Prof. Courtney Fitzsimmons
courtne1@uchicago.edu
Office Hours: M/TH 9-11 or by appointment
Writing Intern:
T/TH 12-1:20
Autumn 2009
GB 127
Human Being and Citizen
We are still the same people whose dilemmas are described in Greek literature and in the
Bible and these descriptions are uttered in our language. – Iris Murdoch
Purpose
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the texts and questions of the study
of the humanities. The texts we read in this course all meet at the intersection of
philosophy, literature and religion, and as such we will explore the methodologies for
reading these diverse texts. The course is formed around the overarching questions of
what it means to be a human being and what it means to be a citizen. This quarter we
look at texts that simultaneously frame these questions in two contexts: in relation to
other human beings and in relation to the divine.
Texts
All texts are available for purchase at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore. Please get the
translation specified below.
Homer, Iliad, Fagles translation (Penguin)
Genesis, Alter translation (Norton)
Plato, Symposium, Nehamas and Woodruff translation (Hackett)
Apology in Five Dialogues, second edition, Grube translation (Hackett)
Course Requirements
1. Attendance, Preparation and Participation
Students are required to attend every class. If for some reason you cannot make a
class, please email me. The attendance requirement also applies to the writing seminars.
Students should be prepared for every class. All assigned reading should be
completed and students should have the necessary texts with them, as we will be using
them in class. All students are expected to participate. Students who consistently do not
participate and/or are unprepared for class will have their grade lowered.
All assignments and reading questions will be posted on Chalk. Announcements
will be sent out when the site is updated. Students are responsible for all information
posted to the Chalk site.
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2. Papers
For this class you will be assigned three 5-page papers. These papers are to be
posted on Chalk by noon on the day they are due. Assignments will be given in class and
posted on Chalk. The due dates for the papers are as follows:
Paper 1: Friday, 10/23 (Iliad)
Paper 2: Friday, 11/13 (Genesis)
Paper 3: Tuesday, 12/8 (Plato)
3. Writing Seminars
In addition to regular class sessions, students are required to attend three writing
seminars outside of class, which will be organized and taught by Steve. The purpose of
the seminars is to work on developing your writing skills, and they are a very important
aspect of the course. Students receive a separate pass/fail grade for the seminars, but they
also impact your grade in this course. Students who fail the writing seminar portion of
the class will have their course grade lowered. If you are unable to make one of the three
seminars you must arrange a make-up session with Steve.
Course Schedule
9/29: Introductory class: What is “Human Being and Citizen”?
Iliad
10/1: Books 1-3
10/6: Books 4-9
10/8: Books 10-14
10/13: Books 15-20
10/15: Books 21-24
Genesis
10/20: In the Beginning: Creation, Transgression and Expulsion (Ch 1-5)
10/22: “I’ve made a huge mistake”: Noah, Babel and Lot (Ch 6-11, 18&19)
10/27: Conversations with God: Abraham & Isaac (Ch 12-17, 20-24)
10/29: Sibling Rivalry: Esau & Jacob and Leah & Rachel (Ch 25-33)
11/3: Rape and Violence: Dinah, Tamar and the Sons of Jacob (Ch 34-39)
11/5: Prophetic Beginnings: Joseph and the Famine (Ch 40-50)
Symposium
11/10: Eros of the Body: 1-24
11/12: Eros of the Poet: 25-44
11/17: Eros of the Philosopher: 45-60
11/19: Socrates as Eros: 65-77
Apology
11/24 & 12/1: Please read the entire text for the first class. We will discuss the text in its
entirety in our final two meetings.
No class on 11/26 (Thanksgiving Break)