Existentialism

Module title	Existentialism
Module code	PHL2002
Academic year	2024/5
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Luna Dolezal (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	30

Module description

This module offers a critical introduction to existentialism, one of the most influential philosophical and cultural movements of the twentieth century. Existentialism takes as its starting point an individual’s existence and claims that thinking about human existence requires new categories not found in the conceptual repertoire of ancient or modern thought. While there is no consistent doctrine or methodology within existentialist philosophy, there are a number of common themes and problems, which revolve particularly around the issues of radical freedom, authenticity and nihilism. This module will trace the origins and development of existentialism in the 19^th and 20^th centuries through several key philosophical, social and literary thinkers: Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Frantz Fanon, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ralph Ellison and Albert Camus. Existential themes that will be critically explored through philosophical and literary texts include: nothingness, existence, ambiguity, facticity, angst, bad faith, responsibility, despair, the Other, death, alienation, mass society and essence. Related social and political themes will be explored, including the influence of existentialism on questions related to political resistance, ethics, gender, race and religion.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the place of existentialism as a philosophical tradition, while also exploring the cultural movement of existentialism that flourished in Europe during the 20^th century. The module will situate existentialism within the history of philosophy and critically explore and investigate the challenges associated with the practice and method of existentialism as a philosophical movement. In addition, the module will explore the intersections between philosophical existentialism and literary existentialism. A further aim is to encourage you to be able to reflect existentially about your own lived experience and to explore the contemporary relevance of the existential approach to a variety of topics and disciplines.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Identify and cogently discuss the key methods, questions, themes and topics within the existential tradition
2. Critically distinguish and evaluate various approaches to existentialism, and related critiques, within the 20th century

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Demonstrate a high level of understanding of the interrelation between theories, values and lived experience
4. Demonstrate sound knowledge of different types of philosophical analysis

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Demonstrate a significantly expanded philosophical vocabulary and understanding with respect to key ideas in twentieth century European philosophy
6. Engage in complex arguments both orally and through writing
7. Conduct research independently engaging with complex ideas and problems

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics/texts:

Introduction to Existentialism & Soren Kierkegaard

Friedrich Nietzsche – The Gay Science

Martin Heidegger – Being and Time

Jean-Paul Sartre – ‘Existentialism as Humanism’

Jean-Paul Sartre – Nausea and Being & Nothingness

Simone de Beauvoir – The Second Sex and The Ethics of Ambiguity

Albert Camus – The Outsider and The Myth of Sisyphus

Fyodor Dostoyevsky – Notes from Underground

Frantz Fanon – Black Skins, White Masks

Ralph Ellison – The Invisible Man

Soren Kierkegaard – 'Subjectivity is Truth, Truth is Subjectivity’

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics/texts:

Introduction to Existentialism & Soren Kierkegaard

Friedrich Nietzsche – The Gay Science

Martin Heidegger – Being and Time

Jean-Paul Sartre – ‘Existentialism as Humanism’

Jean-Paul Sartre – Nausea and Being & Nothingness

Simone de Beauvoir – The Second Sex and The Ethics of Ambiguity

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	22	11 x 2 hours per week comprising of lectures and seminars. Close readings of key texts will be part of lecture/seminar activities.
Guided Independent Study	45	Preparation for lectures and seminar participation including reading and planning.
Guided Independent Study	83.5	Independent research for glossary entry and essay.

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Glossary Entry Essay Plan	300 words	1-7	Written

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Glossary Entry	40	1,000 words	1-7	Written
Essay	60	2,750 words	1-7	Written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Glossary Entry	Glossary Entry (1,000 words)	1-7	August/September reassessment period
Essay	Essay (2,750 words)	1-7	August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Indicative Reading List:
Readings will primarily come from the following two anthologies:
1. Basic Writings of Existentialism, edited by Gordon Marino (Modern Library, 2004)
2. Existentialism Basic Writings, Second Edition , Edited by Charles Guignon and Derk Pereboom (Hackett Publishing, 2001).

Indicative readings will include extracts from the following philosophical and literary works:
Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness
Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea
3. Jean-Paul Sartre, ‘Existentialism is a Humanism’
4. Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex
Simone de Beauvoir, The Blood of Others
Martin Heidegger, Being and Time
7. Albert Camus, The Outsider
Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus
Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science
Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling
Soren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death
Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man
Selected Secondary Texts:
A Companion to Phenomenology and Existentialism – edited by H.L. Dreyfus and M.A. Wrathall (Blackwell Publishers)
The Cambridge Companion to Existentialism ¬– edited by S. Crowell (Cambridge University Press)
Iris Murdoch – Sartre: Romantic Rationalist
Iris Murdoch – Essays on “Encountering Existentialism” from Existentialists and Mystics.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Key words search

Existentialism, 20^th Century Philosophy, Continental Philosophy, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Frantz Fanon, Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Ralph Ellison.

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	5
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	23/01/2018
Last revision date	09/05/2022