PHI 310-001: Existentialism
Fall 2003
Classes: TH 11:20 - 12:35 a.m., Winston Hall 114
Instructor: Dr. Marina Bykova
Office: 125 Winston Hall
Phone: 515-6332
Office hours: TH 12:45-1:45 p.m. or by appointment
E-mail: mfbykova@unity.ncsu.edu
Web page: http://www.mae.ncsu.edu/homepages/kuznetsov/bykova/
Course Assistant: Andy Whalen
E-mail: andy@andywhalen.com
Syllabus
Course Description
The aim of this course is to introduce you to the philosophical movement
called Existentialism through close readings of texts representing this
movement. Existentialism can be understood in relation to (or as a reaction
against) modern philosophy, specifically the Enlightenment. Existentialist
thinkers question the ideals of the Enlightenment and the presuppositions of
modern philosophy, in particular the consideration of the rational human
subject as the basis of philosophy and reason as the essence of human beings,
and the belief that philosophy should concern itself primarily with the
objective world. Existentialism, while adhering to the idea of the primacy of
the human being as the basis of philosophy, questions the primacy of reason and
attempts to broaden the meaning of human existence.
Although Existentialism as an explicit school of thought emerges in the 20th
Century, its roots lie in the 19th Century. Therefore, we will begin with a
brief historical and thematic overview of the "philosophy of
existence," looking especially as those thinkers considered to be
important forerunners of contemporary existentialism: Søren Kierkegaard and
Friedrich Nietzsche. Moving then to texts written in the 20th Century and
turning to French existentialism, we will concentrate on its major proponents,
Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. We will also discuss Martin Heidegger's
attack on Sartre, which ushered in existentialism's fall from grace.
Throughout this examination, we will seek to distill the characteristic
components of a philosophy of existence: an emphasis on the particular and
concrete, the revaluation of subjectivity and the correlative prioritization of
subjective experience (especially of such states as anguish and despair), the
crisis of human meaning in the contemporary world, and the new dialectic of
finitude and transcendence.
Outcomes guiding the work in this course:
This course has several important learning outcomes that have structured its
design and shall guide the work over the semester. By the end of the course,
you will:
Required Texts
Pascal's, Heidegger's, and Sartre's texts are available on course electronic
reserve.
Additional Texts (optional):
Most of these books are available on book reserve at the D.H. Library.
Films: We will also be watching 1 or
2 great existentialist films from such titles as:
(Screening will be held at the D.H. Hill Library at times and dates to be
announced.)
Course requirements, format, and policies
Course requirements include attendance, in-class and on-line discussions
participation, reading the assignments (before as well as after we discuss them
in class!), homework in the format of response papers to be posted to the class
discussion board, oral presentation, two in-class quizzes, and a final (term)
paper.
The course will be taught with the assistance of the philosophy major
undergraduate student, Andy Whalen, who will be in charge of the course
discussion boards. He will facilitate the on-line discussions as well as
provide consultations on course materials. He will not be able to meet with you
regularly on one-to-one basis. He will schedule the special class sessions to consult
on primary sources and answer your possible questions on course materials.
Occasionally he will also offer virtual and/or real office hours. Yet, his main
responsibility will be administrating and moderating the course discussion
boards.
Class format
This class will primary be seminar format, and class discussion
of the readings will play a major role. In our in-class discussions, we will be
moving at a brisk and ever-increasing pace. The primary sources and available
texts, on the other hand, are thorough and slow moving. For this reason, it is
absolutely essential for you to study the readings very carefully and prior to
the class for which they are assigned, trying to understand every single idea
and concept. The material can be difficult; most of it takes more than one
reading, and all of it takes concentration and time. The most difficult points
of the material will, of course, be addressed in the lectures and you should
not hesitate to ask all the remaining questions there, during the office hours,
or by posting your questions to the course discussion board. [Some helpful
hints on how to study and read philosophy are to find on my web site under the
address given above.]
There will be two on-line discussion boards. The one will be used for submitting
homework assignments in form of the response papers and possible responses to
posted works. The other will serve as a discussion forum. The link to the
message boards is the following: http://courses.ncsu.edu/phi310/
Homework
The homework assignments will consist of answering the questions on the
readings and class discussions. Your answers will be submitted in form of the
short four-six paragraphs response papers that will be posted to the class discussion board.
The explanations I want to see in your papers are ones that you would give your
roommate or friend if she or he asked you what, say, Sartre meant by that, or
why he said this, or whatever. In other words, I do not want to see
explanations which are full of the same jargon which the philosopher in
question uses, but ones intended to convey the jargon to someone who does not
know it already. These explanations need not be long: what you want to do is
answer the question or explain the given term or concept as concisely and as
briefly as possible. Also, you should be critical, in the sense that you
evaluate the position you are discussing. The sorts of questions you should
keep in mind are ones such as: Are these claims right? What objections might someone
raise in response? Are there any counter-objections the philosopher in question
might have? One of this response papers may be a summary of the primary text
(or a passage from the text) that will be identified as a source for our
in-class or on-line discussion. [The guidelines for writing
philosophy papers as well as preparing critical summary are also posted on my
web site.] Everybody is expected to read
classmates' response papers. Please feel free to post your own responses to
others' papers on the discussion board. Andy or me may occasionally require
somebody to post a response to others' work.
You will be also given an opportunity to post your own questions for on-line
discussion and answer the questions posted by others. The second discussion board
will be used for this purpose. Everybody is required to post at least one
question and one response entry about
the reading for each of the figures to be discussed in the course. This can be
either a point that you're confused about that you'd like cleared up
("What does Heidegger mean when he says...?"), an objection you see
to the argument in the readings ("How can Sartre claim that p, since
elsewhere he said q, which seems to conflict with p?" "If Camus
really thinks p, doesn't it follow that q, which is clearly absurd?"), a
query about how something said in the reading relates to something else
("When Camus claims that p, is what he is saying here different in any
important way from Sartre's claim that q?"), or anything else. Andy will
occasionally ask you to reflect upon some special existential questions or
issues that are central to existential movement. He may also intervene in
discussions and/or require somebody to post a response to someone's question.
I will read over your questions and try to address them in class. The
reading response papers and the questions will form the basis for the class
discussion.
Typically, I will give a brief review of the material in the first half of
the class. The second half of the class will be then devoted to discussing the
material. But this division is not meant to be hard and fast: discussions and
evaluation will often break out during the first part of the class, and during
the course of discussing the material in the second part, sometimes I may go
back to clarify some points in the material.
Examination
The quizzes will be
in-class examinations to test comprehension of key philosophical concepts. The
quizzes will consist of multiple choices, false-true, and take home essay
questions. The dates of the quizzes are noted on the schedule below. The
quizzes require study and review - not simple memorization, but careful thought
about the concepts we are discussing.
You will be also required to write a final paper. The final paper should explore a figure or theme from the course in
greater depth. The paper is to be an original work, involving philosophical
criticism of a particular philosopher's opinion or argument. This paper must be
double-spaced, typed and roughly 10-12 pages in length. You are not required to
use any outside sources; the paper is not to be a research paper so much as one
expressing your own reflection on the issues we have been dealing with. You may
use further material if you wish, but be sure your own viewpoint comes through
clearly. This paper should reflect your ability to summarize and discuss a
particular position concisely and critically. Please be sure to check grammar
and spelling!
Once during the course, closer to the end of the semester, you will prepare
a short (maximum of ten minutes) oral presentation on the topic of your term papers. This will give
everyone a chance to learn about each other's investigations. On this way you
will be able to clear formulate your ideas and test them for their plausibility
that will improve the quality of your term papers. I can suggest possible
topics for the term papers and oral presentations, for those that need some
ideas. However, you might choose to pick a topic on your own. If it is the
case, you should make sure that your topic is a philosophical one and fits well
in the framework of our course. Term papers are due by the date set for the
final examination, which is scheduled for Th., December 11th at 11 a.m.
[Guidelines for writing philosophy papers and giving a presentation are to
be found on my website under the address given above.]
Attendance
Class participation is an important dimension of your grade. However, I expect
you to participate not simply for the sake of your grade, but hopefully because
you will be interested in what will be discussed in class. The success of this
course depends heavily on your contribution. You need to come to class prepared
(having read the assigned readings, and ready to answer questions) and ready to
participate in the discussions.
No absence will be excused without providing legitimate, documented proof. I
will accept excused absences under conditions that are defined by the
university policy. To view the university policy and check the list of possible
reasons for excused absences please consult the University Attendance
Regulations on the web under the following address: http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/academic_policies/attend/reg.htm.
Whether an absence is excused or not, you are responsible for everything that
went on during the class session - this includes announcements. Missed information
should be obtained from other members of the class who were present the day in
question. Please be warned: Anyone who misses a large number of classes (even
if for a good reason) will have a very hard time passing the course.
I will be holding my regular office hours. If your schedule conflicts with
them, let me know so that we can set up an appointment at a mutually convenient
time. Please understand that the office hours are for you to use. I am always
willing to talk to you, explain things in greater detail than is possible in
class, and help you in any other way.
Late Work
No late work will be accepted, and no make-up tests or extensions will be
granted, without sufficient, legitimate, documented excuse.
Grades
The homework assignments in form of the response papers will count for a total
of 20% of the final grade; the quizzes will count for a total 35% of the final
grade; the oral presentation will count for 10% of the final grade; and the
final term paper will count for 20% of the final grade. Your final grade will
also be determined by the quality of your in-class and on-line discussion
participation. It will count for a total of 15% of the final grade.
Honor Code
You should feel free to study and work with other students outside class. But
no copying or other assistance during exams will be tolerated. If you are
caught giving or taking assistance on an exam, you will lose all the points for
that exam. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any suspected case will
be turned over to the Student Judiciary Board for investigation. If you have
any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, please check the
Student Handbook or consult the Code of Student Conduct on the web under the
following address: http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/ncsulegal/41.03-codeof.htm.
Disability Policy
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities.
In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students must register
with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box
7509, 515-7653. http://www.ncsu.edu/dss/ For more information on NC State's
policy on working with students with disabilities, please see
http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/hat/current/appendix/appen_k.html
There may be some modifications to this calendar. It is your responsibility
to be aware of these changes. These changes may 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: Th, 8/21/03
Introduction to the course
Reading: Oaklander, p. 1-8
WEEK 2: Th, 8/26/03 - Th, 8/28/03
Background information on Existentialism
Readings: Oaklander, p. 1-8
Pascal, Pensees (on e-reserve)
WEEK 3: T, 9/2/03 - Th, 9/4/03
Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript
Readings:
Oaklander, p. 9-28
Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript (Oaklander, p. 29-45)
Mon., 9/1/03 -
University Holiday (Labor Day)
WEEK 4: T, 9/9/03 - Th, 9/11/03
Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling
Readings: Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling (Oaklander, p. 46-74)
WEEK 5: T, 9/16/03 - Th, 9/18/03
Nietzsche: Beyond Morality
Living Dangerously (Twilight of the Idols)
Beyond Good and Evil
Readings:
Oaklander, p. 75-97
Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols
Nietzsche, Antichrist
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
Nietzsche, The Gay Science
(Selections from the textbook)
WEEK 6 : T, 9/23/03 - Th, 9/25/03
Nietzsche: The Will to Power and
the Overman
Readings: Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human
(Selections from the textbook)
WEEK 7 - 8: T, 9/30/03 - T, 10/7/03
Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism
Reading: Sartre, Existentialism and Human Emotions (Oaklander, p. 310-318)
T, 9/30/03 - Quiz #1
Th, 10/9/3 - Fr, 10/10/03 Fall Break
WEEK 9: T, 10/14/03 - Th, 10/16/03
Special Sessions: video presentations (film titles to be announced).
Please notice that viewing of these films is one of the course requirements and
therefore is mandatory. Films will be shown at the Mini-Theater, next to the
Media Center of the D.H. Hill Library (2nd floor, Erdahl-Cloyd Wing, D. H. Hill
Library) at days and times of our regular classes.
WEEK 10: T, 10/21/03 - Th, 10/23/03
Heidegger, Letter On Humanism
Readings: Heidegger, Letter On Humanism (on e-reserve)
WEEK 11 - 12: T, 10/28/03 - Th, 11/6/03
Heidegger, Being and Time
Readings:
Oaklander, p. 144-162
Heidegger, Being and Time (Oaklander, p.
163-194) Th, 11/6/03 - Quiz #2
WEEKS 13-14: T, 11/11/03 - Th, 11/20/03
Sartre, New, Authentic Way Of Being Oneself
Readings: Sartre, New, Authentic Way Of Being Oneself (on e-reserve)
WEEK 15-16: T, 11/25/03 - Th, 12/4/03
Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and The Stranger
Wrapping up discussion and review
Readings: Oaklander, 340-343
Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus
(Oaklander, 357-369)
Camus, The Stranger (Oaklander,
369-382)
Wed, 11/26/03 - Fr, 11/28/03
- University Holidays (Thanksgiving)