Existentialist Themes

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Existentialism is one of the most important European philosophical movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. In this class, we will aim to understand the progression and evolution of claims and arguments in the existentialist tradition, reading authors such Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Marcel, Camus, and Sartre, paying close attention to their persuasiveness and implications for our lives. Through a close study of important existentialist texts, we will pose and attempt to answer such questions as: Which concepts can help us understand the meaning of everyday experience? What are the sources of value in life, and what are their limits? Who am I? What can I hope for? Can I be free?