Loyola s Mission: The Philosophical Vision PHIL 190 Summer 2018 Instructor: Dr. Stefano Giacchetti E-Mail: sgiacch@luc.edu Skype: stefano.giacchetti (Tue, Thu and Fri: 9am to noon by appointment) Course Description This is a course in the Philosophical Knowledge section of the Core Curriculum, designed specifically for transfer students. It introduces students to the fundamental philosophical issues that bear on Loyola s mission issues such as: What is Knowledge? Beauty? Faith? Humanity? Values? Justice? Mission Loyola is Chicago's Jesuit, Catholic University-a diverse community seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice and faith. Vision Loyola is the school of choice for those who wish to seek new knowledge in the service of humanity in a world-renowned urban center as members of a diverse learning community that values freedom of inquiry, the pursuit of truth and care for others. Promise As explained in the Mission Statement, five characteristics of a Jesuit education are as follows: Commitment to excellence: Applying well-learned lessons and skills to achieve new ideas, better solutions and vital answers Faith in God and the religious experience: Promoting well-formed and strongly held beliefs in one's faith tradition to deepen others' relationships with God Service that promotes justice: Using learning and leadership in openhanded and generous ways to ensure freedom of inquiry, the pursuit of truth and care for others Values-based leadership: Ensuring a consistent focus on personal integrity, ethical behavior in business and in all professions, and the appropriate balance between justice and fairness Global awareness: Demonstrating an understanding that the world's people and societies are interrelated and interdependent
PROCEDURES Full Course Description: This course will explore some of the most important fields of philosophical studies, and it is divided in 4 thematic sessions, each addressing seminal works of philosophy in that field. 1. The first part of the course will cover some classical ethical theories, such as utilitarianism, relativism, theory of duty and ethics of virtue. This part of the course will serve as a general introduction to various alternative ethical models. 2. The second part of the course provides an overlook to the specific values related to Jesuit education. 3. The third part of the course addresses basic concepts related to Aesthetics. This section analyses a selection of paragraphs from Kant s Critique of Judgment, which will provide us with the terminological tools for understanding aesthetics. Through his writings we will be able to clearly define an appropriate use of such concepts as beautiful, pleasant, good and the distinction of artistic forms. This last part will be supported by on-site visits to several artworks in Rome. 4. The fourth part of the course analyzes the issues concerning the origin of social organization and inequality according to the perspective offered by Rousseau. Required Readings: - James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy (McGraw Hill; or Pdf on Sakai) - Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgement. (Clarendon; or Pdf on Sakai) - J.J. Rousseau, The Basic Political Writings. (Hackett; or http://www.constitution.org/jjr/ineq.htm ) - The Characteristics of Jesuit Education (Pdf on Sakai) Course Requirements: Student s final grade will be based on: - Two exams: Midterm and Final (30% of the final grade each). Students will be assigned two exams, each consisting of two essay questions. The students will be asked to upload both exams to Sakai by the assigned deadline. - Class participation 20% of the final grade: Students will be requested to participate in group discussions on each assignment (twice-weekly discussion via Sakai and consistent communication with the professor). An adequate student post in answer to the discussion boards (under Forums ) will consist of at least one post of 3 to 5 sentences each. The deadline to post the answers is the one reported on the syllabus and on Forums on Sakai. All late posts will result in a deduction of 50% of that day s participation points.
20% of the final grade: Each student will be assigned one reading to which they will start and lead the discussion board by uploading a 1 to 2 pages summary and critical analysis of that week s readings to Sakai (Forums). Classmates will then be asked to respond through a discussion thread. Grading Policy: The following grading scale will be applied for determining the final grade: Participation (each): A=20; A-=18; B+=16; B=14; B-=12; C+=10; C=8; C-=6; D+=4; D=2; F=0. Test (each): A=30; A-=27; B+=24; B=21; B-=18; C+=15; C=12; C-=9; D+=6; D=3; F=0. Final Grade: A=100-95; A-=94-85; B+=84-75; B=74-65; B-=64-55; C+=54-45; C=44-35; C- =34-25; D+=24-15; D=14-5; F=4-0. Online Course Requirements: There are certain expectations and guidelines we must follow in order to ensure academic achievement. The following describes an explicit however non-exclusive list of expectations to ensure a successful semester: Required Access Access to (at least) a DSL Internet connection Loyola Email Account with reliable access Required Familiarity Be able to download and attach files Create and open a Zip File Microsoft Office Package Microsoft Word Microsoft PowerPoint Access to Software All are available for free download if needed this semester. Adobe Connect Adobe Flash Player Adobe Reader Adobe Shockwave Skype Java Software QuickTime RealPlayer In addition to hardware access and software utilization, the following represent factors that facilitate a productive and effective online learning experience. (Material adapted from the
University of Wisconsin Online website on Online Etiquette. http://online.uwc.edu/technology/etiquette.asp) Tone down your language. Given the absence of face-to-face clues, written text can easily be misinterpreted. Avoid the use of strong or offensive language and the excessive use of exclamation points. If you feel particularly strongly about a point, it may be best to write it first as a draft and then to review it, before posting it, in order to remove any strong language. Keep a straight face. In general, avoid humor and sarcasm. These frequently depend either on facial or tone of voice cues absent in text communication or on familiarity with the reader. Be forgiving. If someone states something that you find offensive, mention this directly to the instructor. Remember that the person contributing to the discussion is also new to this form of communication. What you find offensive may quite possibly have been unintended and can best be cleared up by the instructor. The recorder is on. Think carefully about the content of your message before contributing it. Once sent to the group, there is no taking it back. Also, although the grammar and spelling of a message typically are not graded and they do reflect on you; your audience might not be able to decode misspelled words or poorly constructed sentences. It is a good practice to compose and check your comments in a word-processor before posting them. Test for clarity. Messages may often appear perfectly clear to you as you compose them, but turn out to be perfectly obtuse to your reader. One way to test for clarity is to read your message aloud to see if it flows smoothly. If you can read it to another person before posting it, then even better. Netspeak. Although electronic communication is still young, many conventions have already been established. DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS. This is regarded as shouting and is out of place in a classroom. Acronyms and emoticons (arrangements of symbols to express emotions) are popular, but excessive use of them can make your message difficult to read. Accessibility: Students who have disabilities which they believe entitle them to accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should register with the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) office. To request accommodations, students must schedule an appointment with an SSWD coordinator. Students should contact SSWD at least four weeks before their first semester or term at Loyola. Returning students should schedule an appointment within the first two weeks of the semester or term. The University policy on accommodations and participation in courses is available at: http://www.luc.edu/sswd/ Harassment (Bias Reporting): It is unacceptable and a violation of university policy to harass, discriminate against or abuse any person because of his or her race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Such behavior threatens to
destroy the environment of tolerance and mutual respect that must prevail for this university to fulfill its educational and health care mission. For this reason, every incident of harassment, discrimination or abuse undermines the aspirations and attacks the ideals of our community. The university qualifies these incidents as incidents of bias. In order to uphold our mission of being Chicago's Jesuit Catholic University-- a diverse community seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice and faith, any incident(s) of bias must be reported and appropriately addressed. Therefore, the Bias Response (BR) Team was created to assist members of the Loyola University Chicago community in bringing incidents of bias to the attention of the university. If you believe you are subject to such bias, you should notify the Bias Response Team at this link: http://webapps.luc.edu/biasreporting/ Technology: This course is designed as an online course, and thus, students are expected to know how to use Sakai and its features, be able to navigate the internet to explore resources, and to use the electronic resources available through LUC s library homepage. Statement on Plagiarism: Plagiarism on the part of a student in academic work or dishonest examination behavior will result minimally in the instructor assigning the grade of "F" for the assignment or examination. In addition, all instances of academic dishonesty must be reported to the chairperson of the department involved. The chairperson may constitute a hearing board to consider the imposition of sanctions in addition to those imposed by the instructor, including a recommendation of expulsion, depending upon the seriousness of the misconduct.
Course Schedule: ONLINE: 05/21 Introductions - Please post your introduction in the appropriate Forum 05/23 Rachels; Ch 1 and 2 05/28 Rachels; Ch 9 and 10 05/30 Rachels; Ch 12 and 13 06/04 Midterm Exam (instructions will be available under "Assignments" one week before the deadline) 06/06 The Characteristics of Jesuit Education pp. 6 to 22 (Travel to Rome) ROME: 06/07 Arrive Rome, rest and acclimate, welcome dinner 06/09 Recommended visits: 1) Exhibit at Scuderie del Quirinale. 2) Sant'Andrea al Quirinale (Bernini). 3) Santa Maria della Vittoria (Bernini's "The Ecstasy of Teresa") 4) Santa Maria degli Angeli (Michelangelo); 06/11 (in Rome: 2pm to 4.30pm) Kant 1 to 5 and 43 to 45 06/12 On site 2.30pm to 5pm Visit to: 1) S. Maria Sopra Minerva (Michelangelo). 2) Pantheon. 3) San Luigi de Francesi (Caravaggio). 4) S. Ivo (Borromini). 5) S. Eustachio. 6) Santa Agnese in Agone (Borromini). 7) Chiostro del Bramante. 8) Palazzo della Cancelleria. 9) S.Andrea della Valle. 10) Palazzo Farnese. 06/13 (in Rome: 2pm to 4.30pm) Kant 46 to 47; 50 to 52 06/14 On site 2.00pm to 6pm Visit to: 1) Vatican and S. Pietro. 2) Church of Gesu and Macchina S. Ignazio. 3) Ignatian Rooms. 4) Sant Ignazio. 5) Fontana di Trevi. 06/17 Depart from Rome ONLINE: 06/20 Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men, Part I 06/25 Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men, Part II
06/27 Final Exam (instructions will be available under "Assignments" one week before the deadline)