Professor Matthew Leisinger

mleising@yorku.ca

This course is an introduction to topics in seventeenth-century European philosophy and presupposes no prior knowledge of philosophy. We will begin with an in-depth study of René Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy, in which Descartes argues for Cartesian Dualism, the view that the mind and the body are two completely distinct things. In the rest of the course, we will examine various consequences of and reactions to Cartesian Dualism in the seventeenth century, including:

• The role of Cartesian dualism in the development of early modern feminist thought;
• The problem of interaction (how can an immaterial mind interact with a material body?);
• Monist alternatives to Cartesian Dualism (idealism, materialism, and non-reductive monism).

Technical requirements for taking the course:

This course will be fully asynchronous. All course materials, including readings, will be available via Moodle.

The instructor will be available to students asynchronously via email and Moodle discussion. The instructor will also be available synchronously for virtual office hours via Zoom. These office hours are optional and attendance at office hours will not be required in any way. Nonetheless, in order to participate in synchronous office hours, students will require Zoom video-conferencing software, a working microphone (webcam optional), and a stable, higher-speed Internet connection.

Times and locations:

Please note that this is a course that depends on remote teaching and learning. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus.

Virtual office hours:

The instructor will be available synchronously for virtual office hours via Zoom, both by appointment and regularly at a time TBD.

Readings from: René Descartes, François Poullain de la Barre, Mary Astell, Elisabeth of Bohemia, Nicolas Malebranche, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Thomas Hobbes, Margaret Cavendish, and Benedictus de Spinoza.

All texts will be available online.

For students who prefer physical texts, the following recommended (NOT required) editions will be available from the bookstore. These are the texts that we will be reading for at least one full week.

• René Descartes. Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. Translated by Donald A. Kress. Indianapolis: Hackett. ISBN: 978-0-87220-420-1.

Since we will be focusing on Descartes for approximately the first five weeks, students are particularly encouraged to purchase a physical copy of the Meditations. This book is also available from the York Library website.

• G. W. Leibniz. Philosophical Texts. Translated and edited by R. S. Woolhouse and Richard Francks. Oxford: Oxford UP. ISBN: 9780198751533. We will be focusing on Leibniz for one week. This book is also available from the York Library website.

• Margaret Cavendish. Observations upon Experimental Philosophy. Edited by Eileen O’Neill. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN: 9780521776752.

We will be focusing on Cavendish for two weeks. This book is also available from the York Library website.

• Benedictus de Spinoza. A Spinoza Reader: The Ethics and Other Works. Edited and translated by Edwin Curley. Princeton: Princeton UP. ISBN: 9780691000671.

We will be focusing on Spinoza’s Ethics for two weeks. The Ethics is available online in a helpful hypertext edition (https://capone.mtsu.edu/rbombard/RB/Spinoza/ethica-front.html). But, since Spinoza can be particularly difficult to follow, students might find it especially valuable to have a physical copy. Note that this specific edition of the Ethics is not available from the York library website.

25%    Participation in online discussion (graded for completion)

20%    First exam

30%    Second exam

25%   OPTION: either argumentative paper or research paper or book review (1000-2000 words)

The entire course, including the submission of assignments, participation/discussion and test-taking, will take place on the course’s Moodle. Although we are scheduled to meet at particular times and days of the week, this course has no live virtual meetings outside of office hours. The course will be structured around weekly recorded lectures, readings, and study questions, all available via Moodle.

Upon completing this course, students will be able:

• To explain and evaluate some of the major ideas and arguments of seventeenth-century European philosophy
• To analyze passages from seventeenth-century philosophical texts
• To work collaboratively with other students to understand philosophical texts

Course policies

Grading:  The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system used in undergraduate programs at York (e.g., A+ = 9, A = 8, B+ - 7, C+ = 5, etc.).  Each assignment will bear either a letter grade designation or a corresponding number grade (e.g.  A+ = 90 to 100, A = 80 to 90, B+ = 75 to 79, etc.)

(For a full description of York grading system see the York University Undergraduate Calendar - http://calendars.registrar.yorku.ca/2010-2011/academic/index.htm

Assignment Submission: Proper academic performance depends on students doing their work not only well, but on time.  Accordingly, assignments for this course must be received on the due date specified for the assignment.  All assignments are to be handed in via Moodle.

Lateness Penalty: Late submissions will not be accepted for participation in online discussion. Late submissions will be accepted for exams and essays but will be penalized one-half letter grade per day. Exceptions to the lateness penalty for valid reasons such as illness, compassionate grounds, etc., may be entertained by the Instructor but will require supporting documentation (e.g., a doctor’s letter).

Missed Assignments:  Students with a documented reason for missing a course assignment, such as illness, compassionate grounds, etc., which is confirmed by supporting documentation (e.g., doctor’s letter) may request accommodation from the Course Instructor.