Professor: Tony Roark <troark@boisestate.edu>                              

Office: 1019 Lincoln Hall, Rm. 106                                                   

Phone: 426-3378                                                                               

Office Hours: TBA                                

 

 

Philosophy 305

Ancient Greek Philosophy

 

 

Texts:     Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy, 2nd ed., Cohen, Curd, Reeve (eds.) (Required)

              Greek Philosophers, Taylor, Hare, Barnes (Optional)

 

Course website:    http://www.boisestate.edu/people/troark   Link to "Didactics"

 

 

I.     Purpose of the Course.

This course is designed to serve several goals:

·      Introduce the student to some of the most influential views held by the ancient Greeks concerning the nature of reality, knowledge, and the good life.

·      Strengthen skills in analysis, reasoning, and problem-solving through the reading and discussion of diverse philosophical texts.

·      Effectively communicate that understanding and exercise those skills in the composition of accurate, insightful, detailed, and well organized essays.

 

II.    Course Requirements.

 

A.    Class-prep questions. At the end of every class I will post the reading assignment for the next meeting and will provide you with questions to guide your reading. These questions will give us a starting-point for class discussion. Bring two copies of your answers to class: one copy is turned in to me at the beginning of class, and one copy is for you to refer to and revise in the course of class discussion. The copies that are submitted will not be returned, as part of your job is to determine through discussion how good your answers are. If your answers provide evidence of a good-faith effort to answer all of the questions to the best of your ability, you'll receive full-credit for the day. If your answers do not provide evidence of a good-faith effort to answer all of the questions to the best of your ability, you'll rceive no credit. There will be 26 sets of prep questions. Grades are assigned as follows:

 

23-26     =     A

19-22     =     B

16-18     =     C

13-15     =     D

< 13       =     F

 

       Prep questions constitute 25% of the final course grade.

 

B.    Quizzes. There will be five unannounced quizzes administered over the course of the semester. They will be short (5 to 10 minutes) and will cover material discussed principally in previous class meetings. Unlike the prep questions, quizzes will be graded for correctness. Each of the five quizzes is worth 2% of the final course grade, for a total value of 10%.

 

C.   Exams. You will be examined on each of the three divisions under III below. The first two exams will be take-home exams; the third will be administered at the scheduled time of the final exam. In determining exam marks, a premium will be placed on clarity of expression, correctness, and completeness. The first exam is worth 10% of the final course grade, while the second and third are worth 25% each, for a total of 60%.

D.   Participation. Contributing to class discussion, seeking out extra help when needed, and helping others when possible are among the ways in which a person can be engaged in this course. Five percent of the final course grade is reserved for participation.

 

III.  Course Schedule.                       

Pre-Socratics (ca. 3 weeks)            

The Milesians                                          

Pythagoreans                                   

Heraclitus                                                

Parmenides                                                                                                

Plato (ca. 6 weeks)

Euthyphro                          

Protagoras                        

Republic I                                         

Meno

Phaedo                              

Republic V, VI, VII

Parmenides  

Timaeus

Philebus                                                         

Aristotle (ca. 6 weeks)

Categories

Physics I, II

Metaphysics IV, VII, VIII

De Anima I, II

Nicomachean Ethics I, II, VI, X

 

IV.  Policies.

·      Unless we've made arrangements in advance, or unless you can document some kind of emergency, no late work will be accepted.

·      The value of answering the prep questions resides in the fact that doing so prepares you to benefit from class discussion; consequently, I will not accept prep questions in absentia.

·      I am committed to helping you succeed in this course; however, it's absolutely crucial that you actively seek out help when you need it. If something is unclear to you, it's up to you to ask for clarification, either in class, in office hours, or by e-mail.

·      I expect you to understand and to comply with the BSU Student Code of Conduct (http://www2.boisestate.edu/studentconduct/Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct.htm), especially in regard to cheating and plagiarism -- see article 2, Sections 16 and 17 of the Code.