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Philosophy 363: Philosophy & Religion in Literature

Dr. Jacquelyn Ann Kegley

Office: Faculty Towers 103-D 664-2249/2291 Fax: 665-6904

E-mail: (I do not accept any assigned work by e-mail)

Website:

Office Hours: Mon. & Wed- 4-5:30p.m.; Tues. 2-3 and by appointment.

Required Texts

Roy Cook, Editor, One Hundred and One Famous Poems

Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis

Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

Gear, Kathleen O’Neil and Michael, The People of the Lakes- one of the choices for the final paper.

Terrel Miedaner, “The Soul of Martha, a Beast,” and “The Soul of Mark III.-Handout

Yann Martel, Life of Pi

N. Scott Momaday, House Made of Dawn- one of the choices for the final paper.

Toni Morrison, Beloved

Bharati Mukherjee, Jasmine

Sophocles, Antigone

Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Il’ich

Course Description

This course will examine philosophical and religious concepts such as “good and evil,” “morality,” “self and self-realization,” “oppression,” “prejudice,” “tolerance,” “friendship,” “family,” “spiritual quest,” “death and authenticity,” in novels, short stories, poetry and dramatic literature. Authors from various historical periods, cultures, and backgrounds will be included.

Course Goals

A student who successfully completes this course should be able to:

  • To read and appreciate various literary modes
  • To discern and discuss philosophical and religious concepts in literature.
  • To discern some of common problems, values, aspirations that all human beings share.

Course Requirements

Your success in this course will be assessed by

  • Participation in class discussions including preparation and leadership of the discussion of one of the assigned pieces of literature. (25% of the final grade)
  • An eight-page reflective paper on People of the Lakes by Kathleen and Michael Gear or N. Scott Momaday’s House of Dawn. (40% of the final grade.) Due on the final exam day.
  • A comprehensive mid-term examination. On May 6th. This examination will cover all the material read and discussed in the course up to the point of the exam. Information on the format of the exam will be provided at the appropriate time. (35% of the final grade.)

Participation

This is a class in which we will share our observations, ideas, critical reflections and feelings. In this process, we should gain a wider understanding of the literature and we will learn much from each other. Attendance and participation is thus mandatory. If you must miss class for a legitimate reason, please contact me ahead of time. Each unexcused absence warrants a five-percent reduction in the final grade. In addition to the necessity of attending class, you need to come prepared. This means that you have to read the entire assignment, have thought about it, and are ready to discuss it.

Reflective final paper

You will be asked to write an eight page reflective paper on either The People of the Lakes by Kathleen & Michael Gear or The House of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday. This will be graded according to an evaluation sheet that you will receive at the beginning of the course. It should discuss the main philosophical and/or religious themes portrayed in the novel and these should be explicated in terms of the various literary devices such as characters, plot, symbols, metaphors, and character’s beliefs and actions, and sets of relationships that develop the themes. In addition, you will want to discuss (1) what this literary work teaches you about the “human condition.” and (2) how this work relates to or enriches your own ideas and experiences. In all of your assignments, you must write grammatically correct English that is spelled correctly. You should use your dictionaries and consult the writing center if you need additional help.

Evaluation of written work

All written work will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Understanding of the literary work -35%

Depth and sophistication of analysis- 50%

Grammar, spelling, style – 15%

PAPERS MUST BE YOUR OWN WORK. Plagiarism is grounds for failure of the course. Plagiarism includes the use of someone else’s ideas or words without giving the appropriate reference or credit. If you are in doubt, ask me.

The reflective paper is due on the final day of class- June 3.

Leading Class Discussion of a Work

Each of you will participate in a group effort to lead the class in discussion of one of the assigned readings. You will need to engage your fellow students in the literary piece, encouraging their ideas about the work, taking off with these ideas, and leading the class to some sense of having viewed the piece, its issues, its characters, its literary devices, from a variety of perspectives. The class, your group, you, and the instructor will fill out a discussion evaluation form and will grade your success in this endeavor.

Tips on Discussion

A good group discussion brings forth ideas and information on the topic in an organized fashion and achieves a useful synthesis and/or resolution. This does not mean that the group has to adopt a single position on the issues. Think of a group as having a collective thought process that should be superior to the thinking of the individual group members. As a discussion leader your job is to facilitate that collective thought process and to actively avoid subverting that process. Listen and try to understand what others are saying. Ask questions for clarification, and not for criticism. Help others to participate in the discussion, especially those who appear to be shy or less vocal. And, generally, groups, like individual persons, do best when considering one topic at a time and staying focused. Use some sensitivity in changing the subject.

Letter grades and equivalents

93-100= A83-86= B 73-76=C63-66=D

90-92 = A-80-82= B-70-72= C-60-62+ D-

87-89 = B+77-79= C+67-69+ D+Below 60 + F

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

You should bring the book of poetry to class each time as we will read and discuss one or two poems as time permits.

Tuesday, March 30thIntroduction- Literature, read some poetry

Handout materials –Assignment for discussion leaders

Thursday –April 1“The Soul of Martha” “Soul of Mark.”-

Hand In “Reflections on I, Me, Self, Body, Soul”

Tuesday, April 6Franz, Kafka, Metamorphosis, Chapter I

Thursday April 8Frank Kafka, Metamorphosis, Chapters II and III

Tues, April13thSophocles, Antigone, Lines 1-580

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Thurs. April 15thSophocles, Antigone, Lines 580-end

Tues, April 20thLeo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Il’ch, Chapters 1-6

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Thurs. April 22Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Il’ch, Chapters7-12

Tues- April 27Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams, Chapters 1-10

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Thurs., April 29Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams, Chapters 11-20

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Tues- May 4thBarbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams, Chapters 21-28

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Thurs, May 6thMid-Term Examination

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Tues. May 11th-Toni Morrison, Beloved, Section One, pp. 1-165

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Thurs. 13thToni Morrison, Beloved, Two, 170-273.

Tues, May 18thBharati Mukherjee, Jasmine, Chapters 1-7

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Thurs. May 20Bharati Mukherjee, Jasmine, Chapters 8-17

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Tues. May 25thBharati Mukherjee, Jasmine, Chapters 18-26

Tues. May 27Yann Martel, The Life of Pi, Part I, 1-93

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Tues- June 1Yann Martel, The Life of Pi, Part II, Chapters 37-77

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June 3Yann Martel, The Life of Pi, Part II, Chapters 78-94 and

Part III, Chapters 95-100

Reflective Paper Due