Philosophy 7

Summer 2010 Session A

Number Title Instructor Days/time Room
7 Existentialism in Literature&Film Tsai MTuWTh 10-12 215 Dwinelle

In this course, we will examine responses to the threat of nihilism—that is, the threat that life is meaningless—in works of philosophy, literature, and film. To do so, we will grapple with a number of questions including: What is our relation to the divine? How can life be worth living after the death of God? How can one live a meaningful life? What makes an individual person or life authentic? What is the significance of death? We will read works by Schopenhauer, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Kafka, Sartre, Camus, and others, and view films including Crimes and Misdemeanors, Groundhog Day, The Big Lebowski, American Beauty, and Talk to Her.

Previously taught: FL09, SP08, SP06, SP04.