Philosophy 255: Heidegger's Being and Time
Curtis Bowman
Logan Hall 464
cubowman@nous.phil.upenn.edu
http://www.phil.upenn.edu/~cubowman
Course Description
Heidegger's Being and Time has been many things to many people: a continuation of the phenomenological project initiated by Edmund Husserl, the foundation of modern existentialism, the work that rehabilitated the ancient discipline of hermeneutics and gave rise to post-structuralism and deconstruction, and perhaps even a covert defence of Nazism. In this course we will explore these various readings through a close reading of the text.
Being and Time is a historically sensitive work that draws on the history of Western philosophy on every page. We will try to capture some of this background by reading Descartes' Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. Doing so will be especially helpful in understanding the traditional metaphysics that Heidegger combats throughout the book in his efforts to establish a satisfactory philosophical anthropology, i.e., a philosophical account of what it is to be a human being.
Required Texts
René Descartes, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy (Hackett)
Martin Heidegger, Being and Time, tr. Joan Stambaugh (SUNY Press)
Stephen Mulhall, Heidegger and Being and Time (Routledge)
Richard Polt, Heidegger: An Introduction (Cornell)
(Everyone must use the Stambaugh translation. There will be no exceptions to this rule. I will not accept papers that use the older translation by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson.)
Readings
We will begin with the first eight sections of Being and Time. Then we will read the two Descartes texts. The rest of the semester will be devoted to reading as much of Being and Time as possible. I hope to get as far as section 66 by the end of the course.
The books by Mulhall and Polt are excellent commentaries that everyone is expected to use, although no readings will actually be assigned from them.
Course Requirements
Regular attendance and class participation will be vital in understanding the course material. So 10% of the course grade will be based on these two factors. Futhermore, there will be two papers of 10-15 pages and a comprehensive exam at the end of the semester. Each of the three assignments will count for 30% of the course grade.
Policies concerning papers
(1) Any student requiring an extension should arrange for one at least three days in advance of handing in the paper. A paper without an extension will be considered late and penalized accordingly. A letter grade will be deducted from the paper grade for every full week or fraction thereof that the paper is late.
(2) Papers must be printed when they are handed in. E-mail attachments will not be accepted.
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This page last modified on January 9, 2001.