European philosophy of the past two and a half centuries has revolutionized the way we think about ourselves and our world.  At the centre of this philosophical revolution is the philosophical practice of phenomenology.  Phenomenology is built on the method of rigorous description of lived experience, and the philosophers who have practiced that method have radically transformed our understanding of the body, emotion, knowledge, technology, politics, art and more.  Taking Heidegger’s Being and Time as our central focus, we will learn the basic parameters of phenomenology, which we will supplement by reading works of a number of other writers in this tradition.  We will study the inherently situated character of human experience, authenticity and existential transformation, the meaning of democracy, and the nature of art.  Studying this material will leave you well-prepared for more advanced work in philosophy as well as offering potentially transformative insight into various domains of everyday life. 

This course will be offered in asynchronous, alternate delivery format.  Instruction will primarily take the form of video lectures and power-point notes that students can access on their own schedule.

Course Outline [1]