What is the course for?

This course has four themes.

1. We live in a world full of injustices. Often, we are tempted to rebel against injustice. But when is rebellion justified? When is rebellion useful? Should you rebel against injustice? How would you know if you should? In what ways can a revolt be justly undertaken?
2. What is the relation between revolt and the state? Is there justice without the state? And is violence ever justified?
3. We will be reading the work of an existentialist (or, perhaps, post-existentialist) philosopher to help us discuss these questions. That means we will also be confronting the question, what should our purposes be? When are our purposes justified? Do purposes require justification? When do we know we are justified in the purpose of rebellion?
4. This course is also the philosophy capstone, so we will be discussing and exploring what it means to be a philosopher. As part of this, I'd like to ask you to help us out by completing a group project: what would the ideal philosophy program be? Tell us!

What must you do to be able to answer these questions?

We will strive to answer these questions in part by reading and discussing Albert Camus's great book, The Rebel, and by applying its concepts to our own experience and time.

We will be reading:

• Albert Camus, "The Myth of Sisyphus."
• Albert Camus, The Rebel.
• Paul Mason, Why It's Still Kicking Off Everywhere.
• Cornell West (ed.), The Radical King.

Recommended are:

• David Miller, Political Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction
• Albert Camus, "The Just Assassins."
• Jean Paul Sartre, "The Devil and the Good Lord."

The books above will be in the bookstore. We will read many selections of other works together. I will make my book in progress available to you also.

Also, I am writing a book on Camus. This will be available to you, so you can have an additional source and can critique my interpretation and contrast it with your own.

Each of you will also be asked teach two classes, and this will require you to read on your own additional material. One will be on a historical or philosophical figure discussed in The Rebel; the other will be an application of Camus's theories to a contemporary movement.

To gain the skill to apply Camus's insights, and to use your philosophical training to answer some of the questions that he raises, we will have weekly practices, where you apply some aspect of our studies to your own experience or to our own time.

These abilities to apply Camus's insights will be expressed ultimately in a paper. However, because this is the capstone, you will also be allowed to revise and expand a paper you wrote for another class, if you feel it would be helpful for a graduate school application. If you choose the latter option, you will have to take the final exam; those who write a term paper on Camus can skip the final exam.

We will also have some tests, as a way to judge how well we are grasping the material. A few tests must also be administered to assess skills acquired through the philosophy program.

Don't worry about grades, except as a way to judge where you need to do the most additional work. But here is how raw grades will be calculated:

• Practices 30%
• Your class leadership 10% (5% each)
• Midterm exam 20%
• Assessment tests 10% (5% each)
• Your group advice on an ideal philosophy program 5%
• Final paper (or: final exam and paper revision, divided evenly between these) 25%

Intellectual integrity on the part of all students is basic to individual growth and development through college course work. When academic dishonesty occurs, the teaching/learning climate is seriously undermined and student growth and development are impeded. For these reasons, any form of intellectual dishonesty is a serious concern and is therefore prohibited.

Intellectual integrity on the part of all students is basic to individual growth and development through college course work. When academic dishonestly occurs, the teaching/learning climate is seriously undermined and student growth and development are impeded. For these reasons, any form of intellectual dishonestly is a serious concern and is therefore prohibited.

The full intellectual integrity policy can be found at www.oswego.edu/administration/registrar/policy_text.html#cpii.

The Office of Disability Services is available to assist students who have a legally documented disability or students who suspect that they may have a disability. If you have a disabling condition that may interfere with your ability to successfully complete this course, please contact the Office of Disability Services (dss@oswego.edu or see www.oswego.edu/dis.)

We will frequently update an online schedule of readings and assignments. It is your responsibility to check the www pages for the class at least every other day!

In addition to my listed office hours, I encourage you to make appointments. I am available quite a bit, but have trouble predicting times because of lots of irregular meetings. Please try to come to office hours with specific questions in mind. You can of course come with a general request for help, but it is always helpful if you spend a little time thinking about how I can best help you out.

By the time one has finished the course, you should have learned how to understand and explain:

• Camus's theory of revolt (what justifies revolt, and how revolt can be justly pursued);
• Camus's criticisms of the dangers of metaphysical revolt;
• Camus's criticisms of the dangers of historical revolt;
• how to apply Camus's theory to evaluate contemporary social movements;
• what the absurd is;
• the problem of developing a teleology, and especially an ethics, while still recognizing the absurd;
• the argument between Camus and Sartre, and how it reflects on our own time.