Religious Studies 777 (Winter 2005): Emmanuel Levinas (Hollander)

SYLLABUS-IN-PROGRESS

Religious Studies 777 (Winter 2005) -
Topics in Philosophy and Jewish Thought

THE PHILOSOPHY OF EMMANUEL LEVINAS

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.

updated March 25, 2005

Additional Resources on Levinas Final Paper Assignment

CLASS MEETINGS: Fridays, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., University Hall 122

INSTRUCTOR: 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

Course Description / Course Readings / Course Requirements | SCHEDULE: January / February / March / April

COURSE DESCRIPTION

An introduction to the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, by way of selections from his major works Totality and Infinity and Otherwise than Being, as well as selected essays and interviews.

COURSE READINGS

There is usually more than one way you can obtain each reading - see details for each title on the syllabus.

Books for this course have been ordered with Titles.
All the readings are, or will be, also on reserve at Mills Library; some of these may appear under other course numbers from the previous semester, RS 3A03 and RS 778. Check on the status of a title via the MORRIS online catalogue, or look up the Mills Library reserve lists under "Hollander."

Besides the secondary works mentioned in this syllabus, there are also a number of other useful works on Levinas on reserve for this course, so do peruse this list.

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 important that, to the extent possible, students be consulting Levinas's texts in the original, alongside the English translations. The French editions of Totalité et infini and Autrement qu'être should be purchased at Titles; the French versions of the other works we will be studying are on reserve (please ask me if you would like help in locating any of these).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Regular attendance, careful preparation of readings, and participation in class discussion.
One or two in-class presentation(s) designed to introduce one or more of the readings for class discussion (detailed instructions to follow)
A paper (15-20 pages) on a topic chosen in consultation with me. A proposal for this paper will be due on March 14.

Grades will be based on Participation/Presentation(s) 50%, Written Work 50%.

JANUARY 14

Organizational Meeting, Introductory Remarks

JANUARY 21

Introductory readings on Levinas:

Ethics & Infinity. Conversations with Philippe Nemo (1982) [purchase book/book on reserve], esp. chaps. 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Robert Bernasconi, "Levinas, Emmanuel" in Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (1998) [online/Mills Reference]

Dana Hollander, "Levinas, Emmanuel," from The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism, 2nd ed., 2004 [handout]

Emmanuel Levinas chronology [handout]

Broader introductions (useful throughout the course):

Adriaan Peperzak, To the Other. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas (1993) [book available for purchase/on reserve]

Edith Wyschogrod, Emmanuel Levinas. The Problem of Ethical Metaphysics, 2nd ed. (2000) [book on reserve]

Main readings to be discussed:

"Is Ontology Fundamental?" (1951) in Basic Philosophical Writings [book available for purchase/on reserve/master copy in UH 104]

(if time permits) "Preface" to Totality and Infinity. An Essay on Exteriority (1961), trans. Alphonso Lingis [purchase book/on reserve]

presentation - Justin Klassen

JANUARY 28

Introductory readings on phenomenology:

Robert Sokolowski, Introduction to Phenomenology (2000) [book on reserve] - begin with chaps 1 and 4.

Dan Zahavi, Husserl's Phenomenology (2003), esp. chap. 1 (though chap. 2 is also useful) [master copy in UH 104; book ordered for reserve]

Jane Howarth, "Phenomenology, epistemic issues in," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (1998) [online/Mills Reference]

A general reference work: Dermot Moran, Introduction to Phenomenology (2000) [book on reserve]

Main readings to be discussed:

"Reflections on Phenomenological 'Technique'" (1959) and "The Ruin of Representation" (1959), Discovering Existence With Husserl, trans. Richard A. Cohen/Michael B. Smith [master copies in UH 104/book on reserve]

Relevant Secondary Literature:

John Drabinski, Sensibility and Singularity. The Problem of Phenomenology in Levinas (2001) [on reserve], chap. 2

Alphonso Lingis, "The Sensuality and the Sensitivity" in Face to Face With Levinas, ed. Richard A. Cohen (1986) [book on reserve]

presentation - Sheldon Hanlon

FEBRUARY 4-11

Totality and Infinity: "Preface," cont'd; "The Same and the Other"; possible selection from "Interiority and Economy"

presentations - Carlos Colorado

FEBRUARY 18, MARCH 4

Totality and Infinity: "Exteriority and the Face"

presentations - Jamie Bourdon

MARCH 11

Totality and Infinity: "Beyond the Face"

Relevant Secondary Literature:

Jean-Luc Marion, "From the Other to the Individual" (2000) [master copy in UH 104]

presentation - Justin Klassen

FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT

MARCH 18

Otherwise than Being, or Beyond Essence (1974), trans. Alphonso Lingis [purchase book], chapter IV: "Substitution"

(Note also "Substitution" (1968) in Basic Philosophical Writings [book on reserve])

presentation - Sheldon Hanlon

APRIL 1

"Toward the Other" (1963) in Nine Talmudic Readings [book on reserve; master copy in UH 104]

Background Reading:

Edith Wyschogrod, "Philosophy and the Covenant" in Emmanuel Levinas. The Problem of Ethical Metaphysics, 2nd ed. (2000) [book on reserve]

Levinas, dialogue with Richard Kearney in Richard Cohen (ed.), Face to Face with Levinas [book on reserve] or Richard Kearney, Dialogues with Contemporary Continental Thinkers [book on reserve; master copy in UH 104]

presentation - Alisha Pomazon

APRIL 8, 1:30 p.m.

Special Session with Gary B. Madison (Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, McMaster University)

Reading: "The Ethics and Politics of the Flesh" in Madison/Fairbairn (eds.), The Ethics of Postmodernity (1999) [handout; master copy in UH 104]

Background image is from Emmanuel Levinas, "Il y a" in Deucalion no. 1 (1946), courtesy of Arnd Wedemeyer.