ENG 513: Existentialism in Literature and Film
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Course Title Existentialism in Literature and Film Course Code ENG 513 Course Type Elective Literature Level Undergraduate Year / Semester 3rd and 4th year Teacher’s Name Evi Haggipavlu ECTS 7.5 Lectures / week 2 Laboratories / week N/A The purpose of this course is to examine the significance of Existentialism for the Humanities Course Purpose and by focusing on Existentialism’s peculiar nature as fundamentally interdisciplinary. Objectives Existentialism is to be thought of not only as a perspective that is critical of metaphysical thinking (a reaction), but more importantly as a bridge that profoundly connects the various disciplines in question, namely Cinema, Philosophy, Literature and the Arts (an action). Existentialism’s refusal to belong, or be attached to a single discipline posits it as a challenge to disciplinary thinking, its experts and inevitably the very compartmentalization of being that preceded and made such demarcations possible. In thinking of Existentialism as (a) an attitude, to use William V. Spanos’ term, that surpasses disciplinary limits; and (b) a sensibility or a specific comportment towards being, the world and others, that allows for a committed, passionate, interested and ultimately thoughtful engagement with the world in which we live, our aim will be to carefully explore the main themes, trends and tenets of Existentialism found in the works of some of the most important “underground” thinkers, artists, writers and filmmakers and their) temporal, un-homing, yet eerily human worlds. Learning Outcomes ñ Explore the full spectrum of the Existentialist attitude, its varied manifestations and main tenets, themes and trends. ñ Critically engage with the works of some of the most important representatives of the Existentialist tradition in Literature, Cinema and Philosophy. ñ Assess Existentialism’s political significance and potential. ñ Evaluate Existentialism’s relevance to questions of Race and Gender. Prerequisites N/A Required N/A Course Content Introduction: The Existentialist Attitude ñ Existence/Essence ñ Existentialism and the Search for Meaning Kierkegaard Nietzsche and the truth about Truth Ontology/Freedom Feminism and Existentialism History/Time ñ Angelus Novus ñ Tarkovsky on Time Black Existentialism Final Thoughts in Images Teaching Methodology Focus will be placed on Existentialism’s interdisciplinary nature as the basis for a critical engagement with the assigned readings and films. An extensive filmography will be handed to the students at the beginning of the semester with assigned films for each week. Class meetings are interactive, comprised of lectures with discussion in a seminar style and are arranged thematically. Lectures will bring together a combination of sources from Literature, Cinema and Philosophy addressing the topic of the week. Bibliogrpahy: Bibliography Bachmann, Ingeborg. The Thirtieth Year. Translated by Michael Bullock. New York: Holmes and Meier, 1987. Barsoum Raymond, Diane. Existentialism and the Philosophical Tradition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1991 Ellison Ralph. Invisible Man. New York: Vintage Books, 1995. Gordon, Lewis R. Existentia Africana: Understanding Africana Existential Thought. New York: Routledge, 2000 Kierkegaard, Soren. The Present Age. Translated by Alexander Dru. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1962. Spanos, William V. A Casebook on Existentialism. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1966. Tarkovsky, Andrey. Sculpting in Time: Reflections on the Cinema. Translated by Kitty Hunter Blair. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1986. Filmography: Akira Kurosawa. Hakuchi (Japan, 1951). Akira Kurosawa. Ikiru (Japan, 1952). Andrei Tarkovsky. Stalker (Soviet Union, 1979). Jacques Tati. Play Time (France, 1967). Federico Fellini. La Dolce Vita (Italy, 1960). Chris Marker’s La Jetee (France, 1962) Andrei Tarkovsky. Solaris (Soviet Union, 1972) Luchino Visconti. The Stranger (Italy, 1967) Hiroshi Teshigahara. Woman in the Dunes (Japan, 1964). Chantal Akerman. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles (Belgium, 1975) Christian Petzold. Phoenix (Germany, 2014). Alain Resnais, Hiroshima mon Amour (France, 1959) Ingmar Bergman. Shame (Sweden, 1968). Grigoriy Chukhray. Ballad of a Soldier (Soviet Union, 1959) Andrei Tarkovky. Ivan’s Childhood (Russia, 1965) Andrey Tarkovsky. The Mirror (Soviet Union, 1975). Federico Fellini. The Nights of Cabiria (Italy, 1957) Alain Resnais. Last Year at Marienbad (France, 1961) Michelangelo Antonioni. La Notte (Italy, 1961) Luis Bunuel. The Exterminating Angel (Mexico, 1962) Francois Truffaut. Jules and Jim (France, 1962) Federico Fellini, 8 ½ (Italy, 1963) Bergman, Ingmar. Persona (Sweden, 1966). Andrey Tarkovsky. Nostalgia (Italy, 1983) Andrey Tarkovsky. The Sacrifice (Sweden, 1986) Assessment Presentations, Reflection Papers (take-home), Final paper (take-home) Language English .