Literature & Philosophy

Instructor: Victor Castorini
Department: Language Arts
Terms: Winter 2020

Files

LitPhil:W20 Syllabus.pdf

Assignment Calendar

Course Description

Literature and Philosophy

Winter 2020 - Victor Castorini ([email protected])

Feel free to email me or talk in person if you need help, have input, or for any other reason. I’m usually available before school, at lunch, and after school but if it is important make an appointment so that I can set time aside for your questions and input.

Calendar

(subject to changes)

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1	Intro / comics & philosophy	Scott McCloud	Super Hero		Desolation Row
2	DR Comic			Chapters I-IV	Symposium
3	Holiday
4			Reading Test 1	No School	No School
5	Chapter V-VIII
6		Reading Test 2	Chapter IX-XII
7	Holiday				Reading Test 3
8		“Means, Ends”			“Means, Ends” Test
9	Philosophical Inquiry
10	Project Time
11				Present Projects

Course Description

What freedoms should individuals sacrifice for the sake of stability and peace?

Are there higher truths or moral principles above man-made laws?

Does the result justify the means needed to obtain the result?

What is the interrelation between literature and philosophy and how do these ideas shape your personal beliefs?

These are the big questions we will tackle in this course.

Literature and Philosophy have always been intertwined. The goal of this course is to use literature as a vehicle to explore philosophical thoughts, specifically ethical theory. We do this for many reasons. First, philosophy is the father of all liberal arts. It is the deep, theoretical and logical discipline that is central to any college level education. Secondly, it brings literature to life. Literature is never merely entertainment but a statement about the world. Philosophy gives us the tools and framework to begin to understand those statements. Finally, it’s civic-minded. Philosophy simultaneously exists in thought experiments and real world. This allows us to play with new ideas and try them on to better understand how to be in the real world.

Watchmen is a college level text, frequently taught in Comparative Literature and British Literature courses. It deals with mature themes and I expect maturity from the class. I have many goals in teaching this. I want you all to experience a deep, complex piece of literature that deals with moral and social issues. I want you to experience visual media as it changes what we mean by “reading.” I also want to share a text I am passionate about because it’s books like Watchmen that lit my desire to study Philosophy and English.

At its heart, Watchmen is a mystery. Every year many students read ahead. BUT DO NOT RUIN THE ENDING.

Plagiarism

To “plagiarize” means:

to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
to use (another's production) without crediting the source
to commit literary theft
to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

Accommodations

If you need any accommodations through an IEP or 504 I will be working with your learning specialists to help make sure you get those accommodations. Please talk to me about what works and what doesn’t in whatever manner is most comfortable (in person, email, through your Learning Specialist) so that your needs are met.

If you need to miss school due to illness, a trip, or an unplanned emergency please let me know as soon as possible so that I can get you the material you need. All course material is available on mathvisionproject.org if you need to print/view anything at home or on the road.

4-Point Rubric

For all assignments I will be using an adapted 4-point grading scale.

Rubric Score	Rubric Description	Letter Grade Equivalent
4	More Complex	A+
3.5		A
3	Target Learning Goal	B+
2.5		B-
2	Simpler Content	C-
1.5		D
1	With help, partial success at 2.0 and 3.0 content	D-

In an ongoing process of preparing you for the rigors of college, late work will still be graded but cannot score higher than a 2 and will inform Pathways to College eligibility.

Formative Assessments (33%)

Superhero Creation:

Our studies will be grounded in the comic book genre so to better understand it students will design their own heroic character.

Desolation Row Comic:

To better understand comic transitions and the influences on Watchmen students will create a comic based on a poem.

Chapter Notes:

Since we cannot write in the text I expect each student to take notes on the provided sheets. Strong readers make notes.

Philosophic Articles:

After finishing the text we will read philosophical articles that support the reading. We will use reading groups to discuss major issues.

Other Assignments:

We may do activities or other things that will count towards Formative Assessments as the situation arises.

Summative Assessments (67%)

Tests:

After each four chapters we will be taking a reading test to check for understanding on the text.

Article Presentations:

Once we’ve finished reading philosophical articles, students will present their ideas and findings to the class.

Seminar:

After reading a philosophical text we will conduct a seminar to discuss it.

Project Menu:

After we have finished the text there will be a menu of different projects you can complete to demonstrate an understanding of the text.

The Blog

I will often post videos of lessons and other supplemental material to the class blog. It is important to follow the blog. Be sure to subscribe.

Gradebook

All of your CMC College Prep classes will have grades posted to Synergy. You can access Synergy through the school’s website. Check your grades often and hold on to assignments that are passed back. Errors happen and it’s easier to change a grade if you have your assignment.

Posts

Superhero Design

Due Thursday, 1/9

Lit & Phil Intro

Presentation from the first week.