Guy Elgat

What are minds? What is it to have a mind, to have consciousness? How, if at all, are minds different from machines? In this course, by reading pieces by Shaffer, Carruthers, and Searle, we will become acquainted with these concepts and issues and learn how to think about them in a more informed and critical fashion. The course is writing intensive: students should expect to write 15 to 20 pages of formal, revisable writing (i.e. two essays and two in-depth revisions) in addition to homework exercises and in-class writing and discussion.

This class serves as an introduction to the basic concepts of existentialism through a study of a couple of foundational texts by one of its principal philosophical proponents: Jean-Paul Sartre. The class will focus on existentialism¿s response to a newly emerging awareness of the contingency of moral values. With respect to this problem, we will explore central existentialist concepts such as freedom, and authenticity. The course is writing intensive: students should expect to write 15 to 20 pages of formal, revisable writing (i.e. two essays and two in-depth revisions) in addition to homework exercises and in-class writing and discussion.

This class explores some of the basic questions and issues in the philosophy of love, from ancient Greece to the contemporary world. What is the nature of love? WHat is Platonic love? What does love demand of us? How is romantic love sensitive to the social context in which we find ourselves in contemporary, capitalist, society? Texts include Plato's Symposium, Badiou's In Praise of Love, and Illouz's Consuming the Romantic Utopia (excerpts). FYS II will build upon the foundational writing skills students began learning in FYS I, with the introduction of more rigorous argumentation and research. Eventually, writing will be more self-directed in this FYS II class. Students should expect to write 20 to 25 pages of formal, revisable writing (i.e. one conversation essay and one research project, both with multiple drafts) as well as homework exercises and in-class writing. Much in-class writing will be included, as emphasis is on development of the intellectual skills of reading and responding critically, which forms the basis of each student's career at SAIC. Furthermore, peer review, class workshopping of student papers, and individual meetings to discuss each student's writing should be expected.

What is it to be an autonomous agent? To what extent is our agency free? In this course, we examine the manner in which the notion of individual, autonomous freedom is criticized and undermined in various ways in 19th and 20th century philosophy. After introducing the German philosopher Immanuel Kant¿s thought, with its strong conception of individual autonomy, we look at Hegel¿s critique of Kant and discuss his philosophy of history as a rational force that shapes and enables freedom. We then look at Marx and the materialist twist he gives to Hegel¿s idea: it is not reason but economic conditions that determine a person¿s degree of freedom. We then discuss Nietzsche¿s ideas to the effect that it is certain socio-psychological forces that shape what we value. We end by looking at structuralist (Michel Foucault) and feminist (Marilyn Friedman) approaches to the question of autonomy. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.