We will explore the representation of alienation from the landscape, from society, from our bodies, and from time in works of philosophy and literature by such authors as Dostoevsky, Woolf, Eliot, Swir, Heidegger, Bergson, and Foucault. Class participation, two papers, in-class final exam. An examination of the historical development and representative themes of existentialism, beginning with Kierkegaard and Nietzsche and continuing through Sartre. In addition to strictly philosophical material, the class will examine the presence of existentialist themes in literature, films, music, and art. A textbook and two recent translations of the biblical texts required.
Emphasis is placed on understanding a variety of philosophical perspectives.
The student is encouraged to debate arguments of philosophers and to form independent positions. Two texts are required. Class discussion is essential. This course will explore what it means to have a feminist approach to philosophical problems and whether such problems can be considered 'gendered'. We will investigate feminist epistemologies and methodologies in an effort to understand their relationship to feminist ethics and politics.