Philosophy (PHIL) |
211 Susan Campbell, 541-346-5547
College of Arts & Sciences
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 - Dept or Instructor approval required; check course details for effective dates. When approved, use the Add/Drop menu to add the course by entering the CRN directly |
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Academic Deadlines
| Deadline |
Last day to: |
| January 7: |
Process a complete drop (100% refund, no W recorded) |
| January 13: |
Drop this course (100% refund, no W recorded; after this date, W's are recorded) |
| January 13: |
Process a complete drop (90% refund, no W recorded; after this date, W's are recorded) |
| January 14: |
Process a complete withdrawal (90% refund, W recorded) |
| January 14: |
Withdraw from this course (100% refund, W recorded) |
| January 15: |
Add this course |
| January 15: |
Last day to change to or from audit |
| January 21: |
Process a complete withdrawal (75% refund, W recorded) |
| January 21: |
Withdraw from this course (75% refund, W recorded) |
| January 28: |
Process a complete withdrawal (50% refund, W recorded) |
| January 28: |
Withdraw from this course (50% refund, W recorded) |
| February 4: |
Process a complete withdrawal (25% refund, W recorded) |
| February 4: |
Withdraw from this course (25% refund, W recorded) |
| February 25: |
Withdraw from this course (0% refund, W recorded) |
| February 25: |
Change grading option for this course |
 | You can't drop your last class using the "Add/Drop" menu in DuckWeb. Go to the “Completely Withdraw from Term/University” link to begin the complete withdrawal process. If you need assistance with a complete drop or a complete withdrawal, please contact the Office of Academic Advising, 101 Oregon Hall, 541-346-3211 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday). If you are attempting to completely withdraw after business hours, and have difficulty, please contact the Office of Academic Advising the next business day. |
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Expanded Course Description
| This course is an historical survey of American philosophy from the 1890s through the present. The course begins with the hypothesis that a significant strand of the American tradition developed as a philosophy of resistance against ideas inherited from Europe and against a social, political, and economic system whose practices led to oppression through assimilation or exclusion. As a consequence these philosophies share a common interest in the nature of pluralism, agency, and liberation. While the various strands of this tradition of resistance share some concerns and methods, they also differ. John McDermott writes: “Historically considered [the American] tradition was faced with an ever-shifting scene, characterized by widespread geographical, political, and social upheavals. These crises were built into the very continuity of the culture, and it was thereby fitting that basic . . . categories of understanding were transformed. The meaning of the reflective experience is to point precisely to the fact that such a transformation had its basis in the willingness of the culture, over a sustained period of time, to listen to the informing character of experience.”
This tradition, while critical of established views and practices, is more focused on reconstruction than deconstruction. Rooted in a desire to understand particular experiences, and imagine ways those experiences could be transformed to make future experiences better or more fulfilling in any number of ways, this is a tradition that holds the problems of the world front and center. We will explore a variety of voices in this tradition, but this course will introduce only a very small portion of the tradition. By focusing on a few major figures and themes, the course may also serve as a starting point for further inquiry into the American tradition and its connection with other philosophical traditions. |
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Prereqs/Comments: