Syllabus

Course Description

This course will concentrate on major figures and persistent themes in ancient and medieval philosophy. A balance will be sought between scope and depth, the latter ensured by a close reading of selected texts from Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, Marcus Aurelius, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas.

About Course Journals

Students will keep an intellectual journal (not a personal diary) throughout the semester. There should be an entry for every class meeting, except exams and the four meetings immediately after the journals are collected. (The first time I collect the journals, I will not grade them, but I will give you an evaluation of how you’re doing and suggestions for future entries.)
The point of the journal is to record and hone the sort of ideas that often occur to us while we read, but that we usually do not develop as much as they deserve, because we don’t linger over them long enough, or write about them. Keeping a journal makes us more precise readers and gives us a more active memory of the course material.

I will sometimes give specific assignments for the journal, and lectures and discussions will often produce suggestions for journal exercises to develop and evaluate an idea that arises in class. But the journal will follow your own interests, rather than topics simply assigned to you. For example, you may find your work in another course gives you ideas about the material in this course, and your journal is the perfect place to pursue these connections.

I suggest you buy an attractive journal for this work. You may also use a spiral notebook, but only one devoted to this journal. If you simply can’t write your journal legibly, you may type your journal in an electronic file; but you must print it and put it into journal form to turn it in.

Required Readings

Plato, Republic, translated by Grube and Reeve.
Plato, Timaeus, translated by Zeyl.
Aristotle, Metaphysics, translated by Hope.
Lucretius, The Way Things Are (De Rerum Natura), translated by Humphries.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, translated by Grube.
Augustine, Confessions, translated by Sheed.
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles I, translated by Pegis

Requirements and Grading

Regular and informed participation in class meetings, especially in the Wednesday discussions, is essential to the course. Don’t miss a meeting unless your excuse is as good as you would expect the instructor’s to be for missing class.
There will be eight graded assignments. Students must pass at least six of these assignments to pass the course. The final grade will be the average of the six best of the eight possible grades. The eight graded assignments: three exams during the semester; three evaluations of a course journal (described above), two during the semester and one at the time of the final exam; and the final exam, which is worth two grades.

There is also one ungraded but required course activity. After every lecture, students will be asked to turn in an index card with a short response. I plan to use these responses especially in the classes devoted to discussion.