TEXTS: After Philosophy: End or Transformation? Kenneth Baynes, James Bohman, Thomas McCarthy, eds.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1987.
Feminist Epistemologies. Linda Alcoff and Elizabeth Potter, eds. New York: Routledge, 1993.
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE: The purpose of the course is to introduce the student to the problems of contemporary epistemology through a study of major sources in the field. This semester, feminist perspectives will be a major focus in the course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING: Students are expected to do the assigned readings and come to class prepared to discuss the issues raised. There will be a mid-term, a final exam, and a term paper. Each will count 30% of the course grade. The remaining 10% will be based on class participation.
Grades are assigned as follows:
92-100
A
90-91.9 A-
88-89.9 B+
82-87.9 B
80-81.9 B-
78-79.9 C+
72-78.9 C
70-71.9 C-
68-69.9 D+
62-68.9 D
60-61.9 D-
0-59.9 F
Students are expected to
attend class, to do the assigned reading before each class session, to submit
all work by the assigned date, to know and abide by the rules of The University
of Virginia's College at Wise, including the Honor Code.
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CLASS SCHEDULE |
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Date |
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Assignment |
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15 Jan |
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Introduction to the Course; General Introduction |
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17 |
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Lecture: Foundationalist Epistemology |
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22 |
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Lecture: The Nietzchean Critique |
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24 |
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Lecture: Heidegger and Hermeneutic |
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29 |
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Richard Rorty, "Pragmatism and Philosophy," After Philosophy, pp. 21-66 |
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31 |
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Jean-François Leotard, "The Postmodern Condition," After Philosophy, pp. 67-94 |
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5 |
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Michel Foucauld, "Questions of Method: An Interview with Michel Foucault," After Philosophy, pp. 95-116 |
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7 |
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Jacques Derrida, "The Ends of Man," After Philosophy, pp. 119-158 |
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12 |
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Donald Davidson, "The Method of Truth in Metaphysics," After Philosophy, pp. 162-183 |
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14 |
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Hilary Putnam, "Why Reason Can’t Be Naturalized," After Philosophy, pp. 217-244 |
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19 |
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Karl-Otto Apel, "The Problem of Philosophical Foundations in Light of a Transcendental Pragmatics of Language," After Philosophy, pp. 245-290 |
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21 |
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Jürgen Habermas, "Philosophy as Stand-In and Interpreter," After Philosophy, pp. 291-315 |
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26 |
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Hans-Georg Gadamer, "Hermeneutics as Practical Philosophy," and "Forward to the Second German Edition of Truth and Method," After Philosophy, pp. 319-350 |
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28 |
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Paul Ricoeur, "On Interpretation," After Philosophy, pp. 351-380 |
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4 Mar |
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Alasdair MacIntyre, "Relativism, Power, and Philosophy," and "The Relationship of Philosophy to History: Postscript to the Second Edition of After Virtue," After Philosophy, pp. 381-422 |
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6 |
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Study Guide Review |
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18 |
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Mid-term Exam |
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20 |
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Linda Alcoff and Elizabeth Potter, "Introduction: When Fenimisms Intersect Epistemology," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 1-14 |
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25 |
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Lorraine Code, "Taking Subjectivity into Account," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 15-48 |
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27 |
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Sandra Harding, "Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology: 'What is Strong Objectivity'?" Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 49-82 |
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1 April |
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Bat-Ami Bar On, "Marginality and Epistemic Privilege," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 83- 100 |
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3 |
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Helen Longino, "Subjects, Power, and Knowledge: Description and Prescription in Feminist Philosophies of Science," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 101-120 |
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8 |
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Lynn Hankinson Nelson, "Gender and Epistemic Negotiation," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 121-160 |
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10 |
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Elizabeth Grosz, "Bodies and Knowledges: Feminism and the Crisis of Reason, Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 187-216 |
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15 |
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Vrinda Dalmiya and Linda Alcoff, "Are 'Old Wives' Tales' Justified?" Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 217-244 |
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17 |
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Susan Babbitt, "Feminism and Objective Interests: The Role of Transformation Experiences in Rational Deliberation," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 245-265 |
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22 |
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Kathryn Pyne Addelson, "Knower/Doers and Their Moral Problems," Feminist Epistemologies, pp. 265-294 |
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24 |
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Term Papers Due, Review |
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29 |
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Review |
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1 May |
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Review |