TRINITY COLLEGE
FIRST YEAR
SEMINAR PROGRAM
INT 115 WY1:
Human Identity and Human Agency
Spring 2005
Professor M. San Juan x9284/
M268
Office: TTH (4:30-5:30); MW (1:30-2:30) sanjuanm@trinitydc.edu
THIS COURSE offers students the opportunity, through a seminar format, to confront both old and new ideas and issues in order to analyze their meaning and examine their impact on a student’s life. This means that the student will learn to take a central role in conducting the seminar. The seminar is intended to introduce the student to the intellectual life of the college. This year’s focus will be on the concept of identity.
(3 credits: FLC SEM1)
This section of the First Year Seminar will focus on four questions that have intrigued human beings from the beginning: “Who am I?” “What ought I do?” “What Kind of a person ought I be?” What is it to be a human being?” We will approach these questions by reading selections from Western and Eastern philosophers and view films that address these or similar questions, examining our identity by examining our agency.
The objectives for this course are
* to introduce the student to academic study as members of a seminar;
* to explore the concept of identity from disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives;
· to promote the development of critical reading skills;
· to promote the development of skills appropriate to the writing of college-level essays by providing the students with a writing-intensive experience; and
· to investigate and propose strategies for success in college courses and college life.
· to expose the student to the relevance of and connections between intellectual and experiential learning.
THE COURSE REQUIRES that the student keep an academic journal (15%), complete four major writing assignments (40%), give an oral presentation on an assigned topic (15%), construct a portfolio on the community-based component (25%), and participate frequently and consistently in class discussions (5%).
The attendance policy for this course is the same as the College’s. Excessive absences may result in failing the course. All assignments are expected as due. Any delay must be approved before the due date. Every assignment will have a published grading rubric.
Written assignments will include a summary, a comparison and contrast essay, a critical analysis, and an extended definition (for a total of not less than 15 pages). The academic journal will be collected four times during the course of the semester. The oral presentation will be scheduled after the mid term assessment. Participation is defined as comments, questions, and responses that demonstrate that the student has read and reflected on the assigned texts.
THE TEXTS for this course are as follows:
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Telling (2000, excerpt) (handout)
Richard Hanley, The Metaphysics of Star Trek (1997, excerpt) (handout)
Star Trek: The Next Generation, “The Measure of Man” (1989) (DVD)
Short Circuit (1984) (DVD)
Roger Fouts. Next of Kin (1997 excerpt) (handout)
KOKO (1998) Video
Darwin. The Origin of the Species, “Natural Selection”
E.O. Wilson, Sociobiology, “Does Sociobiology Explain Everything About Human Nature?”
G. E. Moore. “The Naturalistic Fallacy”
Cornell & Hartman. “Ethnicity and Race”
“Thinking About Race”
Imitation of Life (video)
Naomi Zack, “Human Nature and its Role in Feminist Theory”
Bina Gupta, Ethical Questions East and West. Rowan & Littlefield (New York: 2002).
I. What Is It To Be ‘Human’? (1 September-22 September)
II. Is There a Human ‘Nature’? (27 September-1 November)
III. The Self: Human Agency and the Problem of Action (3 November-8 November)
IV. The Person: What Ought I do? (10 November-17 November)
V. Identity: What Kind of Person Ought I Be? (22 November- 1 December)
INT 115 WY 1: Human Identity and Human Agency:
Schedule of Instruction (T/TH 3:00-4:15)
25 January : Introduction to the course Read “The Telling”
& CBL component: Gear –Up Do Pre- Survey online
bring confirmation
________________________________________________________________________________
27 January: What
does it mean to be human? Read “The
Metaphysics of Star
Narrative
& Identity Trek” Journal #1 (The Telling)
due 2/3.
________________________________________________________________________________
1 February: “The
Measure of Man” (video) Journal #2
(Hanley) due 2/8 Community
Org. Description &
Preflection for site visit due 2/8
________________________________________________________________________________
3 February: “Short Circuit” Read Next
of Kin; summary (due
2/17) And Journal #3 (Johnny5 Alive?) (due 2/10)
8 February: Koko
(video)
________________________________________________________________________________
10 February: Discuss
“sentience” Explain summary Journal #4 (What
sense human?)
due
6 October Due
2/15
________________________________________________________________________________
15 February: The
Concept of Human Nature Finish
reading “Next of Kin”
_______________________________________________________________________________
17 February: Discuss “Next of Kin Read ‘The challenge of
Sociobioliogy’
Due
2/24
22 February:
Discuss CBL Portfolio “Natural
Selection” & “Does Bring
Manual to class Sociobiology
explain…”
&“The Naturalistic Fallacy”
________________________________________________________________________________
24 February: Discuss
Sociobiology
Journal # 5 (sociobiology) due 3/1.
CBL
Journal part I due today
1 March: Naturalistic
Fallacy Mid
-Term Grades due
Read
“Thinking About Race”
________________________________________________________________________________
3 March: Discussion
on Race: explain
compare and contrast essay DUE 3/29
________________________________________________________________________________
8 March: “Imitation of
Life”
_______________________________________________________________________________
10 March: Imitation of Life
Discussion Read
“Human Nature and its
Role
in Feminist Theory”
________________________________________________________________________________
15 March: “The Doll’s House”
(Video) Ibsen
Gender
________________________________________________________________________________
17 March: Discuss “Human
Nature and its role Read
Gupta (pp. 33-81)
in
Feminist Theory” & “The
Doll’s
House”
________________________________________________________________________________
29 March: Discuss Oral
Presentations & signup Read
Gupta (97-136)
Part II
“Who Am I?”
_______________________________________________________________________________
31 March: Human Agency and
the problem of Action Reflective essay
on service
_______________________________________________________________________________
5 April: Explain Critical Analysis
Oral
Presentation (1)
_______________________________________________________________________________
7 April:
Oral Presentations (2) Read
Gupta (pp.138-186)
________________________________________________________________________________
12 April: Part II “What
ought I do?” Service
Hours complete
do
Post Survey & bring
confirmation
________________________________________________________________________________
14 April: Oral
Presentations (2) Analytic
paper & CBL
Portfolio due today
________________________________________________________________________________
19 April: Explain Extended
Definition Critical
Analysis due
Oral
Presentations (2)
________________________________________________________________________________
21 April: Lecture on Part
IV “What Kind of Person Should I be”
Course Evaluation
_______________________________________________________________________________
26 April: Oral
Presentations (2)
_______________________________________________________________________________
28 April: Oral
Presentations (2)
3 May: Extended
Definition due
First Year Seminar:
Human Agency & Human Identity
Spring 2003
Notes for the
Film Review
A Film Review will include claims and interpretations that the reviewer believes to be accurate. These claims and interpretations must be supported with evidence from the film.
Your interpretation for the
film review should consider the following questions:
1. Does the film perpetuate or challenge established stereotypes? How?
Why? If the film challenges
stereotypes, are the challenges meaningful?
2. How do we know who the “good guys” and the “bad guys” are? Are the distinctions clear?
3. Does the film reinforce mainstream American fears or does it articulate
a different set of fears?
4. Is the narrative in this film believable? Do you ‘buy’ what the film presents as
reality?
5. If you are reviewing “Imitation of Life,” did the film reveal anything
about the black American experience and the place of color consciousness in
this society? If the film you are reviewing is “A Doll’s House,” did the film
reveal anything about the experience of women and gender consciousness in this
society? In your society?
First Year
Seminar: Human Agency & Human Identity
|
TEXT |
DATE |
PRESENTER |
|
Part II: Who
Am I? Introduction |
31 March
Thursday |
Dr. San Juan |
|
|
|
|
|
The Allegory
of the Cave (Plato) |
5 April
Tuesday |
1. |
|
Hobbes &
Mencius on Human Nature |
7 April
Thursday |
2. |
|
DeBeauvoir on
‘The Second Sex” |
7 April
Thursday |
3. |
|
|
|
|
|
Part III:
What Ought I do? Introduction |
12
April Tuesday
|
Dr. San Juan |
|
10
Commandments |
14
April Thursday
|
4. |
|
5 Precepts |
14 April
Thursday |
5. |
|
The Principle
of Utility (Mill) |
19 April
Tuesday |
6. |
|
Mo Tzu &
Universal Love |
19 April
Tuesday |
7. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Part IV: What
Kind of Person Should I Be? |
21 April
Thursday |
Dr. San Juan |
|
The Bhagavad
Gita |
26 April
Tuesday |
8. |
|
The Teachings
of the Buddha & 5 Virtues |
26 April
Tuesday |
9. |
|
Confucius |
28 April
Thursday |
10. |
|
Aristotle |
28 April
Thursday |
11. |
|
Kant: The
Categorical Imperative |
3 May Tuesday |
12. |
|
|
|
|
First
Year Seminar: Human Agency & Human Identity
Summary
of Assignments
1.
Participation Meeting
by meeting 5% of final grade ______
B. Compare & Contrast (2-3pp.) Due
29 march ______
C. Critical Analysis (4-5 pp.) Due
19 April ______
D. Extended Definition (3-4pp.) Due
3 may ______
4. Oral
Presentations Due
between the 15% ______
5
April – 28 April
5. CBL
Portfolio Due
14 April 20% ______
Major Writing Assignment #2: Compare and Contrast (27
October)
For the Compare and Contrast Essay, you
will focus on any two of the videos or films that we have viewed.
(a)
“The Measure of a Man” Star Trek
(b)
“Short Circuit”
(c)
“Koko”
(d)
“Imitation of Life”
(e)
“The Doll’s House”
Major Writing Assignment #3: Critical Analysis (22 November)
4-5 pp.
(a)
As part of your CBL Portfolio you will use the
introduction to part II of Gupta’s Ethical Questions East and West and
critically analyze the text in order to answer the question “Who am I?” In the
conclusion of your analysis, use the reflective writing on your service site to
mark the contrast between your answer to this question and what the clients you
served might say.
Extended Definition
Essay (3-4 pages) (due 1 December)
Final Assessment
What is the purpose of this course? What
were we trying to accomplish? (1 paragraph)
What questions have emerged for you as we
think our way through the issues we have covered? (2 paragraphs)
What information did you learn? How can you check to see if this information
is accurate?
(1 paragraph)
What can we logically conclude about the
concept of ‘identity’ based on the materials that you have read during this
course?
(1 paragraph)
What had you taken for granted about the
concept of identity when you began this course?
Should we accept these assumptions or should we question them? (1
paragraph)
How would you elaborate your understanding
of the concept of ‘identity’ now? (1-2 paragraphs)
Apply this understanding to your own
identity: that is, describe yourself. (1 paragraph)
Course Content (professor’s notes)
I. The Idea of a ‘who’: a creature that has
a life.
Paul
Ricouer’s “Oneself as Another”
The meaning of one’s
life; that one can contemplate one’s own death demonstrates that one creates
this meaning.
II. What does it mean to be a human being?
“The
Metaphysics of Star Trek” complicates this idea.
Biological
organism/psychological self/moral agent
Intelligence
and sentience as characteristics
The idea of a ‘person’
[“Short Circuit,” Data, & Koko exemplify possible persons who are not
human].
III. Biological humanity as a complex
notion
The
Sociobiological Challenge
The
Naturalistic Fallacy
Race & Gender as
examples of biological characteristics that have acquired normative meaning.
IV. Moral agency
Human
agency as indicative of responsible agency
Cultural
definitions of personhood (“Who am I?”)
Traditions
in Ethics (“What ought I do?”)
Standards of Excellence
compared (“What Kind of Person Should I be?”)
FIRST YEAR SEMINAR 2002-2003
Proseminar Presentation Guidelines
You are being asked to present a short
text to the class. This means that you
need to do a little research on the author
so you can give us the context of the text. The texts
that we will all be presenting (except me) are excerpts from longer works. Your textbook has an introduction (Part I)
that discusses some ideas about Ethics and connects these ideas to each of the
excerpts. So you should look in the
Introduction and check out what you would like to use to frame
the text you will be presenting. You
should also figure out who the author of your text is (if there
is an author) and whether it is part of a work in philosophy or religion. Think about the way in which we have been
examining the concept of identity (for example, read your journal entries and
the notes you have taken from our discussions).
Connect the text to the concept of
identity. Then ask the class to read a bit of the text
out loud: you should choose what you would like us to read. Ask the class what we think the
text means.
You should have a couple of direct questions you can ask (this means a
question that has ONE answer that can be found in the text). It is likely that we will have something to
say about the text; you should try to make sure than several people speak. You might discuss the text ahead of time with
a friend in the class so that she can help you get the discussion going. The whole presentation should take no more
than 20 minutes. Speak slowly and
clearly. Have a plan or order for the
presentation. Use index card or notes,
but be sure you have them in order.
II.
Context: when written? Philosophy or
religion? A response to which question?
III.
Connect to “Identity”
IV.
Read select passages out loud
V.
Discuss interpretation of meaning
TRINITY COLLEGE
FIRST YEAR SEMINAR
Rubric for Comparison & Contrast Essay
Format (60%)
1. The authors and titles of the works being
compared are clearly cited.
2. The essay is well developed using either
the block method or the alternating method.
3. The concepts, arguments, or claims that you
intend to compare are clearly stated in the introductory paragraph.
4. The purpose of the comparison is clearly
stated. [That is, you will show that the focus of the essay is to a) show that
the two items appear different but are really similar OR b) show that the two
items appear similar but are really different, OR c) show that the two items
can be ranked, one being better or worse than the other.]
5. The middle paragraphs of your essay provide
evidence of the similarities and/or the differences.
6. The concluding paragraph emphasizes the
significance of the comparison.
Grammar, Syntax & Diction (20%)
1. There are no more than three grammatical
errors.
2. The writing is clear.
Content (20%)
1. The essay accurately reflects the author’s
views.
2. The essay demonstrates a reflective
understanding of both texts.
3. The essay connects the significance of the
comparison to the concept of human agency.
TRINITY COLLEGE
First Year Seminar
Rubric for Proseminar Presentation
1. The
student has researched the author or work to be presented_____________
2. The text is framed by
the topic question __________________________
3. The student connects
the text to the concept of identity______________
4. The portions of the text that are read out
loud are central to the meaning
of the text _________________
5. The visual aids are
appropriate and clear.______________
6. The student asks questions
that start the discussion________________
7. The student maintains the
discussion____________________________
8. The student concludes the
discussion_______________________________
9. The student demonstrates poise & confidence________________________
10. The
discussion was enjoyable _________________________
Please give the presenter a 4, 4+,
or 4- for each of the above items.
4
= The item was evident in the
presentation
4+ = The item was successfully evident in the presentation
4- = The
item was not evident in the presentation