PH536
Schulz
PH536: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE THOUGHT OF SØREN KIERKEGAARD. Heiko
Schulz.
DESCRIPTION:
- Along with Feuerbach, Marx, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche,
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) is one of the major figures in anti-
and/or post-Hegelian European philosophy in the nineteenth century. Although
deeply rooted in the modern tradition--Descartes' quest for certainty as well
as Luther's search for a gracious God--Kierkegaard's Christian humanism and his
theory and practice of a socratic mode of communicating it are open for
discovery--especially with regard to its methodological implications for
systematic theology and philosophy of religion. Here lies the basic task of the
seminar, which will combine a detailed reading of his major (pseudonymous)
writings with introductory and contextual side-glances: on Kierkegaard's
biography, his intellectual background, and some of the crucial issues in
nineteenth-century philosophy and theology.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- The course is indirectly relevant for church ministry in that
Kierkegaard has had a profound role in shaping modern Protestant theology. It
is provided for those who seek a deeper understanding of one of the major
figures in Western thought and his impact on the shaping of twentieth-century
theology.
COURSE FORMAT:
- Class time will be devoted to both lectures and critical
discussions of Kierkegaard's central texts. There will be daily reading
assignments. Class will meet twice weekly for four-hour sessions for five
weeks.
REQUIRED READING:
- Kierkegaard, Søren. Either-Or I/II. Penguin
Classics.
- __________. Fear and Trembling. Penguin Classics.
- __________. The Concept of Anxiety. Princeton University Press,
1980.
- __________. Philosophical Fragments. Princeton University Press,
1985.
- __________. Sickness unto Death. Penguin Classics.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Gardiner, Patrick. Kierkegaard. Princeton University Press,
1988.
- Gouwens, David J. Kierkegaard as a Religious Thinker. Cambridge
University Press, 1996.
- Hannay, Alastair. Kierkegaard. 2nd ed. Routledge & Kegan Paul,
1994.
- Lodge, David. Therapy. A Novel. 1995.
- Malantschuk, Gregor. Kierkegaard's Thought. Princeton University
Press, 1971.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- Regular attendance and preparation for class discussion. Five
shorter papers (about 5 pages each) are to be submitted in due course, intended
as a paraphrase and critical assessment of basic Kierkegaardian texts and
ideas.
PREREQUISITES:
- None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Elective.
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- None.