Prof. Courtney Fitzsimmons
courtne1@uchicago.edu
Office Hours: M 9-11;TH 9-10:30 or by appointment
Gates-Blake, 127
Writing Intern: Josh Daniel
jlvigil@uchicago.edu
T/TH 12-1:20
Spring 2010
Human Being and Citizen
Literature is soaked in the moral, language is soaked in the moral, fictional characters swim in a
moral atmosphere…fictional literature has a special moral dimension because it is about people
and, I venture to say, it is in however covert, unclear, secret, ambiguous way, about the struggle
between good and evil. – Iris Murdoch
Purpose
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the texts and questions of the study of the
humanities, and 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 will be focusing on questions of
morality, politics and love. We will read works of literature and philosophy that approach this
theme by focusing on the interaction of morality, religion and relationships, considered from
both the public and private perspectives. We will consider how both society and the individual
shape their moral outlook, and the role of power and the political enforcement of moral norms. In
each text we will consider the question of what it means to be good, and how the text conveys
this idea.
Texts
These texts are available for purchase at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore. Please get the edition
specified below:
Shakespeare, Measure for Measure (Arden or Bevington)
Kant, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (Library of Liberal Arts)
Hardy, Return of the Native (Modern Library)
These texts are available on the Chalk site under “Course Documents”:
Kant, “On the Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns”
Selected Lyric Poetry
Recommended:
Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew (any edition): We can attend a performance of
The Taming of the Shrew on Saturday, April 17th 8PM at the Shakespeare Theater on
Navy Pier. You may want to read the text before seeing the play. More information
forthcoming.
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Course Requirements
1. Attendance, Preparation and Participation (10%)
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.
2. Kant Quizzes (5%)
There will be two in-class quizzes on Kant, one on the First Section and one on the
Second Section. The purpose of these quizzes is to insure that you are grasping the central terms
and basic framework of Kant’s argument. Kant’s text (and Kant in general) is central to further
study in the Humanities, and it is important to have a solid foundation in this text going forward.
3. Papers (40%)
In addition to the final paper you will have two shorter papers on Shakespeare and Hardy.
Papers are to be submitted via Chalk by Noon on the day they are due. Topics will be given in
class and posted on Chalk. The due dates for the papers are as follows:
Paper 1: Friday, 4/16 (Measure for Measure)
Paper 2: Friday, 5/7 (Return of the Native)
4. Final Paper (45%)
The final paper (8-10 pages) will be a cumulative paper, and will involve analyzing any
two texts we have read this year. The paper requirements will include, in addition to the paper
itself, meeting with the instructor and the writing intern to discuss your paper. A more detailed
assignment will be given in class.
Week 5: Meet with Instructor for paper topic approval
Week 7: Meet with Intern to refine claim of paper and discuss argument
Week 9/10: Meet with Instructor to go over draft or draft-in-progress
Papers due: Tuesday, June 8th on Chalk by 5 pm
5. 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 Josh Daniel. The meeting with Josh on
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the final paper in Week 7 will count as one of the seminars. 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 Josh.
Course Schedule
Measure for Measure (Students to read entre text for the first class)
3/30: Act I
4/1: Act II
4/6: Act III-IV
4/8: Act V
Return of the Native
4/13: Book First: The Three Women (3-103)
4/15: Book Second: The Arrival (107-168)
4/20: Book Third: The Fascination (171-241)
4/22: Book Fourth: The Closed Door (245-311)
4/27: Book Fifth: The Discovery and Book Sixth: Aftercourses (315-418)
Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals
4/29: Preface and First Section (1-17)
5/4: Second Section (18-48) & Quiz on First Section
5/6: Second Section
5/11: Third Section (49-62) & Quiz on Second Section
5/13: “On the Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns” (on Chalk) & “What is
Enlightenment” (83-90)
Lyric Poetry: Selected poems
5/25: Poems TBA
5/27: Poems TBA
6/1: Poems TBA (Final Class)
Final Papers due: Tuesday, June 8th on Chalk by 5 pm