Kierkegaard s Authorship University of Copenhagen Department of Theology / DIS Spring Semester 2018

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1 U N I V E R S I T Y O F C O P E N H A G E N FACULTY OF THEOLOGY Kierkegaard s Authorship University of Copenhagen Department of Theology / DIS Spring Semester 2018 Class Meetings: Mondays 12:00-14:30. Room: University of Copenhagen, South Campus, Room 6B.0.22 Course Instructor: K. Brian Söderquist kbs@sk.ku.dk Computer policy: No computers in class. No net, no texting during class. Course Content: In this upper division course at the University of Copenhagen, we will study the works of Copenhagen s most radical author, Søren Kierkegaard ( ). Kierkegaard s entire authorship is centered around the existential project that every human being is confronted with: to become oneself and none other than oneself. And as he sees it, becoming oneself does not happen passively and is never achieved once and for all, but rather requires constant effort. He often describes this project as one of taking responsibility for choosing, gaining, or becoming oneself. This course examines his witty, humorous, but also deeply earnest exploration of the psychology of self-identity. Kierkegaard s thoughts about the struggle for personhood take us through unusual philosophical territories: beginning with the breakdown of culture-specific ethnic and religious categories that have traditionally defined the self, he speaks of the culturally destructive power of Socratic irony, the art of seduction, beauty and boredom, religious culture and politics, religious demands that conflict with ethical duty, chronic sicknesses of the soul, the look of the Other, the struggle to see with the eye of faith, the joy of being embodied here and now, and finally, love. We will remain especially attentive to the ways in which Kierkegaard s thought is critical of inherited ethnic and cultural definitions of self, and why he nonetheless considers a willed openness to the other (the human other and the divine other) to be absolutely essential to understanding oneself and one s obligations in the world. The course will be reading intensive as we explore some of Kierkegaard s central works including Either/Or, The Sickness unto Death, Works of Love, and some of his devotional works. Readings: Completion of reading assignments as scheduled is required and is a prerequisite for participating in class discussions. Lectures and Discussion: In general, class will be a combination of lecture and class discussion. Class participation includes attendance and the quality of contributions that students make in class. It also incorporates classroom manners, which include attentiveness and alertness. Short Papers: Three short papers (4-5 double spaced pages) will be assigned during the course of the semester. Late papers will be penalized a half-grade for each day after the due date.

2 Research Paper: An analytical/interpretive paper will be due toward the end of the semester. The University of Copenhagen requires a paper of 19,200-24,000 characters including spaces for bachelor s students, including DIS students. This is roughly equivalent to double-spaced pages. The requirement is 28,800-36,000 characters including spaces for KU master s students. This is roughly equivalent to double-spaced pages. You must include a character count on the front page of your paper. (You must receive a passing grade on the research paper to receive a final grade in the course. Late papers will be penalized a half-grade for each day after the due date.) Danske studerende må gerne skrive på dansk. Attendance: Class attendance is required, including classes with guest lecturers. According to KU policy, all students must be present 75% of the time to receive a grade. (For DIS students: the DIS Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs, must be notified if you are absent two times or more). Plagiarism: Any student who plagiarizes will fail the course. Course Evaluation: Research paper: 45% First short paper: 15% Second short paper: 15% Third short paper: 15% Attendance and Participation: 10% Course texts: These books can be purchased at the South Campus Bookstore: Søren Kierkegaard, Either/Or, trans. Alastair Hannay, London: Penguin Books, ISBN Søren Kierkegaard, The Sickness unto Death, trans. Alastair Hannay, London: Penguin Books, ISBN Søren Kierkegaard, The Lily in the Field and the Bird of the Air, trans. Bruce Kirmmse, Princeton: Princeton University Press, ISBN Pdf readings on Absalon: Selections from Kierkegaard s Journals and Notebooks Selections from On the Concept of Irony Selections from Oxford Handbook of Kierkegaard Selections from Works of Love Selections from The Moment For students who read Danish: Kierkegaards samlede værker, Søren Kierkegaards Skrifter (SKS), findes på nettet: I have provided references to SKS for every reading (e.g., Danish: SKS 4, ) in this reading plan. (Note: To see page breaks, place a checkmark in the middle box, next to SKS, on the top left-hand side of the screen). There is a substantial collection of books at the library at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre at the University of Copenhagen. 2

3 For DIS students: DIS students should pick up their texts at the DIS Library, Vestergade 23 Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: Course Enrollment and Grading Attendance Coursework, Exams, and Final Grade Reports 3

4 Detailed Course Outline 1. Mon. Jan. 22 What is Kierkegaard s Authorship About? - Kierkegaard in Ten Minutes (pdf on Canvas/Absalon). - Journal AA:12, Gilleleje entry, pp (pdf on Canvas/Absalon) (Danish: SKS 17, 23-30). 2. Mon. Jan. 29 On the Concept of Irony: Kierkegaard on the Truth and Untruth of Irony. - Oxford Handbook of Kierkegaard, chap. 18, Irony (pdf on Canvas/Absalon). - On the Concept of Irony: The Conception Made Necessary and Irony after Fichte, pp , (page numbers refer to the published book) (pdf on Canvas/Absalon) (Danish: SKS 1, , ). Mon. Feb Mon. Feb. 12 Either/Or I: A on Aesthetics and Actuality. - Preface to Either/Or, authored by Victor Eremita, pp (Danish: SKS 2, 11-22) - The Unhappiest One in Either/Or, authored by A, pp (Danish: SKS 2, ). 4. Mon. Feb. 19 Either/Or I: A on Boredom and Nothingness. - Diapsalmata by A, in Either/Or, pp (Danish: SKS 2, 25-52). - Crop Rotation by A, in Either/Or, pp (Danish: SKS 2, ). 5. Mon. Feb. 26 Either/Or II: Wilhelm/ B on Taking Ownership of Choice. - The Equilibrium Between the Aesthetic and the Ethical by Wilhelm, in Either/Or, pp (Danish: SKS 3, ). First short paper due in class Mon. March 5 6. Mon. March 12 Either/Or II: Wilhelm/ B on Taking Ownership of Oneself. - The Equilibrium Between the Aesthetic and the Ethical by Wilhelm, in Either/Or, pp , (Danish: SKS 3, ). 4

5 7. Mon. March 19 Sickness Unto Death: The Self as a Synthesis. - Sickness Unto Death, pp , (Danish: SKS 11, ). Second short paper due in class 8. Mon. March 26 Sickness Unto Death: Not to Want to be a Self and to Want to be a Self. - Sickness Unto Death, pp , (Danish: SKS 11, ). Mon. March 26, 18:00 Film Night Film: Synecdoche, New York ** film at the Firestation at DIS (Skindergade 12, room 05) Mon. April 2 9. Mon. April 9 Sickness Unto Death: Despair is Sin. - Sickness Unto Death, pp (Danish: SKS 11, ). Mon. April Mon. April 23 The Lily and The Bird: Learning about Finitude from the Natural World. - The Lily in the Field and The Bird of the Air, pp (Danish: SKS 11, 7-48). 11. Mon. April 30 Works of Love and The Moment: A Socratic Mission. - Love Seeks Not Its Own in Works of Love (Danish: SKS 9, ) (pdf on Canvas/Absalon). - My Task in The Moment 10 (Danish: SKS 13, ) (pdf on Canvas/Absalon). Third short paper due in Thurs., May 3 The research paper is due on Fri., May 11 Late papers will be penalized a half-grade for each day after the due date. 5