Course Syllabus

Instructor: Jaewon Choe                                                                                                                                                            TA: N/A

Office Hours: T/TH @ 530                                                                                                                              Lecture: T/R 315-520pm

Email: jaewonchoe.0@gmail.com                                                                                           Sections: T 1230-120, R 130-220

 

                                                                                                           

Course Description

This course will critically examine accounts of “self” and, to a lesser extent, “identity”. How should we explain who you are? Are you a soul or some collection of memories? An amalgamation of various identities or traits? What is the source of this content that explains who we are? This course will drive towards a picture of self and (social) identity whereby the questions “who are you?” and “who am I?” are interdependent: who I am crucially depends on who you are and vice versa. This interdependence between my-self and your-self generates a normative and, perhaps even, a moral obligation between persons that explains why questions of self and identity matter and matter beyond individualistic existential concerns. Indeed, there may be no such thing as a purely human-individual concern in the first place.

 

But this is moving too fast. In order to arrive at this destination, we’ll draw mainly from the Western canon, though material from Eastern traditions as well as contemporary philosophy and social sciences will be incorporated. In canvassing various accounts of self, questions abound: How might the self be a historically situated notion? What is the role of the “other” in determining oneself? What is the relation between self-knowledge, other-knowledge, and living authentically (i.e., “being myself”)? Finally, time permitting, implications for contemporary social identity ethics will be addressed.

 

Learning Outcomes

• To develop sustained analytical responses to the central themes of the course.
• To engage in critical discussion and dialogue with peers on the views covered.
• To synthesize ideas from different readings in order to grasp broader philosophical concepts.
• To write essays that demonstrate working knowledge of the course material and to analyze that material in a clear, systematic, original, and well-developed manner.

Assignments & Grading

The grading breakdown is as follows:

 

Assignment	Grade Portion	Due Date
Question-Response 1		Tuesday In-Class, 6/25
Question-Response 2		Sunday, 7/21
Question-Response 3		Tuesday, 7/30
Q-R Completion & Quality	10%
Midterm	40%	Varies by Presentation Date
Final Paper	40%	Sunday, 8/4
Section/Course Participation	10%	N/A
Total	100%

 

Question/Response (QR) Assignment: A short writing that should be no more than -300-400 words. The focus of this assignment will have more to do with form than content. You will respond to a prompted question or to one you’ve developed. In doing so, you may be asked to include, for example, a proper aim statement, proper citation or footnote, or one example explanation. More details TBA.

 

Midterm: A group-based project with ~3 people per group. You will develop a narrow and focused question or topic and give a ~20-minute presentation (including Q&A) during scheduled section times. You will also submit a group writing sample of 3-4 pages (800-1000 words). After receiving Q&A feedback, you will then be given the option to submit an individual writing that can improve your score (but not harm it). You will also be asked to participate in Q&A during other groups’ presentations. More info TBA.

 

Final Paper: ~1500-1600 words in length. Paper topics will be based on lectures and readings from weeks 4-6. More info TBA.

 

Section/Course Participation: Open discussion will be an important tool for learning in this course. As such, your final grade will include a course participation/contribution portion. Receiving the full score can happen in multiple ways; it does not require getting things right all of the time or speaking for its own sake. Rather, excellent contribution may be the result of contributing meaningful questions or thoughts to lecture/sections/office hours discussions. With that said, a practical requirement for receiving a full contribution score is consistent attendance.

 

 

Reading Schedule

 

Week 1: Course Introduction, The Ancient Soul as Self

QR1 Due by end of class, 6/25

1.1: Hindu Text: “Isa-Upanishad”. Pgs. 25-36.

1.1: “The Inner Teacher”. Contemporary teaching by Swami Saraswati Pg. 1-7.

 

(Optional) Selections from The Bhagavad Gita. CH 2, Verses 1-23.

 

1.2: Plato: Phaedrus 245c-250c.

1.2: Phaedo 70a-84b.

                  1.2: (Optional) Republic Book IV, 441c-444e.

 

Week 2-3.1: Buddhism and Hume. Self, no-self, and “true” self. (No class Thursday)

2.1: Buddhist Text. “Sabbasava Sutta. Pgs. 2-12.”

2.1: Sallie B. King. “True Self as Action”. 255-261.

2.1: (Optional) Julie Ching. “Paradigms of the Self in Buddhism and Christianity”. Pgs. 36-43.

2.1: (Optional) Translation of Acvaghosha’s The Awakening of Faith. “Soul as Birth and Death”. Pgs. 60-80.

 

3.1: Hume. “Of Personal Identity”. Treatise of Human Nature. Part IV, Section VI.

3.1: Ryle. Short selection from “The Concept of Mind”. Pgs. 5-8.

3.1: (Optional) Locke. “Identity and Diversity”. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Book II, Chapter xxvii.

3.1: (Optional) Thomas Reid, Objections to Locke.

 

Week 3.2 – 4.1: Mutual Recognition and Self-Disclosure

3.2: (In-class) Kant. “Idea for a Universal History from a Cosmopolitan Perspective”. 6^th Proposition.

3.2: Alexandre Kojeve. “Desire and Work in the Master and Slave” selection. Pgs. 43-57.

3.2: Fanon. Black Skin, White Masks. CH 8. “The Black Man and Hegel.”

3.2: (Optional) Hegel. “Lordship and Bondage”.

                  3.2: (Optional) The Analects of Confucius. Selected sayings, Bk. ii, iv.

 

4.1: Hannah Arendt. Selections from “Action”. The Human Condition. 175-184 (Rest is optional)

4.1: Nietzsche. Gay Science Selections. S274, S275, S305.

4.1: Nietzsche. Human, all too Human Selections. S224-225. Pgs. 107-108.

 

Week 4.2: Self-Disclosure, Interpersonal Self and Affordances

4.2: Gibson. Selection from “The Theory of Affordances”. Pgs. 127-137.

4.2: Ulric Neisser. “The Self Perceived”. The Perceived Self. Pg. 8-9.

                  4.2: (Optional) Turner and Oakes, “Social Identity Theory”. Pgs. 1-19.

4.2: (Optional) William James. Selections from Chapter X, “The Empirical Self or Me”. Principles of Psychology.

 

QR2 Due – Sunday, 7/21

 

Week 5: Self Categorization, Self and Social Identity

5.1: Garfinkel on Agnes. Studies in Ethnomethodology. Pgs. 117-124, 163-179.

5.1: Turner/Oaks + Jenkins Short Selections (a couple of pages)

5.1: (Optional) Goffman. Presentation of Self. Pgs. 1-13.

 

5.2: Han. Selections from The Disappearance of Rituals. 1-15.

5.2: Sacasas. “The Stuff of Life”. Pgs. 1-5.

5.2: (Optional) Jenkins. “Understanding Identification”. Social Identity. Pgs. 37-48.

 

Week 6: Hostile Environments and Authenticity

6.1: Nguyen. Selections from “Hostile Epistemology”.

6.1: Gergen. Selections from The Saturated Self.

6.1: (In-class) Milgram. “Familiar Strangers”.

6.1: (Optional) Allidina and Cunningham. “Motivated Categories”.

 

QR3 Due – Tuesday, 7/30

 

6.2: Taylor. “Inescapable Horizons”. The Ethics of Authenticity. Pgs. 31-41.

6.2: Overflow, Course Wrap-Up.

 

Final Paper Due – Sunday, 8/4

 

 

Course Policies

Respectful Language

Please be mindful of how we communicate with each other. Any language that is harmful or abusive will not be tolerated. At all times, I ask that we approach sensitive topics with sensitivity and communicate in ways that show respect for divergent views.

 

Learning Language

I believe that learning happens best when simple language is used. Whenever possible, I will do my best to explain things in the simplest terms. If I stray from this and you’re lost, ask for clarification. After all, the ultimate goal is for you to understand the material and to articulate your views with clarity and precision.

 

Learning Accommodations

Your success in this course is my primary goal. Should you need accommodations, please let me know early on, either in person or through email.  I will provide any accommodations you require, as directed by you and in conjunction with the Center for Accessible Education (CAE - previously known as the Office for Students with Disabilities). For more information, visit http://www.cae.ucla.edu/.

 

Electronic Devices

You are not allowed to record audio/video or take pictures during instruction time without my consent. If given consent, be advised that you are then agreeing to share whatever media you capture during sections upon my request. For any prolonged distraction that occurs because of any electronic device (e.g., computers, phones, recording devices, etc.), you may be asked to leave the classroom.

 

Email

Use “PHIL (class #)” in the subject line. Please reserve substantive questions about papers, the course material, or life in general, for office hours or after lecture. I typically respond to emails within 24 hours. Help me stick to this 24-hour rule by placing multiple questions into a single email.

 

Attendance

Couse attendance is expected. If you are late or absent for a class, first seek out your classmates to fill you in. Otherwise, come to office hours, though attending to students with current questions or concerns will be my priority.

 

PTE Requests

This will be handled on a case-by-case basis. See me ASAP if this applies to you.

 

Paper Extensions

Typical extension requests are required 1 week in advance. No-penalty extensions will only be granted in rare and documentable cases. If you believe you will require an extension, see me ASAP.

 

Late Assignment Submission

A paper is late when it is submitted to turnitin past the deadline. Any late paper will be deducted 1/3^rd of a letter grade for each 24-hour segment it is late (e.g. A becomes an A-, B+ becomes a B, for each 24 hour-period past the deadline). You will be excused from this penalty only if I have explicitly notified you in writing (e.g. email) that you are exempt.

 

Academic Integrity
Students are expected to know and to follow the university’s guidelines for academic honesty. Academic misconduct can occur in a variety of ways, including (but not limited to) cheating, fabrication, and plagiarism. When in doubt about whether some academic practice is acceptable, ask your instructor for assistance. Always err on the side of caution. Any suspected violation of university policy regarding academic conduct will be reported directly to the Office of the Dean of Students, without exception.

 

On AI/Chatbot use: Learning to use and incorporate new technologies into your work (and your life) is good for many reasons. With that said, using any AI software to do your work for you violates university policies on academic integrity. Our course policy is the following: If using AI services, only do so to aid in your learning and to help you produce good work. Do not use AI to produce text that you will submit as your own. Any AI use must be cited. For example, on paper assignments, I will ask that you submit any chatbot/AI transcripts along with your paper submissions. Failure to do so is a failure to meet a basic requirement for complete submission. In this case, any seeming cases of AI use to produce significant parts of your work will be reported to the Dean’s office.

 

UCLA’s policies on academic and intellectual integrity can be found at:

• 
  https://www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu/studentconductcode
  • https://www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu/Academic-Integrity

 

For more info on avoiding plagiarism: http://guides.library.ucla.edu/citing/plagiarism/avoid.