summaries (8 points), you would have 89.8 (which rounds to an A) for the course--without ever getting a grade higher than a B for any assignment.
It is important, then, to get into the habit of turning in summaries as often as possible, if for no other reason than to give yourself some insurance and the prospect of a better grade. Of course, doing the readings and summaries will improve your chances of doing well on the exams. It is also an obvious attempt on my part to encourage you to read the material for class carefully.
Guidelines for the Summaries
The summaries should address the question: What are the main points and arguments (not biographic or historical topics) discussed in the assigned readings? Give yourself some time to work through the reading to get a sense of what is going on. To help you out on this, it is very useful to refer to secondary sources that often provide information about other works by the author that clarify and expand on the issues addressed. Copleston's History of Philosophy (volumes 4-6) is a good place to begin such secondary work, and that is why I have ordered it as recommended reading.
In each of your summaries you must refer (even if briefly) at least three times to Copleston or some other secondary source where particular topics are discussed. For example, suppose you are summarizing Descartes' argument for the existence of God in Meditations III and need to explain his distinction between objective and formal reality. You can refer to the distinction and the discussion in Copleston easily and quickly by saying something like, "According to Descartes, even though my ideas (e.g., of infinite being) are all modifications or forms' of my mind that depend on my thinking them, their content or objective reality' does not depend on me (Copleston, 4: 99-102)." In this way, you clarify a topic that is not explained by Descartes in the primary reading by parenthetically referring to your secondary source. Of course, you should not rely excessively on secondary sources; otherwise, you will be plagiarizing and will not receive any credit for your work.
Summaries should be limited solely to the points raised in the readings. They are intended merely to highlight the author's ideas and arguments and are not intended as opportunities for you to indicate whether you agree or disagree with the author. Avoid statements like "For centuries philosophers ..." Finally, make sure you cover all of the assigned pages.
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