Department of Government Professor James B. Murphy

GOVERNMENT 7: Love, Friendship, and Marriage

Dartmouth College 206 Silsby Hall

Fall 2009 or by appointment.

Phone: (Off.) 646-2862.

Office Hours: M 10-11; W 3-4.

Description:

In this course, we will attempt to understand the complex meanings of love, friendship, and marriage by reading and discussing the classic texts. The course will be structured around the three main Greek words for love: eros (romantic love), philia (love of family and friends), and agape (self-sacrificing love). Do these three kinds of love capture the full range of human love? Can they be combined in a single relationship? What kinds of love do we find in friendship and in marriage? Is the human experience of love universal or does it differ by culture? Is ancient love different from modern? Is Western love different from Eastern? Is homosexual love essentially different from heterosexual?

Aims: 1) To gain a deeper understanding of the nature, aims, and kinds of love by reading and discussing classic philosophical and theological works on love. 2) To empower all students to reflect critically about the role of love in their own lives; 3) To improve the ability of students to read, understand, and criticize complex arguments. 3) To improve the ability of students to formulate their own oral and written arguments. 4) To have fun.

Pedagogy: I will teach this course as a Freshman Writing Seminar. I believe that students learn best from their own activities, so I will serve more as a coordinator of student tasks than as a lecturer. I will attempt to moderate our discussions, organize student projects, and coach students in writing. The emphasis, therefore, will be on basic academic skills: effective writing, effective reading, and effective speaking. We will discuss and debate the issues raised in the readings; and we will conduct a workshop on how to revise a paper.

Requirements: 1) Students are required to attend every seminar. 2) Students are required to read all of the assigned readings in advance of our discussion. 3) Students are required to write three 6-8 page papers (and to revise 2 of them) and a couple short essays. 4) Students are required to make two major oral presentations in class. The three longer papers are worth about 50% of the course grade; the short papers are worth roughly 15%; the oral presentations are worth about 20%; and class participation is worth 15%.

Readings: All Readings will be found on Blackboard.

Schedule

Part One: Eros.

September 23: Introduction to the mysteries of love.

24 (X-Hour, 1 PM): Plato: Symposium: 172A to 189A.

25: Plato: Symposium: 189A to 199A

28: Plato: Symposium: 199A to 213A.

30: Plato: Symposium 213A to 223D

Oct 1 (X-Hour):Workshop on Designing Expectations for Papers.

First Essay Assigned.

2: Plato: Phaedrus: 227A to 242D.

5: Plato Phaedrus: 242E to 257B.

7: Augustine: City of God: pp. 44-48.

8 (X-Hour, 1 PM) Aquinas on Cupidity: Summa Theologiae II-II, Q. 151 and 153. Draft First Essay Due in Class.

Part Two: Philia

9: Aristotle on Friendship: NE, Book I.

12: Aristotle on Friendship: NE, Book VIII, chaps. 1-6.

14: Aristotle on Friendship: NE, Book VIII, chaps. 7-14.

15 (X-Hour, 1 PM): First Essay Returned: Workshop on Writing and Revision.

16: Aristotle on Friendship: NE, Book IX.

19: Aquinas: Cupidity and Friendship: ST I-II, QQ. 26-28. Second Essay Assigned.

Part Three: Agape

21: The Law of Love in the Gospels.

Oct. 23: Class Cancelled: Homecoming.

26: Paul and John on Love: 1 Corinthians and 1 John. Second Essay Due in Class.

28: Aquinas on Charity: ST II-II, QQ. 23, 25, 26.

29 (X-Hour): Kierkegaard: “You shall love your neighbor.”

30: Simone Weil: “Gravity and Grace”. Second Essay Returned.

November 2 to 6: Class Cancelled: Professor Away.

Part Four: Marriage

9: Simone Weil: “The Love of God and Affliction”

11: Paul: 1 Corinthians 7.

12 (X-Hour): Augustine: “The Good of Marriage”.

13: Aquinas: “Matrimony” QQ. 41 to 49.

16: Aquinas: “Matrimony” QQ. 64 and 65. Third Essay Assigned.

18: David Hume: “Of Polygamy and Divorces”.

19 (X-Hour): John Stuart Mill: “The Subjection of Women” chap. 4.

20: Final Presentations.

23 and 25: Class Cancelled: Thanksgiving.

November 30: Final Presentations: Third Essay Due in Class.

DISABILITIES POLICY:

Students with disabilities enrolled in this course and who may need disability-related classroom accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment to see me, ideally, before the end of the second week of the term. All discussions will remain confidential, although the Student Accessibility Services office may be consulted to discuss appropriate implementation of any accommodation requested.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS:

Some students may wish to take part in religious observances that occur during this academic term. If you have a religious observance that conflicts with your participation in the course, please meet with me before the end of the second week of the term to discuss appropriate accommodations.