Assessment

2 minor essays each worth 25%, 1 final essay worth 50%

Module Aims

This module is an introduction to one of the defining figures, and themes, of contemporary continental philosophy: Friedrich Nietzsche and the “Death of God.” Its aim is to show that contemporary continental philosophy is determined by the Nietzschean event of the “death of God.” The module is divided into two parts. The first introduces the theme of the “death of God” by reading select aphorisms from The Gay Science and large portions of Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The second part treats major figures within continental philosophy who respond to Nietzsche’s tragic philosophy of the “death of God.” Figures treated include Heidegger, Foucault, Girard, and Marion.

This module aims to aid learners by:

-rooting learners in a key figure in the history of western philosophy

-aid in the development of ethical values

Learning Outcomes

• — Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the texts under discussion.
• — Read and explicate a primary philosophical text.
• — Conceptually explain the event of the “death of God” as presented in the selections read from The Gay Science and Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
• — Conceptually explain the reception of the event of the “death of God” in the post-Nietzschean figures treated.