Thomistic Philosophy II - 3013E

Philosophy 3013E

Course Description

An advanced course in the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas for those already familiar with his thought, focusing specifically on contemporary interpretations of Aquinas’s metaphysics. The course will examine five key areas of Thomistic metaphysics: (1) being and analogy; (2) the principles of being; (3) being and nature; (4) being and ethics; (5) being and the transcendentals. Antirequisite: the former Philosophy 173. Prerequisite: Philosophy 2014.  

Goals

This course will assist students to grow in the following knowledge, skills and attitudes.

KNOWLEDGE:
What Should Students Know:

• To understand St. Thomas Aquinas’s natural theory as interpreted by contemporary Thomist philosophers

SKILLS:
What Should Students Do:

• To demonstrate a grasp of philosophical method in and outside of the classroom.
• To argue effectively for philosophical positions.
• To write essays which are stylistically and grammatically correct.
• To express ideas clearly and concisely.

ATTITUDES:
What Students Should Value:

• To participate in philosophical discussions in a civil and non-coercive manner, respecting others even though disagreeing with their ideas.

Course Requirements

Fall Semester

Two Exams

1. Monday, October 20
2. Monday, November 17

One Essay (2000 words), due Friday, December 5, 2014.
 

Winter Semester

Two Exams

1. Monday, February 9
2. Monday, March 9

One Essay (2000 words), due Wednesday, April 8, 2015.

Final Exam: Held on a date in April to be set by the University

ALLOTMENT OF MARKS

• Four Exams: 40%
• Two Essays: 30%
• Final Exam: 30%

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Aquinas. Selected Writings. Translated by Ralph McInerny. New York: Penquin Books, 1998.
• F. Norris Clarke, The One and the Many: A Contemporary Thomistic Metaphysics. Notre Dame, Indiana, 2001.

COURSE OUTLINE 2014—2015

1. Being and Analogy
   Readings from: Aquinas (Selected Writings [Introduction, #s 15 & 28]) and Clarke (The One and the Many [Chaps. 1—4]).
2. The Principles of Being
   Readings from: Aquinas (Selected Writings [# 3]) and Clarke (The One and the Many [Chaps. 5—10]).
3. Being and Nature
   Readings from: Aquinas (Selected Writings [#s 2, 27, 5, & 11]) and Clarke (The One and the Many [Chaps. 11—15]).
4. Being and Ethics
   Readings from: Aquinas (Selected Writings [#s 7, 12, 14, & 24]) and Clarke (The One and the Many [Chaps. 16—17]).
5. Being and the Transcendentals
   Readings from: Aquinas (Selected Writings [#14]) and Clarke (The One and the Many [Chaps. 18—19]).

Assignments

Instructions on how to prepare and write assignments will be provided early in September.

Assignments must be submitted in print and electronically. The submission is not complete until the instructor has received the assignment in both formats.

Assignments are due on the dates specified in the course outline. One mark will be deducted from the assigned numerical grade for each calendar day late. The late penalty may be waived at the instructor’s discretion. It is the student’s responsibility to approach the instructor and explain the extenuating circumstances that warrant a waiver of the late penalty.

Students must keep for their records a printed copy of each of their assignments. In the event an assignment is misplaced, he or she will be required to submit this copy to the instructor.

Exams

A student who fails to write an exam must approach the instructor and explain why he or she was not present at the exam. Depending upon the instructor’s discretion, a make-up exam may be granted. If that is not possible, the term grade may be re-weighed. If documentation is required for either medical or non-medical academic accommodation, then such documentation must be submitted by the student directly to the appropriate Faculty Dean’s Office. It will be the Dean’s Office that will determine if accommodation is warranted.

No electronic devices will be allowed during examinations unless approved in advance by Student Services at the University or King’s.
 

Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness

Please see: https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm
 

Course Prerequisites and Antirequisites

“Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you will be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.” Senate Policy
 

Plagiarism

“Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea, or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or citations. Plagiarism is a major academic offence.” Please refer to Scholastic Discipline under the Senate Policy on Academic rights and Responsibilities at http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/.

“All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com”