HONR 101: THE NATURE OF INQUIRY

Fall 2009

TR 11:30-12:45

Welles 111

INSTRUCTOR:

Theodore Everett

Office: Wadsworth 9B

telephone: x5198; (home) 243-3433

e-mail: everett@geneseo.edu

Office Hours: 2:00-4:00W (and by appointment)

TEXTS:

Plato, Theaetetus (Hackett) 0872201589

Descartes, Discourse and Meditations (Hackett) 0872201724

Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hackett) 0872202291

The above texts are available--in new or used editions--at SunDance Books on Main Street. When you buy the texts, check to make sure you have the right edition. Always bring the assigned text to class.

There will also be numerous short readings, xeroxed or placed on MyCourses..

REQUIREMENTS:

There will be six papers. They will be analytical papers on assigned topics, each requiring you to think carefully about some aspect of the works under consideration. The papers are to be word-processed, double-spaced, and carefully proofread for mechanical errors. Each assignment will be explained by a handout and will be discussed in detail in class. The first three papers will be two to three pages long; each will count for 10% of your final course grade. The fourth and fifth papers will be four pages long; each will count for 20% of your final course grade. The sixth and final paper will be five to six pages long; it will count for the remaining 30% of you final course grade. Class discussion will be the deciding factor in any borderline grades.

PLAGIARISM

All work submitted for this course must be entirely your own. Any plagiarism will result in a grade of E for the course. See the college academic honesty policy for definitions and details, at http://www.geneseo.edu/~bulletin/addpolicies.shtml#student_academic

COURSE SCHEDULE (readings in parentheses).

Note: all dates for specific topics are tentative.

9/1 Introduction

9/3 Plato (142a-151d)

9/8 Plato (151d-186e)

9/10 Plato (187a-201c); Paper 1 due

9/15 Plato (201c-210d)

9/17 Plato (catch up)

9/22 Aristotle (6.1-6.74)

9/24 Aristotle (6.8-6.139); Paper 2 due

9/29 Sextus Empiricus

10/1 Aquinas

10/6 Bacon

10/8 Catch-up; Paper 3 due

10/13 Fall Break – NO CLASS

10/15 Descartes (Discourse 1-4)

10/20 Descartes (Discourse 5-6)

10/22 Descartes (Meditations 1-3)

10/27 Descartes (Meditations 4-6)

10/29 No Class; Paper 4 due (10/30, noon, Welles 103)

11/3 Locke (I.1-2, IV.3)

11/5 Locke (IV. 11-20)

11/10 Hume (1-4)

11/12 Hume (5-7)

11/17 Hume (8-10)

11/19 Hume (11-12); Paper 5 due

11/24 Reid

11/26 Thanksgiving Break – NO CLASS

12/1 Clifford; James;

12/3 Popper; Lakatos

12/08 Kuhn

12/10 Everett; Paper 6 due

12/17 (12:00-3:00pm) Course review