Existentialism. Course number PHIL 291 section A1 Fall 2014 Tu-Th 9:30-10:50am ED 377

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1 Existentialism Course number PHIL 291 section A1 Fall 2014 Tu-Th 9:30-10:50am ED 377 Instructor: Prof. Marie-Eve Morin Office Hours: Monday 1:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment Office: 2-65 Assiniboia Hall Phone: (780) (voic only) Course Description: This course offers a survey of two main existentialist philosophers, Sartre and Camus, as well as of some of the precursors who influenced the existential movement (Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Heidegger). Our central focus will be the question of selfhood and self-making and its relation to the meaning or truth of human existence. We will discuss existentialist themes such as freedom, responsibility, death, anxiety, authenticity, absurdity and bad faith. Because Existentialism is as much a literary as a philosophical movement, you will be required, in the course of the semester, to read a piece of existentialist fiction and relate it to the philosophical ideas discussed in class. Note: In this course, we will study existentialism philosophically. This means that we will be concerned with how existentialism approaches the traditional philosophical questions of selfhood, meaning, truth, value, freedom, etc. This is different than courses that study existentialist themes in literature, film, etc. Yet, because existentialism has had such an impact on literature and because many works of fictions are labeled existentialist, one of your assignments will be to read a piece of existentialist fiction and reflect on it using the philosophical ideas and concepts studied in class. This will also be the place to confront everyday ideas about existentialism with what you have learned about existentialist philosophies. Required Texts: Charles GUIGNON & Derk PEREBOOM (eds). Existentialism: Basic Writings (Hackett, ). ISBN: Albert CAMUS. The Myth of Sysiphus, trans. J. O Brien (Penguin, 2005).ISBN: Supplementary readings will be made available on eclass. Assignments and Grades: (There will be a detailed handout for each assignment ) Explication Papers (2 x 20% = 40%), Reflection Paper (20%), Final Exam (40%) 1. Short Explication Papers (20% each) During the semester, you will have to write two short explication papers (approx. 5 pages or words). It will consist in an explication (a conceptual unfolding) of a short passage of a text (a couple of sentences). I will choose a passage that is central to the text and that has been discussed in the lectures. You will not need to present an original thesis in this paper but you should still organize your reading around a central point you find particularly interesting or puzzling. You will not need to do research or read secondary sources. A detailed handout will be provided with the first topic on or prior to February 1 explaining how to prepare for and write an explication. First explication on Sartre handed out on September 30 and due on October 14 at 9:30 am Second explication on Kierkegaard handed out on October 21 and due on November 4 at 9:30 am

2 2. Reflection Paper (20%) In the course of the semester, you will have to write a reflection paper on a work of fiction you decided to read (or watch). I will provide you with a choice of books (and also some movies). You can for example choose a quote and relate it to the concepts discussed in class, or you can argue against a point of view defended by one of the characters using a philosopher discussed in class, or you can reflect more generally on a theme developed in the book. You can submit the reflection at any time during the course of the semester but no later than December 2 at 9:30 a.m. Your reflection should be again around 5 pages or words. The explication papers test you ability to read and explain concept. This assignment gives you more freedom to reflect and show original thinking. 3. Final Examination (40%) The final exam is currently scheduled for Monday December 15 th at 9:00 am. The exam will be cumulative but more emphasis will be placed on the thinkers on which you haven t written an explication (Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus). The exam will be open book. You will also be allowed to bring print-outs of the readings on eclass provided that you haven t taken extensive notes on the back of the pages. Specific guidelines as well as examples of questions will be provided during the last week of classes. Extensions & Late Papers: No extension will be granted for the reflection paper. Extensions for papers can only be granted for serious reasons and if you contact me before the due time (i.e. not a couple of hours before the paper is due!) Late papers will be penalized 4% (or one letter grade) for every day (24 hours) they are late. This includes weekends and holidays. Papers will not be accepted more than 5 days after the deadline. Being busy (having other papers to write) is not a serious reason for being granted extension. You already know when the assignments are due. It is your responsibility to plan accordingly. A deferred examination is possible for serious reasons following university regulations. You must apply for a deferred examination at your Faculty Office. For the procedure in case of missed final examination, consult your Calendar Submission of Assignments: You can submit your papers in class or in my mailbox in the Department Office ASH 2-40 during regular hours. In the latter case, make sure you have it stamped with the day and time of submission. You can also submit assignment to me in person in my office (ASH 2-65). If I am not in my office, don t slip your paper under my door since I will not know when it got there. eclass: To access eclass, click on the link on the University webpage and type in your username and password. On eclass you can (among other things): - get a copy of the readings and of any handout (including this syllabus and the reading schedule) - get supplementary materials, links to webpages, etc. - consult the course calendar for deadlines - check for announcements made in class - post comments and questions on the course or on the readings - check your unofficial grades

3 Requirements for Completion of Course: To do well in this class you have to: - Attend class. - Do the required readings before and after class (remember: a 3-credit-hour course means at least 6 hours of work per week outside the classroom). The lectures are there to help you understand the text. This is only possible if you have read the text already. - Engage with the reading material, with the lectures, with the discussions. Think about it, talk about it (with your peers, your friends, on eclass). Try to come to term with the ideas presented in the text and discussed in the lectures for yourself. You are responsible for your own learning process and the course will be rewarding in proportion to your active engagement with the ideas that will be presented. If you find the course boring, stupid, or useless, it is probably because you are not engaging with the material in the right way. In class, if you don t understand something, or if a word is being used that you don t understand, or if you think there s a problem in the arguments, etc. raise your hand and ask. I am opened to questions and discussions, but I will not force you to talk. Discussion and interaction during lectures are your responsibility. - Tell me about any difficulties you are having with the course, the material, the assignment as early as possible, or if you have any special needs that we should be accommodating. Remember: We are here to help you succeed, but we can only do this if we know that you need help. Academic Integrity: The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standard of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University. In particular, note that No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the Student s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study (Code of Student Behaviour, (1)). This applies to all information you find on the internet, whether it is signed by its author or anonymous. Note also that No Student shall submit in any course or program of study, without the written approval of the course Instructor, all or a substantial portion of any academic writing, essay, thesis, research report, project, assignment, presentation or poster for which credit has previously been obtained by the Student or which has been or is being submitted by the Student in another course or program of study in the University or elsewhere (Code of Student Behaviour, (2)d). This applies to explication as well as reflection papers.

4 Grading Scale: (your papers will be assigned letter grades; numbers are only there to facilitate the calculation of your final grade) A % B C D A B C D A B C F < 50 A-range: Gets everything that was asked for in the assignment right, explains everything in a clear and well-structured way, and has some insight, shows some originality or depth of thought that makes the paper special beyond just getting it right. B-range: Gets everything right, does everything that was asked for accurately and clearly without outright mistakes or omissions. Good work but without originality or depth. The student masters what has been explained in the lecture but has not quite appropriate the material for him- or herself. C-range: Has some flaws either misses a key point, gets some important issue wrong, goes off topic, is disorganized, etc. D-range: Shows serious problems in comprehension and writing that goes well beyond specific issues or does not do the assignment as asked. F: I don t understand what you are talking about or it is not clear that you have read the text and attended the lecture. Note: Audio or video recording of lectures, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor. Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.

5 Reading Schedule: PHIL 291 (Existentialism) Fall 2014 Weeks Sept. 4 Topics/Readings Historical Introduction to Existentialism 9-11 Sartre: Existentialism, Freedom and Responsibility Read: The Humanism of Existentialism (pp ) + 8. Freedom and Responsibility (pp ) Supplement: Beauvoir What is Existentialism? (eclass) Sartre: Bad Faith Read: 4. Bad Faith and Falsehood, 5. Patterns of Bad Faith, and 6. The Faith of Bad Faith (pp ) Sept. 16: Fall registration Deadline: Last day to add or drop courses Sartre: Others, Humanism and Ethics Read: 7. The Existence of Others (pp ), Beauvoir Pyrrhus and Cineas (eclass), and read again: Humanism of Existentialism pp Oct Finishing up Sartre + Introduction to Hegel/Kierkegaard Supplement: Findlay on Hegel #17-21, 24-25, 34 (eclass) First explication topic handed out in class on September Kierkegaard: The Aesthetics and the Ethical Read: Diary of the Seducer and Letters from B (eclass) Kierkegaard s Letter and Journal Entry (eclass) Kierkegaard: The Religious, Abraham and Faith Read: Fear and Trembling, Preface, Panegyric, Preliminary Expectoration (pp ) Supplement: Genesis 22 (eclass) First explication due on October 14 at 9:30 a.m Kierkegaard: Abraham and Faith (cont.) Read: Fear and Trembling, Problem I and Problem II (pp ) Second explication topic handed out in class on October Nietzsche: Self-Overcoming and the Death of God Read: Thus Spoke Zarathustra (eclass) and The Gay Science #58, 108, 125, 382 (pp ) Nov. 4-6 Heidegger: What is man? Read: Being and Time, Chapter 1. The Task, Chapter 2. Being-in-the-World Chapter 4. The They (pp , ) Second explication due on November 4 at 9:30 a.m Heidegger: Humanism and Sartre Read: Letter on Humanism (eclass) Camus: Absurdity and Suicide Read: The Myth of Sisyphus (pp. 1-63) Camus: The Absurd Man, Sisyphus happy Read: The Myth of Sisyphus (pp ) November 26: Last day to withdraw without academic penalty (W) Dec. 2 Exam Review December 2: Last day to submit reflection papers Final Exam on Monday December 15, 2014 at 9:00 a.m.