Sophie's World: An Introduction to Western Philosophy

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder is part mystery novel, part history of philosophy. In this course we will study the book from the perspective of a philosopher. Students will learn about the history of Western Thought beginning with the pre-philosophy era of myths, through to the Ancient Greeks, the middle ages, and the modern era. Taught by a philosophy and early modern studies graduate (BA Honors, MSc), this class is perfect prep for students who are interested in an academic career in philosophy or the humanities. It's also ideal for students who simply want to broaden their horizons and better understand the history of Western thought. The curriculum is similar in scope to great books courses taught at leading universities, but taught through one fun-to-read, exciting novel.

Class 1 - Pre-philosophy: The Garden of Eden, The Top Hat, and The Myths
Class 2 - The Pre-Socratics: The Natural Philosophers, Democritus, and Fate
Class 3 - The Socratics (pt. 1): Socrates and Platonism: Socrates, Athens, and Plato
Class 4 - The Socratics (pt. 2):  The Major's Cabin and Aristotle
Class 5 - The Post-Socratics: Hellenism and The Postcards
Class 6 - The Medieval Period: Two Cultures and The Middle Ages
Class 7 - The Rebirth of Philosophy: The Renaissance and The Baroque
Class 8 - The Rationalists: Descartes and Spinoza
Class 9 - The Enlightenment (pt. 1): Locke, Hume, Berkeley, and Bjerkely
Class 10 - The Enlightenment (pt. 2): The Enlightenment and Kant
Class 11 - Romanticism: Romanticism, Hegel and Kierkegaard
Class 12 - Late Modern Philosophy: Marx, Darwin and Freud
Class 13 - Existentialism: Our Own Time, The Garden Party, Counterpoint
Class 14 - Conclusion: The Big Bang

There will be two optional essays (a midterm and a final) which will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Students who pass both essays will receive a course certificate.