Queens University of Belfast. School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy EXISTENTIALISM 210PHL329. Second Semester

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1 Queens University of Belfast School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy EXISTENTIALISM 210PHL329 Second Semester MODULE AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES MODULE DESCRIPTION AND AIMS This module will examine influential themes in the works of Søren Kierkegaard ( ), Friedrich Nietzsche ( ), Martin Heidegger ( ), Jean-Paul Sartre ( ) and Albert Camus ( ), including the following: the nature and significance of human existence, the inescapability of individual freedom and moral responsibility; bad faith; the absurd. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) acquire a familiarity with leading exponents of the philosophy of Existentialism, as well as some of the main objections to it, and (2) develop expertise in reading philosophical texts. SKILLS KEY Intellectual skills, e.g., critical analysis, creative thinking, problem solving; communication skills, e.g., oral, listening and written; improvement of learning and performance; managing information. EMPLOYABILITY Research and communication skills (written and oral), independent learning (organising and prioritising ideas), critical/independent thinking. SUBJECT SPECIFIC Listening/analytical/literacy/presentation skills; textual analysis; the comprehension and formulation of extended and cogent arguments; ability to participate in a tolerant and supportive learning environment; sensitivity to historically and culturally remote materials. MODULE ORGANISATION 1

2 Module Convenor Name Professor Bernard Cullen Room no. 18:202, School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy address Office hours Tu 12-1 Module Lecturers Professor Bernard Cullen Lecture information Tutorials Queen s Online Thursday 2-3 pm, immediately followed by seminar, 3-4 pm, PFC 208 See above Staff within the School determine individually the material that they are willing to make available to students via Queen s Online. It is School policy to include module outlines on Queen s Online. It is NOT the School s policy, however, that all lecture overheads and handouts are posted. This is the decision of individual module convenors and individual lecturers. METHOD OF ASSESSMENT ATTENDANCE Students must attend one lecture and one seminar per week ASSIGNMENTS Coursework: 35% Examination: 55% Tutorial Participation: 10% The coursework essay shall be words in length. Students will be penalised for an essay that is much too short or excessively long. The essay shall be due no later than TO BE CONFIRMED The examination component will be of two hours duration; students shall be required to answer two questions from six. Tutorial participation marks shall be allocated for attendance (up to 5%) and for tutorial presentation (up to 5%). ESSAY QUESTION Outline and discuss critically Kierkegaard s depiction of three stages on life s way. CONCEPTUAL EQUIVALENT MARKING SCALE 2

3 The School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy uses the University s conceptual equivalent marking scheme for all undergraduate assessment. Individual pieces of work are allocated a discrete mark. For further information on the University s conceptual equivalent marking scheme and the marks used, see the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy Undergraduate Handbook or (for general assessment information), and (for conceptual equivalent descriptors). TUTORIAL PARTICIPATION Students receive a mark out of 10 for their participation and general contribution to tutorials on all undergraduate modules excluding the dissertation, internship or project. This mark will count as 10% of the overall mark for the module. Marks will be awarded for individuals not groups. There will be a close correlation between a student s attendance record and the mark awarded for participation, so that a student with a poor attendance record will not be awarded a high performance mark. In effect, therefore, marks will be deducted for unexplained absences. No marks will be deducted in cases of occasional absences (up to a maximum of 3 tutorials) if medical certificates are submitted to the School Office covering each of these absences. Where more than three absences are covered by a medical certificate, the case will be referred to the School s Student Progress/ Examination Sub-Committee. The quality of your tutorial presentation may be considered by your tutor to count for up to half (but no more) of the marks available for overall participation. Consequently if you fail to show up for your presentation without good reason, you will automatically lose up to half of the marks available. The marks that will be awarded have conceptual equivalents as detailed below. Please bear this scale in mind as you prepare for and participate in tutorial discussions. Excellent: Excellent attendance. Consistent quality participation based on thorough preparation. Always displays analytical skills and a clear understanding of the issues. Able to cross relate issues and develop intelligent/reflective answers. Consistent quality contribution to discussions. *Excellent presentation: excellent delivery, thorough preparation, deep understanding, well timed, etc. Passable: Regular to infrequent attendance, with adequate to low level of preparation demonstrated when present. Successful in answering questions, but in a patchy way: e.g., principles and concepts may not be fully grasped or explained. When prompted, can usually explain the point with some clarity. Little real contribution to discussions. *Passable presentation: acceptable delivery, some preparation evident, understanding but patchy, tries to respect timing 3

4 Very Good: Very good attendance. Quality participation based on good preparation. Usually displays analytical skills and understanding of the issues. Evidence of capacity to cross relate issues and develop sound answers. Contributes positively to discussions. *Very good presentation: clear delivery, well prepared, sound understanding, well timed, etc. Good/Average: Regular attendance and preparation demonstrated. Either a lot of participation of variable quality, or less participation but of good quality. Demonstrates reasonable comprehension of the issues. Able to clarify responses and contribute to discussions. *Good presentation: comprehensible delivery, preparation, understanding, satisfactory timing, etc. limits, etc Unacceptable/Poor: Infrequent attendance without explanation or excuse. Little evidence of participation when present. Misses obvious issues; answers are unclear, disjointed. Contributes very little or nothing to discussions. *Poor presentation: little preparation, structureless delivery, little understanding if any, poor timing, etc. No Grade: 0 0 Very low level of attendance. Participation and contribution virtually non-existent or unhelpful. No preparation apparent. Unable to answer questions or to clarify vague and ambiguous answers. Apparent lack of commitment to study in the course. *Failure to deliver a presentation. SCHOOL POLICY STATEMENTS: STUDENT HANDBOOK Students should ensure that they are fully familiar with School policies as set out in the Undergraduate Handbook. You should note in particular the following: LATE SUBMISSION OF COURSEWORK QUB regulations state that late coursework is penalised at five percentage points per each working day (Mon-Fri), for up to 5 days after the due date, after which the coursework will receive an automatic 0. For example, an assignment that is three working days late will have 15 percentage points deducted. The School has implemented this policy. Students requiring extensions for medical or other reasons MUST fill out an extension application form in the School Office. PLAGIARISM: The School takes a very severe line on students who plagiarise work. Students who attempt to pass off another s work as their own will receive a mark of ZERO. In some cases, acts of plagiarism can result in the student failing the entire degree. Remember, plagiarism includes information from books, newspapers, journals AND the Internet. All suspected cases of plagiarism will be investigated in line with University procedures. For details of University Regulations on Academic Offences, see: This page also provides a link to guidance on how to identify and so avoid plagiarism ( Please also refer to the 4

5 School s General Study Guide for more information about referencing and plagiarism, as well as general advice on essay-writing: LANGUAGE The attention of students is drawn to the Guidelines on the Use of Gender-Free Language issued by the Equal Opportunities Unit at Queen's. Students are encouraged to follow these guidelines when taking modules offered by the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy. The Guidelines can be accessed via RE-SITS AND RESUBMISSIONS: If you fail the module, QUB regulations allow you to re-sit exams or re-submit your coursework for a MAXIMUM mark of 40 for the module. If you have failed the tutorial participation element for the module, it is important that any resubmitted or re-sat element gains a mark greater than a bare pass as no option exists to re-sit tutorial participation. For final year students, exam re-sits take place during the May/June exam period, and coursework resubmissions must be handed in by Thursday 17 May It is the student s responsibility to contact the School to find out about re-sits and resubmissions. NON-ADHERENCE TO ASSESSMENT INSTRUCTIONS If you contravene instructions concerning the content or coverage of an assignment -- for example, that it may not be on the same topic as a previous piece of assessment -- the assignment will be awarded a mark of zero. This only applies to assignments (including examinations) within a module. MEDICAL CERTIFICATES COVERING ABSENCE, LATE SUBMISSION OF COURSEWORK AND FAILURE TO SIT AN EXAMINATION Self-certification of illness is permitted for an absence of up to five working days. Selfcertification forms are available in the School Office. Fully completed self-certification forms or medical certificates must be submitted within THREE working days of returning to studies to the School Office in the School in which you are enrolled. Absences of longer than five working days OR failure to meet coursework assignment deadlines or absence from any examination or class test counting toward a module mark must be covered by a medical certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner. Medical certificates must be submitted to the relevant School Office within THREE working days of returning to studies. Medical certificates submitted after this period are not acceptable. During illness, and especially if you know you are going to miss an assignment deadline or an examination because of illness, you should inform the relevant School Office in advance by telephone or letter, either personally or, if too ill, via someone on your behalf. STUDENTS REGISTERED WITH DISABILITY SERVICES Students registered with disability services should contact each of their module convenors to discuss what arrangements can be made, in line with the recommendations from Disability Services, to facilitate their studies. 5

6 Where these are available, module convenors will arrange for lecture overheads to be provided (e.g., on Queen s Online). These may be in addition to any handouts provided at lectures. Staff may, at their own discretion, provide copies of lecture notes to students. Students in need of extensions to the deadlines for submitting assignments must discuss the matter with the relevant module convenors in advance of the deadline published in the module outline. They must also complete in full the form requesting an extension. The form is available from the School Office. Students wishing to discuss any academic issues arising from their disabilities are encouraged to contact the School s Disability and Welfare Officer, Dr Andrew Baker (a.baker@qub.ac.uk; ext. 3732). SCHOOL OF POLITICS, INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND PHILOSOPHY: STUDENT RESOURCE CENTRE The Student Resource Centre is situated on the ground floor of 63 University Rd. Opening hours are Monday to Thursday , and Friday The Centre offers students computing, printing and photocopying facilities, combined with areas for quiet study, or group work collaboration. Students have access to a large collection of off-print material, and a small library specializing in European Studies and International Relations titles. Please feel free to call in to the Resource Centre and have a look around. INTERESTED IN FURTHER STUDY The School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy offers masters programmes in the following areas: Comparative Ethnic Conflict International Politics Political Philosophy Research Violence, Terrorism and Security European Integration and Public Policy Irish Politics Politics Gender and Society For further details, see: LECTURE SCHEDULE WEEK DAY, TIME & TOPIC PLACE One (1 Feb) Th 2-4, PFC Introduction and Administration Two (8 Feb) Existentialist themes Three (15 Feb) Kierkegaard 1 Four (22 Feb) Kierkegaard 2 Five (1 Mar) Nietzsche 1 Six (8 Mar) Nietzsche 2 Seven (15 Mar) Heidegger 6

7 Eight (22 Mar) Sartre 1 Nine (29 Mar) Sartre APR NO LECTURES SPRING VACATION Ten (26 Apr) Sartre 3 Eleven (3 May) Summary and Conclusions Twelve (10 May) No lectures St Patrick s Holiday: 19 March May Day Holiday: 7 May Assessment Period: Thurs 17 May - Sat 2 June Tutorials will be held once a week beginning the third week of the semester (12-16 Feb). You should consult Queen s online ( to sign up for your tutorial groups. You are advised to do this as soon as possible to be sure you sign up for a suitable time. Once tutorial groups are full, students will be automatically blocked from signing up. Tutorials are compulsory in the School, and tutorial participation (see below) normally counts for 10% of your final grade. If you cannot attend a tutorial for legitimate reasons, you MUST contact your tutor beforehand to explain your absence (contact either directly or through the School Office). You must make every effort to acquire the class material if you are absent. READING LIST The primary texts for the module will be: Camus, A The Myth of Sisyphus (Penguin) PQ2605.A53/MYTH Heidegger, M Being and Time (Blackwell) B3279.H4/SEIN Kaufmann, W (1956) Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre (Meridian) B819/KAUF Kierkegaard, S The Essential Kierkegaard (Princeton UP) Either/Or (2 vols) (Princeton UP) B4372/PRIN; B4373 EITH Stages on Life s Way (Princeton UP) B4373/STAG Fear & Trembling (Penguin) B4373/FEAR Concluding Unscientific Postscript (Princeton UP) B4372/PRIN Molina, F (1969) The sources of existentialism as philosophy B819/MOLI Nangiulli, N (ed) (1981) The Existentialist Tradition B819/LANG Nietzsche, F (1977) A Nietzsche Reader, ed R J Hollingdale (Penguin) MacDonald, P (ed) (2001) The Existentialist Reader: An Anthology of Key Texts Sartre, J-P (2001) Basic Writings, ed S Priest (Routledge) Studies General Barrett, W (1960) Irrational man B819/BARR Blackham, H J (1961) Six existentialist thinkers B819/BLAC Cooper, D (1999) Existentialism: a reconstruction (2 nd ed, Blackwell) B819/COOP 7

8 Grene, M (1959) Grimsley, R (1955) Laing, R D (1965) May, R (ed) (1961) Solomon, R (1981) Warnock, M (1970) Warnock, M (1967) Kierkegaard Gardiner, P (1988) Gardiner, P (2002) Hannay, A (1982) Lowry, W (1965) Weston, M (1994) Introduction to existentialism B819/GREN Existentialist thought B819/GRIM The divided self: an existential study of sanity and madness (Penguin) HV3004/LAIN Existential psychology BF34/MAY Introducing the existentialists (Hackett) B819SOLO Existentialism B819/WARN Existentialist ethics B819/WARN Kierkegaard (OUP) B4377/GARD Kierkegaard: a very short introduction (OUP) Kierkegaard (Routledge) B4377/HANN A Short life of Kierkegaard (2 nd ed, Princeton UP) B4376/LOWR Kierkegaard and modern continental philosophy B4377/WEST Nietzsche Danto, A (1965) Nietzsche as philosopher (Macmillan) B3317/DANT Kaufmann, W (1968) Nietzsche: philosopher, psychologist, antichrist (3 rd B3316/KAUF Schacht, R (1983) Nietzsche B3317/SCHA ed Princeton UP) Heidegger King, M (1964) Heidegger s philosophy: a guide to his basic thought B3279.H49/ZZKI Kockelmans, J (1965) Martin Heidegger: a first introduction to his philosophy B3279.H49/ZZKO Luijpen, W A (1960) Existential phenomenology B819/LUIJ Philips, H (1998) Heidegger s philosophy of being B3279.H49/ZZPH Steiner, G (1978) Heidegger B3279.H4/STEI Sartre Barnes, H (1974) Sartre B2430.S2/ZZBA Caws, P (1979) Sartre B2430.S2/ZZCA Cumming, RD (1965) The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre B2430.S2/PHIL de Beauvoir, S (1962) Ethics of ambiguity BJ1063/BEAU 8

9 Grene, M (1973) Sartre B2430.S2/GREN Desan, W (1960) The tragic finale B2430.S2/ZZDE Howells, C (1993) The Cambridge companion to Sartre (CUP) B2430.S2/ZZHO Lévy, B-H (2003) Sartre: the philosopher of the twentieth century (Polity) B2430.S2/LEVY Schroeder, W (1984) Sartre and his predecessors B2430.S2/ZZSC Warnock, M (1965) The philosophy of Sartre B2430.S2/WARN Camus Brée, G (1974) Camus and Sartre: crisis and commitment PQ2605.A53/ZZBR O Brien, C C (1970) Camus PQ2605.A53/ZZOB Thody, P (1961) Albert Camus PQ2605.A53/ZZTH 9