Religious Studies 777: Rosenzweig and Levinas (Winter 2010)
This syllabus is posted at http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/danahol/777 and is also accessible by way of my home page (see below). It will be updated periodically, and students in the class are asked to consult it regularly during the semester.
CLASS MEETINGS: (tentatively) Mondays, 12:30-2:30 p.m., University Hall 122 |
updated March 9, 2010 |
Dana Hollander,
Department of
Religious Studies, University Hall 109,
(905) 525-9140, ext. 24759*,
danahol@mcmaster.ca*,
http://univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca/~danahol/
*in your phone and e-mail messages, please let me know how I can reach you by phone
Office Hours: Mondays, 3:15-4:15 p.m. (No office hours on February 15 and March 29)
Course Description / Course Readings / Course Requirements | SCHEDULE: January / February / March / April
COURSE
DESCRIPTION A joint introduction to the thought of the
German-Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) and the French-Jewish
philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1905-1995). We will consider how they posed their
respective challenges to Western philosophical systems, as well as explore
continuities between Levinas and the thinker whom he considered one of his most
important inspirations.
Details for how to obtain each reading appear beside the individual readings on the course schedule below.
Books for this course have been ordered with Titles.
All the readings, including original-language editions of translated works we are reading (which students are encouraged to refer to to the extent possible), will be placed on reserve at Mills Library. Check on the status of a title via the MORRIS online catalogue, or look up the Mills Library reserve lists under "Hollander."
In addition, master copies of shorter texts we are reading will be made available in the Religious Studies Department office (UH 104), to use for making personal copies.
It is expected that students make use of personal copies of all the primary readings, and that they bring those personal copies to the class in which they are to be discussed, whether in book form or as a photocopy.
Grades will be based on Participation/Presentation 50%, Secondary Literature Report 15%, Final Paper 35%.
Organizational Meeting
We will discuss options for the content of the course from February 8/March 1 onwards.
January 11
Introductions
ROSENZWEIG |
LEVINAS |
"The New Thinking" (1925), trans.
Barbara E. Galli and Alan Udoff, in Franz Rosenzweig's "The New
Thinking," ed. Udoff/Galli [master copy
in UH
104] (Original: "Das neue Denken" in Zweistromland [book on reserve])
|
Ethics and Infinity. Conversations with Philippe Nemo (1982)
[purchase book / make copy from book on reserve] (Original: Ethique et infini [book on reserve]) "Dialogue" with Richard Kearney (1981), from Kearney, Dialogues with Contemporary Continental Thinkers [book on reserve / master copy in UH 104] |
Brief Introductory Reading:
Myriam Bienenstock, "Rosenzweig, Franz" (1998), in Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy* [online / Mills Reference] Arnold Betz, Franz Rosenzweig. His Life and Works. (Exhibit and Essay) [Website at the Divinity Library, Vanderbilt University] |
Brief
Introductory Reading:
Robert Bernasconi, "Levinas, Emmanuel" (1998), in Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy* [online / Mills Reference] Dana Hollander, "Levinas, Emmanuel," from The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism, 2nd ed., 2005 [handout / online (Note that the online version contains some errors.)] |
Further Material on Rosenzweig's Philosophy and Life: Nahum Glatzer, "Introduction," Franz Rosenzweig. His Life and Thought (1953; new edition, 1998) [book to be placed on reserve]Martin Jay, "1920: The Free Jewish School is founded in Frankfurt..." from The Yale Companion to Jewish Writing and Thought in German Culture, 1096-1996 (1997) [book will be placed on reserve] Paul Mendes-Flohr, "1914: Franz Rosenzweig writes the essay 'Atheistic Theology'..." from The Yale Companion (1997) -----, "Rosenzweig" in Critchley/Schroeder (eds.), A Companion to Continental Philosophy (1999) Stéphane Mosès, System and Revelation. The Philosophy of Franz Rosenzweig (1982) [book on reserve] Norbert Samuelson, A User's Guide to Franz Rosenzweig's 'Star of Redemption' (1999) [book on reserve] |
Further Introductory Reading: Adriaan Peperzak, To the Other. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas (1993) [purchase book / master copy in UH 104] Edith Wyschogrod, Emmanuel Levinas. The Problem of Ethical Metaphysics, 2nd ed. (2000) [book to be placed on reserve] |
*NOTE: To view the "Bibliography" portion of REP articles, click on "Bibliography" on the blue bar above the article heading.
January 18
ROSENZWEIG
"The New Thinking," cont'dThe Star of Redemption (1921) [book available for purchase/make
copy from book on reserve]: Introduction
(Original: Der Stern der
Erlösung [book on reserve / consult online])
January 25
Levinas, "Philosophy and the Idea of the Infinite" (1957), bilingual edition in Peperzak, To the Other [book is out of print; some copies are available from Canadian vendors via abebooks.com / master copy in UH 104 / make copy from book on reserve]
Friday, January 29, 3:30 p.m.: Lecture by Sheldon Hanlon (Ph.D., McMaster, 2008), "Levinas and the Restless Subject," Philosophy Department, UH 316
"Preface" to Totality and Infinity
(1961) [master copy in UH
104]
"Is Ontology Fundamental?"
(1951) in Basic Philosophical Writings [book on reserve / master copy in UH
104]
(Original: “L’ontologie est-elle fondamentale?” in Entre
nous [master copy of article in UH 104 / book on reserve])
February 8
"Meaning and Sense" (1964), trans.
Lingis/Critchley/Peperzak, in Basic
Philosophical Writings. Alternative translation: "Signification
and Sense," trans. Nidra Poller, in Humanism of the Other [book to
be placed on reserve]
"La signification et le sens"
in Humanisme de l'autre homme
[book on reserve]
Background Reading:
Diane Perpich, The Ethics of Emmanuel Levinas (2008) [book on reserve], chaps. 3 and 4
Secondary Literature Report due February 10
February 22
Discussion of scholarship on Rosenzweig and Levinas, based on participants' Secondary Literature Reports.
"Enigma and Phenomenon" (1965), trans. Lingis/Bernasconi/Critchley,
in Basic Philosophical Writings
"Énigme et phénomène," in En
découvrant l’existence avec Husserl et Heidegger
Background Reading:
Diane Perpich, The Ethics of Emmanuel Levinas, chaps. 3 and 4
March 8
Otherwise than Being (1974), trans. Alphonso Lingis, chap. 4
[book on reserve]: "Substitution" (cf. "Substitution" [1968], in Basic Philosophical Writings)Guest Speaker: Sheldon Hanlon (Ph.D., McMaster University, 2008)
March 15, 22
Otherwise than Being, chap. 5
Supplementary:
Oona Eisenstadt, Driven Back to the Text (2001)
[book on reserve], chap. 2: 85-108.March 29 (to be rescheduled due to Passover)
Rosenzweig, Star of Redemption, Part 3, Book 1
Levinas, "'Between Two Worlds'" (1959) in Difficult
Freedom, trans. Seán Hand [book available for purchase / on reserve]
Supplementary:
Levinas, "Franz Rosenzweig: A Modern Jewish Thinker" (1965), in Outside
the Subject, trans. Michael B. Smith
Oona Eisenstadt, Driven Back to the Text (2001), chap. 4: 201-47
Final Paper due April 19.
Copyright © 2009-2010 Dana Hollander