***Syllabus***

SCSU Fall 2016 Aug 29, 2016 - Dec 16, 2016 Professor Pettigrew, Office: EN D212, x26778 
Office Hours: M 2-5pm; TR 11:15am - 12:15pm and by appointment.

PHI 200 01W 9:35am - 11:00am TR Engleman Hall B210

My primary concern is with your academic achievement as part of our intellectual community at Southern Connecticut State University. In other words, I care about your learning and your success in our class as well as in your other classes and beyond. With this in mind, I have designed a syllabus and website, along with clarifications, scheduling, written assignments, reading guides, web links, draft introductions for papers, and other elements, to support your learning. I encourage you to study the course syllabus carefully. I am available in class and during my office hours to support your engagement of the reading assignments, films, web materials and other learning resources. I am available in class and during my office hours to support your accomplishment of the written assignments. Our course syllabus is designed to help you achieve academic success within the context of the learning objectives (See Appendix A: Discussion of Learning Goals). Once again, do not hesitate to ask questions, I am here to help you.

(Please note: I do not engage in email correspondence with students. All essential course information is outlined in the syllabus –which is distributed in class. If you wish, you can email me to explain why you will not be in class or why you were not in class (see my attendance policy). If you have a question about the readings or the class discussions that you did not have the chance to ask in class you can send that question to me in an email and I will then address your question in a subsequent class or during office hours.The content of the course is addressed during class time. "Office hours," are also an alternative for further discussion and clarification. All assignments are announced well in advance -- along with detailed instructions--of the due date.)

Our class will consider a number of the historical and contemporary aspects and concerns of "Philosophy." We will focus particularly on the ethical dimensions of philosophic thought as we consider a number of catastrophic events. The catastrophic events that we will consider include The Holocaust, as well as war and genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda. We will read examples of "witness literature" that address each of these catastrophic events. In addition, we will view and discuss a number of narrative films and documentaries about these events. The witness literature and the films will help situate us in the places of these human catastrophes: the lived dimensions of geographical locations. Witness literature accounts will weave a detailed and intimate tapestry of the lives and cultures that war criminals attempted to erase. Further, at the core of our introduction to philosophic discourse we will read and discuss several ethical theories, including Aristotle's virtue-based ethics, Kant's categorical imperative, and Levinas' discourse on our responsibility for the other. Our class discussions and written assignments will consider whether, and the extent to which, any ethical thought can be appropriately applied to such catastrophic events. Can the rationality of ethics, based as it is on theories and their internal logic, apply to events that seem to exceed any rationality? Further, we will consider the extent to which the dehumanization of the other is related to, or leads to genocide. Our readings will consider the extent to which certain ethical theories as well as witness literature may be capable of interrupting dehumanization and thereby interrupting genocide. It is important to note that we will be weaving the three sources (ethical theory, witness literature, and films) together in our class discussions and in our written assignments.

Our course will unfold in three phases.

PHASE ONE 08/30/16 -09/29/16

During the first phase of the course we will focus on the Holocaust. We will view Varian's War, read selected passages from Varian Fry's Surrender on Demand, and read Primo Levi's Survival at Auschwitz. We will also read selections from Aristotle's Ethics, Book I Chapter 7 and Book II chapters 1 – 6. The phase one preliminary written assignment is due on September 20, and will address the case of Varian Fry. The phase one culminating written assignment, analyzing Fry in terms of Aristotle's Ethics, will be due on October 4. Details concerning each of these assignments are available on the course-dedicated website.

PHASE TWO 10/04/16-11/03/16

In the second phaseof the course we will focus on the war and genocide in Bosnia 1992-1995. We will read selections from Elizabeth Neuffer's The Key to My Neighbor's House: Seeking Justice in Bosnia and Rwanda. We will view a feature film, Welcome to Sarajevo. We will also read Kant's Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (The Preface, and Sections One and Two.). The phase two preliminary written assignment is due on October 18 and will focus on Milosevic's manipulation of historical myths such as are detailed in Neuffer, Chapter 1. The phase two culminating written assignment, analyzing the genocide in Bosnia from the perspective of Kant's ethics will be due on November 8. Details concerning each of these assignments are available on the course-dedicated website.

PHASE THREE 11/08/16 - 12/8/16

In the third and final phase we will focus on the genocide in Rwanda. We will read selections from Philip Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda. We will also view the feature film Hotel Rwanda. We will read selections from Emmanuel Levinas's Ethics and Infinity (Chps. 7 and 8). The final written assignment is due the day and time of the final exam: Thursday December 15, 8:00am-10:00am.

No assignments will be accepted after the above-designated dates and times for the final exam periods. Detailed information about the final paper is available on the course-dedicated website.


***IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE-MENTIONED THREE PHASES OUR COURSE WILL INVOLVE THE SEMESTER-LONG READING AND DISCUSSION*** of W.G. Sebald's, Austerlitz, trans. Anthea Bell (New York: Modern Library, 2002). During our readings of the witness literature and our viewing of the films, we will be attentive to different modes of representing the Holocaust and the genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. Sebald's novel will provide us with another remarkable model - narrative fiction- for our consideration. Many have suggested that there are challenges to writing about (or making films about) the Holocaust. They speak of the difficulty, even the impossibility, of representing the "unrepresentable," or the unimaginable nature of the loss and the suffering. Sebald's main character actually evokes this challenge of representing the unrepresentable as he speaks of the difficulty of remembering and writing about the past. At the same time, the main character provides remarkably detailed accounts of people, places, events and buildings, thus enacting a paradoxical relation between the impossibility of representing and painful event of that very representation. We will address these and other questions raised by the book periodically throughout the semester. 


Your written assignment on Austerlitz (see detail below in section of the syllabus concerning written assignments) will be due December 1, 2016.

PLEASE NOTE: The time-frame for each phase is flexible and subject to minor changes depending on such factors as the pace of our work and on the New England weather.



SPECIAL NOTE ON THE FINAL EXAM While we do not have a final exam, per university policy, we will hold a class during the time of the scheduled final exam. During this time students will read their Austerlitz papers to the class and we will discuss the novel and questions raised by the assignment. Thursday December 15, 8:00am-10:00am.

Required Readings and Films for the Semester:

In the SCSU Bookstore for your purchase.

1. Gourevitch, Philip. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda. New York: Picador, 1998.
2. Kant, Immanuel. Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals. Translated by Lewis White Beck. New York: Prentice Hall, 1989.
3. Levi, Primo. Survival at Auschwitz. Translated by Stuart Woolf. New York: Touchstone, 1996.
4. Neuffer, Elizabeth. The Key to My Neighbor's House: Seeking Justice in Bosnia and Rwanda. New York: Picador, 2002.
5. Sebald, W.G. Austerlitz. Translated by Anthea Bell. New York: Random House, 2001.

Readings Provided to you in photocopied form, i.e., you do not need to purchase them.

Varian Fry, Surrender on Demand. Boulder, CO: Johnson Books, 1997. "Foreword" and "Original Unpublished Foreword".

Varian Fry, New York Times article July 17, 1935.

Aristotle, Ethics Book I, vii; Book II, i-iv; vi

Levinas, Immanuel. Ethics and Infinity. Translated by Richard Cohen. Pennsylvania: Duquesne University Press, 1985. Chapters 7 and 8.

Films you need to obtain (i.e., from Buley Library Reserve, purchase etc.) and view on your own.

Varian’s War. DVD. Directed by Lionel Chetwynd. UK/USA/Canada, 2001.
Welcome to Sarajevo. DVD. Directed by Michael Winterbottom. 1997.

Hotel Rwanda. DVD. Directed by Terry George. 2004.
 You will be responsible for viewing the feature films outside of class time, renting them from dvd/video outlets or purchasing the films. These films are also on reserve in our library. The films are integral to our class discussions and written assignments. Take notes when you view them. Do not wait until the last minute to try to find them.

You are always required to have the assigned readings ***with you in class***. We will undertake a close, detailed (line-by-line) reading and analysis of selected passages in class. This will be the work that is at the core of the educational experience of the class. Many of these passages that we will discuss and interpret will be essential in your written assignments. The books are available for your purchase in the bookstore or in some cases will be provided in photocopied form.

Course Website: In addition to the above resources, I have developed a website to support your learning in the class. The website is entitled "Ethical Responses to Genocide" and the url is http://home.southernct.edu/~pettigrewd1/index.html

You will find a variety of bibliographic and web-based resources as well as images at the website on designated pages.

COURSE WORK AND GRADING:

GRADING: Grades will be based on 1.) Written assignments and, 3) Punctuality and Attendance. Each written assignment will be of equal value in the calculation of the final grade.

1) Written Assignments. Our class will involve six* written academic assignments, with two written assignments in phase one and two of the class: a preliminary assignment followed by a culminating assignment. The culminating assignments will be approximately four to six pages in length, typed, and double-spaced, with standard scholarly reference to the text. Each assignment will be of equal value in the final calculation of your grade. In the third phase there will be two separate written assignments: one for "Phase Three- Levinas/Rwanda" and the other devoted to Austerlitz. You are required to bring me drafts of each of these assignments. Assignments must be completed by the announced due date. Any written assignment submitted past the stated deadline will receive a full grade deduction. The assignment is due at the beginning of class on the stated due date. Seven calendar days after the stated due date the assignment will no longer be accepted. The final written assignment is due the day and time of the final exam and will not be accepted after that time: 
 Thursday December 15, 8:00am-10:00am.

GUIDELINES FOR REVISIONS OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

As you may be aware, W courses involve the re-writing/revision of assignments in a variety of ways. In the first two phases of our course, the preliminary written assignment will be revisited, re-thought and revised as part of the culminating assignment of each phase. Re-writing a paper for a better grade is not the only or the best reason for re-writing a paper. You need to make your best effort to accomplish the written assignment the first time that you write the assignment. If you are interested in re-writing a particular assignment in my class after you receive the grade there are several necessary steps. First, you need to discuss the paper with me during my office hours immediately after I return the paper to you. At that time we will discuss whether or not a "re-write" is appropriate for you and for the assignment in question. Second, if we decide that a re-write is appropriate then we will set specific educational objectives for your re-write. Third, the paper would need to be re-written and re-submitted with one week on a date that we specify. Under no circumstances can you re-write any paper or papers without going through the above process. Generally the grade on such rewritten or revised assignments will improve by half a letter grade (for example, a paper with a grade of C+ would generally improve to a B-). In addition, students are encouraged to bring first drafts of any of the papers to me for my review during office hours.

Plagiarism: In written assignments students must cite their sources: extracting direct quotes or making indirect reference to a source both require references with page numbers. Quotes and indirect references for the written assignments must come from the assigned readings and films. No quotes or references from the internet will be permitted for written assignments during the semester (except as required and specified from the course-dedicated website). Plagiarism is prohibited (see Student Handbook for discussion of "Prohibited Conduct"). Plagiarism will result in a grade of "F" for the paper and may result in grade of "F" for the course. If you have any questions about these requirements or restrictions do not hesitate to ask questions in class or during office hours.

REMINDER ABOUT WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE:

The phase one preliminary written assignment is due on September 20, and will address the case of Varian Fry. The culminating written assignment, analyzing Fry in terms of Aristotle's Ethics, will be due on October 4. Details concerning each of these assignments are available on the course-dedicated website. The phase two preliminary written assignment is due on October 18 and will focus on Milosevic's manipulation of historical myths such as are detailed in Neuffer, Chapter 1. The culminating written assignment, analyzing the genocide in Bosnia from the perspective of Kant's ethics will be due on November 8. Details concerning each of these assignments are available on the course-dedicated website. The final written assignment is due the day and time of the final exam: Thursday December 15, 8:00am-10:00am.

Detailed information about the final paper is available on the course-dedicated website. You are required to bring a first draft of the final written assignment to my office for review and discussion during my office hours or by appointment in advance of the due date.

*Please note that I do not except written assignments via email or in electronic form. The printed/paper version of the assignment must be submitted in class. In addition, if you want me to review a draft of the paper you need to bring the paper version to my office hours or by appointment.


W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz


Your sixth* written assignment will be based on our semester-long discussions of W.G. Sebald's, Austerlitz, trans. Anthea Bell (New York: Modern Library, 2002).

During our readings of the witness literature and our viewing of the films, we will be attentive to different modes of representing the Holocaust and the genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. Sebald's novel will provide us with another remarkable model - narrative fiction- for our consideration.

Many have suggested that there are challenges to writing about (or making films about) the Holocaust. They speak of the difficulty, even the impossibility of representing the "unrepresentable," or the unimaginable nature of the loss and the suffering. Sebald's main character actually evokes this challenge of representing the unrepresentable as he speaks often of the difficulty of remembering and writing about the past. At the same time, the main character provides remarkably detailed accounts of people, places, events and buildings, thus enacting a paradoxical relation between the impossibility of representing and the painful event of that very representation. We will address these and other questions raised by the book periodically throughout the semester.

In your paper you are to discuss Austerlitz's difficult search for his identity. Due to the Holocaust, Austerlitz has lost his identity and is in the process of trying to recover his past and reconstruct himself over the course of the novel. At first his efforts are unsuccessful and painful. Eventually, quite by accident, he seems on the way to discovering the truth about his own past as well as that of his family. While successful in one sense, the process continues to be psychically painful. Is it possible for him to succeed in discovering the past, or his is character precisely a narrative portrayal of the painful impossibility of such a quest?  We have identified an "arc of discovery" in the novel in a number of classes, with a description of the moments of discovery and psychological collapse as well as the page numbers in the case of each passage.

Nota Bene: You are required to discuss the role played in the novel by Austerlitz's "rucksack" (depicted on page 40). When we first meet Austerlitz, we learn that he is carrying a rucksack (p. 7). When they meet again in London, twenty years later, the narrator recognizes Austerlitz by his rucksack (p. 39). Initially, rucksack provides Austerlitz with an unconscious connection to his past. Later in the course of his discoveries he sees himself wearing the rucksack in his hallucinations and memories. His nanny Vera tells him that when he left for England on the kindertransport he had food for the journey in a rucksack (p.173). So the rucksack is both part of his impossible relation to his lost past, in sense that he clings to the rucksack for most of his life without any conscious knowledge of its true meaning, and it becomes part of the arc of discovery of his identity.

Your paper must be a minimum of four pages and a maximum of six pages, typed and double-spaced with conventional margins. Use a standard font and size such as Times, 12 point.

Austerlitz papers will be presented (read out-loud) and discussed during the final exam period

*Please note that there are six written assignments. Five of the written assignments pertain to the readings and assignments of the clearly designated three phases of the course in the context of our study of the ethics of Aristotle, Kant and Levinas.

*Please note that, on occasion, short written assignments that are not part of the original syllabus will be assigned. These will be assigned by the Professor in order to support students in their acquisition and processing of the reading materials as related to specific aspects of other written assignments that are part of the original course syllabus. Hence, these short assignments will provide a certain "scaffolding" effect, supporting our gradual exposure to and critical appreciation of the course material.

Additional notes on the written assignments. 

It is helpful to realize in advance that we will be learning about the ethical theories addressed by the class in the context of the written assignments. This means that as we discuss specific passages in the readings we will also discuss how the reading material relates to the written assignment. We will always have this as an objective. We will always discuss the readings with a view to writing a given paper. Then we will write the paper as a way to engage the reading material and the ideas presented more fully. 

It is also helpful to realize the each written assignment builds upon the previous written assignment. On the one hand, the preliminary assignments are embedded, in a revised form, in the culminating assignments. On the other hand, each assignment follows a similar format, (with designated sections with a particular focus including an introduction and a conclusion), each assignment requires reference to the readings and films, and each assignment requires a similar analogy with respect to the philosophical/ethical analysis of the historical dimensions of genocide. Because of these structural similarities, from one assignment to the next, you can hone your writing skills, your critical thinking skills, and your philosophical knowledge.

*Please note that I do not except written assignments via email or in electronic form. The printed/paper version of the assignment must be submitted in class. In addition, if you want me to review a draft of the paper you need to bring the paper version to my office hours or by appointment.

2) Readings in the Witness Literature

The following reading selections detailed below from the "witness literature" are required. The books/readings include:
Levi's Survival at Auschwitz,
Neuffer's The Key to My Neighbor's House: Seeking Justice in Bosnia and Rwanda, and
Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda.

First Phase: Primo Levi's Survival at Auschwitz

You are required to have the reading in class for discussion.

09.20.16 
 Chapter 1 "The Journey," 
Chapter 2 "On the Bottom," 
Chapter 3 "Initiation,"
Chapter 4 "Ka-Be";

09.22.16 Chapter 9 "The Drowned and the Saved," 
Chapter 11" The Canto of Ulysses".

Second Phase: Elizabeth Neuffer's The Key to My Neighbor's House: Seeking Justice in Bosnia and Rwanda, 


You are required to have the reading in class for discussion.

10.06.16
 Chapter 1 Blood Ties to Blood Feuds, 
Chapter 2 The Triumph of the Underworld;

10.11.16
 
Chapter 3 Since Unhappily We Cannot Always Avoid Wars; Chapter 6 No Safe Havens; Chapter 9 Bring Me His Body.

Third Phase: Required Readings Philip Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda

You are required to have the reading in class for discussion.


11.08.16 Chapter 4, 
 

11.10.16 Chapters 5; 7-10.

POLICY ON PUNCTUALITY AND ATTENDANCE


3) Attendance and Punctuality are Required. The learning culture of the class involves class dialogues that are indispensable to our engagement of the readings and the ideas they entail. One cannot miss the classes, for example, and then write a meaningful paper about the material. If you are involved in an activity that will make it difficult or inconvenient for you to attend the classes then you need to take a different class. Absences tardy arrivals and early departures will negatively affect your grade. I have developed a series of guidelines to encourage you to attend class. I state these attendance and punctuality guidelines here clearly for you. If you are more than 5 minutes late for any class, you will receive an L (Late). If you receive eight L's your grade will be reduced by a full letter grade. If you receive twelve L's your grade will be reduced by two full letter grades. If you arrive twenty minutes late for any class you will receive an Abs designation. If you are absent from class you will receive an "Abs" (Absent) designation. If you receive six "Abs" your grade will be reduced by a full letter grade (for example from a B to a C). If you receive twelve abs your grade will be reduced by two letter grades (for example from B to a D). If you receive fourteen abs your grade will be reduced by three full letter grades (for example from a B to an F). If you leave class early (before the end of class) you will receive an "Abs" designation. You can lose points for being late and for being absent. These reductions will be applied to the final grade you receive on the basis of your written assignments, presentation and research assignments. If you arrive 20 minutes late for a class you will be marked absent.

Please note: Since we do not have a final exam (we have a final paper), we are required, per university policy, to hold a class during the final exam time. Please be sure to plan to be present during the designated time for our final exam as we will undertake activities intrinsic to the integrity of our academic work. Absence from the final exam will be equivalent to three absences. As a consequence of this attendance policy there are no medical, sports related or other allowable reasons for missing classes and no need for any documentation in this regard. The attendance policy then, values and respects the sanctity of the classroom, on the one hand, and your privacy, on the other hand. Attendance is required.

Policy on Email Correspondence Please be aware that I do not engage in email correspondence with students. All essential communications take place either in class or during office hours. Therefore there is no essential reason to use email. If you wish, you can email me to explain why you will not be in class or why you were not in class (see my attendance policy). If you have a question about the readings or the class discussions that you did not have the chance to ask in class you can send that question to me in an email and I will then address your question in a subsequent class or during office hours.

The use of cell phones is not permitted in the classroom. The use of laptop computers is not permitted in the classroom without prior arrangement with the Professor. The learning culture of the class involves class dialogues that are indispensable to our engagement of the readings and the ideas they entail. Such an inquiry-based approach requires your constant attention. Any electronic devices or forms of behavior that would distract you or other students from our inquiries are unacceptable.



Note: I believe in providing reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities on an individualized and flexible basis. If you are a student with a documented disability, the University's Disability Resource Center (DRC) determines appropriate accommodations through consultation with the student. Before you may receive accommodations in this class, you will need to make an appointment with the Disability Resource Center, located in EN C-105A. To speak with me about your approved accommodations or other concerns, such as medical emergencies or arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment as soon as possible. My office location and hours are listed at the top of the syllabus.


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Appendix A: Discussion of Learning Goals

Philosophy Department Learning Outcomes

1. Careful, close textual reading of primary sources.
2. Critical thinking skills - skills of argumentation (as learned in Logic). Skills of written expression; ability to make adequate references to scholarly text; articulate expression and communication.
3. Introducing students to important traditions of thought (philosophical content).
4. Ability to relate course material to real life situations.
5. Encourage students to become aware of and to question unexamined assumptions and values.

Additional Learning Goal/Outcome
Critical Thinking: Drawing Analogies between the Holocaust as well as genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda.
Through our readings, films, discussions and written assignments, we will draw analogies between the Holocaust as well as the genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. For example, we can consider the extent to which, in each case, political leaders manipulated dehumanizing stereotypes for political gain. Further, we can consider the extent to which the dehumanization of the victim led to a devaluation that led in turn to catastrophic violence against the victim. We will use the analogies as an aid to understanding the individual cases. By identifying a significant similarity between the Holocaust and the genocide in Bosnia, for example, we can speculate about strategies for preventing such dehumanizing rhetoric by political leaders. In other words, by recognizing an operative model in different cases we may find a basis for addressing the problem of genocide.

Our agreement concerning a shared commitment to classroom decorum and student success.

This agreement sets forth guidelines for our class that have been designed to support your academic achievement. The guidelines are provided for you because your Professor cares about your success in this class as well as in your other classes and other endeavors.  In addition, these expectations indicate our shared concern for the learning environment of the class, on the one hand, as well as your respect for your fellow students and for your Professor, on the other hand. In this context, we can insure that together we will foster an environment that is conducive to learning. Here are the guidelines:

1. No cell phones are allowed in the class. Please put them away before you enter the classroom and do not take them out during class.
2. No laptop computers are allowed in the classroom unless by prior arrangement with the Professor based on special conditions you may wish to explain.
3. Students are not permitted to sleep in class.
4. Students are not permitted to lie down on their desks during class, putting or resting their heads on their arms or directly on the desk.
5. Students are strongly discouraged from leaving class during the class. (If there is a medical reason or personal reason you need to leave class during class time please discuss this immediately with the Professor.)
6. Students are strongly discouraged from carrying on discussions with their neighbors during class (unless assigned as part of small group discussions).
7. Students are not permitted to work on assignments for other classes during our class.
8. Students must bring the assigned readings to class. We will undertake a close, detailed (line-by-line) reading and analysis of selected passages in class. This will be the work that is at the core of the educational experience of the class. Further, these passages that we will discuss and interpret will be essential in your written assignments.

In summary, the learning culture of our class involves class dialogues that are indispensable to our engagement of the readings and the ideas entailed therein. Our inquiry-based approach requires your constant attention and involvement. Any electronic devices or forms of behavior that would distract you or other students from our inquiries are unacceptable. These then are our guidelines and also my expectations. I look forward to participating with you in a mutually supportive and productive learning environment, an environment that will help you be successful within the context of the learning objectives of our course as well as your other courses.