FALL 2016 – PHILOSOPHY OF SEXUALITY – DR. CAMPBELL
- PHI 218. PHILOSOPHY OF SEXUALITY. TR 12:00 – 1:15. BP1N.
This course explores philosophical dimensions of sexuality in western (primarily European and North American) culture. Some examples of the philosophical questions surrounding sexuality are: “What is sex?” and “Is sex outside of marriage immoral?” We will examine many of the perennial questions of human sexuality by critically evaluating readings about sexuality from the ancient Greeks to the present day. We will trace the changing mores surrounding sex by comparing and contrasting the most influential western cultural forces, such as, ancient Greek culture and the rise of Christianity, and by analyzing the changing gender roles from the ancient Greeks to contemporary culture.
The purpose of this course is to help you think more effectively about the philosophical dimensions of sexuality. The course emphasizes effective thinking. It is not a purpose of this course to provide you with answers. The professor may, from time to time, argue for certain positions, based on logical consistency. However, the intention would not be to attempt to persuade you of these positions. The intention would be to stimulate thought, to encourage you to view questions from a new perspective, and to approach them carefully and logically. In human experience, sexuality is important and controversial -- perhaps it is controversial because it is important. Sexual topics, questions, and words often elicit strong feelings and emotions. Our feelings and emotions can sometimes begin to point the way toward truth, but can also short-circuit our rational processes. Any philosophy course attempts to help students think carefully and logically about questions that arouse strong feelings and emotions. Such is the case in a philosophy of sexuality course. While we will sometimes begin the examination of a question by attending to our feelings and our intuitions, we will always seek to go beyond our intuitions to a rational (relatively dispassionate) analysis of the question.
II. CLASS DISCUSSION/ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Class sessions will conform to the principles of decency and courtesy that are generally observed by the academic community and our larger society, e.g., deference toward others when they are speaking, tolerance of viewpoints that differ from our own, respect for the questions under discussion, the assumption of academic freedom, and the use of language that is as direct and precise as possible. The last two points require elaboration.
In general, the ideal of academic freedom entails that essentially any belief or question about any aspect of human experience that bears on the discipline in question may serve as the topic of examination. The discipline of this course is the philosophy of sexuality. Thus, any aspect of sexuality, any question, any topic, any claim or idea, any thought experiment, any language used or mentioned that is relevant to sexuality is possible material for our reading, discussion, and writing.
Our language--what we read, what we write, what we say in class--must reflect the principle of academic freedom. It would be impossible for us to conduct this course without language that refers to sexual experiences, processes, and organs. Nevertheless, a distinction must be drawn between the "use" and the "mention" of words. We use words when they refer to the world; we mention words when they refer to themselves, that is, when we are talking about the words. There are certain words that a sensitive person might never usethat she will mention for the purpose of analyzing their meaning or significance. For example, we may mention that the word, “gay” has multiple meanings in our culture, but we will not use the word “gay” as a derogatory term in our discourse. This course requires that we all be free to use and mention language directly, precisely, but also as decorously and sensitively as possible within the constraints of precision and clarity.
III.INSTRUCTOR
Debra CampbellOffice: BP014
Office hours:MWF 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.,TR 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Phone: 461-7615
E-mail: - email will be responded to promptly between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
IV.TEXT AND MATERIALS
The required books in this course areThe Philosophy of Sex: Contemporary Readings, (Sixth Edition) edited by Nicholas Power, Raja Halwani, and Alan SobleISBN-13: 978-1442216716 ISBN-10: 1442216719 [available at the MCC Bookstore and at Amazon.com], and PlatoSymposium, (Hackett Classics, May, 1989) by Plato(author), Alexander Nehamas (Translator), Paul Woodruff (Translator), ISBN-13: 978-0872200760 ISBN-10: 0872200760[available on Amazon.com]. In addition to these two texts, the instructor will provide a few selected handouts for students at no charge to be used by the student and then returned to the instructor. These selected handouts will not be reproductions of any copyrighted materials nor will they be copied using any college resources, but these are free and open source documents copied and provided at the exclusive expense of the instructor and are used by the instructor for educational purposes only, not for profit. It is recommended that you make your own copies of these handouts as soon as possible and return the originals back to the instructor right away. If you do this, then you are free to mark up your own copies with your notes, etc. without marring the original handouts. Please make your copies and return the original handouts to me immediately and intact so that I can provide them free of charge to students next semester. Your cooperation in this regard will be greatly appreciated by all future students!
- ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
PAPERS: The instructor will maintain a continuous record of each student’s progress. Three short (minimum of 3 pages) papers (worth 25% each) will be assigned. The three papers will reflect the three sections of the course, that is, the historical, conceptual, and contemporary components. Students will be asked to choose a topic in the Philosophy of Sexuality and develop that topic over the three papers, specifically: historical overview, conceptual overview, and sexuality in society today. Detailed instructions will be given for each paper at least two weeks before the due date and detailed feedback will be provided on each paper as it is graded.
ARTICLE SUMMARIES: Students are also required to answer a few questions (called an “Article Summary”) on EACH of the assigned readings. The format for the article summaries is available at the very end of this syllabus. You may make copies of this form to use for each article summary or just follow the format as you write out each summary. The article summaries may be hand-written as long as your handwriting is unambiguously legible. Each summary is “due” at the beginning of class on the first day that reading will be discussed, although the discussion of some readings may extend over more than one class meeting. Students will turn intheir article summaries to the instructor as attendance is taken at the beginning of each class period and then the summaries will be redistributed among the class members to use during the discussion (more about this below). Each article summary turned in will add to your participation points.
While the dates for each reading are listed on the syllabus, the instructor will announce at the beginning and end of each class which reading will be discussed in the next class period, just in case we do not finish a reading in a particular class meeting. If a student is absent, it is the STUDENT’S responsibility to contact either the instructor or a fellowclassmate in order to determine the reading assignment for the next class meeting.
DISCUSSIONS: For each new reading, students will use the article summaries to generate discussion. As stated above, the instructor will take the article summaries from each student at the beginning of class and then pass them around randomly among the students so that students can see what their fellow students have written. Students will be asked to share answers with the class in order to share thoughts and ideas during the discussion of each article. This is part of the required participation for the class.
SHOW AND TELL: At some point during the semester each student is expected to bring in one presentation item (approximately 2-3 minutes in length) to share with the class. This can be a You-Tube video, piece of music, website, artwork, literature—so long as it relates to human sexuality.
BREAKDOWN OF GRADING: So, 75% of the grade is based on the three papers, and the remaining 25% of the grade will be reserved for the instructor to award points based on the number of article summaries turned in, the show and tell item, and overall participation in each daily discussion. Regular attendance and participation are crucial to the success of this course. To recap:
Value of exams and assignments:
1st Paper25%
2nd Paper25%
3rd Paper25%
Participation 25%
Grading Scale (approximate)
90-100 pointsA
80-89 pointsB
70-79 pointsC
60-69 pointsD
Below 60 pointsF
- CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS (Approximate)
DatesReadings/Assignments
8/23INTRODUCTION TO THE CLASS
8/25Discussion of the syllabus and assignments – be prepared to ask and answer questions about the coursework for this class by reading the syllabus carefully
8/30HISTORICAL SECTION – INTRODUCTION
Find a Historical Timeline (on the Internet) for Western Philosophy – note the URL
Google the Greek and Christian influences on sexuality in western cultureuntil you find something interesting – write it down – note the URL to share with the class
9/6READ Plato, Symposium, pp. xi-xxvii, and pp. 1-19 (Introduction, Phaedrus, and Pausanias) [NOTE: For correct pronunciation of the names in the Symposium go to: and type the name of the character.]
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
9/8READ Plato, Symposium, pp. 20-44 (Eryximachus, Aristophanes, and Agathon)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
9/13READ Plato, Symposium, pp. 45-77 (Diotima/Socrates, and Alcibiades)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
9/15READ Handout, Excerpt from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, pp. 1-5
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
9/20READ Handout, Immanuel Kant, excerpts from the IEP, pp. 1, 24-27
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
9/22READ Handout, Kant, excerpts from The Philosophy of Law, pp. 1-2, 24, 58-60
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
Instructions for First Paper handed out
9/27READ Bertrand Russell, excerpts from Love and Marriage, from Wikiquotes
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
9/29-IN CLASS Videos, Bringing Sexy Back and The Science of Sex Appeal
10/4HISTORICAL SECTION - CONCLUSION
10/61st PAPER DUE – Thursday, October 6th at beginning of class
CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS – INTRODUCTION
All readings in this section are from the text, Philosophy of Sex, by Alan Soble
10/11READ Article 2: Are We Having Sex Now or What? (Greta Christina)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
10/13READ Article 3: Sexual Perversion (Thomas Nagel)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
10/18READ Article 4: Sexual Behavior: Another Position(Janice Moulton)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
10/20READ Article 5: Plain Sex (Alan Goldman)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
Instructions for 2nd Paper handed out
10/25READ Article 7: Sex in the Head (Seiriol Morgan)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
10/27-IN CLASS Film, Closer
11/1CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS - CONCLUSION
11/32nd PAPER DUE – Thursday, November 3rd at beginning of class
SEXUALITY TODAY– INTRODUCTION
All readings in this section from the text, Philosophy of Sex, by Alan Soble
11/8READ Article 10: In Defense of Same-Sex Marriage (Cheshire Calhoun)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
11/10READ Article 12: What is Sexual Orientation? (William S. Wilkerson)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
11/15READ Article 15: Trans Persons, Cisgender Persons, and Gender Identities (Christine Overall)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
11/17READ Article 17: Sexual Exploitation and the Value of Persons (Howard Klepper)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
11/22READ Article 21: The Harms of Consensual Sex (Robin West)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
11/29READ Article 24: On F***ing Around (Raja Halwani)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
Instructions for 3rd Paper handed out
12/1READ Article 25: Date Rape: A Feminist Analysis (Lois Pineau)
WRITE Article Summary for this Reading
12/6-IN CLASS Film, The Opposite of Sex
12/8SEXUALITYTODAY - CONCLUSION
12/133rdPAPER DUE – Tuesday, December 13th at 12:00 noon
VII.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Content policy: Philosophy deals with controversial adult material including human sexuality, the existence of God, principles of justice, etc. Students must be prepared to engage all material as presented/assigned. Alternative assignments, readings, lectures, etc. will not be provided.
- Syllabus policy: Students are required to read the syllabus. Due to the nature of the course, it is impossible to exactly link topics with specific dates, thus the above calendar is an approximation. The instructor will make every attempt to stick as closely as possible to the syllabus and will clarify assignments at the beginning and end of each class meeting.
- Attendance policy: Students must attend classes regularly. The instructor reserves the right to withdraw a student and assign a grade of “W” after three unexcused absences.
- Cell phone policy: You may have your cell phones and laptops in the classroom, but they are to be used for instructional purposes only. Cell phones should be set to silent and put away or placed on the desk face down so that no one in the class is disturbed by notifications. There may be occasions when I will allow students to use their smartphones to look things up during classroom discussion, but otherwise cell phones are not to be used during class for any other reason. No texting, no checking for updates. I can see when students try to text under the tables. I will call you on it. Similarly, laptops are to be used only for work directly related to learning in our class and only with my express permission.
- Academic Integrity: Besides academic performance, students should exhibit the qualities of honesty and integrity. Any form of dishonesty, cheating, fabrication, the facilitation of academic dishonesty, or plagiarism may result in disciplinary action. Please refer to the MCC Student Handbook (available on-line) for information regarding institutional policy and due process procedures.
- Information for Students with Disabilities:Students with disabilities must have an equally effective and equivalent educational opportunity as those students without disabilities. Students experiencing difficulty accessing course materials because of a disability are expected to contact the course instructor so that a solution can be found that provides all students equal access to course materials and technology. If you have a documented disability, including a learning disability, and would like to discuss possible accommodations, please contact the MCC Disabilities Resources and Services Office at480-461-7447or email them .
- Refund Policy: Please note the district policy regarding refunds and withdrawals stated on the MCC website. If you do not withdraw from the class within the stated time to receive a 100% refund, you will be expected to pay for the class.
- MCC Early Alert Program (EARS):Mesa Community College is committed to the success of all our students. Numerous campus support services are available throughout your academic journey to assist you in achieving your educational goals. MCC has adopted an Early Alert Referral System (EARS) as part of a student success initiative to aid students in their educational pursuits. Faculty and Staff participate by alerting and referring students to campus services for added support. Students may receive a follow up call from various campus services as a result of being referred to EARS. Students are encouraged to participate, but these services are optional. Early Alert Web Page with Campus Resource Information can be located at: locate the “Early Alert” selection at the MyMCC link from MCC’s home page.
Article Summary Format
for
Readings in the Philosophy of Sexuality
I.What is the main thesis or argument of this reading?
II.Do you agree with the main thesis or argument of this reading? What are your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing?
III.In your view, what is the main problem with this reading?