Existentialism  (PHIL 210-001)

SPRING 2012

TR 9:30--10:50 am

Crawford Hall 303

Instructor: Dr. Jason K. Swedene

http://www.lssu.edu/faculty/jswedene

Office location and phone number: Arts Center 223 (phone:  635-2122)

e-mail: jswedene@lssu.edu

Office Hours: see website

 
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Required Texts:

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Course Requirements:

There will be two exams.  Generally, exams are in short answer format.  Make-up tests are given only as warranted by circumstance (e.g.,  documented illness or documented family emergency) and as granted by instructor.  Each test is worth 25% of your grade.

There will be one 5-7 page argumentative essay.  I will offer guidelines on how to write an appropriate argumentative essay, and I expect the papers to illustrate a degree of insight consistent with the intellectual maturity of a university student.  The paper is worth 20% of your grade.

There will be quizzes given at various times.  Sometimes the quizzes will be group quizzes, and these quizzes cannot be made up if you miss the class (or moment) it was given.  Instructor will drop the lowest quiz grade.  Your quiz average is 20% of your grade.

Participation is not optional.  Participation is being present, being aware and in-tune with the course material, and being a contributing member of the class.Learning philosophy is an exercise in evaluating others’ ideas as well as formulating one’s own ideas.  Keeping up-to-date with both the readings and course handouts are considered aspects of class participation.  It is 10% of your grade.    

You must attend class regularly and participate in class activities.  A one-half letter grade reduction will follow the 3rd unexcused absence and each absence thereafter. 

“In compliance with Lake SuperiorStateUniversity policy and equal access laws, disability-related (learning, medical, physical, etc.) accommodations and services are available.  Students are to meet with their professor in a timely manner, preferably the first week of class, to discuss their accommodation needs. Students will not receive services until they register with the ResourceCenter for Students with Disabilities (RCSD).  Proper registration will enable the RCSD to verify the disability and determine reasonable academic accommodations.  RCSD is located in Library 101, ext. 2454.”

Absence at a previous class is not an acceptable excuse for not completing assignments on time. 

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Calculating the final grade:

TEST 1 (Midterm)-                                                       25 %

TEST 2 (Final)-                                                             25 %

5-7 PAGE ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY                       20 %   (Grading Guidelines)

QUIZZES                                                                     20 %

PARTICIPATION                                                       10 %

=100%

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IPASS (Individual Plan for Academic Student Success):

If at mid-term your grades reflect that you are at risk for failing some or all of your classes, you will be contacted by a representative of IPASS. The IPASS program is designed to help you gain control over your learning through pro-active communication and goal-setting, the development of intentional learning skills and study habits, and personal accountability. You may contact 635-2887 or email ipass@lssu.edu if you would like to sign up early in the semester or if you have any questions or concerns.

The Americans with Disabilities Act & Accommodations:
In compliance with Lake Superior State University policies and equal 
access laws, disability-related accommodations or services are 
available to students with documented disabilities. If you are a student with a disability and you think you may require  accommodations you must register with Disability Services (DS), which  is located in the KJS Library, Room 130, (906) 635-2355 or x2355 on 
campus.  DS will provide you with a letter of confirmation of your 
verified disability and authorize recommended accommodations.  This 
authorization must be presented to your instructor before any 
accommodations can be made. Students who desire such services should meet with instructors in a 
timely manner, preferably during the first week of class, to discuss 
individual disability related needs. Any student who feels that an 
accommodation is needed – based on the impact of a disability – should 
meet with instructors privately to discuss specific needs.

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Cheating Policy:

Any form of cheating or plagiarism will result in certain disciplinary action, which might include failure of specific project and/or failure of the complete course.  Cheating includes (but is not limited to) the use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; or, the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of college faculty or staff. Quotations must be used when the words are not your own and citations must accompany the use of others’ ideas, even if you paraphrase their wording.  Failure to do so is plagiarism.

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ORDER of PHILOSOPHERS and their READINGS

--the order does not mirror the order in the book...

--Supplemental Readings will be copied or linked as they become available and relevant to in-class discussion:
--Most readings, unless noted, are found in our edited text, 'Basic Writings of Existentialism.'

Sartre (1905--1980)
Existentialism, 337-367

Kierkegaard (1813--1855)
Fear and Trembling: Problema I  (also see the stories of Abraham and Jephthah)
Fear and Trembling: Problema II

The Sickness unto Death : A and B

The Sickness unto Death : C

Dostoevsky (1821--1881)
Notes from the Underground: Part I
Brothers Karamazov: "The Grand Inquisitor" and (See also Jesus and the Tempation in the Desert)

Nietzsche (1856--1939)
On the Geneology of Morals: "First Essay" (pp. 111-144)

Unamuno (1864--1930)
"Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr"

Tragic Sense of Life: III: "The Hunger for Immortality"

Heidegger (1889--1976)
Being and Time, 299-336

     -Read up to p. 320 for first class and up to 336 for the next.

TEST ONE

Unamuno (1864--1930)

Mist (see list of required books)

    -Read up to p. 61 for the first class

    - up to p. 168 for the second one

   - up to p. 252 for the third one

   - up to 332 for the fourth one

Film One

Sartre (1905--1980)
Nausea (see list of required books)

Camus (1913--1960)
"The Myth of Sisyphus"

De Beauvoir (1908--1986)
"The Ethics of Ambiguity"

Paul Tillich (1886--1965)

Existentialism and Art ;   Ernest Hemmingway (1933) "A Clean Well-Lighted Place"

Ralph Ellison (1914--1994)
Invisible Man

Testing dates: First Exam (       ), Final Exam (check LSSU schedule)

Paper due date: on the last Tuesday of classes (by 2:00 pm): SUBMIT BY EMAIL.  NAME YOUR FILE by LAST NAME, COURSE, KEY WORD.  For example, my paper describing existentialist themes of love in Socrates would be sent as Swedene_PHIL210_SocratesAndLove.doc.   Late penalties----10% per day