POLITICAL SCIENCE 650-2: HUME
Spring, 2009
Professor Larry Arnhart
Office: Zulauf Hall 404
Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 3:30-4:30 pm; Wednesday & Friday, 12:30-1:30 pm, other times by appointment. To be sure that the instructor will be in his office, email him ahead of time to alert him that you're coming at a specific time.
Office telephone: 815-753-7049
Email: larnhart@niu.edu
CLASS MEETINGS
Monday, 6:30-9:10 pm, DuSable Hall 466
REQUIRED TEXTS
Hume, Essays, ed. Eugene Miller (Liberty Classics, 1985)
Hume, An Enquiry
Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Tom Beauchamp (
2006)
Hume, An Enquiry
Concerning the Principles of Morals, ed. Tom Beauchamp (
2002)
Hume, Dialogues and
Natural History of Religion, ed. J. C. A. Gaskin (
Hume, The History of
Hume, The History of
RECOMMENDED BUT NOT REQUIRED TEXT
Hume, A Treatise of
Human Nature, ed. David Norton and Mary Norton (
GRADING
The final grade will be based on the grades for the journal writing (30% for journal entries #1-6 and journal responses #1-5, 30% for journal entries #7-13 and journal responses #6-12), class participation (15% for the first half of the semester and 15% for the second half), and a final paper (10%). Grades for the first half of the semester will be handed out in class on March 16.
For the journal writing, you will be put into a journal group with two other students. The journal group assignments will be changed at the middle of the semester. You must bring to class three copies of your journal entries and journal responses—one for the professor and two for the other two members of your group.
The journal entry should be at least two double-spaced typed pages on the reading for the week. The point of the journal entry is for you to set down your thoughts about anything in the reading. This will be your attempt to struggle with any issue that comes up in the reading. Usually it is best to take up one issue that you can develop a little in two pages.
You will write journal responses for each of the two journal entries you have received. Each journal response should be at least one double-spaced typed page. The point of the journal response is for you to respond in some fruitful way to the thoughts of your journal group members.
The final paper should be at least ten double-spaced typed pages. The point of the final paper is for you to elaborate your thinking about some topic related to the readings and discussions in the course. You might build upon something that has come up in your journal writing. The professor will distribute a list of possible topics. If you want to work on a topic not on the list, you will need to ask for that topic to be approved. The final paper will be due on May 4th, no later than 12 noon at the professor's office.
SCHEDULE
Jan 12: Introduction
Jan 19: No class (MLK day)
Jan 26: Essays, xxxi-xlix, 14-110
Journal entry #1
Feb 2: Essays, 111-190, 197-215, 226-249
Response #1
Journal entry #2
Feb 9: Essays, 253-280, 366-464
Response #2
Journal entry #3
Feb 16: Essays, 465-487, 512-529, 533-537, 563-598
Response #3
Journal entry #4
Feb 23: Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, 1-61
Response #4
Journal entry #5
Mar 2: Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, 62-123
Response #5
Journal entry #6
Spring break
Mar 16: Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 73-138
Response #6
Journal entry #7
Mar 23: Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, 139-199
Response #7
Journal entry #8
Mar 30: The Natural History of Religion, 134-196
Response #8
Journal entry #9
Apr 6: Simon Kow, "On the Use of History for Political Theory," online at
http://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2008/Kow.pdf
History of
Response #9
Journal entry #10
Apr 13: History
of
283-286, 291-295, 382-395, 490-548
Response #10
Journal entry #11
Apr 20: History
of
Response #11
Journal entry #12
Apr 27: History
of
Response #12
Journal entry #13
May 4: Final essay due in the professor's office by 12 noon.