Unit Guide PHL 238 2012 D2

PHL 238
Existential Questions
D2 2012
Philosophy
Contents
General Information
Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks
Delivery and Resources
Unit Schedule
16
Policies and Procedures
19
Graduate Capabilities
20
Changes since First Published
26
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http://unitguides.mq.edu.au/unit_offerings/3783/unit_guide/print
Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions
General Information
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Damion Buterin
damion.buterin@mq.edu.au
Contact via damion.buterin@mq.edu.au
Credit points
3
Prerequisites
12cp or admission to GDipArts or permission of Executive Dean of Faculty
Corequisites
Co-badged status
Unit description
At the beginning of the 20th century, a new philosophical method emerged, devised by Edmund
Husserl, which had a profound impact on the discipline and continues to thrive to this day. The aim
of phenomenology is to return to the things themselves, to describe the multiple ways in which
the world is accessed by humans in different forms of experience. Phenomenology thus studies the
forms of experience making possible, for example, the perception of objects in space, the
consciousness of time, the relationship of the self to its own body and to other bodies. The unit
begins with an examination of Husserls initial characterisation of phenomenology. We then study
the thoughts of his most influential heirs: Heidegger's turn towards everyday experience and the
fundamental question of Being; Sartre's existentialist modification of phenomenology,
emphasising its implications for human freedom; and Merleau-Ponty's focus on the body, as the
origin of meaningful interactions with the world. We consider phenomenological and existentialist
approaches to ethics and aesthetics, as well as the growing interest in phenomenologys
contribution to cognitive science.
Learning Outcomes
1. An understanding of core concepts in phenomenology and existentialism
2. An understanding of how the core concepts of phenomenology and existentialism can be
applied to problems of intersubjectivity, identity, embodiment and freedom
3. An ability to critically consider and analyse philosophical arguments and theories with
imagination
4. Present and explain, in a clear, coherent and logical way, philosophical arguments and theories
in written form
5. Express and defend your own ideas with clarity and rigour
6. Engage constructively and respectfully with the view of peers, as well as actively participate in
group discussions
Assessment Tasks
Name
Weighting
Due
Reading Exercise
20%
4pm Thursday 23 August
Essay 1
35%
4pm Thursday 27 September
Essay 2
35%
4pm Thursday 15 November
Tutorials / Online Discussion
10%
Throughout semester
Reading Exercise
Due: 4pm Thursday 23 August
Weighting: 20%
This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes:
An understanding of core concepts in phenomenology and existentialism
An understanding of how the core concepts of phenomenology and existentialism can be
An ability to critically consider and analyse philosophical arguments and theories with
imagination
Present and explain, in a clear, coherent and logical way, philosophical arguments and theories
in written form
Express and defend your own ideas with clarity and rigour
Essay 1
Due: 4pm Thursday 27 September
Weighting: 35%
imagination
in written form
Essay 2
Due: 4pm Thursday 15 November
Weighting: 35%
imagination
in written form

Due: Throughout semester
Weighting: 10%
imagination
Engage constructively and respectfully with the view of peers, as well as actively participate in
group discussions
Delivery and Resources

DELIVERY AND TECHNOLOGY
Delivery:
Day, External
Technology used:
iLecture, iLearn
Unit web page:
The web page for this unit can be found at the MQ iLearn website:
https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/
Lectures will be recorded using the iLecture/Echo system, and can be downloaded from the link on the
PHL238 iLearn web page.
TIMES AND LOCATIONS FOR LECTURES AND TUTORIALS

For current updates, lecture times and classrooms, please consult the MQ Timetables website:
http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au
Lecture 1: Thursday 09:00am, E5A 180
Lecture 2: Friday 11:00am, W5A 101
Tutorial 1: Thursday 10:00am, W5A 201
Tutorial 2: Friday 12:00am, X5B 138
Internal students must enrol in one of the two allocated tutorials. Note that turorials commence in
week 2.
Locations are subject to change at the start of semester, so please ensure that you check your tutorial
venue prior to attending your first tutorial in week 2.
REQUIRED READING
Unit Reader: PHL238 Existential Questions
This is compulsory reading, and will be extensively used in lectures and tutorials. It can be purchased
from the Co-op Bookshop, and should be available in the first week of lectures. It is compulsory to
purchase a copy of the Unit Reader. Bring it to all lecture and tutorials.
IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

The reading exercise and essays:
The reading exercise is designed to assist you to read a philosophical text and analyse a philosophcial
argument. You will be asked to comment on the ideas contained in a short passage from a text and
connect them with the rest of the text. You are not expected to consult any sources outside the
readings in the Unit Reader. The reading exercise will be handed out in class and posted on the unit
web page in week 2. They will be returned, with written comments and a marking rubric, to internal
students in tutorials and to external students via the Centre for Open Education no later than week 6.
The two essays are designed to test the depth of your understanding of a particular topic, your
capacity to understand and analyse philosophical arguments, to structure a logical argument and to
develop your own point of view, informed by the relevant literature. For essays you are expected to
read beyond the Unit Reader. You should consult the list of additional references included in this Unit
Outline. The essays will be handed out in class and posted on the unit web page at least 4 weeks before
the due date. They will be returned, with written comments and a marking rubric, to internal students
in tutorials and to external students via the Centre for Open Education no later than 3 weeks after
submission. The second essay and any other written work not collected by internal students in tutorials
will be available for collection from the Faculty of Arts Student Enquiry Office on the ground floor of
building W6A.
Internal students should submit their reading exercises and essays via the locked boxes (marked
'Philosophy') on the ground floor of building W6A. External students should submit their reading
exercises and essays via the Centre for Open Education. It is important that you keep a copy of your
reading exercises and essays, just in case they are needed.
Requests for extensions for the reading exercise and essays should be made at least 3 days before the
due date. Reading exercises and essays submitted after the due date, or after the approved extension
date, will lose 1 mark per day, including weekends and public holidays (e.g. an essay awarded 23/
35, but submitted three days late, would receive 20/35). Note that work done concurrently in other
units or time taken up due to extra-curricular activities are not legitimate reasons for an extension. You
will be asked to supply documentation from a doctor, counsellor or other appropriate person for
extension requests of one week or more.
All reading exercises and essays must be submitted within 14 days of the due date. No written
assignment will be accepted after this time unless there are very special circumstances and, preferably,
a Special Consideration application has been submitted and approved. Contact the Faculty of Arts
Enquiry Office on the gorund floor of building W6A for information about Special Consideration
applications.
Tutorial attendance and participation (internal students):

It is mandatory for internal students to attend turorials. They will be assessed on their attendance and
contribution to tutorial discussions. Tutorial participation requires more than just showing up for class.
Students are expected to have done the required readings for each week, and to be prepared to discuss
and debate issues arising from the readings. Marks will be awarded according to the record of
attendance, the quality of participation, the frequency of active involvement and the ability to engage
in discussion with others. Attendance at a minimum of 75% of tutorials is a requirement for passing
the unit. If you are unable to attend a turtorial, please let the unit convenor know beforehand.
Online participation (external students):

External students will be assessed on their contribution to ongoing online discussions throughout
the semester. They are expected to have done the required readings for each week, and to be prepared
to discuss and debate issues arising from the readings on a fairly regular basis. Marks will be awarded
according to the regularity of participation, the quality of participation, the frequency of active
involvement and the ability to engage in discussion with others. Failure to participate in online
discussions will mean that you will not get a better overall mark for the unit.
WRITING PHILOSOPHY ESSAYS

Writing a philosophy essay provides you with the chance to work out what you think about an
important philosophical question. You will sometimes already know what you think (at least, you will
think that you know). In this case, working on the essay will provide you with the opportunity to reflect
on and clarify your thinking - and perhaps to change your mind. Writing a philosophy essay also
provides you with the opportunity to learn about the views of significant philosophers and to develop
your own views in critical relation with theirs. Finally, writing a philosophy essay provides you with the
opportunity to present your views in a form appropriate for public discussion. It requires you to provide
reasons why others should accept your views; it also means that your views are subject to the critical
scrutiny of others.
Before you start writing, draw up a rough plan of your projected essay, covering all the relevant issues.
As you write, you will find that issues that originally seemed easy are more difficult than you had
thought, and sometimes you will find that you want to change direction, or even your mind, as you
write. It is not uncommon to discover that you need to do more reading. So it is very important to leave
yourself enough time to do this. When you have completed your first draft, you need to make sure that
you have covered all the issues, and that it develops in a coherent fashion from beginning to end.
(Often you will find that you have changed course half way through and that the early material may no
longer be relevant to your conclusion).
It is important to give yourself enough time to think about your first draft, and then to rewrite it for
submission. Your final aim must be to present your views so that they are comprehensible and
plausible to your reader. Your marker will more often than not be less concerned about the positions
you adopt than with your ability to provide reasons for them. (Of course, there are some positions that
are more difficult to support than others.) So whatever view you argue for, make sure that you have
provided reasons why the reader should take it seriously and that you have taken into account possible
objections to it. That you believe it is not a reason for your reader to believe it. Use argument rather
than assertion, and reason rather than rhetoric.
Things to bear in mind:
Give yourself time to think about your essay. Good philosophy cannot be done in a hurry or at
the last minute.
Have a plan, but be flexible about it.
Give yourself time to rewrite.
Provide reasons that will persuade others that your views are correct or plausible.
Show that you have read and understood the views of the main philosophers who have
contributed to the debate (i.e. those who appear on the reading list).
Show that you have considered the main alternatives to your position and can criticise them
effectively.
Make sure that you have covered all the required aspects of the essay topic. If there are specific
questions asked, make sure that you have answered them all.
Avoid pretentiousness. Try to write as simply as is compatible with what you are trying to say.
Do not try to impress your reader with inflated language and terminology.
Most branches of philosophy have their own technical terms (jargon). So before you use these
terms, make sure that you understand them and show that you underatand them.
If possible, do not sit on the fence. Try to argue for a position, though taking into account its
problems and the criticisms that have been made of it.
Do not assume that your reader already knows what you are talking about. If you are talking
about an author or an example, provide enough detail for someone who does not know your
source to understand what you are talking about (and, incidentally, to show that you know
what you are talking about).
Quote sparingly. Use quotation to illustrate your argument, not to replace it.
Do not simply reproduce lecture notes. Where you make use of lecture notes, provide a
reference. If you use lecture material without acknowledgement, you will be guilty of
plagiarism (see below).
If possible, ask someone else to read the first draft of your essay, to help identify areas where
your essay may need to be clarified or expanded.
OTHER ADVICE ON WRITING ESSAYS

Macquarie University provides a number of excellent services intended to provide support to students
and to help with academic writing in general.
For general student study support information see:
http://www.futurestudent.mq.edu.au/undergraduate/AccessingStudentSupport/StudySupport/
index.html#WritingHelp
Additional writing skills information is also available at:
http://www.sss.mq.edu.au/learning/undergrad/writing.htm
The university also provides brief Writing Skills courses. These are designed for Australian and English
speaking students. For details see:
http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/support/writing_skills/brochure.htm
Or contact Sue Spinks, Department of Linguistics. Email: sue.spinks@ling.mq.edu.au, phone 9850 8770,
room C5A 531.
There is also a Writing Skills Advisory Service which offers individual help. For details see:
http://www.coe.mq.edu.au/writing.html
Appointments can also be made in person through the Centre for Open Education in X5B, or by phone
on 9850 7470.
Online support is available through the Writing Gateway, via the MQ online learning website.
PLAGIARISM
The Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971; republished 1987) defines
Plagiarism as:
[T]he wrongful appropriation or purloining, and publication as ones own, of the ideas, or the
expression of the ideas (literary, artistic, musical, mechanical, etc.) of another.
If in writing an essay, you present material taken - either directly of indirectly - from the work of
someone else and do not acknowledge this, you will be guilty of plagiarism. Deliberate plagiarism is
dishonest. It is a form of cheating and will be heavily penalised. Normally, when an essay is found to
contain deliberate plagiarism it is given no marks without the opportunity to resubmit. If there is
evidence of systematic plagiarism, more severe disciplinary action will be taken.
Inadvertent plagiarism is more common. Often students do not realise that they have to acknowledge
material they have taken from others or do not know how to do so. However, even inadvertent
plagiarism allows the plagiarist an advantage over fellow students. It also shows that a student does
not know how to go about writing academic essays. It will always be heavily penalised. The only way to
avoid plagiarism is to acknowledge your sources.
A statement of the Universitys Academic Honesty policy is available at:
http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
REFERENCING
The main point of referencing is to satisfy the requirement of academic honesty and courtesy to the
author of the ideas you are using (see PLAGIARISM above). It is also necessary to make it easy for your
reader to locate and check your sources. There are various conventional ways of doing this, and some
disciplines show a marked preference for one convention over others. In philosophy, there is no one
established convention. If you have had to learn a method of citation for some other discipline, then
you are welcome to use it in philosophy. The main thing is to learn one method and stick to it. Do not
try to make up your own. If you have not already adopted a referencing convention, then you could use
the following one, which is widely used in the humanities.
Indicate direct quotation in one of two ways:
for relatively short passage, use quotation marks;
for longer passages display the quote in an indented and separate paragraph. Do not use
quotation marks.
Provide the source of the passage in an endnote or footnote. For paraphrased material, or where your
arguments draw on the work of another, you should cite the source in the same way. At the end of the
quotation or paraphrased material, put a number (superscript preferably, otherwise in brackets) after
the relevant text. Usually this will be at the end of the sentence (after the full stop). This number will
refer to an endnote or a footnote. Use whichever suits you (but not both). Most word processing
programmes make this easy.
In the first reference to a particular work, give full details. There are different conventions as to how this
should be done for monographs (i.e. books on a single theme, usually - though not always - single
authored); for chapters in edited collections; and for journal articles.
The following illustrate the relevant conventions:
1. Thomas Nagel, What Does it All Mean?: A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1987), p. 44.
2. Amelie O. Rorty, The Place of Contemplation in Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics, in Amelie Rorty (ed.),
Essays on Aristotles Ethics, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980): 377-394, see p. 380
3. Will Kymlicka, Liberal Individualism and Liberal Neutrality, Ethics 99 (4), 1989: 883- 905, see p. 883.
Please follow these examples precisely (down to punctuation marks, their position, etc.).
If you refer to material contained in lectures, do so as follows:
4. Robert Sinnerbrink, Lecture on Epicureanism, Macquarie University, Lecture 4, March 2010.
In subsequent references, cut out the publisher details, name of collection, journal details, etc., and if
you like, give an abbreviated version of the title. Thus:
5. Nagel, What Does it All Mean?, p. 49.
6. Rorty, The Place of Contemplation in Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics, p. 381.
7. Kymlicka, Liberal Individualism and Liberal Neutrality, p. 884.
8. Sinnerbrink, Lecture 4, March 2010.
Avoid Latin abbreviations such as ibid., op.cit., loc.cit., etc.
At the end of the essay, provide a bibliography containing all and only those works you have referred to
in the body of the essay. Do not include work you should have used, but have not. The bibliography will
reproduce the information contained in the first reference, with the following differences:
the surname will now come first, followed by the given name(s) - reversing the order in the
notes;
there will be no brackets around the publication details for monographs and collections (these
were in brackets in the notes).
The list will be in alphabetical order. Thus:
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kymlicka, Will: Liberal Individualism and Liberal Neutrality, Ethics 99 (4), 1989: 883-905.
Nagel, Thomas: What Does it All Mean?: A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1987).
Rorty, Amelie O: The Place of Contemplation in Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics, in Amelie Rorty (ed.)
Essays on Aristotles Ethics (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980): 377-394.
10
Note that reference to material provided in Unit Readers should proceed as above, but you may add the
note: Accessed in PHL238 Unit Reader, Semester 2, 2012. In other words, you should get in the habit of
always citing the original publication details of the material you are using. This will always be provided
for you in the Unit Reader, and also in the Unit Guide.
If you have problems not covered by these examples, use your common sense or consult your teacher.
Alternatively, you may wish to consult one of the various Style Manuals available in bookshops or the
Macquarie Library, e.g. The Chicago Manual of Style.
STANDARDS FOR ESSAY ASSESSMENT

Your mark for essays will reflect the following standards.
Pass (50%-64%): work of this standard is competent and proficient. It
demonstrates a sufficient level of knowledge and understanding, but at a basic level, and there
may be inaccuracies;
refers to appropriate concepts and ideas, but lacks sufficient explanation or detail;
mostly focuses on relevant material, but engages at a relatively elementary level;
presents a very descriptive account of the topic and displays limited critical analysis of
arguments;
presents an argument which isnt very well structured, lacks clarity or isnt well defended with
evidence and argumentation;
references sources appropriately and thoroughly, though there may be minor errors;
uses largely satisfactory expression, though there may be minor spelling or grammatical errors;
has satisfactory structure and presentation.
Work that receives a pass ranges from minimally satisfactory work that just meets the requirements
(marks closer to 50%) to work that is good in some areas, but weak or unsatisfactory in others. Work
below 50% (fail) is generally unsatisfactory on most or all criteria.
Credit (65%-74%): work of this standard is consistently good or very good. It
demonstrates a sufficient level of knowledge and understanding;
focuses on relevant material;
presents a clearly structured argument;
demonstrates good synthesis, analysis, reflection and evaluation of arguments;
considers an adequate range of sources;
defends the authors own position with adequate argumentation and evidence;
has, where appropriate, complete and correct referencing of sources;
shows a good standard of grammar and spelling;
has satisfactory structure and presentation.
11
Distinction (75%-100%): excellent (marks 85%-100% are classed as High Distinction). Work of this
standard is outstanding in some (and for a HD in all) respects. It
demonstrates thorough knowledge and understanding of the topic and relevant literature;
shows original, independent thinking about concepts and ideas;
presents a well-developed critical analysis of sources;
sustains clarity and focus throughout a subtle and complex discussion;
displays effective synthesis and analysis of a range of literature;
presents a good case for the authors own position;
references sources appropriately and thoroughly;\
presents a good standard of academic writing, free of errors.
High distinction work is well beyond the standard expected of undergraduate study at this level. It
surpasses all these standards with exceptional flair.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
The following list of references will come in handy when researching for and writing your essays.
General:
Barnes, H., Existentialist Ethics (University of Chicago Press, 1978).
Barrett, W., What is Existentialism? (Grove Press, 1964).
Cooper, D., Existentialism: A Reconstruction (Blackwell, 1990).
Crowel, S., The Cambridge Companion to Existentialism (Cambridge University Press, 2012).
Dreyfus, H. L. & Wrathall, M. A., A Companion to Phenomenology and Existentialism (Blackwell, 2006).
Grene, M., Introduction to Existentialism (University of Chicago Press, 1959).
Grossman, R., Phenomenology and Existentialism: An Introduction (Routledge, 1984).
Guignon, C. & Pereboom, C. (eds.), Existentialism: Basic Writings (Hackett, 1995).
Kaufmann, W., Existentialism: From Dostoievski to Sartre (New American Library, 1975).
Hammond, M., et al. (eds.), Understanding Phenomenology (Blackwell, 1991).
Macann, C., Four Phenomenological Philosophers (Routledge, 1993).
Macquarie, J., Existentialism (Penguin, 1972).
Moran, D., Introduction to Phenomenology (Routledge, 2000).
Olson, R., An Introduction to Existentialism (Dover Publications, 1962).
Patka, F., Existentialist Thinkers and Thought (Citadel Press, 1962).
Silverman, H. (ed.), The Horizons of Continental Philosophy (Kluwer, 1988).
Spiegelberg, H., The Phenomenological Movement (Martin Nijhoof, 1982).
12
Theunissen, M., The Other (MIT Press, 1984). Warnock, M., Existentialism (Oxford University Press, 1970).
Edmund Husserl:
Moran, D., Edmund Husserl: Founder of Phenomenology (Polity, 2005).
Smith, B. & Woodruff Smith, D. (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Husserl (Cambridge University Press,
1995).
Woodruff Smith, D., Husserl (Routledge, 2007).
Zahavi, D., Husserls Phenomenology (Stanford University Press, 2003).
Martin Heidegger:
Blattner, W., Heideggers Being and Time: A Readers Guide (Continuum, 2006).
Caputo, J., Demythologizing Heidegger (Indiana University Press, 1993).
Chanter, T., Time, Death and the Feminine: Levinas with Heidegger (Stanford University Press, 2001).
Cooper, D., Heidegger (Claridge Press, 1996).
Critchley, S. Post-Deconstructive Subjectivity? Ethics, Politics, Subjectivity (Verso, 1999).
Dastur, F., Heidegger and the Question of Time (Humanities Press, 1995).
Dreyfus, H. L., Being-in-the-World: A Commentary on Hiedgerrs Being and Time (The MIT Press, 1991).
Dreyfus, H. L. & Wrathall, M. A. (eds.), A Companion to Heidegger (Blackwell, 2005).
Faulconer, J. E. & Wrathall, M. A. (eds.), Appropriating Heidegger (Cambridge University Press, 2000).
Guignon, C. (ed), The Cambridge Companion to Heidegger (Cambridge University Press, 2007).
King, M., Heideggers Philosophy: A Guide to His Basic Thought (Oxford University Press, 1964).
Kockelmans, J., Heideggers Being and Time: The Analytic of Dasein as Fundamental Ontology (University
Press of America, 1989).
Levinas, E., Martin Heidegger and Ontology, Diacritics 26:1 (1996).
Marion, J-L., Reduction and Givenness: Investigations of Husserl, Heidegger and Phenomenology
(Northwestern University Press, 1998).
Mulhall, S., Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Heidegger and Being and Time (Routledge, 1996).
Philipse, H., Heideggers Philosophy of Being (Princeton University Press, 1998).
Raffoul, F., Otherness and Individuation in Heidegger, Man and World 28 (1995).
Richardson, J. Existential Epistemology (Clarendon Press, 1986).
Scott, C. E., Heidegger and the Question of Ethics, Research in Phenomenology 18 (1988).
Steiner, G., Martin Heidegger (University of Chicago Press, 1978).
Taminiaux, J., Heidegger and the Project of Fundamental Ontology (SUNY, 1991).
13
Maurice Merleau-Ponty:
Bernasconi, R., One-Way Traffic: The Ontology of Decolonization and its Ethics, in: Johnson, G. A. &
Smith, M. B. (eds.), Ontology and Alterity in Merleau-Ponty (Northwestern University Press, 1990).
Busch, T. W., Ethics and Ontology: Levinas and Merleau-Ponty, Man and World 25:2 (1992).
Compton, J., Sartre, Merleau-Ponty and Human Freedom, The Journal of Philosophy LXXIX: 10 (1982).
Crossley, N., The Politics of Subjectivity: Between Foucault and Merleau-Ponty (Avebury, 1994).
Dillon, M. C., Merleau-Pontys Ontology (Indiana University Press, 1988).
Dillon, M. C., Sartre on the Phenomenal Body and Merleau-Pontys Critique, Journal of the British
Society for Phenomenology 5 (1974).
Dillon, M. C., Merleau-Ponty and the Psychogenesis of the Self, Journal of Phenomenological Psychology
9 (1978).
Diprose, R, Corporeal Generosity: On Giving with Nietzsche, Merleau-Ponty, and Levinas (SUNY, 2002).
Johnson, G. A. & Smith, M. B. (eds.), Ontology and Alterity in Merleau-Ponty (Northwestern University
Press, 1990).
Langer, M., Merleau-Pontys Phenomenology of Perception: A Guide and Commentary (Macmillan, 1989).
Lefort, C., Flesh and Otherness, in: Johnson, G. A. & Smith, M. B. (eds.), Ontology and Alterity in MerleauPonty (Northwestern University Press, 1990).
Levin, D. M., Justice in the Flesh, in: Johnson, G. A. & Smith, M. B. (eds.), Ontology and Alterity in MerleauPonty (Northwestern University Press, 1990).
Low, D., Merleau-Ponty on Subjectivity and Intersubjectivity, International Studies in Philosophy 24: 3
(1992).
Matustik, M. J., Merleau-Ponty on Taking the Attitude of the Other, The Journal of the British Society for
Phenomenology 44-52 (1991).
Siegel, J., A Unique Way of Existing: Merleau-Ponty and the Subject, Journal of the History of Philosophy
29 (1991).
Smith, M. B., Two Texts on Merleau-Ponty by Emmanuel Levinas Intersubjectivity: Notes on MerleauPonty and Sensibility, in: Johnson, G. A. & Smith, M. B. (eds.), Ontology and Alterity in Merleau-Ponty
(Northwestern University Press, 1990).
Stenstad, G., Merleau-Pontys Logos: The Sens-ing of Flesh, Philosophy Today 37 (1993).
Taylor, C. and Hansen, M. B. N., The Cambridge Companion to Merleau-Ponty (Cambridge University Press,
2006).
Jean-Paul Sartre:
Anderson, T. C., Freedom as Supreme Value: The Ethics of Sartre and De Beauvoir, Proceedings of the
American Catholic Philosophical Association 50 (1976).
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Anderson, T. C., Sartres Early Ethics and the Ontology of Being and Nothingness, in: Aronson, R. & Van
Den Hoven, A. (eds.), Sartre Alive (Wayne State University Press, 1991).
Andrews, C., Jean-Paul Sartre and the Problem of the Other, Dialogue (PST) 27 (1984).
Aronson, R. & Van Den Hoven, A. (eds.), Sartre Alive (Wayne State University Press, 1991).
Barnes, H. E., Sartres Ontology: The Revealing and Making of Being, in: Howells, C. (ed.), The Cambridge
Companion to Sartre (Cambridge University Press, 1992).
Barnes, H. E., The Role of the Ego in Reciprocity, in: Aronson, R. & Van Den Hoven, A. (eds.), Sartre Alive
(Wayne State University Press, 1991).
Bergoffen, D. B., The Look As Bad Faith, Philosophy Today 36 (1992).
Catalano, J. S., A Commentary on Jean-Paul Sartres Being and Nothingness (University of Chicago Press,
1974). Danto, A. C., Sartre (Fontana Press, 1991).
Deutscher, M., Genre and Void: Looking Back at Sartre and de Beauvoir (Ashgate, 2003).
Fretz, L., Individuality in Sartres Philosophy, in: Howells, C. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Sartre
(Cambridge University Press, 1992).
Howells, C. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Sartre (Cambridge University Press, 1992).
Howells, C., Sartre: The Necessity of Freedom (Cambridge University Press, 1988).
Jopling, D. A., Sartres Moral Psychology, in: Howells, C. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Sartre
(Cambridge University Press, 1992).
Jopling, D. A., Levinas, Sartre and Understanding the Other, The Journal of the British Society for
Phenomenology 24:3 (1993).
Kruks, S., Situation and Human Existence (Unwin Hyman, 1990).
Levy, N., Sartre (Oneworld Publications, 2006).
McCulloch, G., Sartre: An Analytic Introduction to Early Satrean Themes (Routledge, 1994).
Mirvish, A., Bad Faith, Good Faith, and the Faith of Faith, in: Aronson, R. & Van Den Hoven, A. (eds.),
Sartre Alive (Wayne State University Press, 1991).
Monasterio, X. O., The body in Being and Nothingness, in: Silverman, H. & Elliston, F. (eds.), Jean-Paul
Sartre: Contemporary Approaches to His Philosophy (Harvester Press, 1980).
Murphy, J. S., The Look in Sartre and Rich, Hypatia 2 (1987).
Silverman, H. & Elliston, F. (eds.), Jean-Paul Sartre: Contemporary Approaches to His Philosophy (Harvester
Press, 1980).
Simone de Beauvoir:
Allen, J. & Young, I. M. (eds.), The Thinking Muse: Feminism and Modern French Philosophy (Indiana
University Press, 1989).
Bergoffen, D. B., The Philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir: Gendered Phenomenologies, Erotic Generosities
(SUNY, 1997).
15
Kruks, S., Simone de Beauvoir: Teaching Sartre About Freedom, in: Aronson, R. & Van Den Hoven, A.
(eds.) Sartre Alive (Wayne State University Press, 1991).
Langer, M., A Philosophical Retrieval of Simone de Beauvoirs Pour une Morale de Lambiguite,
Philosophy Today 36 (1994).
Emmanuel Levinas:
Bernasconi, R. & Critchley, S. (eds.), Re-reading Levinas (Indiana University Press, 1991).
Bernasconi, R. & Wood, D. (eds.), The Provocation of Levinas: Re-thinking the Other (Routledge, 1998).
Critchley, S. & Bernasconi, R. (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Levinas (Cambridge University Press,
2002).
Davis, C., Levinas: An Introduction (University of Notre Dame Press, 1996).
Unit Schedule
WEEKLY LECTURE SCHEDULE
It is essential that you consult this Unit Outline regularly, especially prior to doing the readings in
preparation for class. The following schedule of lecture topics provides instructions on what readings
are relevant to each weeks lectures. It is your responsibility to make sure you do the correct readings. It
is also important that you attend lectures and tutorials each week because you may easily fall behind if
you miss a class. Note that the page numbers below refer to those in the original texts, followed by
page numbers in the Unit Reader. Note also that the date for each week represents the beginning of
the working week for second semester classes (Mondays).
Wk. 1: Husserl on phenomenological psychology (30 July)

Confronting the natural attitude; from pure psychology to phenomenology; intentionality and
consciousness-of.
Required reading:
Edmund Husserl, Phenomenology article for the Encyclopaedia Britannica [1927], in: Shorter
Works, eds. Peter McCormick & Frederick A. Elliston (University of Notre Dame Press, 1981), pp.
21-35 / 2-16.
Additional reading:
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Preface, Phenomenology of Perception [1945], trans. Colin Smith
(London: Routledge, 1962), pp. vii-xxi / 96-106.
Wk. 2: Husserl on the phenomenological method (6 August)

The phenomenological reduction; noesis and noema; the eidetic reduction; overcoming psychologism;
the transcendental reduction and ontology; intersubjectivity and empathy.
Required reading:
16
Edmund Husserl, Phenomenology article for the Encyclopaedia Britannica [1927], in: Shorter
Works, eds. Peter McCormick & Frederick A. Elliston (University of Notre Dame Press, 1981), pp.
21-35 / 2-16.
Additional reading:
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Preface, Phenomenology of Perception [1945], trans. Colin Smith
(London: Routledge, 1962), pp. vii-xxi / 96-106.
Wk. 3: Heidegger on the question of Being (13 August)

The meaning of Being; the forgetfulness of Being; formulating the question of Being; Dasein as the
exemplary being; the ontic-ontological character of Dasein; the Dasein-world relation.
Required reading:
Martin Heidegger, Introduction to Being and Time [1927], trans. Joan Stambaugh, in: Basic
Writings, ed. David Farrell Krell (London: Routledge, 1978), pp. 38-63 / 17-29.
Wk. 4: Heidegger on being-in-the-world and being-with (20 August)

The showing-itself of the thing; Dasein as being-in-the-world; ready-to-hand, unready-to-hand and
present-at-hand; existential understanding; being-in-the-world as being-with; being-with as solicitude;
the they.
Required reading:
Martin Heidegger, Introduction to Being and Time [1927], trans. Joan Stambaugh, in: Basic
Writings, ed. David Farrell Krell (London: Routledge, 1978), pp. 80-85 / 30-32.
Martin Heidegger, The Worldhood of the World & Being-in-the-world as Being-with and
Being Oneself. The They, Being and Time [1927], trans. John Macquarie & Edward Robinson
(Oxford: Blackwell, 1962), pp. 91-125, 149-168 / 33-62.
NB. The reading exercise is due in week 4 (Thursday, 23 August by 4pm)
Wk. 5: Heidegger on being-in, anxiety-care and being-towards-death (27

August)
The being-in of Dasein; the existential structure of Dasein; the discourse of the they; the falling of
Dasein; anxiety and care; temporality and being-towards-death.
Required reading:
Martin Heidegger, Being-In As Such, Care as the Being of Dasein & Daseins Possibility of
Being-a-Whole, and Being-Towards-Death, Being and Time [1927], trans. John Macquarie &
Edward Robinson (Oxford: Blackwell, 1962), pp. 169-173, 182-203, 210-241, 304-311 / 62-95.
17
Wk. 6: Merleau-Ponty on perception and the body (3 September)

Towards a phenomenology of incarnation; the primacy of perception; sensation, the body and
intercommunication; bodily space; the body and intentionality.
Required reading:
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Preface, Sense Experience & The Spatiality of Ones Own Body and
Motility, Phenomenology of Perception [1945], trans. Colin Smith (London: Routledge, 1962), pp.
vii-xxiv, 240-251, 112-131, 140-170 / 96-137.
Wk. 7: Merleau-Ponty on embodiment and intersubjectivity (10

September)
Classical philosophical psychology; the corporeal schema and other-experience; bodily self-experience
and the other; self-perception and other-perception; language and intersubjectivity.
Required reading:
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, The Childs Relations With Others, The Primacy of Perception [1960],
trans. William Cobb (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1964), pp. 96-155 / 138-168.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Dialogue and Perception of the Other, The Prose of the World [1969],
ed. Claude Lefort, trans. John ONeill (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1973), pp.
131-146 / 170-178.
MID-SEMESTER BREAK 17-28 September
NB. The first essay is due in the second week of the mid-semester break (Thursday, 27 September
by 4pm)
Wk. 8: Sartre on being-in-itself and being-for-itself (1 October)

The Being of phenomena; thetic and non-thetic consciousness; being as being-in-itself; consciousness
as negation and nihilation; the origins of nothingness as freedom.
Required reading:
Jean-Paul Sartre, The Pursuit of Being & The Origin of Negation, Being and Nothingness
[1943], trans. Hazel E. Barnes (New York: Philosophical Library, 1956), 8-17, 20-30, 40-43, 56-65 /
180-200.
Wk. 9: Sartre on bad faith and the other (8 October)

Consciousness as self-negation; bad faith as inauthenticity and self-negating transcendence; the unity
of being-in-itself and being-for-itself; the other, situation and disintegration; being-for-the-other.
Required reading:
18
Jean-Paul Sartre, Bad Faith, Immediate Structures of the For-Itself & The Existence of
Others, Being and Nothingness [1943], trans. Hazel E. Barnes (New York: Philosophical Library,
1956), pp. 86-113, 119-133, 340-347 / 201-226.
Wk. 10: Sartre on intersubjectivity, freedom and the situation (15

October)
Intentional purposiveness and possibility; the other and consciousness modified; freedom and the
other; intersubjectivity as conflict; resistance and the situation.
Required reading:
Jean-Paul Sartre, The Existence of Others & Being and Doing: Freedom, Being and
Nothingness [1943], trans. Hazel E. Barnes (New York: Philosophical Library, 1956), pp. 347-400,
619-629 / 226-259.
Wk. 11: De Beauvoir on ambiguity, freedom and the other (22 October)
The concept of ambiguity; freedom denied and self-denied; the situation, freedom and joy; freedom as
intersubjectivity; the infantile world and the sub-man; freedom, moral choice and the past.
Required reading:
Simone de Beauvoir, Personal Freedom and Others & The Positive Aspect of Freedom, The
Ethics of Ambiguity [1947], trans. Bernard Frechtmen (New York: Citadel Press, 1948), pp. 35-49,
78-83, 86-95, 134-135 / 260-276.
Wk. 12: Merleau-Ponty on freedom, embodiment and the situation;

Levinas on critiquing phenomenology (29 October)
Critiquing abstract freedom; action and temporality; the body and intersubjectivity; history, the
situation and lived freedom. Critiquing fundamental ontology; responsibility to being; the irreducibility
of the other; ethics as fundamental.
Required reading:
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Freedom, trans. Colin Smith, in: Basic Writings, ed. Thomas Baldwin
(London: Routledge, 2004), pp. 209-233 / 277-290.
Emmanuel Levinas, Is Ontology Fundamental? [1951], trans. Peter Atterton, Philosophy Today
33:2 (Summer, 1989), pp. 121-129 / 291-299.
NB. There are no classes in week 13.
NB. The second essay is due in the first week of the exam period (Thursday, 15 November by 4pm)
Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be
aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
19
Academic Honesty Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy
Central.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services
can be accessed at: http://students.mq.edu.au/support/.
UniWISE provides:
Online learning resources and academic skills workshops http://www.mq.edu.au/
learning_skills/
Personal assistance with your learning & study related questions.
The Learning Help Desk is located in the Library foyer (level 2).
Online and on-campus orientation events run by Mentors@Macquarie.
Student Enquiry Service

Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au/ses/.
Equity Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Support Unit who can provide
appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
IT Help
If you wish to receive IT help, we would be glad to assist you at http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the university's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all
who connect to the MQ network including students and it outlines what can be done.
Graduate Capabilities
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge,
scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent
and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant,
professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the
structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel
situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
20
Learning outcomes
imagination
in written form
Assessment tasks
Reading Exercise
Essay 1
Essay 2
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and
synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique
constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation
to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and
information technology literacy.
Learning outcomes
imagination
in written form
group discussions
Assessment tasks
Reading Exercise
21
Essay 1
Essay 2
Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and
information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be
able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and
solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an
awareness of their own limitations.
Learning outcomes
imagination
in written form
group discussions
Assessment tasks
Essay 1
Essay 2
Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical
context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and
ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and
inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural
literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate
to help create a wiser and better society.
22
Learning outcomes
imagination
group discussions
Assessment tasks
Essay 1
Essay 2
Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue
knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they
participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with
others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
Learning outcomes
imagination
in written form
group discussions
Assessment tasks
Reading Exercise
Essay 1
23
Essay 2
Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be
imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want
them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
Learning outcomes
imagination
in written form
group discussions
Assessment tasks
Reading Exercise
Essay 1
Essay 2
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms
effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read,
listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly,
speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
Learning outcomes
24
imagination
in written form
group discussions
Assessment tasks
Reading Exercise
Essay 1
Essay 2
Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with
others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to
have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving
society towards sustainability.
Learning outcomes
imagination
group discussions
Assessment task
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to
demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will
exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity
and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
25
Learning outcomes
imagination
in written form
group discussions
Assessment tasks
Reading Exercise
Essay 1
Essay 2
Changes since First Published

Date
Description
13/07/2012
The Description and Prerequisites were updated.
30/01/2012
The Description was updated.
30/01/2012
The Description was updated.
26

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PHL 238

Delivery and Resources

Policies and Procedures

Changes since First Published

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

4pm Thursday 23 August

4pm Thursday 27 September

4pm Thursday 15 November

Tutorials / Online Discussion

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Tutorials / Online Discussion

Delivery and Resources

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

TIMES AND LOCATIONS FOR LECTURES AND TUTORIALS

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Tutorial attendance and participation (internal students):

Online participation (external students):

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

WRITING PHILOSOPHY ESSAYS

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

OTHER ADVICE ON WRITING ESSAYS

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

STANDARDS FOR ESSAY ASSESSMENT

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Wk. 1: Husserl on phenomenological psychology (30 July)

Wk. 2: Husserl on the phenomenological method (6 August)

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Wk. 3: Heidegger on the question of Being (13 August)

Wk. 4: Heidegger on being-in-the-world and being-with (20 August)

Wk. 5: Heidegger on being-in, anxiety-care and being-towards-death (27

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Wk. 6: Merleau-Ponty on perception and the body (3 September)

Wk. 7: Merleau-Ponty on embodiment and intersubjectivity (10

Wk. 8: Sartre on being-in-itself and being-for-itself (1 October)

Wk. 9: Sartre on bad faith and the other (8 October)

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Wk. 10: Sartre on intersubjectivity, freedom and the situation (15

Wk. 12: Merleau-Ponty on freedom, embodiment and the situation;

Policies and Procedures

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Academic Honesty Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Student Enquiry Service

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Creative and Innovative

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

Unit guide PHL 238 Existential Questions

This graduate capability is supported by: