EXPLORING HUMAN EXPERIENCE

CORE 102:01 & 03
Dr. McWhorter
Spring, 2002

The following texts are available for purchase in the university bookstore.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew
King, Why We Can't Wait
Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals
Rich, Adrienne Rich's Poetry and Prose
Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Darwin, On Evolution
Kenzaburo, Oe
Voltaire, Candide
Marx, Selected Writings
Markandaya, Nectar in a Sieve
Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita

PLEASE NOTE: Each student is expected to bring a copy of the text to be discussed to every class meeting.

UNIT FOUR: Order and Subversion

January 7:
The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 1-27. (King James Version, chapters 1-14.) Questions for reflection include: What sort of group is Jesus organizing in these chapters? What is the group's purpose? In what sense is Jesus subverting and in what sense is he fulfilling the law? In these chapters who sees Jesus as a subversive?

January 9:
The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 27-56. (King James Version, chapters 15-28.) Homework #1 Due! Questions for reflection include: What was Jesus trying to teach the people? Why were these teachings and Jesus' organization considered dangerous by the Jewish and Roman authorities? What events lead up to Jesus' execution? Why was Jesus executed?

January 10:
This is not a class day, but: In conjunction with the Core course, the Marsh Art Gallery is sponsoring an exhibition of the work of Jessie Oonark. The exhibit will open with a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the gallery, followed at 8:00 p.m. by a performance by the Inuit Aqsarnit Drum Dancers and Throat Singers. All Core students are encouraged to attend this opening. The show will be open for viewing from January 11 through February 24. Students may view the exhibit at any time when the gallery is open, but please note that viewing this exhibit is necessary in order to complete Homework #7, which is due on February 8.

January 11:
King, Why We Can't Wait, viii-45. What is the historical setting of the events to be described in this book? What is the philosophy of non-violent direct action? Why does King think action must be taken at this time? What relations do you see between King's ideas and actions and The Gospel According to St. Matthew? (You can read more about non-violent direct action at the website of the Center for Non-Violent Social Change.) (It would be a very good idea to look ahead a few days to homework assignment #2 and begin working on it now.)

January 14:
King, Why We Can't Wait, 46-99. Why did King decide to go to jail? What criticisms did he make of religious leaders from his jail cell? Why did the movement leaders decide to allow children to march and be arrested? Was this decision right?

January 16:
King, Why We Can't Wait, 100-143. What was King really fighting for? Did he succeed? (Photos of Birmingham demonstrations can be viewed online.) Homework #2 Due!

January 18:
Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, 13-23. Questions for reflection include: When Nietzsche was a boy, what did he think was the source or origin of evil? Why did the study of philology change his mind? What is his philological analysis of evil's origin? How does his view of the origins of morality differ from the view of Paul Ree?

January 21:
Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, 24-56. Questions for reflection iclude: What are the ancient meanings of the words 'good' and 'bad'? How have those meanings shifted over time and why? Homework #3 Due!

January 23:
Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, 24-56. Questions for reflection iclude: What does it mean to say that concepts have genealogies? Optional Paper #1 Due!

January 25:
NO CLASS: Dr. McWhorter is speaking at Wittenberg College. This would be an excellent day to go to the Marsh Gallery and view the Oonark exhibit in anticipation of Homework #7 due on February 8.

January 28:
Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, 57-67, 72-82, 84-88, 95-96. Homework #4 Due! According to Nietzsche, how does it come about that people start punishing other people? What effects does punishment have? How does punishment contribute to the creation of "an animal with the right to make promises" (p. 57)?

January 30:
Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, 97-98, 116-163. What does Nietzsche mean when he says, "All great things bring about their own destruction through an act of self-overcoming"? How has Christianity brought about its own destruction, according to Nietzsche? In what sense are all great movements self-subversive?

February 1:
Rich, "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers," "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law," "Planetarium," "Diving into the Wreck," and "The Phenomenology of Anger," from Adrienne Rich's Poetry and Prose. (These are pages 4, 9-13, 38-39, 53-59.) Questions for today include: What should we pay attention to when we read poetry? What makes a piece of writing a poem rather than a narrative or descriptive paragraph? What is the relation between poetry and emotion? Homework #5 Due!

February 4:
Rich, "Love Poems" (nos. 1, 3, 6-12, 17, 21), "Sources," "Poetry: I," and "Final Notations," from Adrienne Rich's Poetry and Prose. (These are pages 77, 78, 79-82, 84, 86, 101-114, 123, 160-161.) What do these poems have to say or imply about freedom? What does Rich mean when she writes, "The rules break like a thermometer"? What is "it" in "Final Notations"? Homework #6 Due!

February 6:
Achebe, Things Fall Apart, 3-125. Optional Paper #2 Due! What is Okonkwo's greatest fear? How does that fear shape his life and the lives of those around him? What is the significance of Ekwefi's story of the Tortoise?

February 8:
Achebe, Things Fall Apart, 129-209. Homework #7 Due! Questions for today include: How do the white men change life for the central characters in this book? What role does Christianity play in the changes that occur? To whom do the white missionaries appeal? Ultimately, what really falls apart?

February 11:
Summation Day: Unit Four.

UNIT FIVE: Contingency and Destiny

February 13:
Darwin, On the Origin of Species, 160-175 in On Evolution. You can read On the Origin of Species in its entirety online. Questions for today include: What is "natural selection"? In what sense do living beings struggle to survive? How does that struggle bear upon natural selection? Optional Paper #3 Due!

February 15:
READING QUIZ!

February 18:
Darwin, On the Origin of Species, 175-215 in On Evolution. Homework #8 Due! Questions for today include: What is the difference between natural selection and sexual selection? How does each affect variation? What is divergence of character? How does variation contribute to extinction? What does it mean to speak of "survival of the fittest"?

February 20:
Darwin, The Descent of Man, 242-276 in On Evolution. You can read The Descent of Man in its entirety online. You can learn a lot more about evidence for and theories of human evolution online.Questions for today include: What is the biological basis of morality? What role does morality play in evolution? What role does intellect play in evolution? What role does beauty play?

February 22:
Darwin, On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, 160-215 and 242-276 in On Evolution. Questions for today include: What are the major components of Darwin's theory? What does this theory tell us about our place in the natural world? What implications does it have for religion, ethics, governmental policy, industry, and ecology? What does this theory say about human freedom? Homework #9 Due!

February 25:
Kenzaburo, Oe, entirety. Homework #10 Due! Questions for today include: What sort of person is Bird? What does he value? What sort of future does he want for himself? How free is he to decide his own future? Is the decision that he makes at the end of the novel the right one? Why or why not, and in relation to what principles or values?

February 27:
Kenzaburo, Oe, entirety. Questions for today include: Has Bird chosen to give up his freedom and sacrifice his dreams? Does he really have any choice or any freedom to give up in the first place? What is the significance of the fact that he makes a definite choice? Does it matter what the choice is for or against? Optional Paper #4 Due!

February 29- March 8:
SPRING BREAK!

March 11:
Voltaire, Candide, 19-84. Homework #11 Due! Questions for today include: Why does Dr. Pangloss say this is the best of all possible worlds? If it is and must be the best of all possible worlds, are people really free? How would you characterize Voltaire's writing style?

March 13:
Voltaire, Candide, 84-144. Questions for today include: What is optimism? Why does Candide repeat that we must go and work in the garden?

March 15:
Summation Day: Unit Five.

UNIT SIX: Freedom and Subjection

March 18:
Marx, "Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy" and "Aliened Labor," in Selected Writings, 209-213 and 58-68. Questions for today include: What sort of determinism does Marx espouse? How much freedom do human beings have, on Marx's view? When the worker is alienated, what is he/she alienated from? How can that alienation be overcome? Optional Paper #5 Due!

March 20:
Marx, "The German Ideology," in Selected Writings, 102-121. You can read The German Ideology online in its entirety. Questions for today include: What is ideology? What ideology does Marx accuse the Germans of his day of creating and perpetuating? What is the function of ideology in general, according to Marx? What alternatives to ideology are there? How does ideology work to limit freedom?

March 22:
Marx, "The German Ideology," in Selected Writings, 121-142. Homework #12 Due! Questions for today include: How does power affect the pursuit of knowledge? How can students guard against distortions in knowledge brought about by powerful economic forces?

March 25:
Marx, "The German Ideology," in Selected Writings, 142-156. Questions for today include: What is the relation between state and law and private property? How does a state differ from a community? How much freedom do people have as subjects of a state versus as members of a community? Optional Paper #6 Due!

March 27:
Marx, "The Communist Manifesto," in Selected Writings, 157-176. You can read The Communist Manifesto online. Homework #13 Due! Questions for today include: Who is the audience for this piece of writing? What purpose is the manifesto designed to serve?

March 29:
READING QUIZ!

April 1:
NO CLASS: Work on Project Proposals or Optional Papers.

April 3:
Markandaya, Nectar in a Sieve, 5-75. Questions for today include: What is the theme of this novel? What sort of relation does the narrator have with Nathan? Project Proposal Due! Optional Paper #7 Due!

April 5:
Markandaya, Nectar in a Sieve, 76-139. Questions for today include: What impact does the economic situation have on the family? What caused the death of Raja? Homework #14 Due! Group assignments for Homework #15 will be made today.

April 8:
Markandaya, Nectar in a Sieve, 140-189. Questions for today include: Where has Murugan gone and why? What is the meaning of death in this novel? Having finished it, what do you think its main theme is? Project Draft Due!

April 10:
Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita, 3-85. Optional Paper #8 Due! Questions for today include: What are the various story lines in the novel so far? What relations do they have to each other? Why do you think Bulgakov narrates different stories simultaneously? Should we read this book as an allegory, a satire, a fantasy, or what? There is a very helpful website on this book that might help you as you read and as you prepare your homework assignments.

April 12:
Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita, 86-164. Homework #15 Due! Questions for today will be set by students.

April 15:
Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita, 165-254. Homework #15 Due! Questions for today will be set by students. Optional Paper #9 Due!

April 17:
Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita, 255-335. Homework #15 Due! Questions for today will be set by students. Complete Project Essay Due!

April 19:
Summation Day: Unit Six.

April 22 & April 27:
Final Exams for Sections , respectively.

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