RELG 372: Religion and Existentialism
(In most afternoons, 1-4,
or MWF mornings, 8:30-11; drop by or by appt.)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Existentialism is a movement which seeks to take the realities of the human condition, its suffering, finiteness and mortality, with extreme seriousness. While generalities abound, by and large it does not offer cosmic comfort cushions to ease the burden of life. It does not rely on answers derived from traditional sources, such as those offered by religions of revelation. It demands an intense gaze at the harsh, unvarnished realities of the world in which we live, and often seems bleak and unconsoling. But it carries with it a promise, that for those who do not turn away from the realm of suffering, a realm of personal meaning may be discovered, and courage may be forged.
While the subject may be approached philosophically, this course will take a more literary direction. The texts used invite us to muse with the authors on how their characters faced their dilemmas, even as we confront our own. The challenge may be to see how we can develop coping strategies in response to life situations which are often difficult, and do not lend themselves to easy solutions.
EVALUATION:
Since we are considering many personal stories, the course lends itself to personal reflection. Thus a key part of the course will be the keeping of a journal, to be submitted three times, responding to course materials on the basis of your own values and experience. Each of these submissions will be weighed as 20% of the course grade. In addition, to stimulate seminar exchange, each participant will present two of these journal entries to the class, with a handout of one or two pages, and these will also be weighed at 20% apiece.
TEXTS:
(In alphabetical order, by author)
deBeauvoir, Simone- A Very Easy Death
Camus, Albert- The Stranger
Ellison, Ralph- The Invisible Man
Gide, Andrew- The Immoralist
Hersey, John- Hiroshima
Hesse, Hermann- Siddhartha
Hospital, Jeanette Turner- Due Preparations for the Plague
Kazantzakis, Nikos- Zorba the Greek
Mishima, Yukio- The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea
Sartre, Jean Paul- Nausea
In addition, several short articles will be found in a course packet, available from Academic Advantage.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
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Aug. 18
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Introduction: What is Existentialism? Buddhism.
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Aug. 23
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Hesse- Siddhartha, pp. 1-59
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Aug. 25
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Hesse- '' rest of book
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Aug. 30
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Dostoevsky, "The Grand Inquisitor"
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Sept. 1
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Kafka, "A Report to the Academy"
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Sept. 6
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Camus- "An Absurd Reasoning"
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Sept. 8
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Camus- "The Myth of Sisyphus" and "Return to Tipasa"
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Sept. 13
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Camus- The Stranger, part l
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Sept. 15
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Camus- '' '' part 2
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Sept. 20
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Gide- The Immoralist, part 1 First Journals due
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Sept. 22-
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Gide- '' '' part 2
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Sept. 27
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deBeauvoir- A Very Easy Death, part 1
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Sept. 29
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deBeauvoir- '' '' '' '' part 2
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Oct. 4-
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Sartre- Nausea, part 1
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Oct. 6-
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Sartre- '' part 2
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Oct 11
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Nietzsche- "Thus Spake Zarathustra"
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Oct. 13
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FALL BREAK!!
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Oct. 18
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Kazantzakis- Zorba the Greek, part 1
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Oct. 20
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Kazantzakis- '' '' ''
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Oct. 25
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Ellison- The Invisible Man, part 1 Second Journals Due
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Oct. 27
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Ellison- '' '' ''
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Nov. 1
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Mishima- Temple of the Golden Pavilion, part 1
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Nov. 3
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Mishima- '' '' '' '' '' part 2
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Nov. 8
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Hersey- Hiroshima, part 1
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Nov 10
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Hersey- '' part 2
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Nov. 15
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Hospital- Due Preparations for the Plague, part 1
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Nov. 17
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Hospital- '' '' '' '' '' part 2
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Nov. 22
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Guest Lecturer, Janette Turner Hospital
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Nov. 24
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THANKSGIVING!!
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Nov. 29
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War Letters from Andrew Carroll's book, Behind the Lines
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Dec. 1
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Conclusions; French, Zen and the Art of Anything, "Thriving and Surviving"
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Dec. 6
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Final Journals Due
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back to French page
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