Students

PHIL2038 – Existential Questions

2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Robert Sinnerbrink
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit studies key philosophical questions (the meaning of life and death, freedom and responsibility, politics and history) from the perspective of existentialist philosophy. The unit is organised around the most important texts in this tradition, focusing on the work of philosophers such as Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Simone de Beauvoir, and Hannah Arendt. We investigate the way in which existentialist thinkers explored philosophical questions through philosophy as well as literature, and focus in the second half of the unit on the uptake and influence of existentialist ideas in contemporary moral and political philosophy, cognitivist theory, and broader topics such as gender, race, colonialism, and democracy.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: To characterise and examine arguments and concepts in existentialist philosophy.
  • ULO2: To examine and appraise the history and significance of existentialism within the history of philosophy.
  • ULO3: To evaluate the relevance and apply existentialist approaches in broader social, cultural and political debates.
  • ULO4: To investigate and theorise ideas clearly, cogently, and convincingly through critical analysis and philosophical discussion.

General Assessment Information

General Assessment Information

Submission of Assessments

All assessment pieces are to be submitted via Turnitin portals that will be made available the unit's iLearn site. Written assessment pieces will be run through the Turnitn software which detects unoriginal work.

Extensions and Disruption to Studies Extensions and Penalties

All work must be submitted on time unless an extension has been granted. Requests for extensions must be made in writing BEFORE the due date and will only be considered on serious grounds. Extensions will not be given unless good reasons and appropriate evidence (e.g., medical certificates, counsellor's letters) are presented at the earliest opportunity. Please note that work due concurrently in other subjects is NOT an exceptional circumstance and does not constitute a legitimate reason for an extension.

Late Assessment Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

To obtain an extension you must submit a Disruption to Studies application. See below for details.

Disruption to Studies Policy

The University classifies a disruption as serious and unavoidable if it:

• could not have reasonably been anticipated, avoided or guarded against by the student; and

• was beyond the student's control; and • caused substantial disruption to the student's capacity for effective study and/or completion of required work; and

• occurred during an event critical study period and was at least three (3) consecutive days duration, and / or

• prevented completion of a final examination.

Students with a pre-existing disability/health condition or prolonged adverse circumstances may be eligible for ongoing assistance and support. Such support is governed by other policies and may be sought and coordinated through Campus Wellbeing and Support Services.

How to submit a Disruption to Studies Notification 

The Disruption to Studies Notification must be completed and submitted online through www.ask.mq.edu.au within five (5) working days of the commencement of the disruption.

Applying for Special Consideration

1. Log in at ask.mq

2. Click 'Special Consideration' from the 'Submit' menu on the left

3. Fill in the required fields as prompted. Once you have completed filling out the information, please click on 'Submit'.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Tutorial Participation 20% No Week 2 to Week 12
Philosophical Essay 40% No Week 13
Reflective Exercise 25% No Week 7
Online Quizzes 15% No Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

Tutorial Participation

Assessment Type 1: Facilitation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 2 to Week 12
Weighting: 20%

Students shall participate in active discussion, dialogue and debate in either on campus or online tutorial activities across the semester.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To characterise and examine arguments and concepts in existentialist philosophy.
  • To evaluate the relevance and apply existentialist approaches in broader social, cultural and political debates.
  • To investigate and theorise ideas clearly, cogently, and convincingly through critical analysis and philosophical discussion.

Philosophical Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%

A long essay discussing, analysing, and evaluating key concepts and arguments in existentialist philosophy.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To characterise and examine arguments and concepts in existentialist philosophy.
  • To examine and appraise the history and significance of existentialism within the history of philosophy.
  • To evaluate the relevance and apply existentialist approaches in broader social, cultural and political debates.
  • To investigate and theorise ideas clearly, cogently, and convincingly through critical analysis and philosophical discussion.

Reflective Exercise

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 25%

Students shall complete a short reflective written exercise explaining and applying ideas studied in this unit to examples of their own choosing.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To characterise and examine arguments and concepts in existentialist philosophy.
  • To examine and appraise the history and significance of existentialism within the history of philosophy.
  • To evaluate the relevance and apply existentialist approaches in broader social, cultural and political debates.

Online Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
Weighting: 15%

Online quizzes on weekly topics designed as an ongoing revision exercise.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To examine and appraise the history and significance of existentialism within the history of philosophy.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

This unit uses an iLearn website and Echo360 lecture recordings (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/ MQ/). The website contains links to the reading material, lecture notes, lecture recordings, and other learning materials such as video clips, weblinks, and images. Students will therefore require access to a computer and a good internet connection in order to access all the material, and participate in the unit effectively. PHIL2038 will be delivered using a combination of lectures (live and pre-recorded) and tutorial class discussion work (either on campus or via Zoom). Lectures are organised around key texts in which fundamental concepts and arguments are introduced and explained. The weekly quizzes are designed to practise the various skills required in philosophical writing. They will be scaffolded to help students in the preparation for tackling Assessment tasks. For lecture times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au. This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and classroom locations.

Lectures

Monday 9am -11am (Echo360 Online Lecture Recordings will be posted on Monday mornings)

Tutorials

Tutorial 1 Option: Monday 11am-12noon (online Zoom tutorial)

Tutorial 2: Monday 12noon-1pm; 4 Western Rd - 221 Tutorial Rm

[Any further Tutorial on-campus classes TBA]

Weekly tutorials will begin in WEEK 2 and will continue until Week 12 (Week 13 tutorial will be a peer review session for the Essay).

Unit Schedule

Week 1 Introduction to PHL238: What is Existentialism?

There is only one serious philosophical problem” (Camus): the question of the meaning of existence, to live an authentic life; the question at the root of all philosophical inquiries.

Required Reading: Stephen Crowell, 'Existentialism', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, online entry (2015): https://plato.stanfor d.edu/entries/existentialism/

Background Reading: Douglas Burnham and George Papandreopolous, 'Existentialism', Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, online entry: https://www.iep.utm.edu/existent/

Recommended: Sarah Bakewell, 'Think big, be free, have sex ... 10 reasons to be an existentialist', The Guardian, Philosophy Books, March 4, 2016: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/04/ten-reasons-to-be-an-existentialist

 

Week 2 The Absurd – Camus’ challenge

Required Reading: Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, chapter 1

Background reading: Ronald Aronson, 'Albert Camus', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2017): https://plato.stanford.edu/entrie s/camus/

Recommended: 'Albert Camus', The Book of Life (The School of Life): https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/albert-camus/

 

Weeks 3 to 4 Boredom, Death and Care – Heidegger’s challenge

Required Reading: extracts from Martin Heidegger, Being and Time, What is Metaphysics?

Background reading: Martin Wheeler, 'Martin Heidegger', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/he idegger/

 

Week 5 The Power of Nothingness – Sartre’s Challenge

Required Reading: extract from Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism

Background reading: Thomas Flynn, 'Jean-Paul Sartre,' Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sartr e/

 

Week 6 The Authentic Body: Merleau-Ponty’s challenge

Required Reading: Maurice Merleau-Ponty, extracts from The Phenomenology of Perception

Background Reading: Ted Toadvine, 'Maurice Merleau-Ponty', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entri es/merleau-ponty/

 

Week 7 The Authentic Self and the Other

Required Reading: Heidegger, “The They” (from Being and Time); Sartre’s “being-for-other” (from Being and Nothingness and No Exit); Merleau-Ponty’s concept of co-presence (from his Phenomenology of Perception)

Background reading: Somogy Varda and Charles Guignon, 'Authenticity', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanfor d.edu/entries/authenticity/

 

“What ought I to do”? Morality, Politics and Art as Existential Tasks

 

Week 8 Nature versus History – Camus’ response to the Absurd

Required Reading: Albert Camus, extracts from The Rebel, Nuptials at Tipasa, The Outsider

Background reading: Ronald Aronson, 'Albert Camus', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2017): https://plato.stanford.edu/entrie s/camus/

 

Week 9 De Beauvoir and Feminist Existentialism

Required Reading: Simone de Beauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity, chapter 1; extracts fromThe Second Sex

Background reading: Debra Bergoffen, 'Simone de Beauvoir', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entrie s/beauvoir/

 

Week 10 Black existentialism

Required Reading: Jean-Paul Sartre, Black Orpheus; Frantz Fanon, extracts from Black Skin, White Masks; Lewis Gordon, extracts from Existence in Black

Background reading: John Dabrinksi 'Frantz Fanon', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/frantz-f anon/

 

Week 11 Arendt: politics as authentic life

Required Reading: Hannah Arendt, extracts from The Human Condition

Background reading: Maurizio Passerin D'Entreves, 'Hannah Arendt,' Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.ed u/entries/arendt/

 

Week 12 Existentialist aesthetics

Required Reading: Maurice Merleau-Ponty, extracts from Eye and Mind; Jean-Paul Sartre, What is Literature?, Martin Heidegger, The Origin of the Work of Art

Background Reading: Jean-Philippe Deranty, 'Existentialist Aesthetics', Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanfor d.edu/entries/aesthetics-existentialist/

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

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Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

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