Syllabus

(The syllabus is a constant work-in-progress, subject to change at the last minute; always consult the "Next" section in the upper right corner of our Home page for the latest revisions and other announcements.)

Philosophy 3160 - The Philosophy of Happiness. Fall 2019: TTh 2:40-4:05 PM, JUB 202

Dr. James P. Oliver phil.oliver@mtsu.edu. 300 James Union Building, 898-2050/(615)525-7865 during office hours only. Phil Dept 898-2907

Office Hours: M-Th 4-5 pm & by appointment. On pleasant days office hours may be outdoors-see my office door for details.

Examining the concept of human happiness and its application in everyday living as discussed since antiquity by philosophers, psychologists, writers, spiritual leaders, and contributors to pop culture.

This course explores happiness from many angles, each time a little differently. In a previous semester we pondered whether there is a "secret" of life that conduces to human happiness and flourishing. My conclusion then, and still my provisional view now: No, no Big Secrets. I’m a pragmatic pluralist and an admirer of Montaigne. "Que sçais-je?"

But that doesn't mean there's no insight to be gleaned from the philosophical study of happiness. There are plenty of little secrets and helpful stories to tell, and much happiness wisdom to learn.

One time our hook was meaning. To what extent can, may, or must the search for happiness coincide with the quest for a meaningful life?

Last time our main focus was the history of what's been thought and said by philosophers about happiness, flourishing, delight, subjective well-being etc.

This time we're looking into the Epicurean philosophy of happiness.

GETTING STARTED. We'll begin with introductions. I’ll ask you to respond in class AND on our course blogsite to these questions:

• Who you are?
• Why are you here?
• What is your current attitude towards happiness?

We’ll all eventually sign on as co-contributing authors of the class blog. (We’re not using D2L.) Meanwhile, post comments, questions, links, etc. in the comments section of any relevant recent post. You'll need to post regularly, to "score" full participation credit. And you'll want to, once you see how much fun it is to participate.

TEXTS (REQUIRED)

• Haybron, Happiness: A Very Short Introduction (H)
• Wilson, Epicureanism: A Very Short Introduction (E)
• Inwood, Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction (S)
• Epicurus, The Art of Happiness (AH)
• tba

RECOMMENDED - see the book and internet links in the right sidebar of our homepage, and see JPO's blogs Up@dawn and Delight Springs and tweets @osopher. But, in the words of Not-the-Messiah Brian Cohen,  "you don't need to follow me..."

 

Important Dates

• • Aug 27 - Classes Begin
  • Sep 2 - Labor Day - No Classes
  • Sep 19 - identify midterm report topics
  • Sep 26 - midterm report presentations begin
  • Oct 1 - Exam 1
  • Oct 10 - midterm report blog posts due
  • Oct 14-15 - Fall Break - No Classes
  • Oct 31 - Exam 2
  • Nov 14 - Final report presentations begin
  • Nov 27-30 - Thanksgiving Break - No Classes
  • Dec 1 - Final report blog post 1st draft due (if you want constructive feedback)
  • Dec 3- Last class. Exam 3.
  • Dec 7 - Final report blog posts final draft due
  • Dec 14 - Commencement
  • Dec 16 - Final grades reported

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AUG

T 27 - Introduce yourself in class and online (before next class) by replying to "Introductions" on our blog site at http://philoshap.blogspot.com/ & read classmates' introductions. Answer two questions (bearing in mind that this is an open site): Who are you? and Why are you here (in school, in a philosophy class, in middle Tennessee... whatever you'd like to share)?

Th 29 – What's your definition of "happiness"? Are you actively pursuing it? How important is it to you, compared with other values ("success," "meaning," "character"...)?

T SEP 3 - Haybron, Happiness (H) ch1-2
  

Th 5 - H 3-4

T 10 - H 5-6

Th 12 - H 7-8

T 17 - Wilson, Epicureanism (E) ch1-2

Th 19 - E 3-4; identify midterm report topics

T 24 - E 5-6

Th 26 - E 7-9; midterm report presentations begin

OCT
T 1 - Inwood, Stoicism (S) ch1-2; Exam

Th 3 - S 3-4

T 8 - S 5-7

Th 10 - tba; [Cicero, "On the Nature of the Gods" - ?]; midterm report blog posts due

FALL BREAK

Th 17 - Epicurus, The Art of Happiness (AH), foreword, preface, Introduction -p.39

T 22 - AH Introduction -p.76

Th 24 - AH -p.134

T 29 - AH -p.183

Th 31 - Exam 2

NOV

T 5 - Exam 2 & tba

Th 7 - How to Be an Epicurean (HTBE) 1-2, & tba

T 12 - HTBE 3-4, & et al

Th 14 - HTBE 5-6, &  et al; Final report presentations begin: Ed,

T 19 - HTBE 7-8, &  et al; Final report presentations continue

Th 21 -  HTBE 9-10, &  et al; Final report presentations continue

T 26 -  HTBE 11-12, &  et al; Final report presentations continue

THANKSGIVING BREAK

T 2 -   HTBE 13-15, &  et al; Final report presentations continue 

DEC

T 3  - Last class; Exam 3

Sa 7 - final report blog post due (but consider posting a draft earlier, for feedback from the class and to support your final report presentation)

M 16  - grade queries welcome
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS & grades, Fall 2019-

• attendance and participation, which we'll track on a daily "scorecard" with "bases" and "runs" whose final tally will contribute to final grade. 4 bases = 1 run, which you can earn in each class. You have to come to class to "get on base" and have a chance to score your daily participation run, but if you ever have to miss a class see the *make-up policy below.
• short ungraded daily quizzes which we'll go over in class, & two or three 20-question exams based on the quizzes; exams worth one run per correct answer
• How to score your daily participation run.Come to class: you're now on 1st base. Move up to 2d, 3d, & home to score if you posted any combination of three relevant alternative quiz questions, discussion questions, comments, and/or links. (Post in the comments section under the day's quiz. Keep a record of your posts in your own notes, be prepared to document them by date and location when asked.) Bases awarded during class also count toward your daily participation run.
• MIDTERM COLLABORATIVE REPORT, working with two other classmates. 500+word blog post (due date tba) & 10-15 minute presentation (to be scheduled), worth up to 20 runs. Include quiz & discussion questions, relevant graphics, videos, and links with your report. 
• FINAL SOLO REPORT. 500+ word blog post (due date tba) & very brief report preview (or "trailer"), worth up to 20 runs. Include quiz & discussion questions, relevant graphics, videos, and links with your report.

Presentations, like group discussions, will follow the peripatetic model when weather and inclination permit. So, post all supplemental and supportive multimedia material on our site in advance and be prepared to report like a peripatetic, in the open air.

PHONE/COMPUTER POLICY. It should go without saying, but for some does not: put your phone away during class. Be fully present, and participate. If you cannot comply with this, you'll be asked to leave and will be marked absent. It's okay to use a laptop to take notes and access course materials during class, but not for any other purpose.

*MAKE-UP POLICY. To "get on base" and be eligible to score when you're not able to be physically present, post an extra-credit blog post of 500 words (minimum) on a topic covered when you were absent, within one week of the class date you missed.

Scorecards, & how to play the game

Can't tell the players without a scorecard.


We'll track daily participation with baseball-style scorecards. But our game's much easier than the national pastime, all you have to do to get to 1st base is show up for class (or submit a make-up post when you have to miss class: see make-up policy above). Each class date is a column or "inning" on the scorecard. Simply showing up to class gets you to 1st base. Mark your scorecard accordingly. Now you're eligible to collect more bases and score your daily participation run (runs=participation points, 4 bases = 1 run).

Collect up to four bases (= 1 run) per class. See how to score your daily participation run above.

Besides posting, you can claim a base if you started the computer/projector & opened this site in our classroom before class, or were verbally awarded a base during class.

How to post. Eventually, everyone will have an opportunity to sign up as an "author" on our site. Until then, post your questions, comments, links, etc. in the current "comments" section under each day's quiz. Or, post via a classmate's author account (click on "new post" in the upper right.
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Daily Quiz

We'll do daily ungraded quizzes, posted before class on our site by me and supplemented (in the comments section) by you. Exams will be based on the daily quizzes. 

Why a daily quiz? Because philosophy is all about the questions, and because "frequent quizzes can deepen learning" (see "How to Study" below).

And note: "One reason scientists suspect that studying in pairs or groups can be helpful is that students are forced to talk to one another about the material-or better yet, argue about it... [this] deepens learning more than passively rereading or reviewing the material" alone. Hence, the rationale for our quiz-and-collaboration course format.

And besides, it's fun.

Questions & Links etc.

QUIZ QUESTIONS, DISCUSSION QUESTIONS. An example of a QQ: “Was it Plato or Aristotle who presented the Allegory of the Cave in his book The Republic?” [Plato]. A DQ might be: “Who do you think had a better understanding of reality and how we can discover it, Plato or Aristotle? Why?”

LINKS. An example of a posted link that would earn you a base: “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is helpfully explained in a cartoon I found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EPz5z1pUag”... OR, “I found a helpful article about Aristotle in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at http://www.iep.utm.edu/aristotl/” etc.

Grades

FAQ-How do you grade?

"Well, I add up the grades for the essays, quizzes, the midterm and final. I average them out. Then I consult my stomach."

That's how someone else puts it. Here's how I do:

Those with the most RUNS get an A. If you finish within 10% of the 3d-highest run scorer, you're safe at the plate.

Others will probably also receive A's based on exceptional report and exam scores and participation.

To those who think this is a less "objective"grading system than others, I say a run is a run. The only subjective element is my evaluation of your blog posts and reports... and I'm looking to make those assessments more inter-subjective in the future, by soliciting class feedback on posts and reports. Everything else reflects your efforts and achievements as recorded on the daily scorecard.

I'd be happy to stop grading altogether, if the administration would let me. See what you can do about that and let me know.

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And if you're tempted to complain about your B+, complain first to the administration which doesn't let us report an A- ...and read What Straight-A Students Get Wrong... "Academic grades rarely assess qualities like creativity, leadership and teamwork skills, or social, emotional and political intelligence. Yes, straight-A students master cramming information and regurgitating it on exams. But career success is rarely about finding the right solution to a problem — it’s more about finding the right problem to solve..."

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"Solvitur ambulando"

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Free tutoring is available in study skills, learning strategies and several courses such as biology, physics, history, computer information systems, math, psychology, economics, recording industry, and many more.

The central location for tutoring is the Tutoring Spot, located in Walker Library. For available tutoring opportunities, including days, times, and location, visit http://mtsu.edu/studentsuccess/tutoring.php#on.

You are encouraged to take advantage of this free service.

And, watch this space for details on Philosophy Tutoring, in 307B JUB.
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Lottery scholarship statement,
from: Academic Affairs <Academic.Affairs@mtsu.edu>
to: Faculty

Do you have a lottery scholarship? To retain the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must earn a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0 thereafter. A grade of C, D, F, FA, or I in this class may negatively impact TELS eligibility.

If you drop this class, withdraw, or if you stop attending this class you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship, and you will not be able to regain eligibility at a later time.

For additional Lottery rules, please refer to your Lottery Statement of Understanding form (http://www.mtsu.edu/financial-aid/forms/LOTFEV.pdf) or contact your MT One Stop Enrollment Coordinator (http://www.mtsu.edu/one-stop/counselor.php).
==

Take advantage of our FREE tutoring service and learn how to study, get help with understanding difficult course material,  receive better test grades, or simply improve your grade point average.  Tutoring is available in study skills and learning strategies that includes sessions on time management, notetaking, when and where to study, and memory principles.  Tutoring is also available in over 200 courses including biology, history, computer information systems, physics, math, psychology, chemistry, economics, recording industry, and many more.  The central location for tutoring is the Tutoring Spot, located in Walker Library, but is also conducted at various other campus sites.  For available tutoring opportunities, visit http://mtsu.edu/studentsuccess/tutoring.php#on .  For questions, call the Tutoring  Spot at 615-904-8014.

Dr. Cornelia Wills

Director of Student Success

Middle Tennessee State University

P. O. Box 500

Murfreesboro, TN 37132

Telephone:  615-898-5025

http://mtsu.edu/studentsuccess/index.php

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