Firstbridge courses are offered to degree seeking freshmen and registration is done via webform in pre-arrival checklist.
Course Master
FIRSTBRIDGE IN PHILOSOPHY (PL1099)
Credits
4 credits
Pre-requisites
None
Co-requisites
None
This course is an introduction to political philosophy via the exploration of two classic texts, Aristotle’s Politics and Plato’s Republic. Our exploration will be guided by two fundamental questions that are as alive for us today as they were back in the heyday of the birthplace of democracy: how does a political collective come together? What are the dangers for a political body? These questions will lead us on a journey of discovery through rich and fascinating questions about the nature of justice, political friendship, how to construct the common good, the difference between a good and a bad education, what it means to be a citizen, the subversive role of poetry and the arts in politics, the relation between ideas and reality, the prevention or provocation of revolution, and the question of who leads the best life, the rich, the politician or the philosopher? By the end of the course you should be able to defeat all adversaries in arguments about these topics, and you will also possess two of the most solid definitions of happiness that can be found in Mediterranean philosophy.
Term
Fall 2020
Discipline
PL (Philosophy)
Type
CCI
Can be taken twice for credit?
Off
Level
Undergraduate
CAMS ID
41398
Code
PL1099FB1
Learning Outcomes
Identify and define concepts and theses as anchored in particular authors and texts ;
Compare and contrast Plato and Aristotle’s approaches to the question of the construction and stability of a city-state; and
Distinguish and label parts of a philosophical argument.
Exploring and Engaging Difference: Students will think critically about cultural and social difference; they will identify and understand power structures that determine hierarchies and inequalities that can relate to race, ethnicity, gender, nationhood, religion, or class (CCI 3).
Civic and Ethical Engagement: Students will demonstrate awareness of ethical considerations relating to specific societal problems, values, or practices (historical or contemporary; global or local) and learn to articulate possible solutions to prominent challenges facing societies and institutions today so as to become engaged actors at various levels in our interconnected world (CCI 4).
Information Literacy: Students will comprehend how information is produced and valued in order to discover, evaluate, use, and create information and knowledge effectively and ethically. In FirstBridge, students will demonstrate the conversational nature of scholarship, and recognize their potential role and responsibilities as contributors to that conversation. For each discipline taught in FirstBridge, students will identify reference works, journals, databases and/or major works in history, in order to start effective research in the field. 
Life at University: Students will acquire the study skills, time management, and interpersonal skills needed to meet the demands of university-level academic work at a Liberal Arts College individually or as a team. Students will value the multiple meanings of place through experiential learning at AUP and beyond in the Parisian or global context. 
Name
WHAT IS A POLITICAL BODY? PLATO AND ARISTOTLE’S ANSWERS
Section
FB1
Start Date
Tuesday, September 22 2020
End Date
Monday, December 21 2020
Start Month
September
Exam Date
Tuesday, December 22 2020 - 20:00
Last update with CAMS