HUM 560R Humanities Colloquium: Existentialism
Incorporating readings from philosophy and literature, this interdisciplinary seminar explores questions of meaning and value in human existence, particularly those connected to our attempts to live authentically as individuals who are essentially connected to one another. Topics to be discussed include the challenges of dealing with anxiety, despair and alienation and the role of love and relationships in making life worth living. Primary authors are Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre and Camus. With readings from Kierkegaard's Works of Love and Either/Or, the course will explore romantic, marital and divine love and the role of each in helping us respond to anxiety and despair. With Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra we will discuss the character of the übermensch and his rejection of the divine, love of the earth and anticipation of a posthuman future. With selections from Sartre's Being and Nothingness and No Exit, we will explore human consciousness and desire and role of the Other in shaping how we see ourselves. Finally, with Camus's The Plague we will discuss the absurd hero and the significance of friendship and working in solidarity with others to fight disease and face human mortality.
Offered
As Needed