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Course Syllabus WINTER 2017 CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY

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Course Syllabus WINTER 2017 CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY: EXISTENTIALIST ROOTS OF POSTMODERN THEOLOGY THEO 0537 WEDNESDAYS, 2:15PM – 5:05PM JANUARY 11 – APRIL 12, 2017 INSTRUCTOR: THE REVEREND DR. VICTOR SHEPHERD Telephone number: 416 226 6380 ext. 6726 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: (as posted) To access your course material, please go to http://classes.tyndale.ca. Course emails will be sent to your @MyTyndale.ca e-mail account. For information how to access and forward emails to your personal account, see http://www.tyndale.ca/it/live-at-edu. I. COURSE DESCRIPTION A survey of major theological developments from the 19th to the 21st century. Topics covered may include liberal Protestantism, existentialism, neo-orthodoxy and current liberation, hermeneutical, ecumenical and evangelical theologies. This course aims at introducing students to existentialist philosophy in both its theistic and atheistic expressions, and in having students discern the influence of existentialism as either an ingredient of or a foil to contemporary philosophy and theology. In addition the course endeavours to have students assess whether existentialism is the precursor of postmodernism or the latter’s contradiction. Prerequisites: THEO 0531 and THEO 0532 II. LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the course, students will be able to: 1 1: be acquainted with the thought of major representatives of the philosophical movement known as “existentialism”, and will be helped to see the influence of existentialism in the genesis and development of contemporary philosophy and theology. 2: locate existentialism in the history of western philosophy and theology. 3: trace the putative link between an existentialist thinker like Nietzsche (the most widely-read philosopher in history) and postmodernism. 4: demonstrate an understanding of Hegel’s philosophy as the occasion of the existentialist reaction. 5: assess existentialism’s repudiation of Hegel’s claim that his philosophy was the terminus of metaphysics since his philosophy, unlike others’, was not a description of, approach to and articulation of a metaphysical ultimate but was rather an aspect of the Absolute’s self- realization, and therefore itself “absolute.” 6: identify the ontic structure presupposed in each existentialist thinker’s anti-essentialist protest. 7: recognize the incorporation of existentialist themes in other disciplines; e.g., theology, literature, drama, and fine art. 8: see how existentialist philosophy is related to existentialist psychology and psychotherapy. 9: relate classroom investigations to thinkers not scheduled to be discussed in class; e.g., Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir. 10: appreciate the manner in which existentialism recalls theology to its proper vocation whenever theology appears to be in danger of becoming a species of rationalism that uses religious vocabulary. III. COURSE REQUIREMENTS A. REQUIRED TEXTS Charles Guignon and Derk Pereboom, eds. Existentialism: Basic Writings. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2001. ISBN: 0-87220-595-9 (pbk) This book provides the necessary readings in Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. The instructor will provide photocopied readings for Martin Buber and Emil Fackenheim. A copy of the instructor’s The Committed Self: An Introduction to Existentialism for Christians will be given without charge to every student. Students are expected to come to class with the appropriate chapters read. B. ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING Note: All written material may be submitted in French. Note: Hard copies alone may be submitted. 1. Interaction Paper: Due dates: Feb. 15, Mar. 22, Apr. 12. – 50% of final grade. The paper may be an analysis of the reading, a criticism of it, a discussion of some or several 2 of its implications, or a comparison between it and other thinkers/readings in the course, or a theological comment on or assessment of material read for class. This paper must be submitted no later than the end of class. Feb. 15: 700-word paper concerning any aspect of Overview, Hegel, Kierkegaard. Mar. 22: 700-word paper concerning any aspect of Nietzsche, Buber/Fackenheim. Apr. 12: 700-word paper due concerning any aspect of Heidegger, Sartre, 2. Essay: A 2000-word essay from list of topics or by permission of instructor. Due on April 12, 9:35 p.m.: 50% of final grade. Note: the essay is to explore a specific topic (see list of essay topics); it is not to be a summary of or selection from the class handout. The essay’s bibliography should include at least four scholarly references. Note: Do not reference the instructor’s book on Existentialism. (Professors are not permitted to have a student’s discussion of their book included in the marking scheme.) C. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN WORK Academic Integrity Integrity in academic work is required of all our students. Academic dishonesty is any breach of this integrity, and includes such practices as cheating (the use of unauthorized material on tests and examinations), submitting the same work for different classes without permission of the instructors; using false information (including false references to secondary sources) in an assignment; improper or unacknowledged collaboration with other students, and plagiarism. Tyndale University College & Seminary takes seriously its responsibility to uphold academic integrity, and to penalize academic dishonesty. Students should consult the current Academic Calendar for academic polices on Academic Honesty, Gender Inclusive Language in Written Assignments, Late Papers and Extensions, Return of Assignments, and Grading System. The Academic Calendar is posted at www.tyndale.ca/seminary/calendar. An excerpt is attached with this syllabus for easy reference. For proper citation style, consult the Chicago-Style Quick Guide (Tyndale e-resource) or the full edition of the Chicago Manual of Style Online, especially ch. 14. For citing scripture texts, refer to sections 10.46 to 10.51 and 14.253 to 14.254. D. SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING Evaluation is based upon the completion of the following assignments: Interaction Papers 50% Essay 50% Total Grade 100% 3 E. COURSE EVALUATION Tyndale Seminary values quality in the courses it offers its students. End-of-course evaluations provide valuable student feedback and are one of the ways that Tyndale Seminary works towards maintaining and improving the quality of courses and the student’s learning experience. Student involvement in this process is critical to enhance the general quality of teaching and learning. Before the end of the course, students will receive a MyTyndale email with a link to the online course evaluation. The evaluation period is 2 weeks; after the evaluation period has ended, it cannot be reopened. Course Evaluation results will not be disclosed to the instructor before final grades in the course have been submitted and processed. IV. COURSE SCHEDULE, CONTENT AND REQUIRED READINGS Jan. 11 Existentialism: An Overview Text: xiii-xxxviii Jan. 18 Hegel: The Occasion of the Protest Text: pp.19-25 “Lordship and Bondage” (handout) Jan. 25 Kierkegaard Text: pp.85-92 Feb. 1 Kierkegaard Text: pp.5-17 Feb. 8 Kierkegaard Text: pp.29-55 Feb. 15 Nietzsche Text: pp.119-122 Text: p.123,#1,#4,#57,#109,#124,#270, #283,#382,#383 (first paper due) Feb. 22 No Class: Reading Day Mar. 1 Nietzsche Text: p.172,#1,#10 Text: p.178, #4 - #6 Text: pp.180-181 Mar. 8 Buber* The Martin Buber Reader: Essential Writings, pp.181- 188 Fackenheim* Jewish Philosophers and Jewish Philosophy, pp.75-88 Mar. 15 Fackenheim* Jewish Philosophers and Jewish Philosophy, pp.57-74 4 Mar. 22 Heidegger Text: pp.196-210; 211-230; 243d-251 (second paper due) Mar. 29 Heidegger (completion), Sartre (introduction) Apr. 5 Sartre (completion) Text: pp. 328-355 Apr. 12 Third interaction paper and essay: due at 9:35 p.m. * Handouts are provided for class readings. IV. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Introduction Balthasar, Hans Urs von. The Christian and Anxiety. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius, 2000. Barrett, William. What is Existentialism? New York: Grove Press, 1964. Cooper, David. Existentialism. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. Crowell, Steven, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Existentialism. Cambridge: CUP, 2012. Fackenheim, Emil. Enounters between Judaism and Modern Philosophy. London: Jason Aronson Inc., 1994. Fackenheim, Emil. The Religious Dimension in Hegel’s Thought. Bloomington: Indiana U. Press, 1967. Guignon, Charles, ed. The Existentialists: Critical Essays Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger and Sartre. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. Loewith, Karl. From Hegel to Nietzsche. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964. Macquarrie, John. Existentialism. London: Penguin, 1972. Olson, Robert. An Introduction of Existentialism. New York: Dover, 1962. Reardon, Bernard. Hegel’s Philosophy of Religion. New York: Harper and Row, 1977. Solomon, Robert. From Hegel to Existentialism. Oxford: O.U.P., 1987. Warnock, Mary. Existentialism. Oxford: O.U.P., 1999. Wartenberg, Thomas. Existentialism: A Beginner’s Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2008. Kierkegaard Collins, James. The Mind of Kierkegaard. Princeton: Princeton U. Press, 1983. 5 Evans, C. Faith Beyond Reason: A Kierkegaardian Account. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998. Evans, C. Passionate Reason: Making Sense of Kierkegaard’s Philosophical Fragments. Bloomington: Indiana U. Press, 1992. Gouwens, David. Kierkegaard as a Religious Thinker. Cambridge: C.U.P., 1996. Hannay, Alastair, and Gordon Mariono, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Kierkegaard. Cambridge: C.U.P.,
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