Existentialism is a Humanism

HW due 2/9: Sartre

February 5, 2016 By Sean Leon

1. 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.

2. On Monday we will discuss The Rational Ordering of Society from The Encounter with Nothingness. Ensure that you are ready for that discussion.

3. Class Forum–Remember you must post by midnight Tuesday (in preparation for Wednesday’s class)! AND REMEMBER TO BRING A PRINTED COPY OF YOUR RESPONSE IN TO CLASS. The responses should be added to the reading response section of your binder. Be sure to include the heading and title each printed response.

4. Man’s Search for Meaning–We will begin reading over the break so try and order it (pick it up) this coming week.

HW10 due 4/20: Existentialism is a Humanism

April 15, 2015 By Sean Leon

1. Existentialism is a Humanism–(Read and annotate for Monday!) This reading sets us up for the last three texts of the year. Let it be known that this essay is conceptually/philosophically difficult. 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 the year’s final unit. Additionally, his essay establishes some of the tenets of existentialism that are universally applicable. As you read/annotate, keep this in mind: The entire essay is a defense of existentialism against the four reproaches noted on page 1A and the very top of 1B. In order to develop philosophical control of this reading, it is imperative that you do not wait until Sunday to read the essay! The essay is a necessary component of your PBA!

2. The Alchemist/Siddhartha Essay–(Due Wednesday, April 22nd) Remember, this is a “One and Done” essay. You will turn in a final draft on Wednesday and the grade given on that essay is the final grade. Naturally, this will be your greatest challenge up to this point! I expect to see 3/4 year’s worth of practice with thesis creation, paragraph development, evidence use, essay cohesion, etc. positively reflected in this essay. You have three options: A close analysis of The Alchemist, a close analysis of Siddhartha, or a comparative analysis of both. Keep in mind, the final draft should be 2 pages (first two options) or 2 1/2 pages (comparative option).

Key transition words for a comparative thesis: while, whereas, although, despite, however, on the other hand

Here are three sample comparative thesis templates:

While author a uses (device), author b uses (devices) to illustrate (similar theme).

Through the paradoxical relationship between the natural and fabricated worlds, both author a and author b suggest (similar theme).

Author a uses (device/tool) to suggest (theme); whereas, author b uses (device/tool) to illustrate (a more complex treatment of prior theme).

Again, these are just templates to show you the transition words at work.

If you are not comfortable with the comparative essay, choose one of the other options.

Tomorrow (4/16) we will work with the prewriting done in class on Monday and Tuesday. So, be sure to have that ready to go tomorrow! Here are the prompts from each day:

Monday–In preparation for a comparative essay, students should conclude class by writing down similarities and differences between The Alchemist and Siddhartha.
Tuesday–Students are to identify THREE literary devices/elements worthy of analysis. (i.e. motif of dreams). Then, they should locate a minimum of three quotations relevant to each device/element (for a total of 9 quotations). Finally, and most importantly, they are to brainstorm possible in-text arguments that can be born out of an analysis of each chosen device/element. For example, one may suggest that Hesse uses dreams in the novel to suggest that Siddhartha’s individuation catalyzes his existential despair and subsequent enlightenment.

HW12 due 2/9: Existentialism is a Humanism

February 6, 2015 By Sean Leon

Monday, we will continue/finish our discussion of Barrett’s The Encounter with Nothingness. Then, we will pick up with Sartre.

2. Class Forum–Remember you must post by midnight Sunday! AND REMEMBER TO BRING A PRINTED COPY OF YOUR RESPONSE IN TO CLASS.

HW12 due 9/15 (9/16 for 12G): The Encounter with Nothingness

September 12, 2014 By Sean Leon

*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.

HW10 due 4/30 (5/1 for 10G): No Exit

April 29, 2014 By Sean Leon

1. No Exit—Read up to p. 32 (stop at Estelle’s monologue). Continue to look for connections to Existentialism is a Humanism.

2. Existentialism is a Humanism—Read 10a through 11a (stop at “Let us, for example, examine the two following cases…”). This section details part of his defense against those who fear moral relativity.