General Information
Contact Information
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Office:
- Cowell Annex A-106
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Office hours (in person):
- Mon. 3–4pm
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Teaching Assistants:
-
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Office hours:
- Mon. 1:30–2:30pm (in Cowell Annex lounge)
Discussion Sections
A | Mon. 12:00–1:05pm | Soc Sci 1 161 | Enoch |
B | Tue. 1:30–2:35pm | Carson Acad
242 | Enoch |
C | Wed. 2:40–3:45pm | J Baskin Engr 372 | Chelsea |
D | Fri. 4:00–5:00pm | Oakes
Acad 102 | Chelsea |
Course Description
We will read (large parts of) some of the fundamental texts of the school known
as British Empiricism.
Modality: In general, I will lecture in person in our assigned classroom,
though I plan also to live-stream every lecture over Zoom. However, there are
three classes I need to cancel due to Passover, however, and to make up for this
there will be three lectures on Thursday evenings, 4/18, 4/25, and 5/2, via
Zoom only, at the usual class time (7:10–8:45). I will also make a recording of
every lecture available on YouTube.
Course Requirements
Participation in discussion sections (good participation will be possible grounds
for raising course grade, especially if it is on a borderline).
Attendance at lectures (either in person or via Zoom) is not required, but is
highly recommended. Second best is to watch the recorded lectures on YouTube.
Links to the recorded lectures will also appear on this syllabus as they are put
up.
“Metaphysics exercises” (kind of a short take-home multiple choice quiz), due
on about half the class days (all exercises together are worth 30% of the final
grade; graded heavily on a curve). These will be made available on-line via the
“Tests & Quizzes” tool on Canvas.
Two short papers (2–3 pages), due Tuesday, April 30 and Thursday, May 16,
each worth 20% of the final grade. One longer paper (6–8 pages) (worth 30% of
the final grade). The paper is due Tuesday, June 11, but an introductory
paragraph and brief outline (approximately one sentence per paragraph of the
proposed complete paper) are due at some time on or before Monday, June 3.
Feedback on this will be provided by the TA’s in section (special sections may be
scheduled if necessary). This preliminary assignment will not be separately
graded, but if you do not hand it in at all or if it is wholly unsatisfactory,
your grade on the final paper will be reduced by one half step (e.g. A to
A-).
All paper assignments are available on-line, and there are be links to them
from this syllabus as well as from my main course page. I will discuss the
assignments in class when the due date draws near. You can find answers to
some commonly asked questions about my assignments and grading in my
FAQ.
Papers are to be handed in, as attachments, via the “Assignments” tool on
Canvas. Please submit in MSWord format, or in a format easily convertible to
MSWord. The system will accept late submissions, but late papers may not
receive full credit. The system is not set up to allow resubmissions: once you press
the “submit” button, it will not let you change your response. If, however, you
mistakenly submit something and want to change it, please contact me and I can
make an exception.
As noted above, the ME’s will be accessed and submitted on-line via Canvas.
(The system will accept late submissions, but credit — possibly reduced — will
only be given up until the time that the correct answers are announced, either in
section or on-line.)
Please do not plagiarize. If you do and I catch you, you will receive no credit
for the assignment and may fail the course, and you will also be subject to
“disciplinary sanctions” from the University. (In contrast: if you hand in a paper
consisting mostly of quotes from or paraphrases of other sources you have
consulted, properly cited, you will not get a good grade — a good paper will
contain your own interpretations and thoughts — but you will not fail,
either.) If you have any questions about what plagiarism is or how to
avoid it, you can ask me, or consult the resources listed on the Library
website.[3]https://guides.library.ucsc.edu/c.php?g=1349850&p=9960819.
For possible consequences of plagiarism, see the Academic Misconduct
Policy.[4]https://ue.ucsc.edu/academic-misconduct.html.
AI policy: I encourage the use of AI assistance with proper caution
(i.e., keeping in mind that current AI is often wrong). You may use AI
assistance basically in any way that would not constitute cheating if you
used a human for the same thing. Similarly, you should cite the AI in
cases where you would cite a human. If in doubt, feel free to ask me for
clarification.
All assignments are due by 11:55pm on the due date.
Texts
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Locke, An Essay concerning Human Understanding
- (Penguin, 1998)
(ISBN: 978-0140434828).
An older edition is available on Google Books and on Wikisource (Book I;
Book II; Book III; Book IV). In addition, there are the following LibriVox
recordings: books I and II; book II (alternate); book III; book IV.
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Berkeley, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge
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(Hackett, 1993) (ISBN: 978-0915145393).
The text is available on Google Books and Wikisource, among other
places, and there is also a LibriVox recording.
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Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
- (2d ed., Hackett,
1993) (ISBN: 978-0872202290).
The text, together with that of the other Enquiry, is available on Google
and Wikisource, and there is also a LibriVox recording.
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Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
- (Hackett, 1998) (ISBN:
978-0872204027).
Available on Google and Wikisource, and there is also a LibriVox
recording.
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Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature
- (Penguin, 1986) (ISBN:
978-0140432442).
The readings are all from Book I, contained in Volume I of the text
available on Google Books and LibriVox; both volumes together are
available on Wikisource.
The above texts can be ordered and/or purchased as e-books at the UCSC
Bookstore (Akademos), and are also on reserve at McHenry.
This document, and all other instructor-generated material in this course, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.