Philosophy of Love and Sex

Philosophy 3020

Spring 2004

 Monday/Wednesday 11:00 – 12:15

CPR 460

 

Professor Brook J. Sadler

University of South Florida

Faculty Office Building 219

bsadler@chuma1.cas.usf.edu

813-974-5518

Office hours: TBA

 

Course Description

This course will examine philosophical perspectives on love, friendship, and sex. We will consider the nature and value of interpersonal relationships and their connection to leading a good life and being a virtuous person. We will discuss the influences of power, gender, and sexuality on our conceptions of good love relationships and friendships. Finally, we will address some thorny questions about homosexuality and heterosexuality, sexual orientation and identity, sexual perversion and sex acts, and marital fidelity and adultery. Readings will include both philosophical classics and contemporary texts.

            This course will not address religious perspectives on love and sex. As a philosophy course, it focuses on essays that emphasize analysis and argument. Although the ideas discussed in this course often have an immediate personal relevance—and students are encouraged to reflect upon the relevance and application of the ideas and arguments we discuss—students’ written work for the course should focus on analysis and argument, not personal revelation.

The readings for this course deal with controversial issues and themes that sometimes involve sexually explicit language.

 

Required Texts

[1.] Plato, (William S. Cobb, trans.), Plato’s Erotic Dialogues: The Symposium and The            Phaedrus. Albany, New York: SUNY Press, 1993.

 

[2.] Robert Baker, et al., ed., Philosophy and Sex, 3rd edition. Amherst, New York:            Prometheus Books, 1998.

 

[3.] Alan Soble, ed., The Philosophy of Sex: Contemporary Readings, 4th ed., New York:            Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002. ISBN# 0-7425-1345-7.

 

[4.] COURSEPACK (a compilation of readings from various sources). The coursepack contains REQUIRED readings. The coursepack is not yet available (as of the first week of class). I will announce in class when the coursepack is available for purchase. The cost will be approximately $25. It will be available from PRO COPY (on Fowler Avenue in the Publix shopping center. From campus, go east on Fowler. PRO COPY is on the south side of Fowler between 50th and 56th Streets.)

Optional Text

[5.] Kipnis, Laura. Against Love: A Polemic. New York: Pantheon, 2003. ISBN# 0-375   42189-0. [N.B. This book is not for the timid.]

 

Course Policies

Attendance:

·        Regular attendance is mandatory. If you must be absent, you should notify me in advance of the missed class whenever possible. Notification does NOT mean that your absence is automatically excused.

·        If you plan to miss class in order to observe a religious holiday, your absence will be excused if and only if you notify me, by the third meeting of the course, of the name and date of the holiday.

Assignments:

·        If you miss class for any reason, it is your responsibility to find out the reading or other assignments by asking another student or e-mailing me.

Papers:

·        Late Paper Policy: Papers that are turned in between 5 minutes and 24 hours late will be penalized one-third of a letter-grade. For example, if you turn in your paper 6 minutes late, or 6 hours late, or 16 hours late, a grade of A- will be lowered to a grade of B+. PAPERS HANDED IN MORE THAN 24 HOURS AFTER THE DUE DATE AND TIME WILL RECEIVE A FAILING GRADE.

·        I do NOT accept papers via email. You must turn in a paper copy of your work.

Tardiness:

·        BE ON TIME! Recurrent tardiness will lower your participation grade.

Preparedness:

·        You are expected to bring your book or the assigned reading to every class meeting. You are expected to read every assignment.

Etiquette:

·        You may consume beverages, but not food in class.

·        You may not talk with other students during lectures or discussion. You are expected to give your undivided and respectful attention to whoever is speaking, whether that is the professor or another student who has been called upon to offer a question or comment.

Cell phones and other electronic devices:

·        TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES, PAGERS, PALM PILOTS, HEADPHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES BEFORE ENTERING CLASS.

·        If your cell phone or pager rings or beeps in class, one point will be deducted from your overall course grade at the end of the semester for each occurrence! For example, if on a given Monday, your cell phone rings in class, one point will be deducted from your final course grade; if it rings again on Wednesday, another point will be deducted. If your phone rang only on these two occasions and your course average is a 90, it will drop to an 88.

·        Audio and/or video recordings of lectures are strictly prohibited. You may not record, circulate, sell, lease, or otherwise distribute transcripts of lectures or lecture notes for this course.

Learning Disabilities:

·        If you have a learning disability that you believe requires special accommodation in this course, you must SPEAK to me IN PERSON no later than the third lecture. Be prepared to provide the appropriate documentation.

Academic Dishonesty and Disruption:

·        I have no tolerance for academic dishonesty and disruption. You are expected to observe USF policies regarding academic dishonesty and disruption. There are serious penalties for violating university policies. If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing in this course, the minimum penalty will be an F for your course grade. To read USF policies, go to the USF Undergraduate Catalog at: http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0304/adadap.htm

·        Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism. If you have any doubts about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism on any given assignment, you should consult the professor before it is too late!

·        The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection service that allows instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism.  I reserve the right to 1) request that assignments be submitted to me as electronic files and 2) electronically submit assignments to Turnitin.com.  Assignments are compared automatically with a huge database of journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers.  The instructor receives a report showing exactly how a student’s paper was plagiarized.  For more information, go to www.turnitin.com and http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0304/adadap.htm#plagiarism.

Contacting Me:

·        If you need to inform me of your absence, inquire about assignments, or ask questions regarding the course material, the best way to reach me is to send me email at the address listed on the first page of this syllabus. Please be sure to write “Philosophy of Love” in the subject line of any email correspondence you send to me regarding this course. You are also welcome to stop by my office during office hours or to schedule an appointment to speak to me at another time.

 

Assignments and Grades

Participation: 10% of course grade.

You are expected to participate in class by attending class, arriving on time, being prepared for class by having read the assignment, asking intelligent questions, and contributing to discussion of the readings. Further, participation means not only offering your own thoughts to the class, but also respectfully listening and responding to the ideas of others. Unexcused absences or recurrent tardiness will automatically lower your participation grade. Participation grades will range from A to F.

 

Short writing assignments: 50% of course grade.

There will be periodic short writing assignments throughout the semester (probably three or four). These assignments will vary in format. They will be announced in class. They will typically be due one or two class periods after they are announced; they will be due at the start of class. They will vary in length from one paragraph to two-pages. They will also vary in format; for instance, they may require you to answer a specific question related to the topic under discussion, to interpret a passage from the reading assignment, or to reconstruct and analyze a particular argument, etc. Assignments must be typed and adhere to the writing guidelines I provide. Unless otherwise noted, none of the assignments will require outside research or additional reading. Each assignment will contribute equally toward your overall course grade; collectively the short writing assignments will total 50% of your course grade. See the late paper policy above.

 

Final paper: 40% of course grade.

The final paper will be due on [date TBA]. The final paper will be approximately 8 pages in length. It is NOT a research paper. The paper topics will be based on the readings for the course and will be announced at least two weeks prior to the due date. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES for writing the paper will be distributed when the topics are announced. Success on the final paper requires adherence to the guidelines. A paper that ignores the guidelines will fail. Unless otherwise announced in class, the late paper policy (above) will apply to the final paper.

 

QUIZZES:

I reserve the right to give quizzes based on course readings and lectures. If I believe that students are not keeping up with the reading assignments, I will resort to quizzes. If there are quizzes, they will be added into your short writing assignment grade. Such quizzes may or may not be announced in advance.

 

Course grades will use the plus/minus scale, A+, A, A-, B+, etc.

 

Readings

Reading assignments will be announced in each class for the following class. Actual assignments may deviate from those presented below. It is the responsibility of each student to stay informed about the reading assignments.

 

What is love? Why Love?

·        Plato, Symposium (Cobb)

·        Amelie Rorty, “The Historicity of Psychological Attitudes: Love Is Not Love Which      Alters Not When It Alteration Finds” (coursepack)

·        Shulamith Firestone, “Love: A Feminist Critique”(Baker, 43-56)

·        Robert Solomon, “Love and Feminism”(Baker, 57-72)

 

What is Friendship?

·        Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (Books VIII, IX) (coursepack)

·        Kant, “Lecture on Friendship” (coursepack)

·        Nathaniel Branden, “Love and Psychological Visibility”(coursepack)

 

Sex and consent

·        Kant, “Duties Toward the Body in Respect of Sexual Impulse” (Soble, 199-206)

·        Thomas Mappes, “Sexual Morality and the Concept of Using Another Person”(Soble, 207-224)

·        Robin West, “The Harms of Consensual Sex” (Soble, 317-322)

 

What is Sex?

·        Thomas Nagel, “Sexual Perversion” (Baker, 326-336)

·        Janice Moulton, “Sexual Behavior: Another Position” (Soble, 31-38)

·        Greta Christina, “Are We Having Sex Now or What?” (Soble, 3-8)

·        Marilyn Frye, “Lesbian ‘Sex’” (coursepack)

·        Andrea Dworkin, “Intercourse” (coursepack)

·        Robert Baker, “’Pricks’ and ‘Chicks’: A Plea for ‘Persons’” (Baker, 281-305)

 

What difference does gender make?

·        John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women (excerpts)

·        Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, “The Woman in Love” (coursepack)

·        Sandra Bartky, “Emotional Exploitation”  (coursepack)

·        Bell hooks, “Violence in Intimate Relationships: A Feminist Perspective” (coursepack)

·        Robert Strikwerda and Larry May, “Male Friendship and Intimacy” (coursepack)

 

Sexual Orientation and Sexual Identity: Is it a matter of choice? Must we (or can we) take responsibility?

·        M. Rochlin, “The Language of Sex: The Heterosexual Questionnaire”(handout)

·        Michael Levin, “Why Homosexuality Is Abnormal” (Baker, 337-349)

·        Joyce Trebilcot, “Taking Responsibility for Sexuality” (Baker, 397-404)

·        Edward Stein, “The Ethical Relevance of Scientific Research on Sexual Orientation” (coursepack)

·        John Corvino, “Homosexuality: The Nature and Harm Arguments”(Soble, 135-146)

 

Is gay marriage morally permissible?

·        Richard Mohr, “The Case for Gay Marriage” (Baker, 190-211)

·        Ralph Wedgwood, “Same-Sex Marriage: A Philosophical Defense” (Baker, 212-230)

·        Claudia Card, “Against Marriage” (coursepack)

·        Cheshire Calhoun, “Defending Marriage” (Soble, 147-173)

 

Why a marriage of two minds? Is Adultery wrong?

·        Susan Mendus, “Marital Faithfulness” (Baker, 130-138)

·        Richard Wasserstrom, “Is Adultery Immoral?” (Baker, 139-150)

·        Mike Martin, “Adultery and Fidelity” (Baker, 151-164)

·        Stephen Clark, “Sexual Ontology and Group Marriage” (Baker, 165-176)