FALL 2003
Senior Perspective Course
SRP435, ENG 435, PHL 435
LITERATURE, PHILOSOPHY, AND ECONOMICS: CRITICAL
REPRESENTATIONS OF COMMERCIAL LIFE
GENERAL INFORMATION
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Drawing on a variety of disciplines ranging from literature, philosophy and economics to ethics, theology, sociology, and anthropology, this course undertakes an exploration of the phenomenon of commerce throughout the ages. Giving special attention to critical representations of commercial life, the course will undertake 1) the characterization of the social forms - such as private property, the commodity, wage labor, and capital -- underlying commerce and commercial capitalism, and 2) the specification of how these ethically consequential forms tie in with problems of poverty, unequal distributions of income and wealth, overconsumption and depletion of natural resources, competition, conflict and social instability.
TEXTS
Patrick Murray, ed., Reflections on Commercial Life: An Anthology of Classic Texts from Plato to the Present (Routledge) ISBN 0-415-91196-6
Charles Dickens, Hard Times (W.W. Norton/Norton Critical Edition), ISBN 0-393-95900-7
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (Penguin/Viking Critical Library), ISBN 0-14-024775-0
SRP 435 Course Pack (containing a variety of readings not included in the anthology)
ONLINE RESOURCES
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
World Bank, Global Poverty Monitoring
U.S. Census Bureau: World Population "Clock"
U.S. Census Bureau: World Population Past and Future
United Nations: Social Indicators
United Nations: Income and Economic Activity Indicators
United Nations Population Information Network
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1) Journal of Personal Reflection (30%)
The journal requires at least one page of writing (approx. 250-300 words) for
each one of the readings. The writing in the journal can be informal and very
personal in style and content but it must offer thoughtful personal reflection
and original commentary addressing some of the issues, relevant to our course,
raised by the readings (study questions are posted on the web for a number of
the readings, see links in the online syllabus). Journals offer an excellent
opportunity to pursue alternative lines of interpretation and to discuss the
relevance of the course materials to contemporary issues and the personal concerns,
values, and interests of the student. Students are welcome and encouraged to
go beyond the required minimum and undertake as much writing as they desire,
including responses to the lectures and other aspects of the course and its
materials. All writing in the journal must be personal and original and done
by hand (NO TYPEWRITTEN JOURNALS OR PRINT-OUTS). In addition to the writing,
students are welcome to include drawings, cut-and-paste, or other illustrative
materials enhancing the contents or appearance of the journal. Notes taken in
class are NOT appropriate material for the journal. It is strongly recommended
that students use a light-weight note- or sketch-book or loose sheets held together
in a simple folder (NO 3-RING BINDERS OR OTHER BULKY CONTAINERS). Students will
turn in the journal to the instructor twice during the semester (see Schedule
below).
2) Two In-Class Essays (60%, i.e. 30% each)
Essay exercises will ask students to read closely, analyze, and comment on a
particular passage from one of the texts studied and/or develop a theme/issue
related to the readings, lectures, or class discussions. Essays will be graded
primarily on the basis of their relevance, clarity, thoughtfulness, analytical
depth, and constructive engagement of the material under examination. For other
criteria used in the grading of essays (see "Grading
of Essays and Other Written Work"). Students should expect to do a substantial
amount of writing for each essay (5-6 handwritten pages, 1 page = 250-300 words)
and must provide their own paper and pens (no pencils please). All handwriting
in an essay must be neat and easily legible. No credit will be given for illegible
work.
3) Participation and Other Performance (10%)
In addition to other grades, the instructor will assess and grade each student's
overall accomplishment, development, and involvement in the course. This grade
will take into account aspects of a student's performance such as class participation,
preparation, contributions, effort, attentiveness, interest, improvement, responsibility,
etc.
4) Grading Scale, Attendance, Academic Honesty, and Other Policies
All aspects of the course will be graded on a 100-point scale where 90-100 = A, 87-89 = B+, 80-86 = B, 77-79 = C+, 70-76 = C, 60-69 = D, and 0-59 = F
In general, no excuses will be accepted for missed deadlines, in-class essays, or other class activities -- a missed deadline or essay will result in a grade of F for that assignment.
All absences and late arrivals, regardless of the reason, will be taken into account in the attendance measurement (notice that the policy described here has a built-in margin of tolerance before it begins to affect the course grade). The attendance measurement will be calculated as the percentage of total class time attended (including out-of-class events) (the total class time is 14 class sessions of 150 minutes each or 2,100 minutes). The course grade may not exceed the percentage of total class time attended (i.e. if a student attended only 75% of the total class time, the COURSE grade may not be higher than 75 or C). Notice also that, at the discretion of the instructor, any student missing more than 30% of the total class time may fail the course.
All students in the class are expected to observe the University's guidelines
on student conduct as described in Creighton University's Student Handbook (see
"Code of Conduct," and especially the section on "Academic Misconduct"
dealing with problems of plagiarism, cheating, etc.). All work submitted under
a student's name must be personal and original and must be created during and
for the specific purposes of the course. Cheating in exams, engaging in plagiarism,
misrepresentations of authorship, omission of credits or other acknowledgments
of outside sources (including other students' papers, fraternity/sorority files,
internet materials, books, periodical articles, and other printed or published
matter), as well as other forms of academic dishonesty will result in failing
the given assignment or, at the discretion of the instructor, the entire course.
Problems such as repeated lateness arriving to class, inattentiveness, or disruptive
behavior will adversely affect the class participation grade. Problematic behavior
of this sort can also result, at the discretion of the instructor and with the
advice of the Dean, in more severe penalties, including failing the entire course.
READING AND DISCUSSION SCHEDULE
In the online version of the syllabus you may click here for Course's Guiding Questions and Concerns
In the online version of the syllabus you may click on selected individual subjects for study questions. These questions will guide class discussions and may be used to motivate journal writing. All reading must be completed BEFORE the day when it is scheduled for discussion.
Thursday Aug 28
Thursday Sep 04
Thursday Sep 11
Thursday Sep 18
Thursday Sep 25
Thursday Oct 02
Thursday Oct 16
Thursday Oct 23
Thursday Oct 30
Thursday Nov 06
Thursday Nov 13
Thursday Nov 20
Thursday Nov 27
Thursday Dec 04
Thursday Dec 11
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