PHIL 365. PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

Earlham College, Fall Semester 2009-2010
Monday, Thursday 1:00-2:20 Carpenter 320
Instructor: Ferit Güven
Office: Carpenter 328
Office Hours: By appointment
Office Phone: 983-1399 (voice mail)
e-mail: guvenfe@earlham.edu
web page: http://www.earlham.edu/~guvenfe/

Course Description: The aim of this course is to introduce you to various themes in the philosophy of language.  There are several ways of approaching the philosophy of language.  In this course, we will take a historical-thematic approach.  Rather than simply approaching the philosophy of language exclusively as an analysis of meaning produced by the human subject, this course will investigate the historical and conceptual origins of language.  We will question the relationship between language and human consciousness, history, and philosophy in general.  Philosophy of language is one of the areas where one can observe the differences between the analytic and continental schools in philosophy as well as a dialogue between these schools of thought.  We will read the works of Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and John Austin, who are considered to be representatives of analytical philosophy, as well as the works of several thinkers who are regarded as belonging to the continental tradition, such as Ferdinand de Saussure, Martin Heidegger, and Jacques Derrida.

Reading Assignments: (available in the Earlham College bookstore)
Herder, J.G. and Rousseau, J-J, Two Essays On the Origin of Language, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986).
Saussure, Ferdinand de, Course in General Linguistics, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1965).
Austin, John, How To Do Things With Words, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1975).

In addition to these texts, the following readings will be on Moodle.
Gottlob Frege, "Sense and Reference" from Translations from the Philosophical Writings of Gottlob Frege.
Bertrand Russell,  "On Denoting" from The Philosophy of Language, (ed. A.P. Martinich).
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Selections from Philosophical Investigations.
Jacques Derrida, "Signature Event Context" from Limited Inc.
Martin Heidegger, "The Nature of Language" and "The Way to Language" from On the Way to Language.

Course Requirements and Evaluation
You are expected to write three (5-6) papers. These papers will be on the texts we read in the course. I will provide paper topics for each assignment. For every paper you are responsible for following the general guidelines. (See "Comments and Suggestions for Papers)"

For each week, two students will prepare a two paged (single-spaced) protocol of the material discussed during the previous week. A protocol is a carefully edited summary of the previous class sessions written in full sentences. Protocols will be photocopied by the students who wrote it and handed out to all students at the beginning of each Monday to be read aloud, and will serve as a cumulative record of the course. The student who prepares the protocol will be required to come to class a couple of minutes early, so that the protocols will have been distributed at the beginning of the class (i.e., at 1:00). In addition to reviewing the material covered in the previous class, the protocol should include announcements made in class, questions raised, and, if possible, future questions for the material to come. The best protocols will be those that do not simply reproduce word for word everything that was said during class, but those that rearrange the material thematically, editing out what was unimportant, and emphasizing what was significant. The point of this is to allow you to think during class, and not just take notes; because someone will be taking notes for you, you can concentrate on the ideas being presented, and participate without having to write constantly. Also you will have a summary of every class which will help you with writing papers.

There will be no final examination!
Your grade will be calculated according to the following distribution: Paper I: 20%, Paper II: 20%, Paper III: 20%, Protocol: 20%, Class Participation and Attendance: 20%.

Class participation and attendance:
Attendance and participation are important dimensions of the course and your grade. I expect you to come to class prepared and ready to participate, i.e., having read the text carefully, and ready to raise and answer questions. If you have not completed the reading for the day, you will not be able to participate in class discussions.
The success of this course depends on your attendance. If you miss more than three sessions, you will lose your entire participation grade (%10). If you miss more than five sessions, you will fail this course regardless of your grade.

Our sessions will start at 1:00 pm. Students are expected to come on time. Walking into (and out of) the classroom while the session is in progress is very disruptive for everybody. For every two late attendance (or early exit) you will be marked as absent for one class session.
You are required to bring the text (the book or photocopied material) to class, and refer to them during discussions.

Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the instructor and Disability Services Office (Academic Support Services) at the beginning of the semester. Accommodation arrangements must be made during the first-two weeks of the semester.

Calendar: There may be some modifications to this calendar. It is your responsibility to be aware of these changes. These changes will be announced in class. If you miss a class you should make sure that you are informed about the assignments for the next session.

Week 1: Introduction to the course
August 27: Introduction, Novalis, Monologue

Week 2:
August 31:  Rousseau, Essay on the Origin of Languages
September 3 :  Rousseau, Essay on the Origin of Languages

Week 3:
September 7:  Herder, Essay on the Origin of Language
September 10:  Herder, Essay on the Origin of Language

Week 4:
September 14:  Frege, "Sense and Reference"
September 17:  Russell,  "On Denoting"

Week 5:
September 21: Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations
September 24: Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations

Week 6:
September 28: Saussure, Course in General Linguistics
October 1: Saussure, Course in General Linguistics

Week 7:
October 5: Saussure, Course in General Linguistics
October 8: Saussure, Course in General Linguistics

Week 8:
October 12:  Austin,  How To Do Things with Words
October 15:  Midsemester Break

Week 9:
October 19:  Austin,  How To Do Things with Words
October 22: Austin,  How To Do Things with Words

Week 10:
October 26: Derrida, "Signature Event Context"
October 29: Derrida, "Signature Event Context"

Week 11:
November 2: Derrida, "Signature Event Context"
November 5: Derrida, "Signature Event Context"

Week 12:
November 9: Heidegger, "The Nature of Language"
November 12: Heidegger, "The Nature of Language"

Week 13:
November 16:  Heidegger, "The Way to Language"
November 19:  Heidegger, "The Way to Language"

November 23-November 27: Thanksgiving Break

Week 14:
November 30: Review
December 3: 

Week 15:
December 7: Evaluation
December 10:

Back to Homepage.