Existentialism
Phil 339:01, Fall 2007
Dr. McWhorter
Existentialism was a philosophical movement that began
in Europe between the two World Wars and extended into the 1960s.
As its precursors it claimed, among others, the 19th-century philosophers
Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. In this course, we
will examine both these precursors, as well as G.W.F. Hegel, and
some of the major thinkers within the Existentialist movement,
such as Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre.
This course is open to all students, regardless of previous exposure to philosophy. However, as with any 300-level course, students without any prior experience in the discipline should look over this syllabus and talk with the professor about requirements and expectations before enrolling.
The books listed below are required for this course and
are available for purchase in the UR bookstore.
Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit
Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death
Nietzsche, The Gay Science
Sartre, Being and Nothingness
Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity
Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus
In addition, students are required to select and read one of the following books for the Existentialist Literature Assignment. These books are available in the UR library, in local bookstores, and online. Students are responsible for securing a copy of their book of choice.
Simone de Beauvoir, All Men Are Mortal
Albert Camus, The Plague
Jean Genet, Our Lady of the Flowers
Kenzaburo Oe, A Personal Matter
Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea
Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich
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