Spring 2021 Schedule
All dates given below are subject to change. An up-to-date calendar is always available here .
Subscribe to the calendar to stay up-to-date with assignments and meetings.
Important Dates
| Date | Assignment |
|---|---|
| 23 Feb | Unit 1 Reading Response Questions Posted |
| 8 Mar | Unit 1 Self-Assessment Due |
| 9 Mar | Unit 2 Reading Response Questions Posted |
| 12 Mar | Unit 1 Reading Response Due |
| 16 Mar | Argument Analysis 1 Passages Posted |
| 2 Apr | Argument Analysis 1 Due |
| 12 Apr | Unit 2 Self-Assessment Due |
| 13 Apr | Unit 3 Reading Response Questions Posted |
| 16 Apr | Unit 2 Reading Response Due |
| 29 Apr | Argument Analysis 2 Passages Posted |
| 3 May | Unit 3 Self-Assessment Due |
| 4 May | Unit 4 Reading Response Questions Posted |
| 7 May | Unit 3 Reading Response Due |
| 19 May | Argument Analysis 2 Due |
| 31 May | Unit 4 Self-Assessment Due |
| 4 Jun | Unit 4 Reading Response Due |
Schedule of Topics & Readings
Topics and readings subject to change.
| Date | Topic & Assigned Materials |
|---|---|
| 16, 19 Feb | Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy |
| Francis Bacon, Selections from New Organon | |
| Galileo Galilei, Selections from The Assayer | |
| René Descartes, Discourse on the Method, Parts 1–2 | |
| Unit 1 | Foundations: Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy |
| 23, 25 Feb | 1.1 Descartes on Skepticism, Certainty, & God |
| René Descartes, Meditations I–III | |
| 2, 4 Mar | 1.2 Cartesian Dualism & Its Early Critics |
| René Descartes, Meditations V–VI | |
| “The Cartesian Circle”: Selections from the Objections and Replies | |
| Unit 2 | Metaphysics After Descartes: the Mind-Body Problem |
| 9, 11 Mar | 2.1 Discovery of the Problem: Elisabeth of Bohemia & Malebranche |
| Elisabeth of Bohemia, Selections from Correspondence with Descartes | |
| Nicolas Malebranche, Selections from The Search After Truth | |
| Margaret Cavendish, Selections from Philosophical Letters | |
| 16, 18 Mar | 2.2 Is Mind-Body Interaction a Miracle? Malebranch & Leibniz on Substance |
| G. W. Leibniz, New System | |
| 23, 25 Mar | 2.3 “Whatever Is, Is in God”: Spinoza on Substance,Mind, and Body |
| Baruch Spinoza, Ethics Ip1–Ip15, Appendix; IIp1–IIp13 | |
| 30 Mar, 1 Apr | 2.4 Idealism: Berkeley’s Empiricist Critique of Matter |
| George Berkeley, Three Dialogues, Preface & First Dialogue | |
| Mary Shepherd, Selections from Essays | |
| 6, 8 Apr | No Class: Spring Break |
| Unit 3 | Epistemology After Descartes: Rationalism & Empiricism |
| 13, 15 Apr | 3.1 Locke’s Critique of Innatism |
| John Locke, Essay I.i, I.ii.1–8, 15–16, 22 | |
| G. W. Leibniz, Preface to the New Essays | |
| 20, 22 Apr | 3.2 Locke’s Empiricism |
| John Locke, Essay II.i.1–9, II.ii, II.viii.7–26, II.xii, II.xxiii.1–4 | |
| 27, 29 Apr | 3.3 Hume’s Skeptical Empiricism |
| David Hume, Enquiry Sects. II–V | |
| Unit 4 | Rationalism After Descartes: Kant’s Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics |
| 4, 6 May | 4.1 Kant’s Prolegomena I: How is Metaphysics Possible? |
| Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena Preface & Preamble | |
| 11 May | Catch-Up and Review |
| 13 May | No Class: Ramazan Bayramı |
| 18, 20 May | 4.2 Kant’s Prolegomena II: How are Pure Mathematics & Natural Science Possible? |
| Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena Sects. 6–23, 27–38 | |
| 25, 27 May | 4.3 Can There Be a Science of Metaphysics? |
| Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena Sects. 40–44, Scholium: Solution to the General Question of the Prolegomena, “How is metaphysics possible as a science?” |