Aristotle on Everything CLAS 3990/PHIL 3990B

Syllabus and Schedule

Professor Jacques A. Bailly
School of World Languages and Cultures, Classics Program
231 Old Mill
jacques.bailly@uvm.edu
Office Hours: TR 11:30-12:30

This syllabus is an online one: any paper copy may go out of date. The links in the syllabus start out mostly 'dead,' but are made 'live' as the semester rolls along.

Schedule:
NOTE WELL: Readings are listed under the day on which they are due. That is, they should be completed by that day's class.
"Argument analyses" are also listed on the day they are due: that is, they should be completed by that day's class.

RESERVE MATERIAL AVAILABLE AT BAILEY/HOWE:
ACTA="A Companion to Aristotle," Blackwell, 2009.
CCTA="The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle," Cambridge, 1995.

Texts:
The Complete Works of Aristotle, edited by Jonathan Barnes, Princeton. 2 volumes.
COURSE PHILOSOPHY

This course covers the philosophy of Aristotle, perhaps the most impressive and wide-ranging intellectual figures ever to have lived. Authoritatively active in the fields that became Biology, Meteorology, Geology, Physics, Chemistry, Ethics, Metaphysics, Political Theory, Aesthetics, Rhetoric, Psychology, History, Literature, and more, Aristotle's range of interest and accomplishment is without parallel.

Various good reasons to study Aristotle include:
1) Some of his thought may get the world right (or maybe just point in fruitful directions), particularly in the realm of philosophy, where he is still read for his philosophical ideas.
2) His role in intellectual history can hardly be overestimated.
3) He thinks and makes his reader think hard.
4) He offers a model of careful, clear, and precise thought.

Aristotle is a difficult author, very difficult. But we have two things going for us: 1) Our translation is good. 2) I love Aristotle. I will do what I can to infect you, but I expect my greatest ally will be the brilliance of Aristotle himself.

What you can expect to get out of this course: 1) Exposure to a broad range of Aristotle's works, 2) knowledge of key Aristotelian concepts and approaches, and 3) respect for and appreciation of Aristotle's magnificent accomplishment. 4) Argumentative analytical skill. 5) Concise, precise, writing skills.

To a great degree, I employ a "principle of charity" in my teaching: namely, if I don't understand what Aristotle says, I assume he is right (I am "charitable" towards him) and I am wrong or perhaps have simply not yet arrived at understanding. I hope you will always do that with Aristotle.

I sometimes "suck up all the air in the room" when I am teaching: it is not my finest trait. Please stop me by asking questions, by demanding better explanations, by challenging me: don't just let me go on if you don't understand or have significant disagreements with what I say.

Procedure:
The classes will ordinarily proceed as follows.
  1. Student presentations, if there are any student presentations for the day.
  2. Lecture/discussion: in the remaining time, I will lecture on the material assigned supplemented by secondary readings (which are indicated on the schedule and you may read as well: this is a good idea, but not required). Interrupt me frequently (and respectfully, with an understanding that sometimes we need to move on). I am most happy if the class turns into a good discussion with many of you honestly and persuasively disagreeing with me or each other. I am extremely happy if the discussion includes many people and not always the same people.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:

    FIRST, SOME IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT WRITTEN WORK: Experience has taught me to be explicit about     these things and to put them in the syllabus.

    TYPES OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS IN THIS CLASS:

Final:
The Final is provisionally planned to have some or all of the following:
Length: 1.5 hours for the very well prepared student.
The final is not set in cement: it may change considerably.

Grades: 91-100%=A, 81-90%=B, 71-80%=C, 61-70%=D, 60% or lower fails. Plus and minus will be given for the top three and bottom three points of each range respectively.

Graded Elements of this Course
Final
 20%
Argument Analyses (top ten grades count)
 60%
Article Summary
 15%
Article Presentation
 5%
Daily Comments
 1-2 comments missed = 0% deduction from final grade
3rd comment missed = 2% deduction from final grade
4th comment missed = 2.5% deduction from final grade
5th comment missed = 3% deduction from final grade
... etc.

Attendance: see daily comments policy. Also, argument analyses will only be accepted on the date due: no late papers will be accepted.
Obvious exceptions: hospitalization/illness due to factors beyond your control (i.e. not caused by your own poor choices), immediate family members' death (typically, two days of travel and one day being there, so at most 2 classes), etc.
Athletes (and those with legitimate reasons for missing classes or religious concerns that do not fit the UVM academic calendar) and ACCESS students: please let me know as soon as possible if your schedule requires accommodations for this class. After-the-fact requests for accommodations will not be made.

This course fulfills the following requirements: AH2: Humanities

The humanities involve the study of past and present human thought about the way the world works and how people should behave, exploring big questions with which human cultures have grappled for centuries.  The study of the humanities helps students to understand what it means to be human and how the past has shaped the present, building skills in using primary source evidence to construct rational arguments, and expanding capacity to empathize with other people.


Human Concern For You and Your Fellow Students:
College is often a high-stress, confusing, and even dangerous experience. Not just college. Life is. If you see someone whom you suspect is in a place where help is needed, don't hesitate to let me know. I can and will find someone who can try to help them in a constructive, non-punitive, non-blaming way. Myself, I am just not equipped to help in most cases, but I know folks who are and I know how to get help where it is needed. I am talking about things like depression, suicide, violence, self-destructive behavior, drugs, alcohol, abuse, crime, assault, etc. While I have no interest in and you probably should not tell me about irresponsible escapades, I do want to know if there is a need for help. Don't regret not saying something afterwards. Also, you should know that I and all your professors are mandatory reporters.

This Class and Your Future
Literature, philosophy, history, and human thought in general should play a strong role in the rest of your life, and your time in college should plant seeds that grow into lifelong interests and passions.
Occasionally, students also want to know about jobs, careers, and such. I'm an academic, and I believe that a class like mine should never stoop to usefulness: there are much, much more important and lofty goals, having to do with meaningfulness, truth, beauty, progress, figuring things out, human fulfilment, wonder at our world, etc. And yet, I am told that the skills one gains in the humanities are essential and important in the workplace, so much so that you are as likely to be successful in a career with a liberal arts background as others, more likely in many ways. I urge you to go to the Career Center and avail yourselves of their resources. They won't do it for you, but they will support you, coach you, point out opportunities, and help you as much as they can to successfully navigate the passage from your sojourn in the groves of academe to the land of salaries and billable hours.


UVM POLICIES
UVM has several policies that apply to us, including Our Common Ground, a code of academic conduct.

Abide by them.

If any of us do not, steps will be taken to bring us back into line.


From a UVM alumnus:
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
(John Dewey, UVM 1879)