General information
Instructor
Here is more information about Prof. Lotz
Class Meetings
Days: Mondays
Time: 6-8:50pm
Place: SK 530
Office & Office Hours
Phone: 517.355.4490 [dept.])
Place: SK 503
Hours: Mondays, drop in, 3-5:45pm
Other Contact
E-mail: lotz@msu.edu
Home Phone: please ask
Webpage: http://christianlotz.info
Box
You will find my box in the front office of the philosophy department (SK 503)
Schedule (—tentative—)
Block I: Introduction
Jan 12, No class
Jan 19, Introduction: Signposts
Meeting at ProfLotz’s house in Midland, 3:45pm; 4-7pm introductory seminar; dinner/drinks to follow
(Note: this is MLK day)
Protocol 0: Lotz
Jan 26, Hermeneutics, Phenomena, Method
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 1-8
Protocol 1:
Block II: WORLD
Feb 2, Being-in-the-world
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 9-13
Protocol 2:
Feb 9, World
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 14-24
Protocol 3
Presentation 1:
Feb 16, They
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 25-27
Protocol 4:
Presentation 2:
Block III: BEING-IN
Feb 23, Thrownness, Understanding, Language
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 28-38
Protocol 5:
Presentation 3:
Mar 2, no class
Spring Break
Mar 9, Thrownness, Understanding, Language
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 28-38
Protocol 6:
Presentation 4:
Block III: ACTION
Mar 16, Care, Truth
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 39-42, 44 [we jump over reality]
Protocol 7:
Presentation 5:
March 23, Being-towards-Death
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 46-53
Protocol 8:
Presentation 6:
Mar 30, Conscience
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 54-60
Protocol 9:
Presentation 7:
April 6, Resoluteness
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections 61-66
Protocol 10:
Presentation 8:
Block III: HISTORY
April 13, Temporality, Historicality
Heidegger, Being and Time, sections
Protocol 11:
Presentation 9
April 20, Wrap Up
Wrap Up
April 30, Final Paper
Final paper due via email by the end of April 30.
Seminar Description
“One could not learn from him the kind of discussion that is common in philosophical circles – he spoke of “arguing around” with justifiable contempt – but only seeing. Therefore, one could not answer him with arguments, but only by giving him something to see.” (Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker)
“I must say it once again: I have no teaching. I only point to something …I point to something in reality that had not or had too little been seen. I take him who listens to me by the hand and lead him to the window. I open the window and point to what is outside.” (Martin Buber)
As we know, the reception of Being and Time fills libraries. Countless commentaries, guidebooks, and introductions are available and help reading the book. Heidegger’s collected works comprise more than 100 volumes. At least 75 of these volumes are substantial contributions to philosophy and thinking. We are looking at a mountain.
In this seminar we will perform a close reading of Heidegger’s Being and Time. We will not approach the text through the vast amount of secondary literature. Instead, we will pay close attention to the primary text itself, as if we would be the text’s first readers 100 years ago. I would like to avoid treating the text as an object of scientific or historical inquiry, as if philosophical thinking is an object that needs to be made available for profit. Accordingly, instead of representing the text as something that is pre-conceived as an object of research, we will try to follow an ethics of reading, hopefully entering what is called the “hermeneutic circle.” The principle of the hermeneutic circle is simple: the correction and understanding of what is read can only be done through more (or different) understanding of the same. Put differently, the principle of what helps us understand “better” is not to be found outside of understanding (and interpretation). Understanding is not some kind of result of reading; it is the intelligibility that takes place “while” or “before” reading. Der Weg ist das Ziel – The journey is the destination. Only in this way can we break through our desire of turning the text into an object for scientific procedures in order “to get something out of it.” The assumption that we need to get something out of a text is already the the result of what the later Heidegger calls “technology.”
Remember: the first readers of Being and Time were those who sat in Heidegger’s seminars in Marburg (and before 1933 in Freiburg): Among them were Arendt, Marcuse, Jonas, Tugendhat, Löwith, Gadamer, Klein, Anders, Strauss, Krüger, Levinas, Fink. Heidegger (and Husserl) also had a lot of visiting students from Japan (Kyoto School, Kitaro school). All of them did not have any commentaries and guidebooks when they approached Heidegger’s thinking.
I do hope that we can pay more attention to the 2nd part in which Heidegger analyzes wholeness, death, resoluteness, responsibility, conscience, time, and history.
Note on Electronic Devices
Please avoid bringing electronic devices to class, unless these are necessary for accommodations (of any kind, no documentation necessary, please bring a flat device). Please avoid bringing laptops.
Course Goals
This course should make you familiar with one of the most prominent figures in 20th Century philosophy. It should enable you to understand the basic concepts developed in Being and Time.
Note I
This graduate seminar is not based on a set of fixed knowledge and, as such, is not based on a behavioral idea of education; rather, we will try to learn together and critically examine the material. The material is the absolute center of this class. Free floating discussions about things unrelated to the material are to be avoided.
Note II
For me graduate seminars are truly academic seminars; i.e., I conceive of them as genuine endeavors to ask genuine questions and to philosophically struggle with the goal of coming up with authentic responses. Truth and transparency are the guiding ideas and values. I cannot give a 101 introduction to the thinkers and issues discussed. We will begin in medias res. I will try to be as clear as possible, but if you are not willing to intensively study, then this seminar is not for you.
Orientation
There are hundreds of commentaries, introductions, companions, and guidebooks on the market. As I have a conservative approach to Heidegger’s thinking, I always preferred commentators who let the issues themselves speak (Gelven, Schürmann, Sheehan). I do not find the classical Anglo-American commentary by Dreyfus helpful because it is driven by the goal of revealing Heidegger as a pragmatist. Such a reading wants to demonstrate that an author is this or that or belongs to this or that camp of philosophy. A first time reader of a philosophical work does not know any of this. To be sure, help is needed, but this help does not need to be guided buy the question of whether one is an idealist, Marxist, biologist or something else.
If you need a good introduction that is geared towards Anglophone readers, check out William Blattner’s Heidegger’s ‘Being and Time’: A Reader’s Guide (Continuum). Daniel O. Dahlstrom is a very good, historically aware, writer on Heidegger. A good philosopher on space, place, etc. is Jeff Malpas. The best (and very readable) introductions to phenomenology come from Dermot Moran (there are chapters on Heidegger in those introductions). One of the best books in English on Husserl and Heidegger (that I have read) is Steven Crowell’s Husserl, Heidegger, and the Space of Meaning. Paths Toward Transcendental Phenomenology (Northwestern UP).
If you want to dig deeper into Being and Time and Heidegger, then you need to read texts that emerged in the historical context in which it was written: Husserl’s 6th Logical Investigation, Husserl’s Ideas I, Heidegger’s lecture courses in Marburg between 1923-1928, the 1927 book Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics, the exchange with Cassirer at Davos, the shorter pieces collected in Kisiel’s/Sheehan’s Becoming Heidegger. A simpler version of Being and Time (even if not all concepts are yet fully developed) is the 1925 lecture course History of the Concept of Time: Prolegomena.
Heidegger in Marburg (1923-1928)
- 1923–1924 Introduction to Phenomenological Research. Trans. Daniel O. Dahlstrom. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005.
- 1924 Basic Concepts of Aristotelian Philosophy. Trans. Robert D. Metcalf and Mark B. Tanzer. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009.
- 1924–1925 Plato’s Sophist. Trans. Richard Rojcewicz and André Schuwer. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997.
- 1925 History of the Concept of Time: Prolegomena. Trans. Theodore Kisiel. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992.
- 1925–1926 Logic: The Question of Truth. Trans. Thomas Sheehan.Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010.
- 1926 Basic Concepts of Ancient Philosophy. Trans. Richard Rojcewicz. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008.
- 1926-27 History of Philosophy from Thomas Aquinas to Kant [not yet translated]
- 1927 The Basic Problems of Phenomenology. Trans. Albert Hofstadter. Rev. ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988.
- 1927–1928 Phenomenological Interpretation of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Trans. Parvis Emad and Kenneth Maly. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997.
- 1928 The Metaphysical Foundations of Logic. Trans. Michael Heim. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992.
- 1929 [not a lecture course] Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics. Trans. Richard Taft. 5th ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997 [includes the famous Heidegger/Cassirer debate at Davos]
Texts
Please get the older translation of Being and Time. For those of you who work in Continental philosophy and/or Heidegger, please also get the newer translation by Stambaugh. Both are available in paperback.
- Being and Time, tr. Robinson & Macquarie (HarperCollins)
- Being and Time. A Revised Edition of the Stambaugh Translation, Translated by Joan Stambaugh, Revised by & Foreword by Dennis J. Schmidt (SUNY Press)
Commentaries that stay close to the primary text:
- Magda King, A Guide to Heidegger’s Being and Time (SUNY Press) [in connection with Stambaugh’s translation]
- Michael Gelven, A Commentary On Heidegger’s “Being and Time” (Northern Illinois UP)
- Thomas Sheehan, Heidegger’s Being and Time: Paraphrased and Annotated, Volume 1 (Rowman & Littlefield) [you can use this while reading BT]
Genesis of Being and Time:
- Theodore Kisiel, The Genesis of Heidegger’s Being and Time (University of California Press)
- John van Buren, The Young Heidegger. Rumor of the Hidden King (Indiana University Press)
- Theodore Kisiel, Heidegger’s Way of Thought: Critical and Interpretive Signposts (Continuum) [collection of papers]
Heidegger before he was Heidegger
- Theodore Kisiel, Thomas Sheehan (eds.), Becoming Heidegger: On the Trail of His Early Occasional Writings, 1910-1927 (Northwestern UP)
- Martin Heidegger; John van Buren [editor], Supplements: From the Earliest Essays to Being and Time and Beyond (SUNY Press)
Heidegger as a Whole
- William R. Richardson, Heidegger: Through Phenomenology to Thought (Fordham UP)
Terms
- Daniel O. Dahlstrohm, The Heidegger Dictionary (Bloomsbury)
- Mark A. Wrathall (ed.), The Cambridge Heidegger Lexicon (Cambridge UP)
For Heidegger Snobs
- Michael Inwood, A Heidegger Dictionary (Wiley-Blackwell) [goes deep into German]
- Frank Schalow, Historical Dictionary of Heidegger’s Philosophy (Scarecrow Press)
Requirements
Course Requirements
- 1 protocol, write-up, up to 900 words, take questions in class
- 1 presentation & write-up, up to 900 words, 20-25 minutes, leading class discussion
- Final paper, conference style, 3600 words
- Regular participation, you are expected to attend every week, except in cases of reasonable excuses
Protocol
The class protocol should cover our discussion in class. Protocols should have a length of 2-3 pages (no more than 900 words), and they will in and outside of the classroom force us to have an ongoing reflection on our texts that we study for class. They can also include problems or questions that the writers had either with our class discussion or with the texts itself, but above all protocols should cover what I lectured about and what we discussed afterwards. Protocols should clarify and discuss selected issues in question. They can raise questions. Protocols have to be sent out to everyone by Sundays at noon. Everyone will read the protocols before class. Please avoid late turn ins. The student who wrote the protocol will address questions during the first 15-20 minutes of the next class meeting.
Presentation & Write-Up
Each student will be responsible for working out introductory presentations on one selected concept in Being and Time, which should function as a platform for our discussions. Please focus on the primary text; ask yourself how you can articulate the connections, what’s central, and and desired length of presentations: around 25 minutes. Please distribute a brief write-up/overview of what you will be talking about by Sunday at noon. Your write-up should have a length of 2-3 pages. A write-up differs from a handout (used during a presentation); i.e., the write-up should consists of a coherent text that either interprets, reflects on, or explains the primary material. Let’s call it a “miniature-paper” that everyone reads before class. Try to be as clear as possible and help everyone in class to understand the point from which you approach your topic, issue, text, or philosopher (in this case: sections!). Note: the reading material should be the absolute focus of your presentation; everyone will gain from hermeneutic virtues! Free floating discussions that are completely unrelated to the readings are to be avoided by all means.
General Remark
Given that this is a graduate seminar, I expect self-motivation, autonomy, civility, as well as self-responsibility. My seminars are completely open: you can always bring in your own positions, criticize others, or ask questions. There are no boundaries. My job is to think via clarifying thoughts of others. The attendance requires the willingness to intensively study the texts selected for class.
Final Paper
The class essay should be well researched and should present a substantial reflection on some parts of the material discussed in class. I expect excellent papers in regard to research, form, and content. The paper should be accompanied by an abstract of no more than 150 words. The paper should be “conference style,” i.e., it should have a length of around 12 (no more than 15) pages and, ideally, could be presented at a conference or be used as a seed manuscript for the summer scholar fellowship competition. This paper can also expository, but remember: a good expository paper is not to be confused with a summary of what you have read; rather, it reveals something about the issue that the text tries to address. It tries to help us understand the text better.
DFs
I will refuse giving DFs in this class, unless you find yourself in an emergency situation (health issues, etc.)
Course Evaluation
Assignments (traditional)
| 1 protocol + class discussion | pass/fail, 10pts |
| 1 oral presentation + write-up | pass/fail, 10pts |
| final paper | 80 points |
| ——– | |
| 100 points | |
Grading
| 4.0 (=A) | 100 – 93 |
| 3.5 | 92 – 87 |
| 3 (=B) | 86 – 82 |
| 2.5 | 81 – 77 |
| 2 (=C) | 76 – 72 |
| 1.5 | 71 – 65 |
| 1.0 (=D) | 64 – 60 |
| 0.0 | < 60 |
GENERIC SYLLABUS (might not be applicable to each class)
Laptop/Cell Phone/Tablet Policy
You are not permitted to use laptops or cell phones in class, unless needed for medical reasons. Flat devices, such as tablets, are permitted if you have purchased the literature required for class electronically. Please do not text under the table. Cell phones should be removed from tables. Failure to follow this policy will lead to unannounced assignments in class or loss of points (at the digression of the instructor).
Laptops in the Classroom
- So you think you can multitask? from the University of North Carolina
- How your phone reduces your ability to think even when only in glancing distance from Psychology Today
- Barak, L. (2012). Multitasking in the university classroom. International Journal for the
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6 - Ellis, Y., Daniels, W. and Jauregui, A. (2010). The effect of multitasking on the grade performance of business students. Research in Higher Education Journal, 8
- Fried, C. B. (2008). In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning. Computers and
Education, 50 (3), 906-914. - Kraushaar, J. M. and Novak, D. C. (2010). Examining the affects of student multitasking with
laptops during lecture. Journal of Information Systems
Education, 21 (2), 241-251.
Class Attendance
As mentioned above, I do not employ in my classes a class attendance policy. Having said this, you should be aware that class attendance is very important. When engaging in a philosophical and humanistic dialogue it is necessary to be an active and present participant in the ongoing discussion. If you miss class please do not email me asking if you missed anything important. Every class is important. You should get a study buddy for the class; a student in class who will inform you of what you missed. If you miss a class you can come to my office hours or make an appointment to discuss the material, providing you have read the material and you simply want to see if your understanding of the material is on target. Time in office hours will not be used to repeat the class lectures.
Grading Criteria + Paper Writing Tips
Check out this page for grading criteria, example of assignments, etc.
Online Research Sources
Unfortunately, some people think that the internet as such is a reliable source of information. If you decide to use online sources for additional information or your paper then do not just use one of the common internet search engines, such as Google; rather, use reliable academic sources, such as Britannica Online, or the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Internet Ecyclopedia of Philosophy isn’t very good, but still acceptable. Check out MSU’s library resources! And, as with other sources, you must cite any online sources to which you refer in your essay.
Writing Center Information
MSU’s writing center offers excellent help on all matters regarding writing and learning. Check the website at http://writing.msu.edu for an overview and hours. For more information, please call 517.432.3610 or send an e-mail to writing@msu.edu.
Grief Absence Policy
I follow MSU’s general grief absence policy, which can be found here.
Integrity of Scholarship and Grades (Plagiarism)
The following statement of University policy addresses principles and procedures to be used in instances of academic dishonesty, violations of professional standards, and falsification of academic or admission records, herein after referred to as academic misconduct. [See General Student Regulation 1.00, Protection of Scholarship and Grades.]
Academic Honesty
Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that “The student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards.” In addition, the (insert name of unit offering course) adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web site: www.msu.edu) Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course assignments, including homework, lab work, quizzes, tests and exams, without assistance from any source. You are expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not submit course work completed for another course to satisfy the requirements for this course. Students who violate MSU rules may receive a penalty grade, including but not limited to a failing grade on the assignment or in the course. Contact your instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your course work. (See also https://www.msu.edu/~ombud/)
Plagiarism, from the Ombudsman’s page
Plagiarism (from the Latin plagiarius, an abductor, and plagiare, to steal) is defined by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Misconduct in Research (take that!) as “ . . . the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results or words without giving appropriate credit.”
Accidental or Unintentional
One may not even know that they are plagiarizing. It is the student’s responsibility to make certain that they understand the difference between quoting and paraphrasing, as well as the proper way to cite material.
Blatant
Here, students are well aware that they are plagiarizing. Purposefully using someone else’s ideas or work without proper acknowledgment is plagiarism. This includes turning in borrowed or bought research papers as one’s own.
Self
Turning in the same term paper (or substantially the same paper) for two courses without getting permission from one’s instructor is plagiarism.
The Spartan Code of Honor
Student leaders have recognized the challenging task of discouraging plagiarism from the academic community. The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) is proud to be launching the Spartan Code of Honor academic pledge, focused on valuing academic integrity and honest work ethics at Michigan State University. The pledge reads as follows:
“As a Spartan, I will strive to uphold values of the highest ethical standard. I will practice honesty in my work, foster honesty in my peers, and take pride in knowing that honor is worth more than grades. I will carry these values beyond my time as a student at Michigan State University, continuing the endeavor to build personal integrity in all that I do.”
The Spartan Code of Honor academic pledge embodies the principles of integrity that every Spartan is required to uphold in their time as a student, and beyond. The academic pledge was crafted with inspiration of existing individual college honor codes, establishing an overarching statement for the entire university. It was formally adopted by ASMSU on March 3, 2016, endorsed by Academic Governance on March 22, 2016, and recognized by the Provost, President, and Board of Trustees on April 15, 2016.
SIRS Evaluations
Michigan State University takes seriously the opinion of students in the evaluation of the effectiveness of instruction and has implemented the Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS) to gather student feedback (https://sirsonline.msu.edu). This course utilizes the online SIRS system, and you will receive an e-mail during the last two weeks of class asking you to fill out the SIRS web form at your convenience. In addition, participation in the online SIRS system involves grade sequestration, which means that the final grade for this course will not be accessible on STUINFO during the week following the submission of grades for this course unless the SIRS online form has been completed. Alternatively, you have the option on the SIRS website to decline to participate in the evaluation of the course. We hope, however, that you will be willing to give us your frank and constructive feedback so that we may instruct students even better in the future. If you access the online SIRS website and complete the online SIRS form or decline to participate, you will receive the final grade in this course as usual once final grades are submitted.
Social Media and Sharing of Course Materials
As members of a learning community, students are expected to respect the intellectual property of course instructors. All course materials presented to students are the copyrighted property of the course instructor and are subject to the following conditions of use:
- Students may record lectures or any other classroom activities and use the recordings only for their own course-related purposes.
- Students may share the recordings with other students enrolled in the class. Sharing is limited to using the recordings only for their own course-related purposes.
- Students may post the recordings or other course materials online or distribute them to anyone not enrolled in the class with the advance written permission of the course instructor and, if applicable, any students whose voice or image is included in the recordings.
- Any student violating the conditions described above may face academic disciplinary sanctions.
Mandatory Reporting
Michigan State University is committed to fostering a culture of caring and respect that is free of relationship violence and sexual misconduct, and to ensuring that all affected individuals have access to services. For information on reporting options, confidential advocacy and support resources, university policies and procedures, or how to make a difference on campus, visit the Title IX website at civilrights.msu.edu.
Limits to confidentiality. Essays, journals, and other materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential pursuant to the University’s student record policies. However, students should be aware that University employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues to protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others. As the instructor, I must report the following information to other University offices (including the Department of Police and Public Safety) if you share it with me:
- Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child;
- Allegations of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, or sexual harassment; and
- Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others.
These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting, you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services.
Student Support Program (SSP)
Michigan State University is offering all MSU students access to counseling support 24/7/365 through My SSP: Student Support Program. My SSP is free to all MSU students. My SSP is confidential, and can help with:
- Adapting to new challenges
- Being successful at school
- Relationships with friends and family
- Practical issues with studying
- Stress, sadness, loneliness, and more
The My SSP professional counselors are available to help anytime, anywhere with:
- Immediate support by phone and chat
- Ongoing support by appointment via phone and video
- In addition, culturally relevant support is available in the language of the caller’s choice.
There are multiple options for connecting with a My SSP counselor:
- Download the free My SSP app on Google Play or iTunes
- Chat online at http://us.myissp.com
- Call 1-866-743-7732
- From outside North America, call 001.416.380.657
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor, call 353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (TTY)
Drops and Adds
The last day to add this course is the end of the first week of classes. The last day to drop this course with a 100 percent refund and no grade reported is (see Academic Calendar). The last day to drop this course with no refund and no grade reported is (see Academic Calendar). You should immediately make a copy of your amended schedule to verify you have added or dropped this course.
Note on Attendance
Students who fail to attend the first four class sessions or class by the fifth day of the semester, whichever occurs first, may be dropped from the course.
Christian Lotz 