Oh this is so good. I started to teach my graduate class with that title today.
We are going to be looking at a range of continental and analytic philosophy of the last two hundred years, and I'm so excited to be teaching this kind of thing again. I hadn't taught it at the graduate level since the Winter Quarter of 2006 at the University of California. I'd like to think (haha) that I've improved since then so we shall see.
One thing I've decided not to do is overload the reading. It seems to me that the packed graduate syllabus is trying to perform "I'm so clever and learned," which one really doesn't need to perform. And also "You better shape up! This is grad school!" which is also quite unnecessary. What is necessary, however, is to read excellent books excellently.
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And tell them the had better use this time to read as there is no time to read after grad school.
Unrelated: The Washington Post has published a goat census story. Perhaps goats as citizens will follow otherwise why conduct such a census any more than, say, a tennis ball census? http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/12/map-literally-every-goat-in-the-united-states/?wpisrc=nl_wnkpm&wpmm=1
I no longer pack my syllabus. We spend 3 to 4 weeks on Moby-Dick now.... We go slowly. The world is overwhelming enough. I want them focused and prepared.
'What is necessary, however, is to read excellent books excellently.' Yes!
next week I defend my thesis (in philosophy) about ecology. the title is ´Ecology in the Anthopocene - an object-oriented perspective´. you are a major part of it. and I´m terrified.
that course sounds great.
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