SYLLABUS-IN-PROGRESS

Religious Studies 777: Rosenzweig and Levinas (Fall 2012)

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.

CLASS MEETINGS:  Mondays, 1:30-3:30, UH 122

updated November 17, 2012


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

Office Hours:  Mondays, 4-5 p.m., or by appointment


☛ JUMP TO SCHEDULE: September / October / November / December



COURSE DESCRIPTION

A joint introduction to the thought of the German-Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) and the French-Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1905-1995). We will consider how they posed their respective challenges to Western philosophical systems and in what sense their views of Judaism played a role in their philosophical thought.


COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Grades will be based on Participation/Presentation 50%, Secondary Literature Report 15%, Final Paper 35%.


September 10

Organizational Meeting


September 17 - No Class, Rosh Hashanah


September 24

Introductions

ROSENZWEIG

LEVINAS

"The New Thinking" (1925), trans. Barbara E. Galli and Alan Udoff, in Franz Rosenzweig's "The New Thinking," ed. Udoff/Galli

"Das neue Denken" in Zweistromland [book on reserve]

  • see also alternative translation in Philosophical and Theological Writings, ed. Franks/Morgan[book on reserve] as well as my list of Errata for that translation 
  • Ethics and Infinity. Conversations with Philippe Nemo (1982) [purchase book]

    Ethique et infini [book on reserve]

    "Dialogue" with Richard Kearney (1981), from Kearney, Dialogues with Contemporary Continental Thinkers [book on reserve]

    Brief Introductory Reading:

    Myriam Bienenstock, "Rosenzweig, Franz" (1998), in Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy* [online / Mills Reference]

    Benjamin Pollock, "Franz Rosenzweig" (2009), in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Brief Introductory Reading:

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

    Dana Hollander, "Levinas, Emmanuel," from The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism, 2nd ed., 2005 [handout / online (Note that the online version contains some errors.)] 

    Further Material on Rosenzweig's Philosophy and Life:

    Nahum Glatzer, "Introduction," Franz Rosenzweig. His Life and Thought (1953; new edition, 1998) [book on reserve]

    Martin Jay, "1920: The Free Jewish School is founded in Frankfurt..." from The Yale Companion to Jewish Writing and Thought in German Culture, 1096-1996 (1997) [book on reserve]

    Paul Mendes-Flohr, "1914: Franz Rosenzweig writes the essay 'Atheistic Theology'..." from The Yale Companion (1997) 

    -----, "Rosenzweig" in Critchley/Schroeder (eds.), A Companion to Continental Philosophy (1999)

    Stéphane Mosès, System and Revelation. The Philosophy of Franz Rosenzweig (1982) [book on reserve]

    Norbert Samuelson, A User's Guide to Franz Rosenzweig's 'Star of Redemption' (1999) [book on reserve]


    Historical Context:

    Michael A. Meyer/Michael Brenner (eds.), German-Jewish History in Modern Times, vol. 3: Integration in Dispute, 1871-1918 and vol. 4: Renewal and Destruction, 1918-1945 [books on reserve]

    Michael Brenner, The Renaissance of Jewish Culture in Weimar Germany (1996) [book on reserve]

    Further Introductory Reading:

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

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

    *NOTE: To view the "Bibliography" portion of REP articles, click on "Bibliography" on the blue bar above the article heading.  


    October 1

    ROSENZWEIG, cont'd

    "The New Thinking," cont'd

    The Star of Redemption (written 1918-19; published 1921), trans. Barbara E. Galli (2005) [purchase book]: Introduction to Part 1

    Der Stern der Erlösung [book on reserve / consult online]


    see also alternative translation by William Hallo (1971) [on reserve]


    October 15, 22, 30

    The Star of Redemption:


    SPECIAL SESSION: Tuesday, October 23,  2:30-4:30 p.m., University Hall 122

    special session with Michael Zank (Hooker Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, Oct. 23-25) on the letters on Judaism and Christianity between Rosenzweig and Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, trans. Dorothy M. Emmet, in Judaism Despite Christianity, ed. Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy (University of Alabama Press, 1969)  (New edition, with additional material: University of Chicago Press, 2011) [1969 edition on reserve]

    Original correspondence in: Franz Rosenzweig, Briefe und Tagebücher (1979), vol. 1, or in Franz Rosenzweig, Briefe (1935) [book on reserve]

    Background Reading:

    Wayne Cristaudo, "Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy" (2008/2012), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy*

    *NOTE: To view the "Bibliography" portion of REP articles, click on "Bibliography" on the blue bar above the article heading.  


    November 5

    conclude discussion of Rosenzweig, Star, Part 3, Book 1


    LEVINAS AND PHENOMENOLOGY

    Main reading to be discussed:

    "The Ruin of Representation" (1959), Discovering Existence With Husserl, trans. Richard A. Cohen/Michael B. Smith [book on reserve]

     En découvrant l'existence avec Husserl et Heidegger  [book on reserve]


    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) [book on 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 to be placed 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]

    James Dodd, "'The Dignity of the Mind': Levinas's Reading of Husserl" in Levinas Studies 5 (2010) [volume on reserve]



    Secondary Literature Report due Friday, November 1.




    November 12

    Discussion of scholarship on Rosenzweig and Levinas, based on participants' Secondary Literature Reports.



    November 19

    "Preface" to Totality and Infinity (1961) [book on reserve]

    Totalité et infini [book on reserve]

    "Is Ontology Fundamental?" (1951) in Basic Philosophical Writings [book on reserve]

    "L'ontologie est-elle fondamentale?" in Entre nous [book on reserve]


    Introductory Reading on Heidegger:

    Richard Kearney, "Martin Heidegger," Modern Movements in European Philosophy, 2nd ed. (1994)

    S. J. McGrath, Heidegger. A (Very) Critical Introduction (2008) [book on reserve]

    Richard H. F. Polt, Heidegger: An Introduction (1999) [book on reserve]


    November 26

    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])

    Autrement qu'être ou au-delà de l'essence [book on reserve]


    REMOVED FROM SCHEDULE:

    Otherwise than Being, chap. 5

    Relevant Secondary Literature:

    Oona Eisenstadt (Ajzenstat), Driven Back to the Text (2001) [book on reserve], chap. 2: 85-108.


    December 3

    "The Temptation of Temptation" (1964) in Nine Talmudic Readings [book on reserve]

    "La tentation de la tentation," Quatre lectures talmudiques

    Supplementary:

    "Revelation in the Jewish Tradition" (1977) in Beyond the Verse [book on reserve]

    "La révélation dans la tradition juive," in L'Au-delà du verset

     
    Background Reading:

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


    Copyright © Dana Hollander