Medieval & Renaissance Philosophy

Section 1: Purpose of the Course. By the end of this course you should

   (1) know, in general outline, the history of Medieval and Renaissance European philosophy;
    (2) have a basic understanding of some of the main topics of philosophical inquiry during those periods; and
    (3) be able to read and analyze a Medieval or Renaissance European philosophical text critically.

Section 2: Textbooks. Here are the required texts for the course in the order in which we will discuss them. They are listed by the names of the editors and/or translators.

   Paul Vincent Spade, Five Medieval Texts on the Problem of Universals = FMT
    Anton C. Pegis, Basic Writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas = AQ
    Thomas Willimas, Augustine: On Free Choice of the Will = AUG
    E. Gordon Rupp, Luther and Erasmus: Free Will and Salvation = LE

Section 3: Course Schedule. Here is the tentative plan for the course.

Section 4: Requirements. Here are the requirements for the course. Please note that each exam is comprehensive but will emphasize the material most recently covered.

   Exam #1 15% of course grade
    Exam #2 15% of course grade
    Exam #3 20% of course grade
    Exam #4 30% of course grade
    Term Paper 20% of course grade

    Participation (including attendance)
   Mid-Term Self-Evaluation of Class Participation
    Final Self-Evaluation of Class Participation

Your participation in class by attendance, arriving on time, asking questions and contributing to discussion will seriously affect your final grade for the course (especially if your numerical grade is on the borderline between two grades).

Term Paper. See next page for instructions and example.

Policy on Make-Up Exams: I don't give Make-Up Exams. Any missed exam is an automatic "F" and the only way to change the grade is to do Extra Credit.

Policy on Extra Credit. If you do not do as well as you would like on an exam, you may try to pull the exam grade up in two different ways. (1) You may write a 3-5 page (single-spaced) paper on the period of the exam whose grade you wish to improve. The paper will be due during the last meeting of our class. See next page for instructions and example. (2) You may give a class presentation on some topic from St. Thomas Aquinas (see Study Questions for topics).

How your extra credit will be graded. If you do a substantial and accurate job on your Extra Credit paper or presentation, then the grade you received on the exam will be pulled up (e.g. turning a B into a B+). If you do an extremely good job on the Extra Credit paper, your grade may be pulled up even more (e.g. turning a D into a C). It is extremely difficult to turn a B+ into an A-, since a B+ means you did a very good job on the original exam.

Self-Evaluations. The two self-evaluations are your opportunity to tell me what grade you think you have earned in the course, and to explain to me anything you think I need to know in order to assign you a fair grade (e.g. you may explain any absences, draw my attention to the questions you have asked in class, the questions you have answered in class, and any helpful comments you have contributed to class discussions).

Instructions for Writing a Paper

Extra Credit Paper (2-6 pages). The point of writing an extra credit paper is to show me that you really do understand the material covered on the exams. Consequently, you do not have to have a thesis (although if you do have a thesis and an argument for it, that will show me that you are thinking critically about the course material and that will help your grade). All you need to do is explain in your own words the material covered in the exam that for which you are doing extra credit. You may, but need not, consult secondary texts.

Think of it this way: you are writing a chapter for a book called Introduction to Philosophy which is designed to be a textbook for High School students who have never read philosophy before. You need to explain things fully, clearly and in detail so that they can understand what you are saying. In particular, do the following.

Term Paper (6-8 pages). The Term Paper is to be an expository paper in two senses. First, the central goal of the paper must be for you to present an argument for a thesis. For example, if you are writing on the problem of free will, I will expect to you to come down on one side or the other, and to argue either that we have no free will, or that we do have free will. The thesis is to be your thesis, your conclusion, your philosophy. Second, you must develop your argument in relation to the views of the philosophers we have studied in this class. Critically evaluate their positions and their arguments, showing me that you understand their views accurately and in detail. Also show that you are aware of, and fully understand, some of the main philosophical objections to their views and arguments. This will necessarily involve quoting the text, and explaining the meaning of the text in your own words. This will also necessarily involve dealing with the arguments of the philosophers you discuss. Are they valid? Are they sound? You may, but need not, consult secondary texts.

Format Requirements for All Papers. All papers must conform to the following parameters.