Introduction to Existentialism

Course Description 

This class is an introduction to existentialism, one of the most influential intellectual currents of the 20th century. The existentialists’ characteristic preoccupations arise from what they see as threats to human freedom arising from such diverse forces as religious conformity, cultural homogenization, unfeeling rationality and mass society. In this course, we will explore the existentialists’ philosophical responses to these threats, beginning with the roots of the movement in the 19th century. In addition to philosophical texts, we will read literary texts and watch films in order to familiarize ourselves with the wide range of genres in which existentialist themes are explored. 

Student Learning Outcomes 

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 

• comprehend the existentialists’ characteristic preoccupations; 
• relate existentialist concerns to earlier ideas in the philosophical tradition; 
• place existentialist notions within a social historical context; 
• intelligently discuss the existentialists’ philosophical responses to the threats to human freedom arising from such diverse forces as religious conformity, cultural homogenization, unfeeling rationality and mass society; and 
• apply their knowledge of existentialist concerns with the wide range of genres in which existentialist themes are explored, such as philosophical texts, literary texts, films.