Concordia College – New York  

 

THE 201 (Section A and B)

Global Christianity

Special Feature: Moby Dick and ‘Desperado Philosophy’  

Spring 2017  

 

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:30 am – 10:20 am, Feth 201

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 11:10 am – 12:00 noon, KAC 201

 

Rev. Dr. Joshua Hollmann, PhD

Assistant Professor of Theology

Chair of the Theology Department 

Sieker Hall, 1st Floor

914.337.9300 ext. 2156

Text: 718.440.0079

Joshua.Hollmann@concordia-ny.edu

Office Hours: MWF 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

or by Appointment

 

Course Description in Academic Catalogue

An exploration of the Christian faith and ethos in conversation with the liberal arts and professional studies as contextualized in the experiences of Christians from around the world. Pre-requisite: THE 101 (Christian Faith and Ethos), COM 100, and at least second-year standing.

 

Special Topic for Spring Term 2017: Moby Dick    

This semester we will be navigating ‘desperado philosophy’ and the diffuse currents of the Christian faith and ethos in the depths of the teleological-theological tide of the cosmos unfolding in Herman Melville’s mystical masterpiece, Moby Dick.

 

Introduction to the Course

Why over what. What provokes why. The beginning of wisdom is to know that one does not know. The way of wisdom is to know the unknown in learned ignorance. The course conceptualizes two concentric constituents: (1) to introduce you to the multifaceted and ongoing global movement of Christianity as experienced in Christian thought, history and spirituality. (2) To constructively examine and critically evaluate primary philosophical ideas and modalities of thought from ancient to contemporary (philosophy of religion). To ask with Martin Luther, ‘What does this mean?’

 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. articulate the Christian faith and ethos through close examination of Moby Dick.

2. articulate ways in which Moby Dick exhibits Christian themes and world views, and Jesus and why he matters. 

3. articulate the connections between the Christian faith and ethos and the liberal arts and professional studies.

4. articulate the relationships of faith and reason, theology and philosophy, Christ and culture.

 

The student will become familiar with the contours of global Christianity, concentric and conflicting worldviews, and the history of ideas through engaging Moby Dick and related primary theological and philosophical sources, and further develop and hone skills in reading, thinking and listening. This will be accomplished by encountering and exploring major currents of Christian life together as well as foremost philosophical ideas within their historical and cultural contexts as approached through the strange and wonderful world of Moby Dick – and will be assessed through quizzes, exams, course essay and project, and participation in class lecture and discussion. Through reading significant primary sources (notably, Moby Dick), course seminars, and writing, the student will comprehend select and fundamental concepts and categories of the academic study of Christian thought and the history of ideas. This will be achieved through student thinking and writing and will be assessed through course essay and project, quizzes, short writing assignments, mid-term and final exam.

 

Readings

Moby Dick by Herman Melville (Complete Edition).

 

Course readings will also include handouts of primary sources as provided by the professor.

 

Course Website with Syllabus, Schedule and Annotated Bibliography

(The Work of Librarian Rebecca Fitzgerald)   

https://rebeccafitzgerald7.wixsite.com/mobydick

 

Methods of Instruction and Requirements

Our approach concentrates on primary sources in global Christian life and thought, and the history of ideas. As insightful interpreters, we will practice a hermeneutic of sympathy while eschewing a hermeneutic of suspicion. Through investigating Moby Dick and searching for the great white whale, together we seek to respectfully and contextually discover the cosmology of the Christian Church of all times and places, as well as corollary concepts of select philosophers, and how this applies to faith, thought and practice today. In other words, we will attempt to think through what it means to be fully human, and, either with the fortitude of providential favour or the absence of transcendental affirmation, venture forth to find our place in the universe.

 

1. Careful and thoughtful reading of all assignments (primary sources) prior to the class for which they are assigned: You are expected to actively engage the text(s) and to be able to discern central themes. Material from the reading assignments will not necessary be covered in class. It is essential that you read the course material.

 

2. Punctual attendance and active participation in all class sessions: Credit for attendance requires the following: respectful behaviour and proper classroom decorum at all times, no improper use of computers, no cell phone use in class, no text messaging in class, no private discussions during class, and no sleeping. If you are persistently engaged in any of these misconducts as listed above, you will be counted as absent. If you need to miss class due to illness or emergency, it is your responsibility to inform the Professor and to gather any missed information from another student. More than three absences will significantly affect your grade. Credit for participation requires the following: Listening and thinking. Taking notes during lectures. Participating in class-seminar discussions. You may use your computer in class for the purpose of taking notes. However, be aware that surfing the net, checking email, and any other non-course related computer use during class is not only disrespectful and rude, as well as distracting to others, but will result in a significant lowering of your grade. You are expected to provide thoughtful contributions to class discussions. Late work may or may not be accepted.  

 

3. Essay and Research-Creative Project  

 

4. Quizzes, Pensées (Written and Otherwise) and Mid-term Exam

 

5. Final Exam

 

Accommodations for Students with Documented Disabilities

Concordia College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.  Students with disabilities who need special accommodations must submit documentation of the disability to the Concordia Connection Program in order for reasonable accommodations to be granted. Students are encouraged to notify their instructors and the Connection Program as soon as they determine accommodations are necessary; however, documentation will be reviewed upon receipt at any point in the semester.  The Connection Program will partner with students to determine the appropriate accommodations and, in cooperation with the instructor, will work to provide all students with a fair opportunity to perform in the particular class.  Specific details of the disability will remain confidential between the student and the Connection Program, unless the student chooses to disclose or there is legitimate academic need for disclosure on a case-by-case basis.

 

Academic Integrity and Ethics

At Concordia College – New York, we are guided in all of our work by the values of academic integrity and ethics: honesty, trust, fairness, responsibility, and respect. As a student, you are required to demonstrate these values in all of the work you do. Participating in behaviour that violates academic integrity and ethics (e.g., plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, multiple submissions, cheating on examinations, or fabricating information) will result in your being sanctioned. Violations of Concordia College’s academic integrity and ethics policies are very serious and documentation of violations will be forwarded to the office of the Dean of Students, where records are kept for five years after the student graduates or withdraws from the College. Violations may subject you to disciplinary action including the following: receiving a failing grade on an assignment or examination; receiving a failing grade for the course; and/or suspension or expulsion from the program and/or college. Refer to the Student Guide section on Academic Integrity and Ethics for complete policies.

 

Evaluation

Quizzes (5/6) and Pensées                             20%

Mid-term Exam                                              20%

Essay                                                               20%

Research-Creative Project                             20%

Final Exam                                                     20%

 

Grading System / Quality Points  

A   =  4.0 quality points

A-  =  3.7 quality points

B+ =  3.3 quality points

B   =  3.0 quality points

B-  =  2.7 quality points

C+ =  2.3 quality points

C   =  2.0 quality points

C-  =  1.7 quality points

D   =  1.0 quality points

F    =  0.0 quality points

 

A         94-100%

A-        90-93%

B+       87-89%

B         84-86%

B-        80-83%

C+       77-79%

C         74-76%

C-        70-73%

D+       67-69%

D         60-68%

F          0-59%

 

For Specific Bibliography on Moby Dick, Consult the Course Website: https://rebeccafitzgerald7.wixsite.com/mobydick

 

Select General Bibliography on Philosophy of Religion

Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism (al-Munqidh min al-Dalal). Translated by R. J. McCarthy.            Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 2006.

Aristotle. The Complete Works of Aristotle: The Revised Oxford Translation. 2 vols.                    Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.

Augustine. The City of God. Translated by Henry Bettenson. New York, Penguin, 2004.

Augustine. Confessions. Translated by Henry Chadwick. Oxford University Press, 1998.

Bettenson, Henry, editor. Documents of the Christian Church. 4th Edition. Oxford:                    Oxford University Press, 2011.

Boethius. The Consolation of Philosophy. Translated by Victor Watts. New York:                    Penguin, 2000.

Chwast, Seymour. Dante’s Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise. New York:                    Bloomsbury, 2010.

Dante. The Divine Comedy 1: Hell. Translated by Dorothy Sayers. Penguin: New             York,   1949.

________. The Divine Comedy 2: Purgatory. Translated by Dorothy Sayers. Penguin:             New York, 1955.   

________. The Divine Comedy 3: Paradise. Translated by Dorothy Sayers. Penguin:             New York, 2004.   

Descartes, René. Meditations on First Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University                    Press, 1996.  

Foucault, Michel. The Hermeneutics of the Subject. New York: Picador, 2001.

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. New York: Penguin, 1985.

Ibn-al’Arabi. The Bezels of Wisdom. Translated by R. W. J. Austin. New York: Paulist                    Press, 1980.

Julian of Norwich. Revelations of Divine Love. New York: Penguin, 1999.

Luther, Martin. Basic Theological Writings. 3rd Edition. Edited by Timothy Lull.                     Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012.

McGrath, Alister. Christian History: An Introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell,                    2013.

Nagel, Thomas. Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of                    Nature is Almost Certainly False. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Nicholas of Cusa. Selected Spiritual Writings. Translated by H. Lawrence Bond. New                    York: Paulist, 2005.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Portable Nietzsche. Edited and translated by Walter Kaufmann.              New York: Penguin, 1982.

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées. Translated by A. J. Krailsheimer. New York: Penguin, 1995.

Plato. The Complete Works. Edited by John M. Cooper. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1997.

Plotinus. The Essential Plotinus: Representative Treatises from the Enneads. Translated               by Elmer O’Brien. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1964. 

Scruton, Roger. A Short History of Modern Philosophy. London: Routledge, 2002.

Smith, Wilfred Cantwell. The Meaning and End of Religion. New York: Harper, 1978.

Spinoza. Ethics. Translated and edited by G. H. R. Parkinson. Oxford: Oxford University               Press, 2000.

Taylor, Charles. A Secular Age. Cambridge, MA: Harvard-Belknap, 2007.

Wittgenstein, Ludwig. Philosophical Investigations. 4th Edition. Edited by P. M. S.                    Hacker and Joachim Schulte. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

 

Course Schedule

 

Prolegomena: Why am I here? Who am I? Why is there something rather than nothing? What makes a good life? What is my philosophy of life? How is my life like Moby Dick? Who or what is your great white whale? What are our conceptions of the cosmos?

 

N.B. We will be reading on average ten chapters of Moby Dick per week. Reminders and rejoinders will be dutifully and demandingly provided each class session.

 

Week 1: January 17-20

 

Introduction to the Course: Desperado Philosophy

Into the Deep with Moby Dick

Searching for the Great White Whale

 

Week 2: January 23-27

  

Read: Moby Dick, Etymology, Extracts, Chapters 1-10

 

Quiz 1: Friday, 27 January 

 

Week 3: January 30-February 3        

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 11-20    

 

Quiz 2: Wednesday, 1 February    

 

Week 4: February 6-10  

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 21-30  

 

Week 5: February 13-17

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 31-40 

 

Quiz 3: Monday, 13 February

 

Week 6: February 20-24   

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 41-50

 

Week 7: February 27-March 3

 

Essay Due on Monday, 27 February (Instructions Provided by the Professor)

 

Mid-term Exam on Wednesday, 1 March

 

Week 8: March 6-10, No Class, Spring Break  

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 51-60

 

Week 9: March 13-17

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 61-70

 

Quiz 4: Friday, 17 March

 

Week 10: March 20-24

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 71-80

 

Week 11: March 27-31

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 81-90

 

Week 12: April 3-7

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 91-100  

 

Quiz 5: Monday, 3 April

 

Week 13: April 10-12

 

(No Class, Friday, 14 April, Good Friday)  

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 101-110

 

Week 14: April 19-21

 

(No Class, Monday, 17 April, Easter)

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 111-120

 

Quiz 6: Friday, 21 April

 

Week 15: April 24-28

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 121-130

 

Week 16: May 1-5

 

Read: Moby Dick, Chapters 131-135, Epilogue

 

Course Research-Creative Project Due on Monday, 1 May (Instructions Provided by the Professor)

 

Finals Week: Final Exam (Date and Time to be Announced)

 

 

“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody’s expense but his own . . . There is nothing like the perils of whaling to breed this free and easy sort of genial, desperado philosophy; and with it I now regarded the whole voyage of this Pequod, and the great White Whale its object.”

                                                                                    Herman Melville, Moby Dick (1851)

 

 

“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily reflection is occupied with them: the starry heaven above me and the moral law within me.”                                                    

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

 

Syllabus and schedule are subject to change.

Syllabus updated, spring, 2017.