Between Freedom and Despair: An Introduction to Existentialism

We are the creatures for whom our own existence is at issue, the ones who can ask whether to be or not to be; who can choose, but who have to bear the burden of being able to choose, and of not being able not to choose. In this course we will pursue a deeper understanding of the kind of creatures that we are, and of the condition in which we find ourselves, through the rigorous study of existentialism as it is portrayed in the works of Kant, de Beauvoir, Sartre, Cornell West, and the Cohen Brothers. 3 hrs lect.