The Stuyvesant High School Online Course Guide

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This course is intended for seniors who are interested in literature with a philosophical inclination. Existentialism can be considered a post-war philosophy (although it does have earlier roots in the writings of Kierkegaard and Nietzche) that stresses fervent individualism in the face of an irrational universe. Our focus will be on literature that reflects existential issues. We will examine such works as No Exit by Sartre, The Stranger by Camus, Notes from Underground by Dostoyevsky, The Trial by Kafka, Catch 22 by Joseph Heller and A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. We will also investigate important philosophical essays within the realm of existentialism. Students will be required to complete five projects dealing with the literature and philosophical concepts presented within this class.

We will examine, but not be limited to, the following themes: alienation, nihilism, bereaucratic stagnation, the notion of sanity and the concept of free will. We will also parallel some concepts of surrealism/absurdity to the main tenets of existentialism. The course will incorporate such films as Linklater's Waking Life and Alan Ball's American Beauty and such artists as DeChirico and Magritte. This one semester course is offered in both fall and spring semesters.