General information
Instructor
Here is more information about ProfLotz
Class Meetings
Days: MW
Time: 10:20 AM – 11:40 AM
Place: Natural Sciences Bldg 205
Office
Phone: 517.355.4490 [dept.])
Place: 503 South Kedzie Hall
Hours: before or after class or via appointment
Other Contact
E-mail: lotz@msu.edu
Home Phone: please ask
Webpage: http://christianlotz.info
Box
You will find my box in the front office of the philosophy department (SK 503)
Schedule
Introduction
Jan 10, Introduction
Marcuse, On Concrete Philosophy (D2L, and sent out via email on 1/8)
Jan 12, Introduction: From Hegel to Kierkegaard
Löwith, The Dissolutions of Hegel’s Mediations in the Exclusive Choices of Marx and Kierkegaard (D2L), focus on sections 1 & 2b & 3b
Jan 17, MLK Day
No class
Section I: Subjectivity
Jan 20, Truth is Subjectivity
Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, ch.2, 189-212
Jan 24, Truth is Subjectivity
Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, ch.2, 212-251
Jan 26, What it Means to Exist
Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, ch.3, 301-343
Weekend Assignment 1 due (Jan 30, 4pm)
Jan 31, What it Means to Exist
Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, ch.3, 343-361
Feb 2, no class (email sent on 2/1)
Feb 7, Becoming Subjective
Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, ch.1, 127-154
Feb 9, Becoming Subjective
Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, ch.1, 154-189
Section II: Faith
Weekend Assignment 2 due (Feb 13, 4pm)
Feb 14, Faith
Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, 1-54
Feb 16, Faith
Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, 1-54
Feb 21, Faith
Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, 1-54
Feb 23, Teleological Suspension of the Ethical
Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, 54-82
In-Class Group Assignment
Feb 28, Is there an Absolute Duty to God?
Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, 82-123
Weekend Assignment 3 due (Feb 27, 4pm)
[CHANGED, new assignment sent out via email]
Mar 2, no class
Mar 7, Break
No class
Mar 9, Break
No class
Midterm Writing Assignment due (Mar 13, 4pm)
Section III: Despair
Mar 14, Despair to (not) Will to be Oneself
Kierkegaard, Sickness Onto Death, 1-29
Mar 16, Despair as Sickness Unto Death
Kierkegaard, Sickness Onto Death, 1-29
Mar 21, Fantastic Self-Relations
Kierkegaard, Sickness Onto Death, 29-42
Mar 23, no class
Weekend Assignment 4 due (Mar 27, 4pm) [on 29-42 OR 42-75]
Mar 28, (Un)Conscious Despair
Kierkegaard, Sickness Onto Death, 42-75
Session V: Reception
Mar 30, Buber reads Kierkegaard
Buber, The Question to the Single One (D2L)
Apr 4, Levinas and Sartre read Kierkegaard
Levinas, Existence and Ethics
Sartre, Kierkegaard: The Single Universal (D2L)
Apr 6, Derrida reads Kierkegaard
Derrida, Whom to Give to (D2L)
Weekend Assignment 5 due (Apr 10, 4pm)
Apr 11, Derrida reads Kierkegaard
Derrida, Whom to Give to (D2L)
Apr 13, Adorno reads Kierkegaard
Adorno, Kierkegaard Once More (D2L)
Apr 18, tbd
Apr 20, Wrap-Up
Last class
Apr 25, No class
No class
Apr 27, No class
No class
Final Paper Due
Monday, May 02, 2022, 10:20 AM via D2L
Course Description
In this 400-level class we will read advanced works in existentialist philosophy by focusing on Kierkegaard’s conceptions of self, anxiety, despair, faith, and individuality in order to reconstruct more advanced existentialist issues. In addition, we will read and discuss essays on Kierkegaard by European philosophers, such as Lukacs, Adorno, Sartre, Buber, Schmitt, Derrida, and Theunissen. Texts to be read and discussed: Sickness unto Death, The Concept of Anxiety, Fear and Trembling, Concluding Unscientific Postscript.
Note: this is an upper-level academic seminar and, as such, a reading intensive course. If you are not willing to get engaged with the texts of one of the most important existentialist philosophers, then do not take this class.
ZOOM/COVID-19 (added: 1/2/22)
- This class will be taught via ZOOM – hopefully only for three weeks – in a classical fashion. I will talk about the readings and we will have discussions about the issues discussed in the texts.
- The primary text will be the absolute focus of this class; we will read slowly passages together.
- Our ZOOM sessions require you to be polite and attentive; as such, I do not want you to turn off your microphone, which, in turn, should make it easier for you to focus on the class session. Please make sure that you are in a quiet spot (at a desk or a table), and that you enter our meetings on time.
- Please use a headset, which helps us create a more “intimate” atmosphere; headset microphones usually remove background noise; inexpensive headsets can easily be found online. If you can’t afford a headset (or don’t want to use one), then please try to use at least headphones or ear buds.
- If multiple participants are speaking, and if they also use external speakers to hear the meeting audio, there can be an echo loop. Zoom uses echo cancellation to address this problem. However, headset/headphones/earbuds will eliminate this problem.
- Please also do not turn off your camera (unless your internet connection is very slow), as this will also help everyone focus on our class session and eliminate distractions.
- Please do not use your phone for ZOOM sessions.
- Please do not use your phone for reading the material. This is a philosophy class. It is simply impossible to study philosophical texts via such a small screen. I recommend getting the readings selected for class on paper.
- Set ZOOM to “gallery view” (instead of “speaker view”), as this makes it easier to see everyone in class (i.e., not only the speaker). Our class is small. So, “gallery view” should work just fine.
Introductory Information
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kierkegaard/
Note
This is a 400-level course in philosophy and, as such, contains difficult material and requires mature students. If you are not willing to study dense written material, listen to unusual lectures, and discuss ideas in an organized fashion, then you should not take this class. This class though can be taken by students without prior knowledge in philosophy. You should not take this class if you are not an avid reader.
Course Goals
This class should students introduce to
- a central Existentialist philosopher, S. Kierkegaard
- main concepts in Kierkegaards universe, such as faith, anxiety, and despair
- how to read carefully philosophical texts
- how to think like an Existentialist!
Note
Students should be aware of the fact that this course is based on difficult texts. Accordingly, this class requires self-responsible learners and an intense confrontation with the primary text. Accordingly, if you are not excited about the prospect of a daily confrontation with abstract and historical reflections, then you should not take this class. This class is not based on a set of fixed knowledge and, as such, is not based on a behavioral idea of education; rather, we will try to learn together and critically examine the material. The instructor of this class does not have anything to teach, but much to learn.
Required Texts
The following titles have been published within the Collected Writings of Kierkegaard by Princeton UP (editors: Hong/Hong). Please do not get different translations/editions.
- The Concept of Anxiety: A Simple Psychologically Orienting Deliberation on the Dogmatic Issue of Hereditary Sin, Author: Søren Kierkegaard, ISBN: 9780691020112
- The Sickness Unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening Author: Søren Kierkegaard, Edna Hatlestad Hong, Howard Vincent Hong ISBN: 9780691020280
- Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments Author: Søren Kierkegaard ISBN: 9780691020815
- Kierkegaard’s Writings, VI, Volume 6: Fear and Trembling/Repetition Author: Søren Kierkegaard ISBN: 978140084695
Please get paper editions. I only permit flat devices (tablets) in class. Laptops and phones are NOT permitted for class readings. There is no need for electronic devices in this class. All we do is to read and to think. For that Apple and Microsoft are not necessary. Research has shown that reading comprehension tends to improve when done with paper copies.
Course Requirements
- daily reading and studying
- weekend assignments
- 1 final essay assignment
- 1 short midterm writing assignment
- participation
Note
The class and my lectures are solely based on the texts selected for class and require a thorough study and preparation of the material. I will primarily lecture on the readings, which will help you to more fully understand the texts. Therefore it is not sufficient for students to come to class without having prepared the texts. And indeed, in the assignments you have to demonstrate whether you have appropriately prepared the readings selected for each lecture.
Note
Every academic misconduct, such as plagiarism, will – without exception – lead to a failing grade in class. Check the Ombudsman’s page (see also note below on plagiarism): https://www.msu.edu/~ombud/
Attendance
To get a good grade in this class, regular attendance is required. I will not call roll. Hence, it is up to you to come to class or not. However, if you do not come to class on a regular basis and participate in the class discussion, it is impossible for you to achieve a good grade in this class; so coming to class is your responsibility and your call. If you choose to attend class, please come on time, turn off cell phones and other electronic devices that interfere with your (and others’) concentration, have the reading prepared and be ready to participate. If you are not prepared, do not bother showing up. It is a sign of disrespect to your peers and the instructor to attend class unprepared. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to obtain class notes from a fellow student and to catch up on reading. Nevertheless, please be aware that you should not make me responsible for a failure that results out of your decision. You should be aware that chances to master this class are minimal, if you do not show up for class or if you do not prepare the readings (=studying).
Assignments
Weekend Response Reading Sheets
During this semester you should submit weekend reading response sheets, in which you present brief reflections on the readings for the upcoming class session (600-900 words), and formulate up to three questions. These response sheets are due on Sundays at 4pm, via D2L dropbox. This is a generous time frame for you, as I have to read your write-ups late on Sundays. Accordingly, late turn-ins will not be accepted. You will lose all points if you miss the deadline. I will then address brief questions at the beginning of each session. Please download and use this form:
Weekend Reading Response Sheet (MS Word)
Papers
There will be a mid-term writing assignment (1200 words) and a final paper (1800 words). Graduate Students only need to write a final paper (3000-3600 words).
Unannounced Assignments
There might be – from time to time – spontaneously assigned group assignments in class. Students who do not attend class (and have no medical documentation) will lose all points. Given recent negative experience with student’s unwillingness to read and study primary material, I might assign unannounced reading quizzes. Quizzes cannot be made up (except in cases mentioned below).
Make-Up Assignments
Students who need to miss assignments for excusable reasons, such as a death in their families, MSU related business, emergency weather conditions, or medical reasons, must inform me, and will be permitted to make up assignments.
Course Evaluation
Assignments
| Final paper | 25 points |
| Participation | 15 points |
| 5 weekend assignments | 30 points |
| Unannounced assignments | 15 points |
| midterm assignment | 15 points |
| ——– | |
| 100 points | |
Grading
| 4.0 (=A) | 100 – 93 |
| 3.5 | 92 – 87 |
| 3 (=B) | 86 – 82 |
| 2.5 | 81 – 77 |
| 2 (=C) | 76 – 72 |
| 1.5 | 71 – 65 |
| 1.0 (=D) | 64 – 60 |
| 0.0 | < 60 |
GENERIC SYLLABUS (might not be applicable to each class)
Laptop/Cell Phone/Tablet Policy
You are not permitted to use laptops or cell phones in class, unless needed for medical reasons. Flat devices, such as tablets, are permitted if you have purchased the literature required for class electronically. Please do not text under the table. Cell phones should be removed from tables. Failure to follow this policy will lead to unannounced assignments in class or loss of points (at the digression of the instructor).
Class Attendance
As mentioned above, I do not employ in my classes a class attendance policy. Having said this, you should be aware that class attendance is very important. When engaging in a philosophical and humanistic dialogue it is necessary to be an active and present participant in the ongoing discussion. If you miss class please do not email me asking if you missed anything important. Every class is important. You should get a study buddy for the class; a student in class who will inform you of what you missed. If you miss a class you can come to my office hours or make an appointment to discuss the material, providing you have read the material and you simply want to see if your understanding of the material is on target. Time in office hours will not be used to repeat the class lectures.
Grading Criteria + Paper Writing Tips
Check out this page for grading criteria, example of assignments, etc.
Online Research Sources
Unfortunately, some people think that the internet as such is a reliable source of information. If you decide to use online sources for additional information or your paper then do not just use one of the common internet search engines, such as Google; rather, use reliable academic sources, such as Britannica Online, or the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Internet Ecyclopedia of Philosophy isn’t very good, but still acceptable. Check out MSU’s library resources! And, as with other sources, you must cite any online sources to which you refer in your essay.
Writing Center Information
MSU’s writing center offers excellent help on all matters regarding writing and learning. Check the website at http://writing.msu.edu for an overview and hours. For more information, please call 517.432.3610 or send an e-mail to writing@msu.edu.
Grief Absence Policy
I follow MSU’s general grief absence policy, which can be found here.
Integrity of Scholarship and Grades (Plagiarism)
The following statement of University policy addresses principles and procedures to be used in instances of academic dishonesty, violations of professional standards, and falsification of academic or admission records, herein after referred to as academic misconduct. [See General Student Regulation 1.00, Protection of Scholarship and Grades.]
Academic Honesty
Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that “The student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards.” In addition, the (insert name of unit offering course) adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web site: www.msu.edu) Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course assignments, including homework, lab work, quizzes, tests and exams, without assistance from any source. You are expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not submit course work completed for another course to satisfy the requirements for this course. Students who violate MSU rules may receive a penalty grade, including but not limited to a failing grade on the assignment or in the course. Contact your instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your course work. (See also https://www.msu.edu/~ombud/)
Plagiarism, from the Ombudsman’s page
Plagiarism (from the Latin plagiarius, an abductor, and plagiare, to steal) is defined by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Misconduct in Research (take that!) as “ . . . the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results or words without giving appropriate credit.”
Accidental or Unintentional
One may not even know that they are plagiarizing. It is the student’s responsibility to make certain that they understand the difference between quoting and paraphrasing, as well as the proper way to cite material.
Blatant
Here, students are well aware that they are plagiarizing. Purposefully using someone else’s ideas or work without proper acknowledgment is plagiarism. This includes turning in borrowed or bought research papers as one’s own.
Self
Turning in the same term paper (or substantially the same paper) for two courses without getting permission from one’s instructor is plagiarism.
The Spartan Code of Honor
Student leaders have recognized the challenging task of discouraging plagiarism from the academic community. The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) is proud to be launching the Spartan Code of Honor academic pledge, focused on valuing academic integrity and honest work ethics at Michigan State University. The pledge reads as follows:
“As a Spartan, I will strive to uphold values of the highest ethical standard. I will practice honesty in my work, foster honesty in my peers, and take pride in knowing that honor is worth more than grades. I will carry these values beyond my time as a student at Michigan State University, continuing the endeavor to build personal integrity in all that I do.”
The Spartan Code of Honor academic pledge embodies the principles of integrity that every Spartan is required to uphold in their time as a student, and beyond. The academic pledge was crafted with inspiration of existing individual college honor codes, establishing an overarching statement for the entire university. It was formally adopted by ASMSU on March 3, 2016, endorsed by Academic Governance on March 22, 2016, and recognized by the Provost, President, and Board of Trustees on April 15, 2016.
SIRS Evaluations
Michigan State University takes seriously the opinion of students in the evaluation of the effectiveness of instruction and has implemented the Student Instructional Rating System (SIRS) to gather student feedback (https://sirsonline.msu.edu). This course utilizes the online SIRS system, and you will receive an e-mail during the last two weeks of class asking you to fill out the SIRS web form at your convenience. In addition, participation in the online SIRS system involves grade sequestration, which means that the final grade for this course will not be accessible on STUINFO during the week following the submission of grades for this course unless the SIRS online form has been completed. Alternatively, you have the option on the SIRS website to decline to participate in the evaluation of the course. We hope, however, that you will be willing to give us your frank and constructive feedback so that we may instruct students even better in the future. If you access the online SIRS website and complete the online SIRS form or decline to participate, you will receive the final grade in this course as usual once final grades are submitted.
Social Media and Sharing of Course Materials
As members of a learning community, students are expected to respect the intellectual property of course instructors. All course materials presented to students are the copyrighted property of the course instructor and are subject to the following conditions of use:
- Students may record lectures or any other classroom activities and use the recordings only for their own course-related purposes.
- Students may share the recordings with other students enrolled in the class. Sharing is limited to using the recordings only for their own course-related purposes.
- Students may post the recordings or other course materials online or distribute them to anyone not enrolled in the class with the advance written permission of the course instructor and, if applicable, any students whose voice or image is included in the recordings.
- Any student violating the conditions described above may face academic disciplinary sanctions.
Student Support Program (SSP)
Michigan State University is offering all MSU students access to counseling support 24/7/365 through My SSP: Student Support Program. My SSP is free to all MSU students. My SSP is confidential, and can help with:
- Adapting to new challenges
- Being successful at school
- Relationships with friends and family
- Practical issues with studying
- Stress, sadness, loneliness, and more
The My SSP professional counselors are available to help anytime, anywhere with:
- Immediate support by phone and chat
- Ongoing support by appointment via phone and video
- In addition, culturally relevant support is available in the language of the caller’s choice.
There are multiple options for connecting with a My SSP counselor:
- Download the free My SSP app on Google Play or iTunes
- Chat online at http://us.myissp.com
- Call 1-866-743-7732
- From outside North America, call 001.416.380.657
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor, call 353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (TTY)
Drops and Adds
The last day to add this course is the end of the first week of classes. The last day to drop this course with a 100 percent refund and no grade reported is (see Academic Calendar). The last day to drop this course with no refund and no grade reported is (see Academic Calendar). You should immediately make a copy of your amended schedule to verify you have added or dropped this course.
Note on Attendance
Students who fail to attend the first four class sessions or class by the fifth day of the semester, whichever occurs first, may be dropped from the course.
Christian Lotz 