Great Books IV

GREAT BOOKS IV

SYLLABUS

Spring 2010

Course Goa= ls

The primary objectives of this seminar course include the following:

1)&n= bsp; The demonstration of devoted and close reading of the texts, =

2)&n= bsp; The production of writing that is creative and primarily analytical in nature, = and

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>3)&n= bsp; Class participation that demonstrates an honest dedication to an accurate understanding of the text as well as a propensity to discuss the works as b= ased on interpretive questions.

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>4)&n= bsp; Since this is the final great books course in the (Western) colloquium, each stud= ent is expected to be full participatory and desirous of perfecting their abili= ties as excellent writers, thinkers, speakers, and knowledge experts on the subj= ect at hand. Raise the bar for yourself.

Ultimately, I desire that each one of you attains a level of creativity and autonomy that will benefit you not on= ly in other classes, but in life itself. Thus, our goal as co-learners in this class is to actively seek to r= einforce the idea that: "The goal of the Great Books program is to instill in t= he student the habits of mind that characterize a self-reliant thinker, reader, and learner."[1]=

Instructor=

Don Thompson

Phone: 310.506.4831

Offices: RAC 132

E-mail: thompson@pe= pperdine.edu

Office Hou= rs

M 1-2, T 1-2, R 1-2, F 9-10

Reading Li= st

Kierkegaard, Soren. = Fear and Trembling.&n= bsp; Trans. Alastair Hannay. = New York: PenguinBooks, 1985.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. On the Ge= nealogy of Morals. Trans. Walter Kaufmann. Vintage Books. 1989.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. Trans. Constance Garnett. New York: Norton Critical Edition,= 1976.

Darwin, Charles. The Origin of = Species. Signet Classics. 2003.

Kawabata, Yasunari. Beauty and Sad= ness. Trans. Howard = S. Hibbett. New York: Vintage Books, 1975.

Szymborska, Wislawa. View With a Grain of Sand. Trans. Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1993.

Discussion= (5%)

Each student is expected to be participatory on a daily basis. Make it a consistent habit to be prepared with several interpretive questions daily. Your partici= pation will be graded each day based on the quality, quantity, insight, textual application and knowledge that you offer.

Class Cancellation Days

I am out of town on February 5 & March 26. For these days, class will not meet, but I expect you to keep up = with the reading.

Attendance=

You have two free absences beyond the cancellation dates just listed. After that, your final course grade will be lowered 1.5% per absence. Use= the two free ones wisely.

Biweekly W= riting Assignments (20%)

Each writing assignment is based on a prompt given by the instructor, as a function of the current reading materi= al we are covering. Each paper i= s to be two pages in length, and is to be turned at the beginning of class on ha= rd copy adhering to basic MLA format. The papers are due on the following dates: January 19; February 2, 16; March = 16; April 6, 20. Late papers rece= ive a score of zero. NO ELECTRONIC SUBMITTALS. Be prepared to sh= are your writing with the class – that is, be prepared both to receive and to give constructive criticism.

The nature of each biweekly writing assignment will be determined by the instructor. They each will be one of the following: interpretive/analy= tic, genre mode, great ideas “Syntopicon” based, instructor wildcard, or student freestyle. Aim for professional quality writi= ng worthy of publication, wherein there is a distinct thesis, a clear argument, and creative thought. Use text judiciously and with discrimination. Avoid using first person. Be sure to form a definite position that can be explicated via the text. You may only use texts from the Gr= eat Books Colloquium reading list. Each paper should be a product of analytical thought and careful analysis presen= ted in a creative form. Each pape= r will be graded as follows: Title a= nd Opening – 1 point, Thesis – 3 points, Argument – 3 points, Text Selection and Analysis – 2 points, Editing – 1 point. Total – 10 points.

Reading/Discussion Schedule (days)

Kierkegaard – 3, Nietzsche – 4, Dostoevsky – 11, Darwin – 3, Kawabata – 2, Szymborska – 3

Daily Read= ing

The best way to read the Great Books is as a daily habit. Accordingly, please r= efer to the suggested reading schedule on this course’s home page:

http://dt.pepperdine.edu/courses/greatb= ooks_iv/gbiv_101/gbiv%20reading%20schedule%20spring%202010.pdf

Extended W= riting (75%)

You must complete three extended writing assignments, in the form of papers that represent a fully developed version of one or more of your biweekly writing assignments.

The first paper, worth 15%, is to be 4 -5 pages in length, and is to be based solely on Kier= kegaard. This paper is due January 23 at 11:59 p.m.

The second paper, worth 35%, is to be 8-9 pages in length, and is to be based o= n Nietzsche and Dostoevsky. This paper is due by March 28 at 11:59 p.m.

The last paper, worth 25%, is to be 6-7 pages in length, and is to touch on at least three authors from this course, at least one of whom must be Kawabata, Szymbo= rska, or Darwin. It is due April 29 = at 11:59 p.m.

Each extended writing submittal is graded on the following basis:

Thesis=

Thesis Statement &= nbsp; 10

Well Structured Plan &= nbsp; 10

Analysis &n= bsp;

Thesis Execution &= nbsp; 10

&nbs= p; Logical Completeness 5

&nbs= p; Logical Flow &nb= sp; = 5

Text =

&nbs= p; Appropriately Chosen &= nbsp; 10

&nbs= p; Sufficiently Explained &nb= sp; 10

Risk/Interest

&nbs= p; Interesting Reading = 10

&nbs= p; Creativity &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 5

&nbs= p; Strong Conclusion &nb= sp; 5

Language

&nbs= p; Mature Vocabulary &nb= sp; 5

&nbs= p; Varied/Interesting

&nbs= p; Sent= ence Structure <= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'> 5

Mechanics

&nbs= p; Punctuation &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 5

&nbs= p; Spelling &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 5

Total &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 100

Anonymity<= o:p>

All writing is to be submitted with no name. Instead, affix your College Wide I= D to the paper on the back page, after the "Works Cited" section. This will ensure that I evaluate y= our writing objectively and honestly.

Rough Draf= ts

Rough drafts are always welcome and may be submitted up to 24 hours prior any pap= er deadline. Please submit these anonymously and electronically.