Course Information
Course Designers: Carlos A. Sanchez and Professor Nicholaos Jones
Requirements for Completion: You will only receive an official grade on your final exam. However, in order to adequately prepare for this exam, we recommend that you work through the materials in each unit. In order to pass this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the final exam. Your score on the exam will be tabulated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam, you may take it again following a 7-day waiting period.
Time Commitment: While learning styles can vary considerably and any particular student will take more or less time to learn or read, we estimate that the "average" student will take 116.5 hours to complete this course. Each resource and activity within the course is similarly tagged with an estimated time advisory. We recommend that you work through the course at a pace that is comfortable for you and allows you to make regular (daily, or at least weekly) progress. It's a good idea to also schedule your study time in advance and try as best as you can to stick to that schedule.
It may be useful to take a look at these time advisories and determine how much time you have over the next few weeks to complete each unit, and then set goals for yourself. For example, Unit 1 should take you approximately 8.25 hours to complete. Perhaps you can sit down with your calendar and decide to complete Subunits 1.1 and 1.2 (estimated at 3 hours) on Monday night; Subunit 1.3 (estimated at 3.25 hours) on Tuesday night; Subunit 1.4 (estimated at 2 hours) on Wednesday night, etc.
Tips/Suggestions: Learning new material can be challenging, so below we've compiled a few suggested study strategies to help you succeed.
Take notes on the various terms, practices, and theories as you read. This can help you differentiate and contextualize concepts and later provide you with a refresher as you study. Some of the materials and assignments included in this course cover complex ideas and dense, comprehensive texts requiring that you build and synthesize concepts.
As you progress through the materials, take time to test yourself on what you have retained and how well you understand the concepts. The process of reflection is important for creating a memory of the materials you learn; it will increase the probability that you ultimately retain the information. If you find yourself struggling to understand any of the materials in this course, you may find it useful to re-read certain texts or take time to review your notes from previous units as you progress through new material.
Because the approach of this course is historical, you will find that some of the most important concepts - for instance, the concept of existence itself - have evolved with the passage of time. Reviewing your notes from previous units will be extremely helpful in such cases. You may also find it useful to explore further some of the primary resources used in this course, such as The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
If you find the philosophical conversations about death in this course particularly fascinating, you may also want to explore PHIL201: The Philosophy of Death.
Learning Outcomes
- Define the term existentialism;
- Name the key philosophical figures who have played a role in the history of existentialism;
- Explain the basic themes of existentialist thought;
- Distinguish the various approaches taken toward basic themes in existentialist philosophy as they are argued by different key figures within the movement;
- Compare and contrast common existentialist themes as they have been treated by different key figures within the movement;
- Summarize the unique contributions made to existentialist philosophy by each of the key figures within the movement; and
- Identify the contributions of existentialism - particularly the works of French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir - to the history of feminist thought.
Throughout this course, you'll also see related learning outcomes identified in each unit. You can use the learning outcomes to help organize your learning and gauge your progress.
Suggested Prerequisites
- Have read the Saylor Student Handbook.