Syllabus for Philosophy 330: Continental Rationalism

Instructor Information
Marcy P. Lascano
Department of Philosophy
379 Bartlett Hall
University of Massachusetts
130 Hicks Way
Amherst, MA 01003
413.545.2330 Office
lascano@philos.umass.edu
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~lascano/

Texts
Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, Edited by John Cottingham (Cambridge).
Spinoza, A Spinoza Reader, Edited and Translated by Edwin Curley (Princeton)
Malebranche, Philosophical Selections, Edited by Steven Nadler (Hackett).
Leibniz, Philosophical Essays, Edited by Roger Ariew and Daniel Garber (Hackett).

The texts are available at Amherst Books located in downtown Amherst at 8 Main Street.

Requirements
Class attendance and participation: Students may miss two classes without being penalized. Up to two additional absences may be excused, but only upon presentation, within a week of the missed class, of a written explanation, signed by a doctor, dean, or other official.

Weekly reading assignments: to be completed by the first class of each week.

Four short papers: One 2-3 page paper on each philosopher we study for the course. I will suggest paper topics as we go through the class. These papers should be on a very concise problem and deal only with the primary text.

One final paper: One 10-12 page paper on an approved topic due at the end of the semester. Students may develop a topic from one of their short papers or they may take on a new topic.

The course grade will be based on the final paper (40 points) and the short papers (15 points each). Extra points (up to 10) will be given for class participation. Two points will be deducted for each absence after the fourth, and for each unexcused absence after the second.

Academic Honesty
Violations of university regulations concerning academic honesty will not be tolerated in this course. I will do my best to see to it that students caught cheating in this course are subjected to the most severe penalties consistent with university policies. See the University Student Handbook on Plagiarism and what constitutes it.

Students with Special Needs
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any necessary accommodations.

Schedule of Reading Assignments