Interpreting Culture (202-0-21)

Topic

French Existentialism

Instructors

Scott Durham
8474914660
1860 S. Campus Drive, Crowe Hall #2-141

Meeting Info

University Hall 121: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 11:50AM

Overview of class

This course, taught in English, will serve as an introduction to existentialism, which not only defined the literary, philosophical and political culture for French intellectuals of the post-war period, but also remain indispensable for an understanding of various currents of contemporary literature and culture. We shall begin by discussing the philosophical and literary foundations of existentialism. Then we will examine the moral, social and political questions central to existentialism, as worked out in the fiction, drama, and essays of such authors as Sartre, Beauvoir, Beckett, and Fanon. Finally, we will consider the extent to which post-existentialist thought and culture may be read as a continuation of or as a reaction against existentialism.

Class Materials (Required)

1. Beauvoir, The Second Sex
2. Beckett, Waiting For Godot
3. Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth
4. Genet, The Screens
5. Sartre, What is Literature?
6. Sartre, Nausea
7. Sartre, The Flies

Class Attributes

Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Associated Classes

DIS - University Hall 118: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM

DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM

DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-325: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM