CNE/PHL 460: Selected Topics in Ancient Philosophy: Plato & Platonism

      Tues. & Thurs. 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM           HC 212         Spring 2001

Dr William O. Stephens         office: HC 116       phone: 280-2632

office hours: Tu. Th. 3:20 to 5 PM and by appt.          email: stphns@creighton.edu

Description

In this seminar we will study a number of what are generally considered to be middle and late period Platonic dialogues including Gorgias, Protagoras, Symposium, Phaedrus, Theaetetus, Sophist, Statesman, Parmenides, and Timaeus.  We will end with a discussion of Plato's 7th Letter.   Topics will include excellence, pleasure, power, rhetoric, love, beauty, knowledge, being, non-being, statesmanship, criticisms of the theory of Forms, and creation cosmology.

Course Objectives

1. Acquaint students with the major metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, and political theories, positions, and arguments of the selected Platonic dialogues.
2. Acquaint students with the major dramatic features, myths, allegories, and other literary devices of the selected Platonic dialogues.
3. Help students develop critical and analytical skills for examining and evaluating (in both written and oral form) Plato's philosophical arguments and literary style in order to increase their appreciation of his philosophical and artistic genius.

Prerequisites: None (but PHL 107 or 109 and either any 200-level philosophy course or PHL 320 are strongly recommended)

Required Text:  Plato, Complete Works; edited by John M. Cooper (Hackett 1997)

Recommended Text:  W. O. Stephens, How to Write Philosophy Papers (Creighton Philosophy Dept. $3)

Optional Text: Porphyry, On Abstinence from Killing Animals; Gillian Clark tr. (Cornell University Press, 2000)

Course Requirements and Grade Percentages

• Class participation    16%
• Class presentation      8%
• Three exams            12% each
• Two papers             20% each

Class Participation & Absence Policy

Since this is a seminar, active regular class participation is expected.  Regular attendance is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a good class participation grade.  Six (6) or more absences will earn an AF (F due to excessive absence) for this course.  Each absence fewer than six will lower your class participation grade proportionately unless you make an extra effort to compensate with improved participation in class.  Don't be tardy; coming to class late is rude.  Moreover, three (3) tardies count as one (1) absence, so make a habit of attending class on time.  You are responsible for all matters discussed in every class.   If, due to illness or emergency, you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed.  Both quality and quantity of oral remarks count.  Since we will be discussing the assigned texts, be sure to BRING YOUR BOOK to every class.

Class presentation

Each student will give one in-class oral presentation on part of one dialogue.   See "Secondary literature" for some helpful resources.   The student is responsible for bringing a typed outline of his/her presentation to class along with a sufficient number of photocopies for everyone in class (including the instructor).  Students will provide their top three choices of dialogues to the instructor prior to his assignment of dialogues to students.

Papers

Papers are due when indicated.  The introductory paragraph (of your initial draft) of each paper will be due about a week before the final draft is due; see the schedule.   Requests for extensions for the papers must be made at least three (3) days prior to the indicated due date.  Late papers will be penalized one (1) letter grade per weekday late.  Each paper should be at least 1750 words long.  Follow How to Write Philosophy Papers closely.  See "Secondary literature" for some research resources.  If you plagiarize any part of your paper, you will receive an F for the course.  Failure to submit a paper will earn an F for the course.

Standards of Evaluation for Letter Grades

F    "Failure -- no credit"

• Extreme lack of clarity or lack of coherence of argument or expression of thought.
• Disregard for the requirements of the assignment.
• Irrelevant use or failure to use relevant course readings.
• Submission of another's words or thoughts as if they were your own, whether in the form of plagiarism or failure to acknowledge the source of an idea.
• Extremely infrequent class attendance with no participation in discussions.

D    "Work of inferior quality, but passing"

• Unclarity or incoherence of argument or expression of thought.
• Failure to satisfy the requirements of the assignment.
• Poor or inadequate understanding or use of relevant course readings.
• Improper acknowledgment or citation of the sources of your ideas.
• Infrequent class attendance with little participation in discussions.

C    "Satisfactory work"

• Basic clarity and coherence of argument and expression of thought.
• Satisfaction of the assignment's basic requirements.
• Fair or adequate understanding of the major views and theories in the relevant course readings and the arguments presented in support of those views and theories.
• Minimally clear and coherent evaluation of the views and arguments in the relevant course readings.
• Minimally proper acknowledgment and citation of the sources of your ideas.
• Generally consistent class attendance with occasional participation in discussions.

B    "Noteworthy level of performance"   Demonstrates all of the qualities of satisfactory work plus:

• Good, above average clarity and coherence of argument and expression of thought.
• Clear, logical organization of the essay's introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Clear, detailed, and accurate understanding of the major views and theories in the relevant course readings and of the arguments presented in support of those views and theories.
• Good attempt to provide argumentative support for your evaluation of the views, theories, and arguments presented in the relevant course readings.
• Regular, consistent class attendance with regular, good participation in discussions.

A    "Outstanding achievement and an unusual degree of intellectual initiative"  Demonstrates all of the qualities of noteworthy performance plus:

• Excellent, superior clarity and coherence of argument and expression of thought.
• Clear, rigorous, and cogent argumentative support for your evaluation of the views, theories, and arguments presented in the relevant course readings.
• Originality and creativity of interpretation, explanation, argumentation, or criticism.
• Superior class attendance with excellent, thoughtful, and insightful participation in discussions.

Secondary Literature (most of the following are on reserve at Reinert Library)

• W.K.C. Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy: Vol. IV Plato: the man and his dialogues, earlier period (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1975) [discusses Prot., Gorg., Symp., and Phaedrus]
• W.K.C. Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy: Vol. V The later Plato and the Academy (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1978) [discusses Parm., Theae, Soph., Politicus (= Statesman), Tim., and Letter VII]

For more detailed commentaries, notes, and introductions to individual dialogues:

• Plato. Protagoras; trans. with notes by C.C.W. Taylor (Clarendon, Oxford Univ. Press, 1976)
• Plato. Gorgias; trans. with notes by Terence Irwin (Clarendon, Oxford Univ. Press, 1979)
• Plato. Phaedrus; trans. with intro. & notes by Alexander Nehamas & Paul Woodruff (Hackett Publishing, 1995)
• Plato. Symposium; trans. with intro. & notes by Alexander Nehamas & Paul Woodruff (Hackett Publishing, 1989)
• The Symposium and The Phaedrus, Plato's Erotic Dialogues; trans. with intro. & commentaries by William S. Cobb (State University of New York Press, 1993)
• Plato. Theaetetus; trans. with notes by John McDowell (Clarendon, Oxford Univ. Press, 1973)
• Plato's Sophist; trans. with intro. & endnotes by William S. Cobb (Rowman & Littlefield, 1990) [includes a list of selected readings on the Sophist]
• Plato. Statesman; trans. by J.B. Skemp, edited with intro. by Martin Ostwald (Bobbs-Merrill, 1957)
• Plato and Parmenides: Parmenides' Way of Truth and Plato's Parmenides; trans., with an intro. and commentary by F.M. Cornford (K.Paul, 1939)
• Plato's Cosmology: The Timaeus of Plato; trans. with commentary by F.M. Cornford (K.Paul, 1948)
• Plato's Epistles; trans. with critical essays & notes by Glenn R. Morrow (Bobbs-Merrill, 1962)

When to Contact Me

If you have any problem that affects your ability to attend class regularly, do the assigned reading, study for the exams, or work on your papers, please come see me or call me or email me or leave me a note either in my mailbox or under my office door.  The worst thing you can do is to disappear from class and not let me know what is going on.  I'll try to help you deal with whatever difficulties you're facing, but you have to keep in contact with me.

Date                  Reading Assignment (with page numbers in Cooper)

Jan. 11               course introduction

Jan. 16              Protagoras (746-766)

Jan. 18              Protagoras (767-790)

Jan. 23              Gorgias (791-816)

Jan. 25              Gorgias (817-842); Lisa Lopez presents

Jan. 30              Gorgias (843-869)

Feb. 1               Phaedrus (506-530: up to 253c); Rachel Bash presents

Feb. 6               Phaedrus (530-556: 253d to end)

Feb. 8               Symposium (457-480: up to 197e); Scott Zimmerman presents

Feb. 13             Symposium (480-505: 198a to end)        Review Guide for Exam #1

Feb. 15             Theaetetus (157-182)

Feb. 20             Exam #1 (on Prot., Gorg., Phaedrus, Symp.)

Wednesday Feb. 21:  Introductory paragraph of Paper #1 DUE at noon

Feb. 22             Theaetetus (183-208)

Feb. 27             Theaetetus (209-234); Michael Bustos presents

Mar. 1              Sophist (235-253); Catherine Rivier presents

Friday, March 2            Paper #1 DUE at 11:00 AM

SPRING RECESS

Mar. 13             Sophist (254-273); Dr. Michael Brown leads discussion

Mar. 15             Sophist (274-293); Chandra Banerjee presents

Mar. 20             Statesman (294-316: up to 274e)

Mar. 22             Statesman (316-336: 274e to 293a); Katie Crooks presents
March 22, 3:30 PM, Dr. Daniel Russell presents "Why Plato is not a Hedonist"

Mar. 27             Statesman (337-358: 293a to end)        Review Guide for Exam #2

March 29  class cancelled

Apr. 3                Exam #2

Apr. 5                Parmenides (359-376: up to 142a); Chad Nelson presents

Apr. 10              Parmenides (376-397: 142b to end)

Apr. 12             Timaeus (1224-1245); Jasmine Parhar presents

Monday, April 16:  Introductory paragraph of Paper #2 DUE at 5:00 PM

Apr. 17             Timaeus (1246-1269)

Apr. 19             Timaeus (1270-1291); Gary Anderson presents

Monday, April 23:  Paper #2 DUE at noon

Apr. 24             Plotinus, Enneads: "The Good of The One" (pp.72-89)

Apr. 26             Plotinus, "The Three Primal Hypostases" (pp.90-105)

Tuesday, May 1, 1:00 to 2:40 PM  Exam #3                     Review Guide for Exam #3

Copyright © 2001, William O. Stephens