Existentialism and the arts
NB: no classes on 6th and 27th May.
This course has now started
- Course Code: HP112
- Dates: 22/04/24 - 22/07/24
- Time: 12:30 - 14:30
- Taught: Mon, Daytime
- Duration: 12 sessions (over 14 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: John Goff
Course Code: HP112
Duration: 12 sessions (over 14 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
‘Existentialism’ is the attempt to think about and give expression to the 'human condition' from the supposition that human existence has no intrinsic meaning, purpose or value. That we exist is a fact, the significance of that existence, if any, is up to us to determine.
Given this brief characterisation, existentialist themes often take cultural expression through art, cinema, literature, theatre and in popular culture. We will examine what such works tell us about the human condition.
What will we cover?
• Works in painting, cinema & TV, literature and theatre and will be related to the thinking of existentialist philosophers such as Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Sartre.
• A list of the main works to be covered will be given in the schedule at the opening session (but will include Kafka, Bacon, Ballard, Beckett, Antonioni) – participants are welcome to suggest relevant works to be shown/discussed with the agreement of the other participants.
• Some key themes will be ‘crisis’, ‘machination’, ‘time’, ‘despair/anguish’.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Explain, simply and with some examples, how several artists have given expression to their view of the 'human condition’.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
No prior knowledge is assumed. A willingness to critically examine concepts and some basic familiarity with
discussion/debate, argument and evaluation will be beneficial. An open mind and a willingness to listen to and think about views with which you do not always agree are more important than specific levels of skills.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The course will run in a seminar format with short slide presentation including Q&A and group discussion. No
outside work is required.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
No special equipment is required, other than for note-taking as preferred.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Please check our website at www.citylit.ac.uk for up-to-date information about forthcoming philosophy courses.
From reading Philosophy at a young age to the formal study of Cognitive Science, Philosophy & Psychology at the Universities of London and Sussex - after a prior career in video-arts - John Goff has been presenting philosophy courses to adults since the early 2000s. He uses a cross-disciplinary, seminar-based approach in his courses, drawing on Philosophy, Psychology and the wider Humanities & Social Sciences with an emphasis on the intersection of contemporary and classical European and Asian philosophical thought. He is the author of several works of philosophical fiction concerning artificial minds and organisms and alternative-human worlds including the novel 'The Last Days of the Most Hidden Man' and the novellas 'Eidopolis', 'Agents of Erasure', 'Jupiter|Saturn' and 'Sleep|Nothing|Asylum'. His academic writings can be found on his academia.edu page at 'https://independentscholar.academia.edu/JohnGoff'.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
