The Problem of Love - 3673F

Philosophy 3673F

Office Hours are at St. Peter’s Seminary, Room 107B.  I have set aside Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon as my office hours, but feel free to drop by my office at any time to discuss your insights and questions in philosophy.

Calendar Description

An investigation into some of the central concepts of love from ancient, medieval, and modern thinkers.  Special emphasis is placed on questions concerning the nature and role eros, agape, and philia, and whether these different kinds of love can exist together harmoniously.  (3 hours, half course) Prerequisite(s): 3rd or 4th standing in a Philosophy program.

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

Goals of Course

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

Knowledge

          What Should Students Know:

• To understand the arguments presented in each part of the course outline.  (See below, Course Outline 2012)

Skills

          What Should Students Do:

• To exhibit a sense of wonder and a desire to probe more deeply into the mysteries of God, the universe, and human nature.
• To read carefully the assigned readings.
• To follow carefully the classroom lectures.
• To show in class discussions and written work a firm grasp of the assigned readings and classroom lectures.
• To present in class discussions and written work sound arguments for their position.
• To be able to write in clear, concise and grammatically correct English.

Attitudes

          What Students Should Value:

• To participate in discussions in a way that makes clear theirpositions, enables them to listen openly, and maintains respect for others while disagreeing with their ideas.

Course Requirements

Two Exams

1. Tuesday, October 14
2. Tuesday, November 11

One Essay (2,500 words) - due Tuesday, November 4

Final Exam

            Held on a date in December to be set by the University

Allotment of Marks

• Two Exams 35%         
• One Essay 35%         
• Final Exam 30%

Required Text

• C.S. Lewis. The Four Loves. U.S.A.: Harvest Books, 1971.
• Sheldon Vanauken.  A Severe Mercy.  New York:  Harper Collins Publishers, 1980.
• David L. Norton and Mary F. Kille, editors. Philosophies of Love. U.S.A.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1988.

These books may be purchased at the U.W.O. Book Store.  You may be able to purchase a copy at the Used Book Store at Western. Selected readings in philosophy may be assigned for certain course sections in addition to the readings from Lewis, Vanauken, and Norton.

Course Outline (Fall 2014)

Part One:  C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves (Complete)

Part Two:  Romantic Love

Readings from Philosophies of Love

• Soren Kierkegaard, Don Juan’s Secret
• Max Scheler, Love as Perfection of Differences
• Plato, Aristophanes’ Myth         

Part Three:  Eros

          Readings from Philosophies of Love

• Plato, Eros, Man’s Divided Soul, and Divine Madness
• Aristotle, Self-Love
• Jean-Paul Sartre, The Look

Part Four:  Sheldon Vanauken, A Severe Mercy (Complete)

Part Five:  Agape

         Readings from Philosophies of Love

• Anders Nygren, The Content of Agape
• Martin C. Arcy, Agape and Human Initiative
• Friedrich Nietzche, Agape as Resentment and Suppression
• Max Scheler, Agape as Superabundant Vitality

Part Six:  Tristanism and Chivalric Love

          Reading from Philosophies of Love

• Denis de Rougemont, The Love of Love

Essay

Careful consideration will be given to your ability to write in a coherent and sustained manner.  Make sure your essay is clearly written, employs proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and provides support for any assertions made. Clarity, consistency, and persuasiveness are the criteria used in my evaluation of your essay.  ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES, A PRESENTATION WILL BE GIVEN ON HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY. ESSAY TOPICS WILL BE GIVEN ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES.

Your essay should be handed to Dr. Fox on the due date at the beginning of class.  For a serious reason, a student may approach Dr. Fox before the due date, and may be granted an extension at Dr. Fox’s discretion.  If Dr. Fox decides that 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.

Never submit your essay by campus mail.  Never submit your essay by e-mail.  You should make a photocopy of your essay.  Late essays will be penalized 10% each calendar day.  PLEASE NOTE:  ESSAYS ARE RECORDED AS HAVING BEEN RECEIVED ON THE DAY THEY REACH DR. FOX’S HANDS.

Exams

Exams are based on assigned readings, classroom lectures and classroom discussions.  It is, therefore, indispensable to attend all classes. A student who misses an exam for a serious reason may approach Dr. Fox, and may be granted a make-up exam or a re-weighting of the term grade at Dr. Fox’s discretion.  If Dr. Fox decides that 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

Statement on Academic Offences

“Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following: Web site:  http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

“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”