Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2017 - HUM 320 D100

The Humanities and Philosophy (4)

Class Number: 4739

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 8 – Aug 4, 2017: Thu, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 16, 2017
    Wed, 8:30–11:30 a.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An exploration of the characteristic ways in which the humanities, with its emphasis on expression, belief and tradition, presents the important philosophical concepts of western civilization. Based upon an interdisciplinary selection of texts drawn from history, philosophy, literature and the arts. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

The Philosophy of Fascism  
The very idea of a “philosophy of fascism” seems to be a contradiction in terms. This is so because from Plato’s original articulation of the idea of it in the Republic, at the origin of the Western humanistic tradition, philosophy has been intrinsically opposed to tyranny. Fascism, in contrast, is considered to be the total form of modern tyranny. Nevertheless, the philosopher who has been recognized, by his opponents no less, as the most important philosopher of the 20th century, Martin Heidegger, was a member of the Nazi Party from the 1930s until the end of the Second World War. Heidegger even became the Rector (or President) of Freiburg University under the Nazi regime from 1933-34. This course therefore explores the very possibility of a “philosophy of fascism” which it locates in the conservative reaction against the universalist objectives of the European Enlightenment and the French Revolution.

Grading

  • Essay # 1 (8-10 pages) 15%%
  • Essay #2 (10-12 pages) 25%%
  • Presentation 15%%
  • Participation 15%%
  • Protocol 10%%
  • Journal 20%%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Plato, Republic
Richard Wolin, Heidegger Controversy: A Critical Reader
Karl Löwith and Richard Wolin, Martin Heidegger and European Nihilism
Ernst Jünger, Storm of Steel
Carl Schmitt, Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS