Course description: The concept of freedom is analytically complex and has
a long and varied intellectual history. This course will focus on the
concept as it emerged in the modern period (roughly since the seventeenth
century in Europe) and focus in particular on three aspects of freedom.
Though the primary interest of the seminar will be on political and
academic freedom, it will be useful to begin with a very brief discussion
of the most abstract dimension of freedom by asking what notion of freedom
might individual human subjects be said to possess given the determinism
that seems to be everywhere indicated by the comprehensive explanatory
power of modern science. NOTE: This is a graduate seminar. If undergraduate seniors wish to enroll they
should seek permission from the professors. The fourteen weeks of the
course will consist of a combination of 1) lectures by the instructors
followed by discussions, 2) discussions with guest visitors who are
distinguished scholars in the field and whose work will be pre-circulated
to the seminar, and 3) presentations by students on the readings on the
syllabus.
Requirements: Strictly regular attendance, prior reading of weekly texts,
and a term paper at the end of term of roughly 20-25 pages.
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