PHIL 149 A: Existentialism and Film

Autumn 2020
Meeting:
to be arranged / * *
SLN:
20172
Section Type:
Lecture
Instructor:
OFFERED VIA REMOTE LEARNING
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

Phil149b.jpg

What makes life worth living? Is morality just a convenient fiction? What is the nature of the human condition? Is God dead, or just playing hard to get? This course investigates the works of several existentialist philosophers, including Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Beauvoir, and Sartre, and uses their works to interpret and analyze the philosophical content of angst-ridden cinema from the French New Wave to BoJack Horseman.

Course Structure

For Autumn 2020, lectures will be asynchronous, so you do not need to be available during lecture time. Lectures will be recorded and uploaded to Canvas, so you can watch them any time.

Quiz sections will meet live once per week in the time assigned in the UW time schedule. Note: all sections are now remote. No part of this course is in person.

  • Section AA: Zoom
  • Section AB: Zoom
  • Section AC: Zoom
  • Section AD: Zoom
  • Section AE: Zoom
  • Section AF: Zoom
  • Section AG: Zoom
  • Section AH: Zoom
  • Section AI: Zoom

There is an optional W credit for this class, even though it is not listed as such in the time schedule. To receive W credit, you will need to do an optional assignment of revising one of your shorter papers into longer paper, based on feedback from your TA.

Ignore any assignments and due dates if you see them below. This site is still under construction. A syllabus with assignments and course grade policy will be posted just before classes start.

Catalog Description:
What makes life worth living? Is morality just a convenient fiction? What is the nature of the human condition? Is God dead, or just playing hard to get? Investigates the works of several existentialist philosophers, including Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Beauvoir, and uses their works to interpret and analyze the philosophical content of angst-ridden cinema of the French New Wave and Hollywood film noir.
GE Requirements Met:
Social Sciences (SSc)
Arts and Humanities (A&H)
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
March 24, 2024 - 1:49 pm