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Fall 2010
Rhetoric 98/198
1-2 Unit(s)

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About the Course:

This course investigates the understanding of truth in antiquity as well as the present: Is Truth divine, absolute and independent from human experience? Or is it contingent and human-made? First, we look at the platonic understanding of truth and then we study how Rhetoric as a mode of inquiry undermines such understanding. Students will then read and discuss essential theoretical texts pertaining to the nature of truth. Later we will examine the merits of scientific inquiry and its impacts on our lives. We will also discuss ideas like knowledge-power relations, freedom, democracy, etc.

In its overarching theme, this course aims to deconstruct two opposite viewpoints: “Truth is absolute”, and “truth is not absolute”. In other words, we will try to understand whether such thing as "an objective truth" exists, and in what ways. Theoretical texts on the formation of human knowledge and of truth will be discussed in class.

This course can be taken for one or two units. The course will consist of an hour of lecture and an hour of discussion per week. For students who take the course for two units, attendance in both the lecture and the discussion is mandatory. For students who take the course for one unit, attendance in the discussion session is optional.


Evaluation:

For the students who take the course as one unit (98):
There will be a short quiz on the reading in the beginning of every lecture session. These quizzes amount to 800 points in total. There will be a 3 page final papers with 200 points. Students need at least 650 points to pass the class. Based on circumstances, students can petition for an extra credit project with maximum 100 points.

No make ups are available for quizzes.

For the students who take the course as two units (198):
There will be a short quiz on the reading in the beginning of every lecture session. These quizzes amount to 800 points in total. There will be two short papers (each 2 pages), worth 150 points each. There will be a final paper (3-4 pages) worth 300 points. Students need at least 900 points to pass the class. Based on circumstances, students can petition for an extra credit project with maximum 150 points.

No make ups are available for quizzes.

How to Enroll:

First come, first served. Show up for the first class.