HON 172
spring 2003
DonBeggs@asu.edu
Irish-A 212; 965-8970
office hours:
M&W 10:30-noon, or
by appointment
This course surveys some modern responses to cardinal problems of human existence through
critical engagement with enduring works of literature, philosophy and social criticism. The
objectives of the course are that you continue to develop frameworks for self-directed learning
and working in a pluralist world, and that you continue to improve skills in oral and written
interpretation and argumentation.
Requirements
 Three 1500-word argumentative essays, each 20% of grade. There will be a choice of





topics for each essay. Due on Thursdays at noon in Irish-A 212: Feb.27, Apr.10, May 8.
Unexcused late work (i.e., without medical excuse or family emergency) will be
penalized 5% immediately, and another 5% after two days. Please read “Class Standards”
linked to my page on the BHC website. Also, at various times I will require that you
make use of “The Human Event Writing Center”; see http://jmlynch.myftp.org/hewc/.
Comprehensive Exam, 4/21, 20% of grade, short essay, closed book, on primary topics.
Participation, 20% of grade. My evaluation of your participation will weigh quality more
than quantity. Participation is predicated on preparation. Excellent preparation includes
not only having carefully read each selection prior to discussion, it also entails taking
notes on the reading that help you to contribute to our discussions. (Use of highlighter is
no substitute for notes. Careful reading does include making marks and marginal notes in
a text.) Missing more than two classes without prior arrangement at least two weeks in
advance, or for good reason, will result in a significant reduction of your participation
score. Good reasons for missing class include serious illness or family emergency, but do
not include more convenient travel plans. Please re-read the writing and participation
standards linked to my page on the BHC website.
Plagiarism is using another’s ideas or words as if they were one’s own, that is, without
citation. Plagiarists in my classes may receive “XE” for the course. Do the cost/benefit
calculation.
Letter grades will be assigned as follows: 100-90% = A, 89-80% = B, etc.
Please read the “Student Academic Grievance Procedures” form on the BHC website.
Required Texts (use only these editions; note ISBN, especially Frankenstein)









Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes (Norton 1997; 0-393-96798-0)
A Discourse on Inequality, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Penguin 1986; 0-14-044439-4)
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (the 1818 text), Mary Shelley (Oxford University Press
1998; 0-19-283366-9)
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass (Norton 1997; 0-393-96966-5)
The Portable Chekhov, Anton Chekhov (Viking Penguin 1991; 0-14-015035-8)
All Men Are Brothers, Mahatma Gandhi (Continuum 1982; 0-8264-0003-5)
The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone deBeauvoir (Citadel Press 1996; 0-8065-0160-X)
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin (Vintage 1991; 0-679-74472-X)
Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings, Jorge Luis Borges (Norton 1998; 0811200124)
Reading Schedule
Jan. 22: introduction
Jan. 27: Hobbes [recommended: 311320, 334-38, 359-66] 9-47, 60-79
Jan. 29: 93-122
Feb. 3: 169-92, 200-205, 232-252
Feb. 5: Rousseau [recommended: 9-53]
57-79
Feb. 10: 81-107
Feb. 12: 109-37
Feb. 17: Shelley 3-51
Feb. 19: 51-155
Feb. 24: 155-191
Feb. 26: Douglass [recommended 146183] 3-38
Mar. 3: 39-80
Mar. 5: Chekhov 251-268,
624-627, 371-395
Mar. 10: 296-311, 440-460, 532-552
Mar. 12: 552-594
Mar. 17,19: spring break
Mar. 24: Gandhi 181-84, 3-97
Mar. 26: 107-37
Mar. 31: 138-64
Apr. 2: deBeauvoir 7-34
Apr. 7: 35-115
Apr. 9: 115-159 [NB theme of violence:
44, 55, 97, 99, 107f, 110, 126, 132, 138,
142, 150]
Apr. 14: Baldwin 3-53
Apr. 16: 54-106
Apr. 21: EXAM
Apr. 23: Borges [entire pieces that begin
on these pages] 186, 202, 209, 237, 240,
242, 244, 246
Apr. 28: 30, 51, 72, 88, 95, 127, 169
Apr. 30: recapitulation
May 5: recapitulation