The first eight lessons in this course have been released and the remaining lessons will be released in the following weeks.
- Texts (Kindle or paperback editions are acceptable):
- Recommended Background Material:
- History of Philosophy by Leonard Peikoff (Lecture course on courses.aynrand.org)
- Lessons 1 through 20 (of this version) are the most relevant as background material
- This material is now also available in book form under the title Founders of Western Philosophy. In the book version, the chapters listed as Lectures One through Five are the most relevant as background material
*David Harriman is no longer associated with the Ayn Rand Institute.
Weekly homework: The homework in this class will consist of short written-response questions and some light mathematical problems. The math homework will be aimed at a student with little-to-no background in math, to give you practice at solving problems that will deepen your understanding of the course material. They are not intended to be too difficult.
Midterm Paper: After the first 10 lessons, there is a midterm paper (1300-1500 words).
Final Homework: At the end of the course, there is a Final Homework Assignment for you to complete.
Participation: Students are required to attend at least one open office hour per quarter, or to schedule one office hour with one of the course instructors.
Keith Lockitch and David Bakker will be hosting live discussion sessions in which anyone in the course can attend to discussion the course material. This is optional, but all participants are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. If the offered hours do not work with your schedule, please email the instructors to find an alternative time for questions. Currently, the live discussions are scheduled to start in November. You will receive a notification with dates and times.
Your Work Must Be Your Own (Plagiarism Policy)
The primary purposes of ARU assignments are 1) to help you to develop your ability to think about and communicate philosophical issues; and 2) to help instructors to understand where you are in your development of these abilities. To accomplish these aims, your work must be entirely your own and must not be plagiarized. Plagiarism is implying the false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of presenting content one did not produce as one’s own.This means that you should not have input from others or from outside sources (unless explicitly allowed by the instructor and cited in your assignment). Violations of this policy include any collaboration with others on your work or asking others to review your work before submitting it, including spouses and others in close relationships with you. This also includes a prohibition on the use of generative AI tools like Chat GPT when used to produce or revise an answer to an assignment.The Your Work Must Be Your Own policy extends to a prohibition on self-plagiarism, which is the reuse of your own work as if it were new. All assignments submitted must be new work by the student, both within and across courses. This includes a prohibition on the use of material previously developed outside of ARU, for instance for an undergraduate course.Non-native speakers of English: As most online translation tools are now supported by AI, the use of online translators by non-native English speakers is forbidden in ARU assignments. Such tools obfuscate the student’s contribution to the assignment and make it impossible for faculty to form an objective assessment of the student’s understanding of the material and their ability to communicate philosophical ideas. The only exception is that a translator may be used for single words only. Translators may not be used to translate phrases or sentences.
Violations
Depending upon the facts and circumstances involved in the situation, ARU will choose the appropriate form of discipline for violations of the Confidentiality Requirement or Code of Conduct. Disciplinary judgments will be made at the sole discretion of ARU and there is no mechanism for independent appeal. Discipline may take any number of forms, which may include but is not limited to: an oral warning, a written warning, loss of benefits including financial aid, probation, suspension, or expulsion from ARU.
If you have any questions about the course content or assignments, please email Keith Lockitch (klockitch@aynrand.org) or David Bakker (dbakker@aynrand.org). For administrative or technical issues, please email Reagen Leimbach (rleimbach@aynrand.org).
Keith LockitchDr. Lockitch is ARI vice president of education and a senior fellow. Dr. Lockitch trains students in how to communicate philosophic ideas and uses his background as a physicist to apply Ayn Rand’s ideas to crucial issues in science and technology. Dr. Lockitch received his PhD in physics from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and has conducted postdoctoral research in relativistic astrophysics.