ConfrontationswiththeReaper（PHL345）-MichaelCholbi

Confrontations with the Reaper (PHL345)
Fall 2012 (sections 1, 2)
Class meetings
§1: Tu/Th 1:00-2:50, 98C 5-007
§2: Tu/Th 3:00-4:50, 98C 5-007
Instructor Michael Cholbi
E-mail mjcholbi@
Phone 909.869.3845
Office hours Wednesday 9:30-2:00
and Friday 10:30-12:00.
Please do not hesitate to set up an
appointment outside off these hours.
Also, see below for a note about
office reading hours.
Office Building 1, room 319B
Philosophy office Building 1, room
320
Description
Every human being who has ever lived eventually died, and barring a radical technological advance, every human being who will ever live will eventually die. You will die. And so will I. Death is therefore one of the few genuine human universals, experienced and confronted by all persons everywhere. As a result, death has been a subject of scholarly and artistic investigation from a wide array of perspectives: philosophical, theological, literary, sociological, psychological, etc. The purpose of our course is to use a cross section of these investigations to address some of the central questions about death and dying, including the nature and ethical significance of death. You should leave our course having engaged in serious and sustained reflection about death, not merely for intellectual purposes but in order to approach the prospect of your own death in a more enlightened and informed way.
Course learning objectives
Our course focuses on the following eight sets of questions concerning death and dying:
1.What is death? What kind of transformation of an individual is death?
2.Is it possible to survive death (i.e., to become immortal)?
3.Is it desirable to survive death (to become immortal)?
4.Is the desire for immortality a positive or negative influence on human conduct?
5.How ought we grieve those who have died?
6.How should our knowledge of our own deaths shape how we live?
7.What would a good experience of dying — a ‘good death’ — be like?
8.Under what conditions is suicide (the intentional bringing about of one’s own death)
morally defensible?
By the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:
a.Articulate a variety of historically and culturally influential answers to these questions
b.Critically appraise these answers as well as the arguments or evidence adduced in their
favor
c.Explain and justify the answers to these questions that they themselves find most
plausible
Prerequisites and expectations
•Junior or senior standing (please see me if you do not satisfy this prerequisite but are interested in enrolling in this course)
•Because this course satisfies the GE area C4 Humanities synthesis requirement, enrolled students must have completed GE areas C1 (Visual and Performing Arts), C2 (Philosophy and Civilization), and C3 (Literature and Foreign Languages).
•In addition, I recommend that enrolled students have completed GE area A (Oral Communication, Written Communication, and Critical Thinking) prior to this course. It also can’t hurt to have had courses some courses in the social sciences.
I encourage students who are concerned about their readiness for this course to discuss this matter with me as soon as possible.
Blackboard
We will be using Blackboard () in support of the in-class activities in this course. In order to use Blackboard, you will need to know your university Intranet ID and password. You should be checking the Blackboard site several times weekly for updates on course activities, etc.
Texts and materials
We’ll be doing some careful reading of our texts in class, so please have them available.
Required texts:
•Kagan, Death (Yale University Press, 2012) [also available in Kindle edition] * A note on this text: It’s based on Kagan’s course on death. Videos of his lectures, along with a transcript of each, is available at /philosophy/phil-176. The
lectures and transcripts mirror the text closely, so you may use these in lieu of our text.
But you will be responsible for the content of the book in either case.
•Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting (Scholastic, 2002) [also available in Kindle edition] •Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Tribeca, 2012) [also available in Kindle edition] •Cholbi, Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions (Broadview, 2011) [also available as Google e-book. See http://bit.ly/NEMXQT]
Other readings will be made available on Blackboard.
Required materials:
•At least 25 standard 3x5 inch notecards, preferably lined
Evaluation and requirements
Your grade for this course will be determined by the following five components:
1. A midterm exam will be distributed via Blackboard on Friday, October 12, and due by 10 am
Tuesday, October 16. [20% of quarter grade]
2.By 3 pm on the day prior to each of our class meetings, I will distribute a diagnostic on
Blackboard. These diagnostics will be brief exercises whose purpose is threefold: (1) to help you engage more fully with the course material; (2) to help you measure your progress in meeting the course learning objectives; and (3) to assist me in determining which topics or material should be stressed during our course meetings. These diagnostics are all ungraded and will take a variety of forms: quizzes, surveys, paragraph-length responses, etc. The
diagnostics will be available until 1pm on the day of the subsequent class meeting. There will be 19 such diagnostics distributed during the quarter, and you are required to complete at least 8 of these (though I encourage to complete as many as you can). This is a pass/fail requirement. [10% of quarter grade]
3. A weekly writing assignment will be distributed via Blackboard each week by Friday 5 pm.
(NOTE: There will be no weekly assignment (a) on Friday, October 12, due to the midterm exam that week, or (b) on Friday, November 30, the final week of classes.) You are required to complete at least five of these nine assignments during the quarter. Each assignment will be due on the subsequent Tuesday at 10 am. These assignments are brief essay assignments, designed to be completed in essays of around 800 words or so (3-4 paragraphs). You are to submit these via the Blackboard assignment interface. I will neither grade nor provide
individual feedback on these assignments, but I will provide some general feedback derived from the assignments turned in for that week. At the conclusion of the quarter, you must e-mail me by 5 pm, Monday December 3, indicating which three of your writing assignments you would like to count toward your grade. (Note that if you do not complete at least five assignments, you will receive a zero for this component of your grade.) Your writing
assignments will be graded on clarity and general organization, critical reasoning and
argumentation, and comprehension of relevant concepts, theories, etc. Each assignment can receive a maximum of 25 points, making 75 points the maximum possible writing
assignment score for the quarter. Here is the grading scale for this component of your grade [35% of quarter grade]:
Grade Point total Grade Point total
A 69-75 C 54-57
A- 67-68 C- 52-53
B+ 65-66 D+ 50-51
B 62-64 D 46-49
B- 60-61 D- 44-45
C+ 58-59 F 0-43
You may substitute in class oral presentations for up to two of these five assignments. If you wish to do so, you must contact me at least 48 hours prior to the class meeting during which
you wish to give your presentation. I will then provide you the oral presentation criteria and some guidance concerning your presentation(s). Again, you must e-mail me indicating
whether you would like to count the oral presentation(s) toward your quarter grade.
4.You are required to complete a term project. More details will be provided about this project
later, but the two main requirements for this project are (a) that it critically engage with at least one of the six questions listed above under the course learning objectives, and (b) it must make use of or refer to one source that was not among our assigned readings. (An Excel file with a list of recommended sources can be found on Blackboard). The majority of
students opt to do a traditional term paper for their term project, but other formats and
approaches are possible. All students must turn in a project proposal in class on Thursday, November 1. Any project proposals must be approved by your instructor. Any proposal that is not approved by your instructor will be returned to you for revision. [30% of quarter grade]
5.You are required to submit an end-of-quarter memo. More details about this memo will be
provided later, but in the memo, you will describe your progress in meeting the course
learning objectives and (if you so desire) argue for the grade you believe you should receive for the course. The end-of-quarter memo will be graded pass/fail, and will be due Thursday, December 6, noon, to my office (1-319B). [5% of quarter grade]
Late work: In general, late work is not accepted. If an emergency of a medical or personal nature occurs and is responsible for your being unable to complete the assigned work, please let me know immediately. If extraordinary circumstances arise that make it unusually difficult for you to meet the class requirements, please contact me so we can discuss the possibility of alternative arrangements.
A note on office hours
The hours I will hold Wednesdays 9:00-11:30 are what I call reading hours. During this time, those who would like help or insight concerning the assigned readings are invited to discuss and critically engage the readings with your instructor and other students. (Note that I’m happy to discuss other matters besides the assigned reading during the reading hours, but I will cede that time to students who wish to address the reading.)
Varia
•Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will be addressed according to Cal Poly policies.
•The copyright for these course materials is held by the instructor; any attempt to distribute or sell this material without instructor authorization is in violation of that
copyright.
•Students with learning or other disabilities are encouraged to contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss their needs and possible accommodations.
Course calendar
I have created a Google Calendar for this course, available at http://bit.ly/MN6IF6. You should be able to integrate this into your calendars, use it on your electronic devices, etc. It lists our class meetings, assignments, etc.
Schedule of readings and meetings
Please complete the readings for the class meetings listed below before the meeting.
DATE TOPIC(S) ASSIGNED
READINGS IF YOU CAN’T
READ
EVERYTHING,
JUST READ…
TASKS
Th 20 Sept Death: What’s
worth thinking
about
Mitford, “Behind the
formaldehyde
curtain”
1.Writing
assignment #1
distributed (Bb)
Fr 21 Sept, due
Tu 25 Sept, 10
a.m.
Tu 25 Sept Facing up to
death: Do we
know we will
die?
•Tolstoy, Death
of Ivan Ilyich, all
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 1-5, pp. 186-
96
•Tolstoy, Death
of Ivan Ilyich, all
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 1-5
1.Diagnostic #1
distributed Mo
24 Sept, 3 p.m.
Th 27 Sept The nature of
death:
Physicalism,
dualism, and
the soul thesis
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 6-36
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 6-13, 24-36
1.Diagnostic #2
distributed We
26 Sept, 3 p.m.
2.Writing
assignment #2
distributed (Bb)
Fr 28 Sept, due
Tu 2 Oct, 10
a.m.
Tu 2 Oct The soul thesis,
part II •Kagan, Death,
pp. 36-68
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 36-56
1.Diagnostic #3
distributed Mo
1 Oct, 3 p.m.
Th 4 Oct Death: what
dies, what
survives •Kagan, Death,
pp. 98-131
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 115-131
1.Diagnostic #4
distributed We
3 Oct, 3 p.m.
2.Writing
assignment #3
distributed (Bb)
Fr 5 Oct, due
Tu 9 Oct, 10
a.m.
Tu 9 Oct Death, personal
identity, and
what matters in
survival •Kagan, Death,
pp. 132-169
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 132-162
1.Diagnostic #5
distributed Mo
8 Oct, 3 p.m.
Th 11 Oct The moment of
death •Kagan, Death,
pp. 170-185
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 170-185
1.Diagnostic #6
distributed We
•President’s
Commision…,
Defining Death,
excerpts (Bb)
10 Oct, 3 p.m.
2.Midterm exam
distributed, Fr
12 Oct, due Tu
16 Oct 10 a.m.
Tu 16 Oct The deprivation
account •Kagan, Death,
pp. 205-212
•Nagel, “Death”
(Bb)
•Suits, “Why
death is not bad
for the one who
dies” (BB)
•Nagel, “Death”
(Bb)
1.Diagnostic #7
distributed Mo
15 Oct, 3 p.m.
Th 18 Oct Death’s
badness: two
puzzles •Kagan, Death,
pp. 213-33
•Rosenbaum,
“How to be dead
and not care: A
defense of
Epicurus” (Bb)
•Luper,
“Annihilation”
(Bb)
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 213-33
1.Diagnostic #8
distributed We
17 Oct, 3 p.m.
2.Writing
assignment #4
distributed (Bb)
Fr 19 Oct, due
Tu 23 Oct, 10
a.m.
Tu 23 Oct Getting started
with
immortality •Babbitt, Tuck
Everlasting, all
•Bailey, “Do you
really want to
live forever?”
(Bb)
•Babbitt, Tuck
Everlasting, all
1.Diagnostic #9
distributed Mo
22 Oct, 3 p.m.
Th 25 Oct Immortality: Is
it worth it? •Kagan, Death,
pp. 234- 246
•Tennyson,
“Tithonus” (Bb)
•Borges, “The
immortal” (Bb)
•Card, “Mortal
gods” (Bb)
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 234- 246
•Tennyson,
“Tithonus” (Bb)
•Either Borges or
Card
1.Diagnostic #10
distributed We
24 Oct, 3 p.m.
2.Writing
assignment #5
distributed (Bb)
Fr 26 Oct, due
Tu 30 Oct, 10
a.m
Tu 30 Oct Defending the
desirability of
immortality •Fischer, “Why
immortality is
not so bad” (Bb)
•Overall, “From
here to eternity:
Is it good to live
forever?” (Bb)
•Overall, “From
here to eternity:
Is it good to live
forever?” (Bb)
1.Diagnostic #11
distributed Mo
29 Oct, 3 p.m.
Th 1 Nov Is the desire for
immortality a
source of evil? •Villarica, “How
the unrelenting
threat of death
shapes our
behavior” (Bb)
•Solomon et al,
“Fatal attraction”
(Bb)
•Becker, Escape
from Evil,
excerpts (Bb)
•Villarica, “How
the unrelenting
threat of death
shapes our
behavior” (Bb)
•Solomon et al,
“Fatal attraction”
(Bb)
1.Diagnostic #12
distributed We
31 Oct, 3 p.m.
2.Writing
assignment #6
distributed (Bb)
Fr 2 Nov, due
Tu 6 Nov, 10
a.m
3.Course project
proposals due
in class
Tu 6 Nov A good death? •Nuland, How
We Die, excerpt
(Bb)
•Dugdale, “The
art of dying
well” (Bb)
•Plato, Phaedo
death scene (Bb) •Nuland, How
We Die, excerpt
(Bb)
•Dugdale, “The
art of dying
well” (Bb)
1.Diagnostic #13
distributed Mo
5 Nov, 3 p.m.
Th 8 Nov Good grief? •Kubler-Ross
Foundation,
“Five stages of
grief” (Bb)
•Konigsberg,
“New ways of
thinking about
grief” (Bb)
•Solomon, “Grief
and gratitude”
(Bb)
•Lewis, A Grief
Observed, pp. 3-
41 (Bb) •Kubler-Ross
Foundation,
“Five stages of
grief” (Bb)
•Solomon, “Grief
and gratitude”
(Bb)
1.Diagnostic #14
distributed We
7 Nov, 3 p.m.
2.Writing
assignment #7
distributed (Bb)
Fr 9 Nov, due
Tu 13 Nov, 10
a.m
Tu 13 Nov Living in the
face of death
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 264-317
•Rorty, “Fearing
death” (Bb)
•Kagan, Death,
pp. 282-317
1.Diagnostic #15
distributed Mo
12 Nov, 3 p.m.
Th 15 Nov Is suicide
morally
impermissible?
•Cholbi, Suicide:
The
Philosophical
Dimensions, pp.
39-69, 163-76
•Hume, “Of
suicide” (Bb)
•Cholbi, Suicide:
The
Philosophical
Dimensions, pp.
39-69
1.Diagnostic #16
distributed We
14 Nov, 3 p.m.
2.Writing
assignment #8
distributed (Bb)
Fr 16 Nov, due
Tu 20 Nov, 10
a.m
Tu 20 Nov Defending
suicide:
Autonomy and
rationality
•Cholbi, Suicide:
The
Philosophical
Dimensions, pp.
70-76, 84-97
•Velleman, “A
right of self-
termination?”
(Bb)
•Cholbi, Suicide:
The
Philosophical
Dimensions, pp.
70-76, 84-97
1.Diagnostic #17
distributed Mo
19 Nov, 3 p.m.
Th 22 Nov NO MEETING
(Thanksgiving)
1.Writing
assignment #9
distributed (Bb)
Fr 23 Nov, due
Tu 27 Nov, 10
a.m
Tu 27 Nov •Assisted
suicide
•Cholbi, Suicide:
The
Philosophical
Dimensions,
pp.139-161
•Callahan, “A
case against
euthanasia” (Bb)
•Cholbi, Suicide:
The
Philosophical
Dimensions,
pp.139-161
1.Diagnostic #18
distributed Mo
26 Nov, 3 p.m.
Th 29 Nov A duty to die? •Cholbi, Suicide:
The
Philosophical
Dimensions, pp.
98-114
•Hardwig, “Is
there a duty to
die? (Bb)
•Cholbi, “The
duty to die and
the
burdensomeness
of living” (Bb)
•Cholbi, Suicide:
The
Philosophical
Dimensions, pp.
98-114
•Hardwig, “Is
there a duty to
die? (Bb)
1.Diagnostic #19
distributed Mo
26 Nov, 3 p.m.
We 5 Dec Term projects
due, noon, 1-319B Th 6 Dec End of quarter
memos due, noon,
1-319B。