Exitsyllabus

Philosophy 234 — Existentialism 10:00-11:00 MWF, MI 108

D. Vessey 363-2146 (Office) Office Hours: MI 210

vesseyd@beloit.edu MW 2:00-3:00

Th 1:00-3:00

and by appointment

Required Texts:

Steven Luper, Existing

Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals

Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Selected Essays

Additional photocopied readings from Fyodor Dostoeveski, Søren Kierkegaard, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone Weil.

Requirements:

This is a writing intensive course.

1. There are 11 assigned Discussion Papers (due more or less every Monday discussion session). These papers are to be 2 pages typed, Times/New Roman (unless otherwise noted). All typo grading policies apply (lose one grade for every four typos; a typo includes a spelling or grammatical errors, inappropriate use of gendered pronouns, and/or failure to properly cite quotations). These papers will be graded A, B, C, F and the bottom three grades will be ignored. Effectively, then, you can skip three of these discussion papers. Since they are purely for the sake of facilitating discussion, there is no point in turning them in after the discussion.

2. These are three “long” papers, 5-7 pages typed, on a topic of your choice (see the suggested list below). You will pick one topic at the beginning of the semester and write all three papers on the topic. The first paper will be an exposition (plus two or three critical queries) of a 19th century figure (Kierkegaard, Emerson, or Nietzsche) on your topic. The second will be an exposition (plus two or three critical queries) of a 20th century figure (Heidegger, Sartre, deBeauvoir, Camus, or others) on your topic. The first two long papers are due on a Friday, though they will be accepted until the next Monday without penalty. They will not be accepted after Monday. Everyone will read, comment on and grade anonymously five other papers (author’s aalso anonymous) and these responses/grades are due in class on the following Friday. The grades, papers and comments will be discussed in class. The grade on the paper will be a combination of the students’ grades and my grade. The third paper will combine the first two into a comparison/contrast paper in which you analyze the differences, strengths and weakness of each philosopher’s view and then develop your own critical alternative. It will include rewrites of the first two papers based on earlier feedback and the context of the longer paper. Since this third paper combines the work of the other two papers (with their revisions) it will be 15-17 pages long and will be due at the time of the final exam.

There will be no exams.

Grade Breakdown:

Long Papers: 55% Participation: 45%

Paper 1: 15% Discussion Papers: 25%

Paper 2: 15% Attendance & Participation: 20%

Paper 3: 25%

1. Tue, Jan. 16 Introductions

2. Wed, Jan. 17 Dostoeveski—Notes from the Underground

Reading: Luper pp. 411-422

3. Fri, Jan. 19 Dostoeveski — The Grand Inquisitor

Reading: Luper pp. 422-430 & Handout

Paper #1 Due (Mandatory)

4. Mon, Jan. 22 Discussion Dostoeveski — Father Zossema

Reading: Grand Inquisitor Handout

MOVIE “The Seventh Seal”

5. Wed, Jan. 24 Kierkegaard — The Question of Abraham

Reading: Luper , pp. 30-52

6. Fri, Jan. 26 Kierkegaard — Teleological Suspension of the Ethical

Reading: Luper pp. 52-63

7. Mon, Jan. 29 Discussion Kierkegaard — Against the System

Reading: Luper pp. 63-80

Paper #2 Due

8. Wed, Jan. 31 Kierkegaard — Truth and Despair

Reading: Luper pp. 81-101

9. Fri, Feb. 2 Emerson —Circles

Reading: “Circles” (Handout)

10. Mon, Feb. 5 Discussion Emerson — Self-Reliance

Reading: “Self-Reliance”

Paper #3 Due

MOVIE “My Dinner with Andre”

11. Wed, Feb. 7 Emerson — Experience

Reading: “Experience”

12. Fri, Feb. 9 Nietzsche — Joyful Wisdom

Reading: Luper pp. 124-137

13. Mon, Feb. 12 Discussion Nietzsche — Beyond Good and Evil

Reading: Luper pp. 161-177; Preface, GM, pp. 15-23

Paper #4 Due

14. Wed, Feb. 14 Nietzsche — Genealogy of Morals

Reading: GM, First Essay, pp. 24-44

15. Fri, Feb. 16 Nietzsche — Genealogy of Morals

Reading: GM, First Essay, pp. 44-60

16. Mon, Feb. 19 Discussion Nietzsche — Genealogy of Morals

Reading: GM , Second Essay, pp. 57-76

Paper #5 Due

MOVIE “Unbearable Lightness of Being”

17. Wed, Feb. 21 Nietzsche — Genealogy of Morals

Reading: GM, Second Essay, pp. 76-96

18. Fri, Feb. 23 Phenomenology — Introduction to Husserl

Long Paper #1 Due

19. Mon, Feb. 26 Phenomenology — Introduction to Heidegger

20. Wed, Feb. 28 Heidegger— from Being and Time

Reading: Luper, pp. 227-234

21. Fri, Mar. 2 Discussion First Papers

Paper Responses/Grades Due

BREAK********BREAK********BREAK********BREAK********BREAK

22. Mon, Mar. 12 Discussion Sartre — Existentialism

Reading: Existentialism and Humanism,

Luper, pp. 264-276

Paper #6 Due

23. Wed, Mar. 14 Sartre — Negation

Reading: Luper, pp. 276-291

24. Fri, Mar. 16 Sartre — Bad Faith

Reading: Luper, pp. 291-300

25. Mon, Mar. 19 Discussion Sartre — Relations to Others

Reading: Luper, 302-319 Paper #7 Due

MOVIE “Persona”

26. Wed, Mar. 21 Sartre — No Exit

Reading: Nausea

27. Fri, Mar. 23 Sartre — No Exit

Reading: No Exit

28. Mon, Mar. 26 Discussion Sartre— Late Ethics Reading: Handout

Paper #8 Due

29. Wed, Mar. 28 de Beauvoir — Introduction

Reading: Second Sex , Introduction

pp. xix-xxxvi

30. Fri, Mar. 30 de Beauvoir — Biology/Psychoanalysis/Marxism

Reading: Second Sex , Chapter I; pp. 49-52; 57-60

31. Mon, Apr. 2 Discussion de Beauvoir — The Myth of Women

Reading: Second Sex, Chapter IX

Paper #9 Due

MOVIE “Wild Strawberries”

32. Wed, Apr. 4 de Beauvoir — Situation & Character

Reading: Second Sex, Chapter XXI

33. Fri., Apr. 6 de Beauvoir — The Solution

Reading: Second Sex, Chapter XXV, “Conclusion”

34. Mon, Apr. 8 Discussion Miguel de Unamuno—The Inquisitor Redux

Reading: “Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr”

Paper #10 Due

35. Wed, Apr. 11 deBeauvoir Ethics of Ambiguity

Reading: Handout

36. Fri, Apr. 13 Martin Buber —from I and Thou

Reading: Luper pp. 397-399 & Handout

Long Paper #2 Due

37. Mon, Apr. 16 Simone Weil—Mystical Existential Theology

Reading: Handout

MOVIE TBA

Wed, Apr. 18 Spring Day (No Class)

38. Fri, Apr. 20 Discussion Paper #2

Paper Responses/Grades Due

39. Mon, Apr. 23 Paul Tillich —Christian Existential Theology

Reading: Luper pp. 399-407

Paper #11 Due

40. Wed, Apr. 25 Camus—The Myth of Sisyphus

Reading: Luper 389-397

41. Fri, Apr. 27 Paper Revision Workshop

42. Mon, Apr. 30 Paper Revision Workshop

43. Wed, May 2 Conclusions, Reflections and Evaluations

Paper #3 Due: Final Exam Time