This course brings before students some of the most consequential writings of European culture and their enduring ideas. Through a study of primary sources, the course traces the roots of modern thought in the ancient and medieval world before proceeding to explore modernity as a series of complex dialogues and debates about the nature of knowledge, the individual, and society.
At the end of this course the students will:
*demonstrate knowledge of the origins of modernity
*be able to provide an account of the most important currents of thought in the modern world and the most consequential debates on the nature of knowledge, human nature, and society
*be able to connect the ideas studied with the political, economic, and social contexts which conditioned their emergence and development, as well as discuss their continued relevance to our world
*be able to engage critically with primary sources using the tools of intellectual history
*have developed their critical reading, writing, and thinking skills.
Required books*
Forrest Baird, Philosophic Classics: From Plato to Derrida, Sixth Edition, ISBN 978-0-20-578386-1
Gretchen K. McKay, Nicolas W. Proctor, Michael A. Marlais, Modernism versus Traditionalism
Art in Paris, 1888-1889, ISBN: 978-1-4696-4126-3
1. Attendance and participation in class discussion and in our daily Discord discussion channels. NB: assigned readings should be prepared before each class; this is essential to meaningful participation in class discussion. Detailed participation rubric is available on canvas. – 20%
2. Quizzes and/or short writing assignments – 20%
3. Two in-class exams (see course calendar) – 20% each
4. Reacting to the Past (Modernism vs Traditionalism: Art in Paris 1888-1889) – 20% (split between game participation and two short papers)
Attendance is mandatory and will be recorded. Students are allowed one unexcused absence and one make-up quiz. Beyond that, there will be a 3% deduction from the final grade for every unexcused absence. Assignment/test/participation make-up opportunities will be granted ONLY for excused absences. (excused absence=documented illness or documented emergency; some examples of absences that will not be excused: travel outside of Institute programs, errands, work-/internship-/interview-related absences).
Students are expected to abide by the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code . Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. According to our Academic Honor Code, plagiarism is the “submission of material that is wholly or substantially identical to that created or published by another person or persons, without adequate credit notations indicating the authorship.” Use of AI-generated content without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism. The penalty for plagiarism will be a “0” grade for the assignment/test in question. A repeat offense will result in a failing grade for the course. All cases of plagiarism will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity (see process here).
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Social Sciences area.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
- How do I understand human experiences and connections?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
- Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Intercultural Competence
- Perspective-Taking
- Persuasion
This course also carries the Ethics designation