PHIL650 GREAT PHILOSOPHERS
| Course Code: | 2410650 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | Philosophy |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Assist.Prof.Dr JAMES EDMOND CARR GRIFFITH |
| Offered Semester: | Fall or Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
In this course, we will look at the progression of Descartes’ thought as it was prompted by his encounters with others. To begin, we will read his masterpiece, Meditations on First Philosophy (1641), and then most of the objections he received from several luminaries of seventeenth-century European philosophy and science—Johannes Caterus, Marin Mersenne, Thomas Hobbes, Antoine Arnauld, and Pierre Gassendi—along with his replies. We will then look at Descartes’ 1643-1649 correspondence with Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia. It is difficult to overstate how important the encounter with Elizabeth was for Descartes’ thinking, which changed significantly between the Meditations and The Passions of the Soul (1649), his last major work. Finally, we turn to The Passions in order to examine Descartes’ attempt to take account of the emotions.
Course Content
In-depth study of the major work of a great philosopher.
Course Learning Outcomes
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | Do independent academic research in order to be successful in academic studies. | ✔ | |||
| 2 | Have knowledge about contemporary philosophical issues, concepts and problems. | ✔ | |||
| 3 | Make original philosophical interpretations on the topic specialized. | ✔ | |||
| 4 | Have verbal and written presentation and effective communication skill. | ✔ | |||
| 5 | Do interdisciplinary readings and associate them to philosophical problems. | ✔ | |||
| 6 | Have knowledge about ethical code which is a requirement for doing academic research and publishing it. | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution