*We begin The Stranger next weekend! Please buy your own copy if you can.*
1. Read and annotate William Barrett’s The Encounter with Nothingness (Second reading in the packet). Be sure to read all three parts (the third part being Science and Finitude). Barrett’s reading will give us just a nugget of context before we move ahead. Remember, you must annotate all readings for this class! Failure to do so will result in a zero! You will learn how to provide some focus to your annotations. Ultimately, focused annotating prepares you for your reading responses, formal essays, and class discussions. To annotate is to supply with critical or explanatory notes:
- identifying lines that resonate with you, confuse you, or make you want to know more
- asking questions of general thematic/philosophical value
- tracking the development of a theme that may connect to one or more of the philosophical readings or other fiction.
2. Due 9/16 (9/17 for 12G): Existentialism is a Humanism–Jean Paul Sartre is often the first name to come to mind when one considers Existentialism. His brand of atheistic existentialism so dominates the existential landscape that one forgets that the “first existentialist” Kierkegaard was indeed a theist. Nevertheless, Sartre’s essay most clearly defines the existential mindset. It becomes a fundamental piece of this course’s foundation. Additionally, his essay establishes some of the tenets of existentialism that are universally applicable. Read and ANNOTATE! Be sure you are able to discuss the four reproaches of existentialism and his defense against those reproaches.
3. Due 9/16 (9/17 for 12G): Forum Response Be sure you post your response in the appropriate class forum in the appropriate thread. DO NOT START YOUR OWN THREAD! 🙂 REMEMBER: Your responses are due by midnight. So, for 12C, you should post your response no later than Tuesday night at midnight (Wednesday at midnight for 12G). Also, all responses should be printed out including proper class heading. Each response should be numbered and titled. So, this one should look like: #3: Existentialism is a Humanism.
