PHIL 201, LC 29 Fall 2017 Syllabus, page 1

The Catholic University of America

School of Philosophy
PHIL 201, Section 29: The Classical Mind (3)
First Year Experience Course, Learning Community 29.
Fall 2017, MWF 10:10-11
Caldwell 109
Ms. Esther Hudson
Office: Aquinas Hall, 200B
Office hours: Monday 11:15-12 (or by appointment please e-mail me!)
Aquinas phone number: 202-319-5636 (Mrs. Anderson)
43hudson@cua.edu

Course Description
Phil 201 is an introduction to philosophy using the original writings of several philosophers from the ancient
and medieval periods, with a more general consideration of the history of philosophy.
This course is also one part of the larger First Year Experience. Each of the classes in the program (The
Classical Mind, Writing: Logic and Rhetoric, The Modern Mind, and Faith Seeking Understanding) require you to think
about how we know ourselves, the world, God, and how we act in light of that knowledge. We think and act
better in the company of friends, Aristotle said, and so we will grapple with these questions and ideas in the
well-founded hope that the search for truth will make us better, more complete human beings. What were
doing is risky because answers to these questions have real implications for how we live our lives.

Prerequisites
Because this course is an introduction to philosophy, no previous coursework is required. However,
completing this course with a passing grade is a prerequisite for entry into PHIL 202: The Modern Mind.
Undergraduates must complete both courses (PHIL 201 and PHIL 202) with passing grades in order to
graduate from CUA.

Course Objectives
The goal of this course is to initiate students into philosophical thinking, by means of a thoughtful encounter
with four of the finest thinkers in ancient and medieval philosophy. It is hope that such an initiation will
enable the students to understand their own lives more deeply, and also to equip them to read, analyze, and
discuss difficult texts.

Required Texts
1. Plato. Five Dialogues. Translated by G. M. A. Grube. Edited by John M. Cooper. 2nd ed. Indianapolis:
Hackett Publishing Company, 2002. ISBN: 978-0-87220-635-5
2. Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. Translated by David Ross. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
ISBN: 978-0-19-921361-0
3. Augustine. Confessions. Translated by John K. Ryan. New York: Image, 1960. ISBN: 978-0-38-502955-1
4. Various texts of Thomas Aquinas, which will be made available by the instructor
5. Various other texts and articles, which will be made available by the instructor
 PHIL 201, LC 29 Fall 2017 Syllabus, page 2

6. Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers. The Bedford Handbook. 8th Edition. Boston: Bedford / St. Martins,
2010.

Attendance
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of the class by a quiz or roll call.
Students who arrive late must see the instructor after class so as to be marked present for that day. Students
who arrive after the quiz has been collected will not be able to retake the quiz.
Five instances of tardiness (i.e. coming in after the quiz has been collected) are counted as one absence.
Uniform Attendance Policy at CUA
Attendance is required and will be checked on a daily basis. Attendance counts towards the assessment of the
final grade in the following way:
For classes meeting three days per week, four absences will be tolerated without academic penalty. Each
absence after the fourth will result in a reduction of two points of the total 100 points for the course up until
the tenth absence which results in failure for the course. For such a course, a maximum of nine absences will
be allowed without failure for the course due to absences. No distinction in general is made between excused
and unexcused absences. Even if a student is granted absences, the student may not exceed the total number
of allowed absences.
Disability Support Services
Accommodations will be made for students with learning disabilities according to the needs specified for each
student by the Office of Disability Support Services (201 Pryzbyla Center; (202) 319-5211);
http://disabilitysupport.cua.edu) provided that the instructor has received this information in sufficient time
to make the accommodation.
Grading scale
CUA grading policy:
Numerical
Grade Meaning Equivalent
A Excellent 4.00
A- 3.70
B+ 3.30
B Good 3.00
B- 2.70
C+ 2.30
C Satisfactory 2.00
C- 1.70
D Lowest Passing 1.00
F Failing 0.00
I 1 Incomplete
W Withdrawal
F* Administrative Failure 0.00
The last day to withdraw from the course with a W is: Friday, November 10th.
 PHIL 201, LC 29 Fall 2017 Syllabus, page 3

Midterm grades will be due October 10th-13th. If you would like to talk about how you are doing before or
after that, please e-mail me and we can arrange a time to meet.
Grades are due on December 19th, so you will be able to check your final grade for the course around that
time.
For more information on the CUA grading policy, including how to appear grades, see:
http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/gradesfull.cfm
Grades for this course
Exams (45%):
Midterm: 15%
Aristotle exam: 10%
Final (cumulative, but with slightly more of an emphasis on Plato): 20%
Quizzes (15%): There will be a short (4-5 question) reading quiz at the beginning of each class. It will be
handed out at 9:10 and collected around 9:15. Quizzes are the means by which attendance will be taken.
Quizzes cannot be made-up, but there will be opportunities to earn extra-credit for quiz grades. I also plan
on dropping the three lowest quiz grades, before applying extra-credit.
Presentation and paper (10%): You will present on and write a paper on one chapter from a book in
Augustines Confessions. I will have a sign-up sheet in class on September 1.
Participation (10%)

Having the book and/or a printed copy of the readings for the day in class
Actively participating in class
o Active participation also might be different for different people. That said, dialogue and
conversation are essential in a philosophy class like this, in which we are reading and
evaluating texts as a community. Some people might speak more frequently than others, but
it is important that everyones voice is heard. For that reason, it is absolutely essential that
we accord one another due respect, which includes: thoughtfully listening to what the person
speaking is saying, trying to understand what the speaker is saying, not talking or having a
private conversation on the side while someone is speaking, not munching during class. See
also the sheet posted on Blackboard on guidelines for having a philosophical discussion.
Papers (20%):
Paper 1 (10%): due October 13
Paper 2 (10%): due November 20
Paper submission policy
Please send in papers via e-mail to: 43hudson@cua.edu. You can also turn in a hard-copy, if youd like. I
plan on grading the papers by means of the Review features (comments and track changes) in Word, and will
try to have them back to you (via e-mail) in a timely manner.
Late papers will be accepted, but with a penalty. See Make-up policy: paper (below) for more information.
Make-up policy
 PHIL 201, LC 29 Fall 2017 Syllabus, page 4

Quizzes
Quizzes cannot be made up.
You can receive extra credit towards your participation grade by attending one (or more) of the FYE series
lectures and turning in a brief summary (between page and 1 page) of the talk. You can include your
thoughts on the talk, if questions were raised. If you attend more than one lecture, you will need to turn in
one summary per talk to receive extra credit. Attending a talk and turning in a summary/reflections on the
talk will replace two of your lowest quiz grades. (I plan on having a sufficient number of quizzes by the end
of the semester so that the absolute lowest 3 will be able to be dropped before extra-credit is applied.)
Exams
Exams can ONLY be made up DUE TO GRAVE REASONS, such as illness with a doctors note or a death
in the family.
If you need to miss an exam due to an absolute and unavoidable emergency (i.e., youre mugged on the
way to class, your roommate needs to be hospitalized and you need to accompany him/her, a death in your
family), please let me know as soon as you possibly can, and we can try to work something out. There
are no guarantees that you will be able to make up the exam, though.
Holiday travel plans, while important and exciting, do not constitute a sufficient reason to miss an exam,
especially the final exam. The date and time of the final examination is scheduled by the university prior to
the beginning of the semester. For this class, the final exam will be Friday, December 15th, from 10:15-12:15.
If you already have booked travel plans for Christmas and there is a conflict, please see me BEFORE
THANKSGIVING.
Papers
Late papers will be accepted, but there will be a one-half letter grade deduction for every day that it is late. If
you need to turn your paper in late, but it is a day on which we do not have class, please e-mail me a copy, or
drop off a copy in my mailbox in Aquinas 200.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is expected of all CUA students. Faculty are required to initiate the imposition of
sanctions when they find violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, improper use of ones own
work, cheating, and fabrication. For undergraduate students the presumed sanction for academic dishonesty
will be failure for the course. Circumstances may warrant a more serious sanction, such as suspension or
expulsion. In exceptional cases, mitigating circumstances may warrant a lesser sanction than the presumed
sanction. For complete texts of the University policy and procedures regarding Student Academic
Dishonesty, including requirements for appeals, see http://policies.cua.edu. Also, consult the School of
Philosophy Statement on Plagiarism which will be distributed in this class.
Campus Resources
When needed, be sure to take advantage of student support services offered by: Mullen Library --- visit the
Information Desk (319-5070); The Writing Center, 202E Pryzbyla Center, north wing (319-4286); The
Tutoring Center, 202 Pryz (319-5655); The Counseling Center [personal] (319-5765) 127 OBoyle Hall; the
Center for Academic Success, 201 Pryzbyla Center (319-5655), which provides a variety of workshops to
assist study and learning, including test-taking and time management; and the Undergraduate Advising
Center, 204 Pryzbyla Center (319-5545).
 PHIL 201, LC 29 Fall 2017 Syllabus, page 5

Final exam for LC 29, Phil 201: Friday, December 15th, 10:15-12:15, Caldwell 109
Schedule for the semester
The schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor and depending on circumstances. The
time of the final exam, however, is set by Enrollment Services and cannot be changed.
August 28 (M) Syllabus + Frederick Douglass, reading selections
August 30 (W) Frederick Douglass, reading selections
September 1 (F) Platos cave (handout)
September 4(M) Labor day no class
September 6 (W) Freshman convocation (Read Augustine!!!)
September 8 (F) Euthyphro
September 11 (M) Confessions 1
September 13 (W) Confessions 2
September 15 (F) Confessions 3
September 18 (M) Confessions 4
September 20 (W) Confessions 5
September 22 (F) Confessions 6
September 25 (M) Confessions 7
September 27 (W) Confessions 8
September 29 (F) Confessions 9
October 2 (M) Augustine catch-up day
October 4 (W) Midterm review
October 6 (F) Midterm Exam
October 9 (M) Columbus day no class
October 10 Discussion day
(Administrative
Monday)
October 11 (W) Nicomachean Ethics Bk. 1 - Aristotle intro
October 13 (F) Nicomachean Ethics Bk. 10, c. 7-9
October 16 (M) Nicomachean Ethics Bk. 7 (c. 1-10)
October 18 (W) Nicomachean Ethics Bk. 2
October 20 (F) Nicomachean Ethics book 3 (c. 1-5)
October 23 (M) Nicomachean Ethics books 3 and 4
October 25 (W) Nicomachean Ethics book 5
October 27 (F) Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. 8, c. 1-6
October 31 (M) Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. 9, c. 4, 8-12
November 1 (W) Aristotle review
November 3 (F) Aristotle Exam Nicomachean Ethics
November 6 (M) Apology 1 (17a-28a)
November 8 Apology 2 (28a-35d)
November 10 (Last day Apology 3 (35d-42a)
to withdraw with a W)
November 13 (M) Apology 4
November 15 Apology
November 17 Crito 1 (43a-48b)
November 20 (M) Crito 2 (48b-54e)
November 22 Thanksgiving Break
November 24 Thanksgiving Break
November 27 (M) Crito
 PHIL 201, LC 29 Fall 2017 Syllabus, page 6

November 29 Phaedo 1 (57a-84c)

December 1 Phaedo 2 (107d-118a)
December 4 (M) Plato catch up
December 6 Catch up day
December 8 Reading day no class
(Immacualte
Conception)
December 11 (M) Review day
December 15 Final for LC 29, 10:15-12:15
Grades are due by 3:00 p.m. December 19th, which means that I will have posted them by that time.