PHIL 365 - Existentialism

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-UD-C
An inquiry into the meaning of human existence with particular emphasis on the self. By examining themes like anxiety, alienation, freedom, God, being, and absurdity, students come to understand where the meaning of human existence is located.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division Area C requirements.
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 with grade C- (CR) or better.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UD-C - Upper Division Arts or Humanities
Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Write clear, academically rigorous, argumentative essays.
Read complex texts, create original arguments, analyze the arguments of others, and express these criticisms orally and in writing.
Demonstrate knowledge of philosophical traditions, their relevant concepts, theories, methods, and historical contexts.
Develop their capacities for ethical decision-making, Socratic humility, openness to the ideas of others, reflective self-awareness, and a life-long curiosity about big questions.

UD-C. Upper-division Arts or Humanities Learning Outcomes

demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply the principles, methodologies, value systems, and thought processes employed in the arts and humanities;
analyze cultural production as an expression of, or reflection upon, what it means to be human; and
demonstrate how the perspectives of the arts and humanities are used by informed, engaged, and reflective citizens to benefit local and global communities.