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SØREN KIERKEGAARD AND THE CHALLENGE OF
EXISTENCE
SØREN KIERKEGAARD AND THE CHALLENGE OF EXISTENCE is a course in
English for all international students, which has been offered each semester
during the past ten years. Students are admitted according to the date they
hand in the registration form.
Kierkegaard is the only Danish philosopher of undisputed international rank and
legend. However, his ideas are unorthodox to such extent that they are
discussed in virtually all subject areas including, for example, art history,
political science, psychology, literature or the natural sciences.
Kierkegaard’s works revolve around basic human experiences like aesthetic lust,
despair, anxiety, morality, passion, knowledge, absurdity and faith. In
particular, Kierkegaard claimed to present a complete summary of the basic
possible ways in which we can live our lives. We will analyze and criticize these
ways thoroughly in order to find out to what extent they may give us a true point
of orientation.
Every lecture presupposes a short reading of not more than five pages and will
provide sufficient room for discussion. The course also integrates a City Walk
through Kierkegaard’s odd personal life as well as the screening of two of the
best, deeply “Kierkegaardian” Danish movies: Breaking the Waves and Adam’s
Apples.
The lectures do not presuppose specialized knowledge and will introduce the
respective themes without jargon. The short essays (no minimum number of
pages) can be composed freely and do not have to be “philosophical”. They can
be submitted in English or in German. Individual student counseling of the
lecturer will be available.
Location: University of Copenhagen, Amager, Karen Blixens Plads 8, room 15A-2-
11 Time: Mondays from 4 to 6 p.m.
First lecture is February 18th and last lecture is May 6th. Furthermore, there will be one excursion and two film screenings. The
excursion will be on Sunday February 24th. The film screenings will be on Monday March 3rd and April 1st immediately after the lecture.
A total of 10 lectures and 3 excursions or other relevant activities.
Coordinator: The course is organised by The Saxo Institute.
The coordinator is Ulrich Knappe, Danish Culture Courses, University of Copenhagen.
Lecturer: Ulrich Knappe, Danish Culture Courses
Assistants: There will be a teaching assistant from Danish Culture Courses, who will assist with practical matters.
Website: www.danishculturecourses.ku.dk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/danishculturecourses E-mail: [email protected]
Registration: Find the registration form on our website, fill it in electronically and send
it to [email protected] from your KU-mail. The deadline is March 7th 2019. The course is only offered to international students
enrolled at the University of Copenhagen through IUS (International Education & Grants) or through Open University: www.aabentuniversitet.hum.ku.dk.
We can only admit 60 students at this course. Students will be admitted
according to the date, they hand in the registration form. Exchange students can sign up for a maximum of 35 ECTS points at the
UCPH per semester. If you wish to join this course but your enrollment in it will make your total amount of ECTS exceed the 35 ECTS limit,
please contact the department(s) of the course(s) you’re registered for, and ask to be withdrawn in order to make room for it. Once you have room for the 15 ECTS, please fill in the registration form and send it to
[email protected] from your KU-mail, and we will. The registration deadline is March 7th 2019.
Examination: When you register for the course you are automatically registered for the
exam.
Danish Literature and Philosophy in Context of Danish Culture and Society – HDCB01051E:
Form of exam: Written take-home assignment, optional subject, following active student participation (see special provisions). The
subject of the assignment is agreed between the student and the teacher. Assessment: Internal exam with one examiner, the 7-point grading
scale. Exam language: English.
Extent: Max. 20 standard pages.
Group exam: The exam can only be taken individually. Special provisions: Active student participation consists of a synopsis
of 2-3 standard pages.
Make-up exam/re-exam (if not fulfilling requirement for active student participation): Written take-home assignment, optional
subject. The subject of the assignment is agreed between the student and the teacher.
Assessment: Internal exam with one examiner, the 7-point grading scale. Exam language: English.
Extent: 20-25 standard pages. Group exam: The exam can only be taken individually
The assignment must be uploaded in Digital Exam no later than June 6th
at 12 p.m. (noon).
After evaluation of the exam the grade or result is automatically added to your transcript and reported to your home university by IUS
(International Education & Grants). The grade will be published on KU-net Self Service four weeks after deadline for submission of exam paper.
Literature: Your personal syllabus will be the required readings available for download in Absalon.
A collection of pertinent books are available in the reference library. These books are only to be studied in the library, cf. list of books, which you can
find in the Absalon room. The location is Saxo Knowledge Centre 13B 2nd floor at KUA2.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Mar. 7th: Deadline for registration, change of exams and withdrawal.
May 6th: Deadline for uploading approved synopsis on Absalon.
May 16th: End-of-term celebration Jun. 6th: Deadline for submission of exam papers at 12 p.m. (noon) in Digital
Exam.
SCHEDULE
Feb. 18th Lecture 1: Introduction and Overview to the course
Feb. 24th Excursion: City Walk: Kierkegaard in Copenhagen
Feb. 25th Lecture 2: Finding “the Idea for Which I am Willing to Live and
Die” Mar. 4th Lecture 3: [Im] purity of Heart
Mar. 11th Lecture 4: Despair
Mar. 18th Lecture 5: Is Abraham a Murderer?
Mar. 18th Excursion: Film: Breaking the Waves, Lars Von Trier
Mar. 25th Lecture 6: Fear and Trembling revisited
Apr. 1st Lecture 7: Passion
Apr. 1st Excursion: Film: Adam’s Apples
Apr. 8th Lecture 8: Absurdity
Apr. 29th Lecture 9: Kierkegaard and Socrates
May 6th Lecture 10: What is Existentialism? Summary and Conclusions
The programme is subject to alteration.
PROGRAMME
Lecture 1: Introduction and Overview to the Course (Feb. 18th) (Ulrich Knappe)
Excursion: Kierkegaard in Copenhagen (Feb. 24th) We will visit some of the places Kierkegaard frequented as well as some
of his former residences in Copenhagen. By doing so, we will get to know details of his odd personal life. We will end the tour in one of Kierkegaard’s apartments, which, happily, is now a café.
(Ulrich Knappe)
Lecture 2: Finding “the Idea for Which I am Willing to Live and Die”. (Feb. 25th) As a concrete approach to Kierkegaard’s thinking, we will analyse two very
famous journal entries from his time as a student. Many themes that
concerned him throughout his life are neatly portrayed here. First of all, understanding these themes will give us a more substantial introduction
to the major topics to be discussed in the remainder of the course. Secondly, they will give us a point of departure for highlighting significant phases of his biography.
(Ulrich Knappe)
Expected reading in the binder: Selected early entries from Kierkegaard’s journals and papers.
Lecture 3: [Im] purity of Heart (Mar. 4th) For the most part we do not live up to our truthful ideals. Kierkegaard calls
this an “aesthetic” existence. In the writing Purity of Heart he presents such attitude as “double-mindedness”. In this lecture, we will analyse the
main features of such view on life. (Ulrich Knappe)
Expected reading in the binder: Purity of heart is to will one thing. (An Occasional Discourse).
Lecture 4: Despair (Mar. 11th) Another aspect of an aesthetic existence is despair. Kierkegaard conceives
of it as a spiritual disease. We will look into the corresponding account of our personal failure by interpreting passages from Sickness unto Death.
(Ulrich Knappe) Expected reading in the binder: Despair is the sickness unto death.
Lecture 5: Is Abraham a Murderer?
(Mar. 18th) In Fear and Trembling Kierkegaard puts forward two crucial existential ideals in order to remedy “double-mindedness” and “despair”: the ethical and the religious life views. Even though ethicality renders some true point
of orientation, he argues that there might be situations where we need to give up morality in favour of faith. This is put forward dramatically in an
ingenious and unorthodox reinterpretation of a story in the bible (Genesis,
ch. 22) where Abraham intends to kill his son, Isaac. However, if Abraham is a murderer, faith does not exist, Kierkegaard maintains...
(Ulrich Knappe) Expected reading in the binder: Fear and Trembling: Problema I
Excursion: Film: Breaking the Waves, Lars von Trier (After lecture 5)
(Mar. 18th) Lars von Trier’s dogma movie reflects many ideas of Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling. It will provide us with a modern perspective on the issue since Beth, the main character of the film, is in a similar situation as
Abraham.
Location: 15A-2-11 (Ulrich Knappe)
Lecture 6: Fear and Trembling revisited
(Mar. 25th) Kierkegaard immodestly said that if he had written this work only, he would have already become world famous. Indeed, Fear and Trembling is
a complex work that puts forward many interesting nuances of Kierkegaard’s theory of existence. We will dwell on them and will at the same time compare the writing with Lars von Trier’s movie.
(Ulrich Knappe)
Expected reading in the binder: Fear and Trembling: Problema I (and II) Lecture 7: Passion
(Apr. 1tst) According to Kierkegaard, a crucial concept that illuminates authentic/faithful existence is passion. We will try to understand its
nature by looking at the contrast in Concluding Unscientific Postscript between passionate thinking and unengaged/scientific thinking. (Ulrich Knappe)
Expected reading in binder: Concluding Unscientific Postscript
(Subjective Truth, Inwardness, pp. 192-204).
Excursion: Film: Adam’s Apples (After lecture 7) (Apr. 1st) This funny but at the same time dramatic masterpiece will help us
focusing upon “passion”. Ivan, a small-town priest and head of the community, believes firmly and boldly in the goodness of man. By
meeting the misanthropic Neo-Nazi gang leader Adam, a fascinating transformation of both men is set in motion.
Location: 15A-2-11 (Ulrich Knappe)
Lecture 8: Absurdity (Apr. 8th) One of the most fascinating aspects of Kierkegaard’s conception of
authentic existence is its abandonment of ordinary standards of rationality. Correspondingly, to become authentic runs the risk of committing to peculiar absurdities in our life, and these we will
investigate by means of some further readings from Concluding Unscientific Postscript.
(Ulrich Knappe) Expected reading in the binder: Concluding Unscientific Postscript
(Subjective Truth, Inwardness, pp. 204-211 & The Issue in Fragments, pp. 555-561)
Lecture 9: Kierkegaard and Socrates
(Apr. 29th) Kierkegaard’s relation to Socrates is of perennial importance in order to understand his thinking. We will critically evaluate this relation by means
of discussing the very last words of his authorship where he acknowledges his Socratic inheritance
(Ulrich Knappe)
Expected reading in binder: Fædrelandet Articles, The Moment.
Lecture 10: What is Existentialism? Summary and Conclusions (May 6th) In our final lecture we will review the central contents and problems of the
earlier lectures. In this way, Kierkegaard’s overall train of thought will be
coherently presented and brought into historical perspective. Thereby we will be oriented towards the question why and how Kierkegaard’s thinking
is often understood as being existentialistic. (Ulrich Knappe)
ADDRESSES
Danish Culture Courses
Contact Information; Lecturer:
Course Coordinator:
Ulrich Knappe, Danish Culture Courses
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact for General Questions:
Assistants: Elisabeth LB Andersen
Tómas Terney Arason Mathilde Duedahl Jørgensen
Annette Klaaborg
Amalie Witt Skovhus Bjørn Søndergaard
Anna Olivia Høite Andrea Aallmann
Thomas Møll Bramming
Karen Blixens Plads 8, room 12-3-14
E-mail: [email protected]
Director: Per Methner Rasmussen,
The Saxo Institute.
Karen Blixens Plads 8, room 12-3-10 DK-2300 København S
E-mail: [email protected] Web-site: www.danishculturecourses.ku.dk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/danishculturecourses
Exam Secretary:
Maria Christina Frantzoulis The Saxo Institute.
Karen Blixens Plads 8, room 12-3-38
DK-2300 København S E-mail: [email protected]
IUS (International Education & Grants)
International Uddannelse og SU
Fiolstræde 1 Postboks 1143
DK-1010 København K Phone: +45 35 32 29 18
