HONR 480 01
AT THE HEART OF TIME
FALL 2020
INSTRUCTORS: DR. ORA ITKIN & DR. STEPHEN J. LAUMAKIS
OFFICES: LOR 204 (OI) & 207 JRC (SL)
PHONE: 962-5850 (OI) & 962-5363 (SL)
EMAIL: OSITIN@STTHOMAS.EDU & SJLAUMAKIS@STTHOMAS.EDU
CLASS HOURS: TH 9:55-11:35, September 15-December 15, 2020
OFFICE HOURS: BY APPOINTMENT (OI) & 7:30-8:00am & BY APPOINTMENT (SL)
SEMINAR DESCRIPTION:
What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.--St. Augustine
Real yet elusive, there and always passing--time is a strange and ambiguous thing, evading the confinement of conceptual boundaries while teasing with the questions of our minds and imagination. While the puzzle of human time has plagued nearly all philosophers of the past to the present (see our quote from St. Augustine above), music has been seen through the centuries as the most quintessentially temporal art, possessing a unique capacity to invoke the human experience of time. How can music (in particular, music's performance of time) shed light upon or even challenge some of our philosophical concerns and set conceptions of time? How can philosophy, in turn, be motivated toward a better understanding of music?
This seminar will center upon temporality and our experiences of time. It will probe subjectively experienced time as that which is integral to the structure of human experience, examining how the medium of music provides unique potentialities to access some of the disclosing aspects of human experience unavailable to other modes of inquiry.
Attending to a range of historical and contemporary readings while engaging in active listening of music of various genres and styles--from Baroque to Jazz, flamenco to rap--we will investigate such questions as: What is a moment and what flows (as philosopher Gilles Deleuze would say) as moments of time succeed each other? What is it to exist in time and is time another dimension, like the three dimensions of space? Can time be recaptured, replayed, or is all time unredeemable? Does time as described by the "theory of relativity" square with time as it is lived? What is it in music that has the ability to stylize in multiple ways our temporal relation to the world and access realms of memory, subjectivity, personal and collective identity, and history?
Transcending typical disciplinary boundaries, we will approach philosophical thought and music as mutually implicative modes of inquiry suggestive of varying possible structures of time, as a reflection of a particular culture, sense of historical progress, or the expression of the intangible spirit behind the course of human history.
One premise of this seminar is that thinking about time is best accomplished while also attending to our own interests, passions, experiences, and commitments. This means that this seminar will culminate in individual project "The Sense of Now." This project will consist of a written philosophical essay-meditation (5-10 pages) as inspired by specific piece or selection of music of any style or genre you presently resonate with, and demonstrate how using multiple existential tools you acquired during this seminar helped you to develop an encompassing perspective in your present life. Working on this project will enable you to develop a deeper understanding of how empathetic sensibilities and self-reflection allows you to mediate your sense of the past and the experience in the world of today (i.e., the present). Everyone is therefore responsible for tuning into what seems most pressing, meaningful, perplexing, or exciting about the reading and the listening. Staying true to the nature of seminar, we will be listening and responding to each other's presentations in the last weeks of the seminar.
Readings will include primary and secondary sources on the nature of time and transience. Students will be evaluated based on general class discussion and participation, short weekly reaction papers, in-class presentations and discussion leading.
SEMINAR OBJECTIVES:
1. Gaining a basic understanding of how music and philosophy approach the subject and experience of time (i.e., factual knowledge, methods, principles, generalizations, theories).
*This objective will be demonstrated by reaction papers, class participation and discussion leading.
2. To acquire skills in working with others as a member of a team.
*This objective will be demonstrated by successful class discussion leading.
3. Developing skill in expressing oneself orally and in writing
*This objective will be demonstrated by reaction papers, class participation, and discussion leading.
4. Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view.
*This objective will be demonstrated by reaction papers, class participation, and discussion leading.
INTERDISCIPLINARY PLAN:
This seminar is centered around temporality or human time as lived, therefore our premise is existential. Philosophy and music will act as mutually implying existential tools helping us understand ourselves and our positions in temporality through the balance of two perspectives: articulating the logic of reality on one hand, and the empathetic experience through temporal medium of music, on the other. For example: When investigating the question of "What is a Moment?", we will explore it as a micro act of performative practice, as an intellectual event of realization in the process of thinking, and as a climatic event in history. Each class would consist of meditative philosophical segment (30 min.) as a call, music segment as response (30 min) and vice versa and discussion around both (30 min). This would allow for structured yet dynamic engagement in class.
SEMINAR STRUCTURE:
The seminar will be divided into roughly two parts.
The first part (the first 3 weeks of class) will focus on the “big picture” of philosophical reflections on the nature of time (Dr. L) and the relationship of time, music, and lived experience (Dr. I). The second part (the remainder of the semester) will focus more narrowly on specific readings, music selections, and films. Students will be asked to consider the relationship between philosophical and scientific conceptions of time and existential and artistic understandings of time and the experience of transience.
Students will be assigned weekly readings and be asked to participate in on-line discussions of the readings. Class time will be devoted to discussion and to student presentations based on the readings. Students are expected to devote about 3-4 hours of study each week to this seminar.
NB: We realize that we live in the age of social media and constant connectivity. A seminar style, however, relies on effective communication skills from all involved. That means not only effectively presenting your ideas, but also listening attentively to others. To listen effectively you need to disconnect from e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, web surfing and other digital distractions during class time. If you bring a laptop or tablet to class, it should be used only for class-related activities.
TEXTS:
Bardon, Adrian (2013). A Brief History of the Philosophy of Time.
Tallis, Raymond (2017). Of Time and Lamentation: Reflections on Transience. (Selections)
Other selected Handouts, Readings, visual media and listening/experiential assignments
ASSIGNMENTS:
Reading of assigned materials is a MUST in order to introduce you to the subject matter, facilitate class discussion and participation, pose distressing questions, and just plain make you think. The seminar will begin with a lecture format (three weeks, at most) as we present an overview of the philosophy of time and relationship between music, time, and experience. It will then proceed in seminar style with SIGNIFICANT emphasis on student participation. Students will be responsible for four areas of activity:
1) Participation, 2) Written Papers, 3) Discussion Leading, and 4) an Oral Presentation.
1) PARTICIPATION includes class discussion of the assigned readings and/or Web postings at the Canvas Discussion Area arranged for the seminar and journaling.
2) WRITTEN PAPERS: Students will be asked to write two reflection papers (roughly 5-10 pages in length) at the end of the 5th and 9th weeks of the seminar. and give a 20 minute in-class oral presentation with discussion of their final individual project.
3) DISCUSSION LEADING consists of forming a group of 2-3 students (by WEEK #2-3), selecting a topic (by WEEK #2-3), and then leading class discussion during the weeks you present the issues involved in your topics. Students will be responsible for leading discussion 2-3 times.
4) ORAL PRESENTATION: Students will give a 20 minute in-class oral presentation with discussion of their final individual project. The final project “The Sense of Now” will be about philosophical perspectives discussed during the course of the seminar and involve music (performed or recorded) selection and possible other performative mediums (modern dance, standup comedy, recited poetry) as existential tools to allow the students to offer their own observations and reflections about their ongoing experience of time in their life.
Course evaluation is based on regular attendance, active participation, and constructive input in all class discussion, well documented in detailed journaling and in-depth review of all assigned reading and listening materials. The readings and listening assignments must be done in advance of the class on which they are scheduled. (We may decide to modify the schedule of readings and specific selection of music to better fit the pace of our class conversation. Any modifications will be announced in class and posted on Canvas. Reading excerpts will be distributed in class, and posted on Canvas. Music listening links (YouTube, Medici, Naxos, as well as UST Library media resources) will also be posted on Canvas.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Attendance is expected. Excessive absence may result in grade reduction. Given the uncertainties surrounding the virus and its potential impact on our class, please familiarize yourself with the SPECIAL GUIDELINES DUE TO COVID-19 FOR COURSE ATTENDANCE.
GRADE DISTRIBUTION:
20% attendance, active participation during in-class discussion, and journaling/web posts
20% Reflection Paper I--This paper will focus on your experience of “Living in the Pause” as well as memory and our recollections of the past
20% Reflection Paper II--This paper will focus on the dynamics between repetition and change
10% Student evaluations as measured by depth and insight into other student’s presentations--evaluations should address the means by which presenter was able to incorporate music and philosophy as existential tools in formation of their perspective
30% Final Oral Presentation--on “The Sense of Now”