BASC62233 - Alumni Sequence: The Modern Tradition Year II
Course Description
The idea of individual freedom is one of the hallmarks of the modern period—but the nature, meaning, and conditions of that freedom remain significantly—and perhaps dangerously—obscure. In the seminar section of this concluding quarter of the “Modern Tradition” sequence, we will look at theorists (Nietzsche, de Beauvoir, Fanon, and Berlin) who saw freedom not as a primarily political concept—but as a philosophical one. We will also focus on the ambiguities of freedom. In the tutorial section of this course, we will read classic works of modern drama, beginning with Ibsen’s The Wild Duck and ending with Beckett’s Happy Days.
Course Outline
For specific dates, see at right under each Section: SCHEDULE AND LOCATION. Reading schedule is identical across all Sections.
Seminar
| Week | Seminar |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Preface and Parts I & II: “On the Prejudices of Philosophers” and “The Free Spirit,” Sections 1-44 (pp.1-3, 9-56) |
| 2 | Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Parts III & V: “What is Religious” and “Natural History of Morals,” Sections 45-62, 186-203 (pp. 57-76, 95-118) |
| 3 | Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Parts VII & IX: “Our Virtues” and “What is Noble,” Sections 214-239, 257-296 (pp. 143-70, 201-37) |
| 4 | Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, Vol. 1, Introduction, Part One, “Destiny,” Chaps. 1-3 (pp. 3-68) |
| 5 | Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, Vol. 1, Part Three, “Myths,” Chaps. 1 and 3 (pp. 159-213, 266-74) |
| 6 | Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, Vol. 2, Part One, “Formative Years,” Chap. 2, “The Girl” [skim], Part Three, “Justifications,” Chaps. 11-12, “The Narcissist” and “The Woman in Love” [skim both], Part Four “The Independent Woman” and Conclusion (skim pp. 341-82 and 667-708, read pp. 721-66) |
| 7 | Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks, Introduction and Chaps. 1-4 (pp. xi-xviii, 1-88) |
| 8 | Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks, Chaps. 5-8 (pp. 89-206) |
| 9 | Berlin, “Two Concepts of Liberty,” in The Proper Study of Mankind (pp. 190-242) |
| 10 | Berlin, “Two Concepts of Liberty” (continued)—and review of the quarter |
Tutorial
| Week | Tutorial |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ibsen, “The Wild Duck” |
| 2 | Ibsen, “The Wild Duck” |
| 3 | Chekhov, “Three Sisters” |
| 4 | Chekhov, “Three Sisters” |
| 5 | Pirandello, “Six Characters in Search of an Author” |
| 6 | Brecht, “Mother Courage and her Children” |
| 7 | Brecht, “Mother Courage and her Children” |
| 8 | O'Neill, “Long Day's Journey into Night” |
| 9 | O'Neill, “Long Day's Journey into Night” |
| 10 | Beckett, “Happy Days” |
Purchase
Books are available using the Textbook order form from the Gleacher Center Bookstore online, or by using the ISBN number to order the correct edition elsewhere.
Required Texts
- Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, tr. Kaufmann, Vintage Press. ISBN 978-0679724650.
- Fanon, Black Skin White Masks, tr. Philcox, Grove Press. ISBN 978-0802143006.
- De Beauvoir, The Second Sex, tr. Borde & Malovany-Chevallier, Vintage Press. ISBN 978-0307277787.
- Berlin, The Proper Study of Mankind, Farrar, Straus & Giroux. ISBN 978-0374527174.
- Eight Modern Plays, Norton Critical Edition, Norton & Co. ISBN 978-0393960150.
Notes
Online registration deadline: Thursday, March 24, 5 pm CT.
Prerequisites
Students must have completed at least two years of the Basic Program Core Curriculum, plus Year 1 and Autumn and Winter Quarters of Alumni Sequence: The Modern Tradition.