Thursday, March 5, 2015

PHIL 4 013 Unit of Study Guide



SOPHI
PHILOSOPHY

PHIL 4013: Philosophy of “ Mere Life”
Semester 1, 2015

Unit of Study Outline

 

 






This Unit of Study Outline MUST be read in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Student Administration Manual, http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/student_administration.shtml and all applicable University policies.

In determining applications and appeals, it will be assumed that every student has taken the time to themselves with these key policies and procedur


 Unit staff
Unit coordinators can be consulted for help with any difficulties you may have.
Unit coordinators (as well as the Faculty) should also be informed of any illness or other misadventure that leads students to miss classes and tutorials or be late with assignments.

 

Unit Coordinator: John Grumley
Location: 711 Mungo McCallum
Email address: John.Grumley@sydney.edu.au
Phone: +61-2-9351-2465
Consultation Hours: Tues 10-11am

 


UNIT DESCRIPTION

Philosophy of "Mere" Life


The 21st century sees a profound reassessment of the meaning and value of life. As biomedical research and objectifying scientific and technical appropriation of nature grows; with the political and social crises attending processes of globalisation that question former international guarantees of human rights, conventions for the treatment of prisoners of war and asylum seekers, philosophers have been compelled to readdress the question of life and the right thereto: its cultural definition, value and meaning. The concepts of "corporeal" and "bare life" serve a range of thinkers to express the exclusions and human suffering that attend the dominant humanist discourse and signal resistance to its alleged illusions and crimes. This course will examine a range of thinkers both literary and philosophical - Coetzee, Sebald, Benjamin, Agamben, Foucault and Todorov - to fully explore the concept of "mere" life, its various formulations, their philosophical and political implications, its critique of traditional humanism and its critics responses.

Learning outcomes

Broad Objectives and Generic Skills

1.    To learn reading and writing skills specific to philosophy but which also have a wider relevance and application across other disciplines and everyday life.
2.    To gain knowledge of the history of philosophy, to interpret texts and identify key issues and debates.
3.    To apply this theoretical knowledge to orientation in the contemporary world
4.    To promote interpersonal and oral presentation skills in the tutorial context

Student Learning Outcomes

1.    Student should improve their analytical and critical abilities in philosophical work both written and oral.
2.    A deeper knowledge both of theoretical reflection on modernity and understanding of the dynamics of modern societies.
3.    An increased awareness of the way in which human understanding and reflection is conditioned by history and culture.


Learning structure

One two-hour lecture, one tutorial per week

 

Class times and locations

Lecture: 2-4pm Thurs 
Location Main Quad S441



Unit schedule

Semester One

Week
Week beginning
Seminar Schedule
Presenters
1
02 March
Introductory lecture

2
9 March
2. Coetzee J. M. Waiting for the Barbarians  Secker &Warburg, London. 1981


3
16 March
3. Sebald W. G. The Emigrants Harvill Press, London, 1996


4
23 March
4.Todorov. T. ‘Barbarism and Civilisation’ from Then Fear of the Barbarians: Beyond the Clash of Civilisations Polity, 2010


5
30 March*
5. Benjamin, W. ‘Critique of Violence’ in Selected Works Vol 1, Harvard University Press, pp 236-252


BREAK
6-12 April*


6
20 April*
6. Schmitt, C. ‘Definition of Sovereignty’ & ‘Political Theology’  from Political Theology Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty MIT, 1988, pp5-15, pp36-52






7
27 April
7. Benjamin, W. On the Concept of History & Paralipomena to “On the Concept of History in Selected Works Vol 4. Harvard University Press, 2003, pp 399-411





8
04 May
8. Arendt, H. ‘ Labor, Work and Action’ Amor Mundi: Explorations in the Faith and Thought of Hannah Arendt Ed) James. W. Bernauer, Martinus Nijhoff, 1987, pp 29-43






9
11 May
9. Adorno, T. W. “The Idea of Natural History’ Telos No 60 Summer 1984






 10
18 May
10. Foucault, M.  ‘The Right of Death and Power Over Life’ History of Sexuality Vol 1 An Introduction.






11
25 May
11. Agamben, G ‘Introduction’ Homo Sacer pp1-1and Agamben, G ‘Biopolitics and the Rights of Man’ Homo Sacer pp 126-135





12
01 June
12. Todorov, T.  ‘ A Well-Tempered Humanism’ On Human Diversity: Nationalism. Racism and Exoticism in French Thought Harvard University Press, 1993 pp383-400


STUVAC
08 June*


EXAMS
15 June



* NB: Public holidays on Friday 03 April - Monday 06 April, Saturday 25 April, Monday 08 June.


Reading requirements:

The Course Reader that is required for tutorials and take-home exams is available at the copy centre.

Further Reading:
READING

Course Reader available from the Co-op.

General References

Adorno, T.W. ‘The Idea of Natural History’ Telos No 60, Summer 1984, New York
Adorno, Theodor W. Aesthetic Theory. London: Athlone Press, 1997.
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Agamben, G. ‘I am sure You are More Pessimistic Than I Am’ Rethinking Marxism Vol 16 NO 2, April 2004, pp115-124
Agamben, G. Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life Stanford University Press, California, 1998
Agamben, G. The Open Man and Animal Stanford University Press, California, 2004
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Agamben, G. Infancy and History Verso, London 1993
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Agamben, G. The Coming Community Minnesota University Press, Minneapolis, 1993
Agamben, G The State of Exception Chicago University Press, Chicago, 2005
Agamben, G. Remnants of Austwitz The Witness and the Archive Zone Books, New York, 1999
Agamben, G,The Time that Remains Stanford University Press, California, 2005
Agamben, G. What is an Apparatus sand Other Essays Stanford University Press, California, 2009
Agamben, G. The Signature of All Things  Zone Books, New York, 2009
Agamben, G. Nudities  Stanford University Press, 2010
Agamben, G. (et al) Democracy in What State? Columbia University Press, New York, 2011-06-14
Agamben, G. The Sacrament of Language: An Archaeology of the Oath (Homo Sacer 11, 3) Stanford University Press, 2011
Agamben, G. The Kingdom and the Glory: For a Theological Genealogy of Economy and Government Stanford University Press, 2011
Agamben, G. The Church and the Kingdom Seagull Books, London, 2012
Agamben, G. The Highest Poverty: Monastic Rules and Form-Of –Life Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 2013
Agamben, G. Opus Dei: An Archaeology of Duty Stanford University Press, 2013
Agamben, G. Nymphs Seagull Books, London, 2013
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Agamben, G. Opus Dei: An Archaeology of Duty Stanford University Press, 2013
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Bernstein, R. J. Violence: Thinking Without Banisters Polity, Cambridge, 2013
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Cambell, T.C. Improper Life: Technology and Biopolitics From Heidegger to Agamben University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2011
Cheah, P. Inhuman Condition: On Cosmopolitanism and Human Rights Harvard University Press, 2006
Clarkson, C. J. M. Coetzee Countervoices Palgrave MacMillan, London, 2009
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Coetzee, J.M. Dusklands Secker & Warburg, London, 1982 (SouthAfrica, 1974)
Coetzee, J.M. From the Heart of the Country Harper and Row, New York, 1976
Coetzee, J. M. Waiting for the Barbarians Seeker& Warburg, London, 1982
Coetzee, J.M. The Life and Times of Michael K Secker & Warburg, London, 1983
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Coetzee, J.M. Strange Shores Essays 1986-1999 Secker& Warburg, London, 2001
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Cohen, M. Profane Illumination: Walter Benjamin and the Paris of the Surrealist Revolution University of California, Berkeley, 1993
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Downey, A. ‘Zones of Indistinction: Giorgio Agamben’s ‘Bare Life’ and the Politics of Aesthetics’ Third Text 23 (2) pp109-125
Dosse, F. History of Structuralism. Vol 1, The Rising Sign, 1945-1966 Minnesota University Press, 1997
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Finlayson, J.G. ‘Bare Life’ and Politics in Agamben’s Reading of Aristotle’ Review of Politics 72 pp 97-126
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Scot, J.T and Zaretsky, R ‘Rousseau and the Revival of Humanism in Contemporary French Political Thought History of Political Thought VolXXXIV, No 4, (Winter 2003) pp599-623
Schmitt, C. Political Theology: Four Chapters of the Concept of Sovereignty MIT, Cambridge MA, 1985
Schmitt, C. Dictatorship: From the Origins of the Modern Concept of Sovereignty to Proletarian Class Struggle Polity, Cambridge, 2014
Scholem, G, Walter Benjamin: The Story of a Friendship Faber &Faber, London, 1982
Scholem, G. The Messianic Idea In Judaism and Other Essays on Jewish Spirituality George Allen & Unwin, London, 1971
Schwab, Gabriele. Haunting Legacies: Violent Histories and Transgenerational Trauma Columbia University Press, New York, 201
Schwartz, L. S. The Emergence of Memory: Conversations with W. G. Sebald Seven Stories, New York, 2007
Sebald, W. G. The Emigrates Harvill Press, London, 1996
Sebald, W.G. The Rings of Saturn Harvill Press, London, 1998
Sebald, W. G. Vertigo  Harvill Press, London, 1999
Sebald, W. G. Austerlitz  Harvill Press, London, 2001
Sebald, W. G. After Nature   Harvill Press, London, 2002
Sebald, W. G.(Ed) A Radical Stage: Theatre in Germany in the 1970’s and 1980’s
Sebald W.G. & Tripp J.P. Unrecountered Hamish Hamilton, 2004
Sebald, W. G. Campo Santo Hamish Hamilton, 2005
Sebald, W.G. On the Natural History of Destruction Hamish Hamilton, London, 2003
Sebald. W. G. Across the Land and Water: Selected Poems 1964-2001 Hamish Hamilton, London, 2011
Sebald, W.G. A Place in the Country Hamish Hamilton, London, 2013
Segev, Alon (Ed) Thinking and Killing: Philosophical Discourse in the Shadow of the Third Reich De Gruyter, Boston, 2013
Sinnerbrink, R. ‘Violence, Destruction and Sovereignty: Derrida and Agamben on Benjamin’s Critique of Violence’ in Benjamin, A& Rice, C. (Ed) Walter Benjamin and the Architecture of Modernity (Melbourne: re Press, 2009)
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Course Lecture notes:
 progressively available on:
 http://www.mymerelife.blogspot.com.au

 

Assessment tasks and due dates:


One 4, 500 word Essay 100% Due according to prescribed Hons and P/G deadlines


Assessment criteria


This unit uses standards referenced assessment for award of assessment marks. Students’ assessment will be evaluated solely on the basis of students’ achievement against criteria and standards specified to align with learning outcomes. For reference to criteria and standards, please consult the grade descriptors for Philosophy Department at
http://sydney.edu.au/arts/philosophy/hons/grade_descriptors.shtml.

Submission of written work

Compliance Statements


All students are required to submit an authorised statement of compliance with all work submitted to the University for assessment, presentation or publication. A statement of compliance certifies that no part of the Work constitutes a breach of the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy.
The format of the compliance statement will differ depending on the method required for submitting your work (see “Assessment Submission” below).

Assessment Submission


Essays and assignments not submitted on or before the due date are subject to penalty. Refer to http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/late_work.shtml for the Policy on Late Work.
Written work must be submitted in hard copy at Sophi Office by 4pm on the due date. You must complete, sign and attach a cover sheet/compliance statement to any written work handed in for assessment.

Academic honesty and plagiarism

Academic honesty is a core value of the University. The University requires students to act honestly, ethically and with integrity in their dealings with the University, its members, members of the public and others. The University is opposed to and will not tolerate academic dishonesty or plagiarism, and will treat all allegations of academic dishonesty or plagiarism seriously.
The University’s Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy 2012 and associated Procedures are available for reference on the University Policy Register at http://sydney.edu.au/policies/default.aspx?mode=glossary&word=Academic+dishonesty. The Policy applies to the academic conduct of all students enrolled in a coursework award course at the University.
Under the terms and definitions of the Policy,
·       “academic dishonesty” means “seeking to obtain or obtaining academic advantage (including in the assessment or publication of work) by dishonest or unfair means or knowingly assisting another student to do so.
·       “plagiarism” means “presenting another person’s work as one’s own work by presenting, copying or reproducing it without appropriate acknowledgement of the source.”
The presentation of another person's work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgement is regarded as plagiarism, regardless of the author’s intentions. Plagiarism can be classified as negligent (negligent plagiarism) or dishonest (dishonest plagiarism).
An examiner who suspects academic dishonesty or plagiarism by a student must report the suspicion to a nominated academic in the relevant faculty. If the nominated academic concludes that the student has engaged in dishonest plagiarism or some other sufficiently serious form of academic dishonesty, the matter may be referred to the Registrar for further disciplinary action under the terms of the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy 2012 and Chapter 8 of the University of Sydney By-Law 1999 (as amended).

Use of similarity detection software (Turnitin)

Students should be aware that written assignments submitted in this Unit of Study may be submitted to similarity detection software known as Turnitin. The detection and identification of work that may be suspected of plagiarism is an academic judgment for the unit coordinator, and similarity detecting software is one of the tools that an examiner or marker may use to inform a decision that plagiarism has occurred.
Turnitin searches for matches between text in your written assessment task and text sourced from the Internet, published works and assignments that have previously been submitted to Turnitin for analysis. It produces an originality report showing matches with various sources, and an overall level of match or similarity index.
There will always be some degree of text-matching when using Turnitin. These are caused by the use of direct quotations, technical terms and phrases, and the listing of bibliographic material. This does not mean you will automatically be accused of plagiarism.
Further information about Turnitin is available at http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/plagiarism_and_turnitin.shtml

Special Consideration

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences assesses student requests for assistance relating to completion of assessment in accordance with the regulations set out in the University Assessment Policy 2011 and Assessment Procedures 2011. Students are expected to become familiar with the University’s policies and Faculty procedures relating to Special Consideration and Special Arrangements.
Students can apply for:
·       Special Consideration - for serious illness or misadventure
·       Special Arrangements - for essential community commitments
·       Simple Extension – an extension of up to 5 working days for non-examination based assessment tasks on the grounds of illness or misadventure.
Further information on special consideration policy and procedures is available on the Faculty website at:

Other relevant policies and procedures

The Faculty’s Student Administration Manual is available at the “Current Students” section of the Faculty website,
Most day-to-day issues you encounter in the course of completing this Unit of Study can be addressed with the information provided in the Manual. It contains detailed instructions on processes, links to forms and guidance on where to get further assistance.

Staying on top of your study

The Learning Centre assists students to develop the generic skills, which are necessary for learning and communicating knowledge and ideas at university. Programs available at The Learning Centre include workshops in Academic Reading and Writing, Oral communications Skills, Postgraduate Research Skills, Honours, masters Coursework Program, Studying at University, and Workshops for English Language and Learning. Further information about The Learning Centre can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/learning_centre/.
The Write Site provides online support to help you develop your academic and professional writing skills. All University of Sydney staff and students who have a Unikey can access the WriteSite at http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/.
In addition to units of study on writing, The FASS Writing Hub offers drop-in sessions to assist students with their writing in a one-to-one setting. No appointment is necessary, and this service is free of charge to all FASS students and/or all students enrolled in WRIT units. For more information on what topics are covered in a drop-in session and for the current schedule, please visit http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/writing_hub/drop_in_sessions.shtml
Postgraduate writing support is offered by the Faculty as units of study and programs.
Pastoral and academic support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is provided by the STAR Team in Student Support services, a dedicated team of professional Aboriginal people able to respond to the needs of students across disciplines. The STAR team can assist with tutorial support, mentoring support, cultural and pastoral care along with a range of other services. More information can be found at
The Library offers students free, online tutorials in library skills at http://sydney.edu.au/library/skills. There's one designed especially for students studying in the Humanities and Social Sciences at
http://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/. And don't forget to find out who your Faculty Liaison Librarians are.
Disability Services is located on Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building G20; contact 8627 8422 or email disability.services@sydney.edu.au. For further information, visit their website at http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/disability/.

Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) are located on Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building G20; contact 8627 8433 or email caps.admin@sydney.edu.au.  For further information, visit their website at http://sydney.edu.au/current_students/counselling/.

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