Existential Philosophy w/CBL

Existentialism, a philosophical approach largely emergent in Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, explores deep aspects of the human condition that inform and shape our lives. Famous and influential figures in this movement include Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Simone de Beauvoir. These thinkers ask and address perineal questions about the human experience such as: What does it mean to be human? What is freedom and what is its relationship to responsibility and anxiety? How do the various aspects of our embodiment and our relationships with others influence our lives? And what role do race, gender, sexuality, and more play in the human experience? Outside of Europe, Afro-Caribbean and African American intellectuals such as Franz Fanon and Richard Wright took up these questions in critical and transformative ways, asking not just "What does it mean to be human?" but "What does it mean to be human for those who have been pushed to the margins of the human community?". In this class, we read critical and transformational writings such as theirs alongside works of European authors in this tradition, including feminist thinkers. A community-based learning class, this class will be taught off-campus at Riverside Correctional Facility where students from St. Lawrence University and incarcerated students will share a classroom. Permission of instructor is required and students must enroll early to complete the necessary paperwork and security clearances for admission. Fulfills HU distribution requirement.