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Thomas Aquinas and the Arabic Philosophical Tradition: First Principles
Formal Syllabus for Marquette students
Course Description
The Arabic philosophical tradition played an important role in the formation of theological, philosophical and scientific thought in medieval Europe subsequent to the translations from Arabic into Latin in the 12th and 13th centuries. The influence of that Arabic classical rationalist tradition in works by al-Farabi, Avicenna, Averroes, the Liber de causis and more is evident in the thought of Thomas Aquinas, though the breadth and depth of that influence is often insufficiently noted and explained by scholars of Aquinas.
After a general introduction to key issues in the philosophical thought of Aquinas in the first month, this course will focus on “first principles” according to Aquinas in the context of his use of sources in Greek philosophy and in translated works by philosophers of the Arabic tradition, particularly Avicenna, Averroes and the author of the Liber de causis.
This is a global collaborative course taught by Prof. Richard C. Taylor at Marquette University and Professor Andrea Robiglio at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven as a online synchronous course using MS TEAMS for our weekly meetings on Thursdays 9 – 11:40 am. The course opens Monday 24 August and first day of class is 27 August 2020. I have assigned required work for student preparation with readings and videos to be studied before class. See the syllabus for details.
Details on the Structure of This Course: See the Welcome page of the syllabus at http://richardctaylor.info/2020-mu-kul-aquinas-and-the-arabic-tradition-first-principles/.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
(A) Students are required to study the assigned primary and secondary texts and to view and study video lectures when these are assigned.
Classes will meet “live” Thursdays at 9-11:40 am Milwaukee time, 16h-18h00 Leuven time. For MU students class attendance is required, not optional.
(B) Teamwork
Phase 1, 27 August – 24 September:
Using a random generating tool at pickerwheel.com the following groups have been formed: Team 1: 4 & 5; Team 2: 8 & 10, Team 3: 7 & 2, Team 4: 1 & 11; Team 5: 6, 9, 3. The Team Number is followed by the consecutive alphabetical place of a student’s name. Team assignments for Phase 1 are indicated on the course syllabus.
Phase 2, 24 September – 19 November:
A new assignment of MU Teams for team presentations will be made by another use of the tool at pickerwheel.com.
After an introduction to MU and KUL students of the course and its structure on 24 September, we will proceed with a new class format. In this phase we will have student team presentations on selected key topics and texts. The requirements for these student team presentations are the following: (i) By Tuesday 5 pm US Central Time / midnight CET Leuven Time the student team must post to TEAMS for the entire class — and copy by email to the instructors — a single-spaced handout of no more than 5 pp. + 1 p. bibliography; at class on the following Thursday the student team will make an oral presentation of 8-10 min. to be followed by open discussion for the rest of the hour. There will be two (2) student presentations at each class. Presenting groups must first explain the final, formal, material and efficient causes of their presentation and then proceed to the key issues. NOTE: Other students not presenting at class are required for each class to post on TEAMS two (2) written questions on each topic or sets of texts to be discussed at class. That is, those not presenting must post to TEAMS four (4) questions Wednesdays by 5 pm US Central / midnight CET Leuven. The exception will be class on 29 October when we will spend the entire class time on Writing Philosophical Papers and Articles.
All texts for study are available in English translation with many available on the Internet. Students are welcome to study the texts in Latin, Arabic, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, or any other language, but classroom work will all be in English. Each instructor will take responsibility for placing relevant texts on reserve for student use on their own campuses.
Marquette Course Requirements & Grading:
1. Class will meet Thursdays at 9-11:40 am on MS TEAMS. Class attendance and participation in class discussions are required, not optional, at every class meeting. Attendance and quality of participation make up 25% of the course grade.
2. In Phase 2 one required student team assignment as indicated in the syllabus will make up 25% of the course grade.
3. One professionally prepared course research paper of ca. 20-30 pp. (due 3 Dec. via email and Turnitin.com) makes up 50% of the course grade. This paper must WORD format.
NOTE THAT FOR THIS COURSE PAPER MUST BE PREPARED IN THE FORMAT OF ARTICLES FOUND IN THE JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY. NO OTHER FORMAT WILL BE ACCEPTED. See https://jhp.wisc.edu/instructions-english.html.
Books and texts:
Most texts will be available online or at the university library. Some class materials will be made available by the instructor.
Students are expected to study the following two books during the first four weeks of the semester:
Pasquale Porro, Thomas Aquinas: A Historical and Philosophical Profile, tr. J. Trabbic and R. Nutt, Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2016. This book is available online in the Marquette library collection.
Leo Elders, Thomas Aquinas and His Predecessors. The Philosophers and the Church Fathers in His Works. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2018.
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES, OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT
Course learning objectives and outcomes with assessment tools indicated:
By the end of the course,
1. The student will be able to expound the nature of first principles according to Aquinas and its key concepts and arguments in his chief sources. Assessment tools: student work in the classroom discussions; final course paper.
2. The student will be able to explain key metaphysical and ethical conceptions of first principles as developed by Aquinas and his sources with the relevant technical terminology. Assessment tools: student work in classroom discussions; final course paper.
The student will be able to give an account of the development of key teachings of Aquinas in relation to his major sources in the Latin, Greek and Arabic traditions. Assessment tools: student work in classroom discussions; final course paper.
4. The student will be able to explain the different sorts of first principles and how they are similar and different. Assessment tools: student work in classroom discussions; final course paper.
5. The student will be able to demonstrate a basic familiarity with selected secondary literature on the thought of Aquinas and his sources in oral and written work, particularly regarding first principles. Assessment tools: student work in the classroom discussions; final course paper.
6. The student will develop his/her own critical interpretive account of the doctrine of the nature and importance of first principles in Aquinas and/or his sources demonstrating familiarity with bibliographical resources, the texts of Aquinas, his sources, and key secondary sources. Assessment tool: final course paper.
7. The student will be able to give a basic and sound account of the general teachings of Aquinas on natural epistemology, the nature of the human soul, God and the metaphysics of being and creation, and the relations of philosophy and religion.
Faculty Office Hours and Contact Information
Prof. Taylor, MU: Office hours: TEAMS Prof. Taylor, Tuesdays 9 am – 12 noon Milwaukee / 16h-19h Leuven. (Office hours 9 am – 11 am are normally for individual meetings.) Optional Weekly Tea Time Class Discussion Session Open For All : Tuesdays 11 am – 12 noon Milwaukee / 18h-19h Leuven. Also available by appointment. . Email: Richard.Taylor@Marquette.edu or richard.taylor@hiw.kuleuven.be
Prof. Robiglio, KUL: for MU students Wednesdays 9-11 pm CET / 2-4 pm US Central; for KUL students 9-11 am CET / 2-4 am US Central. Email: Andrea.Robiglio@hiw.kuleuven.be.
STATEMENT ON STUDENT CONDUCT ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AT MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY
Academic Dishonesty Policy and University Regulations
See http://bulletin.marquette.edu/undergrad/academicregulations/
Dishonesty in academic matters undermines student intellectual development and the goal of Marquette University to develop the whole person. Further, dishonesty undermines the foundations of the search for the true and the right in ethical matters. Cheating in such forms as copying, sharing answers or questions, plagiarism and the like certainly cannot be tolerated in any university course, and all the more so in philosophy which is discipline particularly concerned with truth and understanding. Consequently, in this course I adhere fully with the Marquette University Academic Dishonesty Policy and University Regulations as spelled out in the Marquette University Bulletin.
Students who have any questions about just what constitutes academic dishonesty should study the Academic Honesty Policy and bring any questions to the instructor to forestall any problems.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Class Attendance and Absence Policy
For this course students are expected to attend each and every class meeting. For this course Attendance is included as a measure of academic performance. UPDATE 24August2020): Due to problems posed by the current coronavirus pandemic, Marquette has decided that Attendance will not be used as a measure of academic performance this semester. Nevertheless, student performance in class discussions is a measure of performance. Students who anticipate missing class or for some reason do miss class are directed to contact the instructor about missed work or missed participation.
Policy for Students with Disabilities or Special Needs
Please see me privately if you have any documented disabilities or special needs. I will be glad to work with you has necessary to make this a valuable learning experience. For the implementation accommodations, students must normally identify themselves to the instructor within the first week of classes as students with documented disability as certified by the Office of Disability Services (ODS). I will work closely with the staff of the ODS in establishing reasonable accommodations as defined by University policy. Students seeking accommodations must register with ODS and receive appropriate certification.