PHIL 399 Outline 2006/07 Fall

COURSE NUMBER:

PHIL 399

COURSE TITLE:

Special Topics in Philosophy - 2006/07 Fall - Hegel and Kierkegaard: System, Philosophy, and God

NAME OF INSTRUCTOR:

Dr Jeffrey Dudiak

CREDIT WEIGHT AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION:

credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

A course on a topic or figure of special interest to a member of the philosophy faculty and offered on a non-recurring basis.

Prerequisites: PHIL 230

2006/07 Fall

Hegel and Kierkegaard stand opposed as 19th Century figures of, respectively, system and anti-system, an all-encompassing, wholly rational philosophy and an irrational, personal faith, a God of immanence and a God of wholly transcendent. In this course we will undertake a study of these two important figures (important to both philosophy and theology) by situating ourselves between them in an attempt to think more carefully for our own time the relationships between knowledge, faith, and God.

TEXTS:

Hegel, G.W.F., Introduction to The Philosophy of History, Indianapolis & Cambridge: Hackett Publishing, 1988.
Kierkegaard, Soren, Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments, v. 1, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992.

MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT:


Weekly questions	20%
Midterm	20%
Course participation	10%
Term paper	30%
Final oral exam	20%
	100%

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

In this course we will undertake an extended reflection on the meaning of rational systematising in relation to philosophy and God, across a careful reading of two major philosophical texts, Hegel’s The Philosophy of History and Kierkegaard’s Concluding Unscientific Postscript. Our goals will be to:

develop strategies for effectively reading philosophical texts
learn and critically engage the basic ideas regarding “system, philosophy, and God” in Hegel and Kierkegaard as communicated in these texts
deepen our philosophical vocabulary in the
meaningfully reflect upon the meaning of truth, and its significance for our lives and faith

COURSE OUTLINE:

Sept. 5 – Oct. 3: Hegel’s Philosophy of History
Oct. 10: Exam #1
Oct. 17: Essay #1 class presentations
Oct. 24 – Nov. 28: Kierkegaard’s Unscientific Postscript
Dec. 5: Essay #2 class presentations
Final exam: date TBA (between Dec. 12-19)

Required texts, assignments, and grade distributions may vary from one offering of this course to the next. Please consult the course instructor for up to date details.