Fall 2013 Course: PHIL-T121-F01 – PHILOSOPHY IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE Time: MWF 8:30-9:20 a.m. Location: Marquette 406 Instructor: Joshua Lott Office: Bobet Hall 439A Office Hours: MWF 11-1, TTH 1-3, and by Appointment Phone: 504-865-3956 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Course Description: What are the implications of our dependence on technology? What are the consequences of injustice, even if one can commit it without being caught, earning significant material gain in the process? If someone offered you immortality would you accept it? Or should we fear eternal life more than death? Do we have anything to lose if we are given unlimited power? Is “beauty” just “in the eye of the beholder”? Are human beings “alone” in the universe? If not, could we coexist with other intelligent beings? These are only a few of the questions raised by Rod Serling’s groundbreaking and influential television series The Twilight Zone. In this course, we will engage and critically examine the themes and messages of a variety of the episodes of this monumental series – which is just as powerful and relevant today as it was 50 years ago – with the aid of selected writings from many famous authors, including Plato, Aristotle, The Bible, Descartes, Hobbes, Rousseau, Marx, Dostoyevski, Nietzsche, Freud, Skinner, Jung, Fromm, and Sartre.

The Common Curriculum and the First Year Seminar

In addition to your major, you will take a broad range of courses in the liberal arts and sciences known as the Common Curriculum (CC). The CC offers an educational experience unique to Loyola. The CC:

1. Includes courses in English, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, The Natural Sciences, The Social Sciences, and The Arts. 2. Teaches important foundational subject matter. 3. Provides a broad education beyond the major and thus prepares students for the demands of a complex world. 4. Is grounded in the core values of Loyola’s Jesuit mission and identity. 5. Develops students’ understanding of human values and social justice. 6. Develops students’ critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills.

The seminal courses to CC are the First Year Seminars, interdisciplinary courses focusing on a single topic from several academic perspectives so as to introduce students to college-level thinking and learning. Each seminar explores the broader theme of “thinking critically, acting justly” as an introduction to study at Loyola.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critical Thinking: Students completing this FY Seminar should be able to (a) formulate questions about the subject matter, (b) distinguish facts from assumptions and inferences, (c) take a position, and (d) show proficiency in the critical readings of texts, including discerning major arguments, salient points, and underlying assumptions and biases. 2. Written Communication: Students completing this FY Seminar should be able to (a) reflect on issues in writing, (b) formulate and defend a position in writing, (c) compare and contrast approaches to the subject, (d) apply the content of readings or class discussions to personal experience, and (e) respond to questions or prompts presented by the instructor, or other writing tasks. 3. Oral Communication: Students completing this FY Seminar should be able to (a) reflect on issues orally, (b) formulate and defend a position in class debate, (c) contribute meaningfully to class discussions, (d) make effective oral presentation, responding clearly and logically to questions posed by the instructor or classmates, and (e) lead a class discussion of peers, or other oral communication tasks. 4. Information Literacy: Students completing this FY Seminar should (a) demonstrate the ability to evaluate information and (b) appropriately incorporate information into an assignment. 5. Compassionate Engagement with the World: Students completing this FY Seminar should (a) demonstrate the ability to recognize issues of justice and injustice inherent in a topic, and (b) recognize multiple sides to an issue.

All of the required readings for this course will be posted on Blackboard. But the following books are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. They are on reserve at the Library:

Brode, Douglas & Serling, Carol. Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone: The 50th Anniversary Tribute (50th Ed.). Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2009. (ISBN: 9781569803585)

*Carroll, Noel & Hunt, Lester E. (Eds.). Philosophy in The Twilight Zone. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. (ISBN: 9781405149044)*

ASSESSMENT:

Daily Written Responses: 10% (Meets Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 4, and 5) Class Participation: 20% (Meets Learning Outcomes 1, 3, 4, and 5) Group Project – Inspired Twilight Zone Episode: 20% (Meets Learning Outcomes 1 – 5) Term Paper (2000-2500 Words): 50% (Meets Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 4, and 5) 1-2 Page Outline – Due 9/20 Draft 1 (At least 750 Words) – Due 10/11 Draft 2 (At least 1000 Words) – Due 11/1 Draft 3 (At least 1500 Words) – Due 11/22 Final Draft (At least 2000 Words) – Due 12/13

Attendance and participation is expected of all students. Each class will consist of a 10-15 minute presentation by the instructor, followed either by critical thinking, writing, and discussion exercises related both to the readings and The Twilight Zone Episode of the day. On occasion, we will watch episodes in class, but the majority of the viewings must be done outside of class. Each student will be required to submit daily Critical Reflection Essays, 300 – 500 words in length. A sheet specifying the guidelines of these writing assignments is posted on Blackboard. Students will also be expected to comment on the work of another student each week (think of this exercise as a “peer editing”). In addition, each class, every student must submit one discussion question about the reading. The bulk of each student’s grade will be determined by two writing assignments. First, each student will be required to submit, by the end of the term, an 8-10 page essay on the topic of “The Twilight Zone’s Ideal of Human Fulfillment.” After submitting each draft, students must schedule conferences with the instructor. Failure to submit any of the drafts will result in a 10 point deduction from the student’s final essay. A rubric specifying the guidelines for the term paper is available on Blackboard. Second, each student must collaborate with 2-3 others in writing an inspired episode of The Twilight Zone. It may be loosely based on any Twilight Zone episode(s), but the final product must have a contemporary setting and must be original. Each group must schedule four conferences with the instructor during the semester, so that he can chart their progress.

In addition, This semester, all students enrolled in First-Year Seminars will take the ETS Proficiency Profile test, a standardized test that measures general academic skills (reading, writing, mathematics, and critical thinking). The test will be administered via computer within the first few weeks of the semester. More information about the test (where, when, etc.) will beprovided on a separate handout.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

This course is classified as a “seminar,” which basically means that participation in activities and discussion are significant components of each student’s final grade. Hence, student attendance is essential. Students must sign the daily sign-in sheet in order to receive credit for attendance. In exceptional cases, absences may be excused, but only if a student provides adequate documentation accounting for the absence in question (doctor’s note documenting illness, obituary documenting the death of a suitably close relative, a written summons for jury duty, etc.). However, if a student accumulates more than 3 absences, for any reason, he or she will automatically fail the course.

EMERGENCY CLOSURES AND/OR EVACUATIONS

At times, ordinary university operations are interrupted as a result of tropical storms, hurricanes, or other emergencies that require evacuation or suspension of on-campus activities. To prepare for such emergencies, all students will do the following during the first week of classes:

1. Practice signing on for each course through Blackboard.

2. Provide regular and alternative e-mail address and phone contact information to each instructor.

In the event of an interruption to our course due emergency requiring an evacuation or suspension of campus activities, students will:

3. Pack textbooks, assignments, syllabi and any other needed materials for each course and bring during an evacuation/suspension.

4. Keep up with course work during the evacuation/suspension as specified on course syllabi and on-line Blackboard courses.

5. Complete any reading and/or writing assignments given by professors before emergency began.

Assuming a power source is available….

6. Log on to university Web site within 48 hours of an evacuation/suspension.

7. Monitor the main university site (www.loyno.edu) for general information.

8. Log on to each course through Blackboard or e-mail within 48 hours of an evacuation/suspension to receive further information regarding contacting course instructors for assignments, etc.

9. Complete Blackboard and/or other online assignments posted by professors (students are required to turn in assignments on time during the evacuation/suspension period and once the university campus has reopened.

10. Contact professors during an evacuation/suspension (or as soon as classes resume on campus) to explain any emergency circumstances that may have prevented them from completing expected work.

Further information about student responsibilities in emergencies is available on the Academic Affairs web site: http://academicaffairs.loyno.edu/students-emergency-responsibilities

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES

If you have a disability and wish to receive accommodations, please contact Sarah Mead Smith, Director of Disability Services at 504- 855-2990. If you wish to receive test accommodations (e.g., extended test time), you will need to give the course instructor an official Accommodation Form from Disability Services. The Office of Disability Services is located in Marquette Hall 112.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

The MLA Handbook loosely defines “Plagiarism” as “… repeating another’s sentences as your own, adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own, paraphrasing someone else’s argument as your own, or even presenting someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a thesis as though it were your own,” (1985). I will follow the Philosophy Department’s policy on academic dishonesty in this course. The policy states that cases of plagiarism and/or dishonesty will be subject to all three of the following penalties:

(1) A report of the incident to the Department Chair and the Associate Dean (2) A grade of zero on the assignment in question (3) A grade of “F” for the course

8/26 – Introduction and Expectations

Blending Fiction and Reality: Dreams and Relevant Readings Nightmares in The Twilight Zone Sheila Lintott, “Epistemology At 20,000 Feet,” in Philosophy 8/28 – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet in The Twilight Zone (PTZ) 8/30 – Perchance to Dream Descartes, Meditations I-II *9/4 – Shadow Play (ETS Proficiency Test Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus (Selection) scheduled for this day)

Angels and Redemption in The Twilight Zone Relevant Readings 9/6 – A Passage for Trumpet TBA 9/9 – The Changing of the Guard What do People Need? Relevant Readings *9/20 – 1-2 Page Outline Due 9/11 – What You Need Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics and Politics (Selections) 9/16 – One More Pallbearer Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being (Selection) Genesis 1-3 Tales of Dread in The Twilight Zone Relevant Readings 9/18 – Time Enough At Last Hobbes, Leviathan (Selection) 9/20 – Judgment Night Rousseau, Second Discourse (Selection) 9/23 – I Shot an Arrow Into the Air Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism (Selection) 9/25 – Four O’Clock Noel Carroll, “Tales of Dread in The Twilight Zone: A 9/27 – Five Characters in Search of an Exit Contribution to Narratology,” in PTZ Susan L. Feagin, “Existentialism in Searching for an Exit,” (PTZ) Death in The Twilight Zone Relevant Readings *10/11 – Draft 1 of Term Paper Due 9/30 – One for the Angels Plato’s Phaedo, Republic BK II (Selections) 10/2 – The Four of Us are Dying Epicurus (Selections) 10/4 – A Nice Place to Visit Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism (Selection) 10/7 – Deaths-Head Revisited Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death (Selection) 10/9 – The Hitchhiker James S. Taylor, “Nothing in the Dark: Deprivation, Death, and 10/11 – Nothing in the Dark the Good Life, in PTZ Deals with the Devil in The Twilight Zone Relevant Readings 10/16 – Escape Clause Plato’s Meno and Phaedo (Selections) 10/18 – Nick of Time Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (Selections) 10/21 – Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room & Matthew 4:1-11 Last Night of a Jockey Dostoyevski, “The Grand Inquisitor” 10/23 – Printer’s Devil Fromm, Escape From Freedom (Selection) 10/25 – Of Late I Think of Cliffordville Aeon J. Skoble, “Rationality and Choice in ‘Nick of Time,’” in PTZ Close Encounters in The Twilight Zone Relevant Readings *11/1 – Draft 2 of Term Paper Due 10/28 – People Are Alike All Over Heraclitus, Fragments 10/30 – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Streets Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (Selection) 11/1 – Mr. Dingle, The Strong Fromm, The Heart of Man and The Anatomy of Human 11/4 – The Little People Destructiveness (Selections) 11/6 – Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up Aaron Smuts, “’The Little People’: Power and the 11/8 – The Gift Worshipable,” in PTZ 11/11 – To Serve Man Mary Sirridge, “The Treachery of the Commonplace,” in PTZ Lewis Gordon, “Through The Twilight Zone of Nonbeing: Two Exemplars of Race in Serling’s Classic Series,” in PTZ Tyranny in The Twilight Zone Relevant Readings 11/13 – Eye of the Beholder Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (Selection) 11/15 – The Mirror Plato, Book VII and VIII of The Republic (Selections) 11/18 – It’s a Good Life Machiavelli, The Prince (Selection) 11/20 – The Old Man in the Cave Hobbes, Leviathan (Selection) 11/22 – The Obsolete Man Rousseau, Emile (Selection) Marx, Consciousness and the Division of Labor and Theses on Feuerbach (Selections) Nietzsche, The Gay Science and The Will to Power (Selections) Freud, The Future of An Illusion (Selection) A Darker Dimension of Imagination Relevant Readings *11/22 – Draft 3 of Term Paper Due 11/25 – The New Exhibit Plato, Gorgias (Selection) 12/2 – The Masks Augustine, Confessions (Selections) 12/4 – I Am The Night – Color Me Black Jung, Aion, “The Shadow”

*12/6 – Group Projects Due*

FINAL DRAFT of the Term Paper Due Friday, December 13th, by 5:00 p.m.