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3522: Honors Seminar in Nietzsche
Daniel White
Wilkes
Honors College
“I’m not a
man—I’m dynamite!”—Nietzsche, Ecce Homo
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was and is one of the most
controversial and provocative philosophers in the European tradition. His works
have had significant impact on thinkers across the arts and sciences, from Max
Weber, to Sigmund Freud, to Michel Foucault, to Martin Heidegger, to Stephen J.
Gould. He has challenged fundamental
concepts in every key area of philosophy: metaphysics (e.g., in his critique of
the concepts of “substance,” “self,” and “God”); epistemology (e.g. in his
theory of “perspectivism”
to challenge rationalism, empiricism, and positivism); logic (e.g., in his
methodological substitution of metaphor for logic across the arts and sciences
and his simultaneous renovation of style
in philosophic composition “in the spirit of music”); ethics (e.g. in his challenge to
utilitarianism, deontology, and various forms of “slave morality” from the
perspective of the Will to Power); aesthetics (in his challenge to classicism,
romanticism, and modernism in terms of what are now, based significantly on his
work, called postmodernism, poststructuralism, and constructivism); and
philosophy of history (e.g. in his critiques of “progress,” “democracy,” and “modernity”). He subtitled
his late work, Twilight of the Idols, “How
to philosophize with a Hammer.” The force of this comment is twofold at least:
both to shatter clichés and to sculpt new ideas. The present course is designed
to be an advanced introduction to Nietzsche’s texts and to the realm of
critical and creative thought inspired by them.
It will include study of Nietzsche’s primary works in translation as
well as secondary critical sources.
Honors Work: As this is an Honors Seminar students are responsible for the
careful study of a challenging list of sources; preparing for active discussion
of assigned texts including the preparation in writing of key questions
relevant to each reading; a series of critical essays and an occasional
creative piece in response to key issues in Nietzsche’s writings; a final essay
written in two drafts, providing an arguable perspective on Nietzsche’s work in
light of assigned secondary sources. Each student is expected to develop her or
his own intellectual perspective articulated in discussion and various modes of
writing. Written assignments will be graded in terms of content and
composition, the quality of which should be commensurate with the composition
of a successful Honors
Thesis.
Assignments and Grades: see WAC criteria below for a
more detailed explanation.
1) Class
participation, including preparation and presentation of questions;
discussion; attendance; and other daily work, including writing portfolio: 15% of final grade;
2) Series
of six brief critical essays (600 words apiece): totaling 60% of final grade; evaluated for content and composition as
described under WAC criteria below;
3) Final
essay (at least 1,500 words) submitted in
two drafts: 25% of final grade
and including library research based on the list of sources below as well as a
brief extemporaneous presentation of key ideas during final examination period;
the essay will be evaluated for content
and composition as described below.
Learning Objectives & Outcomes: this
course includes study of Nietzsche’s major works in translation as well as
relevant critical texts; learning will be pursued and evaluated in terms of
critical reading, discussion, and writing based on primary and secondary
sources. Thus the class is designed:
1)
To help students
gain a critical understanding of the basic questions and areas of enquiry that
constitute philosophy through the study of primary and secondary sources (in
translation);
2)
To help students
appreciate the range, depth, and influence of Nietzsche’s writings;
3)
To develop each
student’s own intellectual perspective on key philosophical issues in light of
Nietzsche’s works;
4)
To develop new
interdisciplinary insights across the arts and sciences based on 1-3
above.
5)
To improve skills
in critical discussion, writing, and enquiry consistent with the composition of
a successful Honors Thesis.
6)
To contribute to the critical sensibility,
enlightened understanding, and open mind of the liberally educated individual.
7)
To fulfill the
goals of FAU’s WAC Program as described below.
Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) General
Requirements:
This writing-intensive course serves as
one of the two “Gordon Rule” classes at the 2000-4000 level that [you must
take] after completing ENC 1101 and 1102 or their equivalents. You must receive
a grade of “C” (not C-minus) or better to receive credit. Furthermore, this class
meets the University-wide Writing Across the
Curriculum (WAC) criteria, which expect you to improve your writing over the
course of the term. The University’s WAC program promotes the teaching of
writing across all levels and all disciplines. Writing-to-learn activities have
proven effective in developing critical thinking skills, learning
discipline-specific content, and understanding and building competence in the
modes of enquiry and writing for various disciplines and professions.
If this class is selected to
participate in the university-wide WAC assessment program, you will be required
to access the online assessment server, complete the consent form and survey,
and submit electronically a first and final draft of a near-end-of-term-paper.
Specific
WAC Requirements:
Writing Portfolio: all of your assignments
for the term are to be collected in a writing portfolio, which you should
submit during the final examination period, along with your final essay. You
should organize the portfolio in reverse, with the most recent work on top.
Please use a simple paper file folder for this purpose (no plastic). Maintenance
of your portfolio is to be considered as part of your class participation grade.
Guidelines
for writing reading responses and formal and informal essays, including
examples of essay quest1`ions:
1) General
principles: Informal and formal essays should be organized in deductive, inductive,
or dialogical form; one paper during the term will be in narrative
form (you will have the opportunity to write your own philosophic myth, as in
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave). The
principal differences between your informal responses and
your formal essays will be in length of development and in the process
of revision.
2)
Specific guidelines:
a) deductive or
thesis-support organization: this essay will be organized into an
introduction, a body, and a conclusion:
The introduction
should present the subject of your essay for a wide, educated audience
who are somewhat familiar with Nietzsche and may know of a work or two, but who
will need you, the writer, briefly to explain how each idea fits into Nietzsche’s philosophy, what
key terms mean, and why the issues you deal with in your essays should be of
interest; the introduction will culminate in a thesis which is a
succinct statement of the principal argument of your essay. Thesis:
“Nietzsche’s ‘Will to Power’ was meant to describe not only ‘human’ volition
but also the creativity of what he called ‘The Overhuman.’”
The body of your
essay should be organized into a series of paragraphs each of which is
organized into a topic sentence and a series of examples illustrating the
topic, evaluating the topic in terms of pros and cons, or analyzing the topic
in terms of its components. Each topic sentence should be logically connected
to the thesis statement; you should remind your reader explicitly of how each
topic is relevant to your thesis. Based on the thesis stated above, one topic
sentence might say: “Nietzsche’s Will to Power was meant to explain not only
the independence of judgment preferred in a philosophic ‘free spirit,’ but also
the generative force of nature as it is expressed in the individual;” another
might say, “Nietzsche’s notion of ‘humanity’ included the open-endedness of
each person’s striving toward something more than what s/he is.” Each of these
topics could itself be broken down into subtopics, either for the organization
of complex paragraphs or for the development of separate paragraphs. Thus you
could write an entire paragraph on the topic, “Nietzsche thought that the
concept of the ‘will’ as the volitive orientation of
the individual ‘self’ was insufficient to account for the self-transcending
power evident in the act of creation.” Examples clearly supporting this
assertion and counterexamples seeming to refute it (and therefore requiring
explanation if your thesis is to be consistent) should be drawn from
Nietzsche’s texts. Supporting arguments and possible counterarguments (which
you’ll be trying to refute) should be drawn from critical secondary sources
relevant to the topic.
The conclusion of your essay should summarize key points made in terms of
the topics and examples of the body in light of the introduction, and return to
reiterate your thesis in light of the ideas presented overall. You should leave
your readers with a refined understanding of our original argument and some
lasting food for thought. Remember here as in your introduction who your
audience is and what their interests are likely to be. You might of course
address the philosophers among them, as well as those less initiated into the
difficulties of this discipline, striking a balance between the serious and the
merely curious student of your work.
b) inductive
organization: arguing to derive a reasonable thesis from evidence via a
guiding question.
c) dialogical
form: developing an argument in terms of a conversation among interlocutors
who represent different points of view.
c) narrative
order: developing your idea in terms
of a “story” (plot, character, imagery, symbol).
3)
Grading criteria: formal: A, B, C, D, F;
informal: √++ √+
√ √
- √ - -; the same
qualitative measures (below) will be applied under both formal and informal
criteria, but under the informal the content of writing (its ideas and
reasoning) will be emphasized while its composition (grammar, mechanics,
organization, and style) will be noted but not emphasized; under the formal
criteria, both content and composition will be emphasized; thus it’s easier to
get a √++ than an A, but any compositional problems noted in the √++
essay and not corrected in the formally graded essay will likely prevent the
latter from receiving an A; thus informal writing will serve to provide
feedback about composition which should be incorporated into the writing of
formal assignments. The following descriptions of grades are exemplary but
not definitive: they do not constitute exclusive criteria for the receipt of
grades in each category; they are meant to provide guidelines for judgment, not
to determine it.
A / √++: the essay argues a clear thesis in terms of a series of
topics and supporting examples; it is organized coherently into introduction,
body, and conclusion, with logical transitions between paragraphs; it is based
on a careful and through reading and presentation of textual and historical
evidence; it not only answers the question but also offers its own, distinctive
insight into the problem posed; there are few if any errors in grammar and
mechanics; it is written in lucid language with varied sentence structure,
versatile vocabulary, and astute word choice. A key indicator is that the
language used is consistent with the writing of a distinguished Honors
Thesis in the senior year. In inductive,
dialogical, or narrative writing the same qualitative standards will apply but
in terms of each distinct form of organization: inductive: the detailed,
consistent, derivation of general principles from evidence, leading in clear
steps toward the answer to a question; dialogical: the dialectical
working out of ideas through their interchange, particularly conflicting views
of a problem, leading toward a reasonable resolution; narrative: the
controlled use of plot, character, imagery, and symbol to represent ideas iconically, clearly illustrating concepts or problems,
including intellectual conflicts and their resolutions, allegorically, as in
Plato’s famous story of the Cave.
B / √+: the essay has a
clear thesis with good support (or question and derivation of answer, or
dialectical interplay of ideas, or ideational narrative); but it does not
represent its ideas as clearly, utilize evidence as thoroughly and precisely
based on the most discerning standards of reading; its organization is clear
but not as tightly interlinked as in the A paper; its language is
reasonably communicative but not lucid; its sentences are more repetitive and
less varied in organization; its word choice is less diverse and less exactly
keyed to the concepts expressed; there are more frequent errors in grammar and
mechanics, though the writing on the whole is commensurate with the production
of a successful Honors Thesis in the senior year.
C / √: the essay presents a
thesis but its components could be clearer and more carefully conceived: e.g.,
“Thales was an ancient philosopher who thought about nature,” instead of, “The
early Greek philosopher Thales posed the first theory designed to explain all phenomena
in the cosmos in terms of a single cause.” The thesis, moreover,
is not developed in terms of clear and consistent topics
supported by appropriate evidence (or does not pursue a key question
consistently in terms of a careful presentation of evidence, or does not
construct a dialogue with clear thematic development, or does not create a
clear narrative based on characters and images that effectively convey ideas).
There are several (at least) errors in English composition per page (see
grading symbols below). In general, the essay is not clearly argued and not
well written, though it is just “passable” by common standards of literacy.
D / √ - : The essay does not have a clear thesis;
its paragraphs are not organized into identifiable topic sentences and, if
topics are present, they are not logical components of the thesis; nor are
topics supported by useful evidence; thus the essay does not develop a clear
theme (whether deductively, inductively, dialogically, or narratively);
there are multiple errors in composition per page; thorough revision is
required targeting the organization, argumentation, evidencing, and composition
of the text.
F / √ - -: The essay presents no clear arguments, it is disorganized
and its ideas, when discernible, are not supported by evidence; the study
reveals little or no familiarity with the assigned texts; there are also
typically numerous errors in composition throughout; the writer has clearly not
taken the assignment seriously or clearly has not studied the relevant
material.
Grading symbols for grammar and mechanics: If you are
unfamiliar with these terms, please research them at http://wise.fau.edu/~weisser/handbook.htm.
CS = “comma splice”
D = “diction” or “word choice”
DOC = “documentation style”
frag = “sentence fragment”
M = “mood” (indicative,
subjunctive, interrogative, imperative)
PA = “pronoun-antecedent
agreement” or PR “pronoun reference”
A/PV = “active or passive voice”
SV = “subject-verb agreement”
T = “verb tense” (either the
wrong tense or an inappropriate tense shift)
Sample
Essay Questions including brief Grading Criteria:
Reading
Response: to be graded based on the clarity of your
argument, the inventiveness of your surmise(s) about the basic assumptions in
question, and the overall quality of your English composition, including grammar and
mechanics. Sample Prompt: Nietzsche argued that “Admitting untruth
as a condition of life . . .
means to resist familiar values in a dangerous way; and a
philosophy that dares this has already placed itself beyond good and evil”
(Beyond Good & Evil, “On the Prejudices of the Philosophers,” sec. 4, Faber trans).
Write a short essay (600 words) in which you reconstruct Nietzsche’s argument in your own
terms. E.g., based on your reading of Nietzsche’s text, explain Nietzsche’s
underlying answer to the question: How are “truth,” “familiar values,” and
“morality” (here the regulative ideas of good and evil) logically connected?
How does the “dangerous game” of negating “truth” lead to the rejection of
traditional morality?
Final
Essay: 1,500 words
minimum, out of class: this essay is to be written in two complete drafts. The key contents of this essay will have been
explored in terms of your weekly Responses thus far (on which you have received
written feedback on content and composition). Based on these shorter essays,
you should construct the first draft of the Final. This should be a serious
attempt to develop an argument about the development of Nietzsche’s philosophy
based on at least one primary source (one of Nietzsche’s writings) and two
secondary sources (selected from those listed on this syllabus). Your argument
should be in clear deductive (thesis-support), inductive (evidential enquiry
leading to a conclusion), or dialogical form; you should discuss this draft
with me (by appointment); the final draft should be a revision of the first
based on our discussion; both drafts must be submitted
together for a final grade; the assignment will be graded based on: a) the
clarity of your (or your characters’) argumentation; b) the reasonableness of
your claims about the key ideas in the texts studied in light of evidence you
present to support your arguments; c) the quality of your insights into the
problems of Nietzsche’s philosophy; d) the quality of your English composition,
including grammar, mechanics, organization, and style. Sample
Prompt: Nietzsche defines “eternal
recurrence” as “the unconditional and infinitely repeated cycle of all things”
(Ecce Homo, “Birth of Tragedy,” sec. 3). How does this concept serve as a key to understanding Nietzsche’s
views regarding the universe, humanity’s place in it, and the individual’s
prospect for a good life? Base your answer on analysis of Nietzsche’s texts as
well as perspectives from two critical secondary sources. Second Prompt: The
fundamental questions raised in Nietzsche’s early lecture, “On the Future of
our Educational Institutions,” are reflected in the book written in the last
year of his creative life, Twilight of the Idols: “For you cannot subtract every form of dancing from noble education,
the ability to dance with the feet, with concepts, with words . . .” he
continues in a similar vein (Twilight, “Germans,” sec. 6). Based on
representative selections from his writings, reconstruct Nietzsche’s portrait
of a well educated individual. Base your answer on an analysis of Nietzsche’s
texts as well perspectives from two critical secondary sources.
Students enrolled in this
course agree to abide by the Honors
College Honor Code. Please review
this important document: http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/students/honorcode.html.
Required Texts:
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Anti-Christ, Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols: And
Other Writings (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy)
---. Beyond
Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future (Oxford World's Classics)
---. The Birth of Tragedy
(Oxford World's Classics)
---. The Dawn or DayBreak
(Online)
---. Human, All Too Human:
A Book Free Spirits (Online)
---. On Truth and Lie in a Non-Moral Sense (Online)
---. Untimely Meditations II: On the Use and Abuse of History for
Life (Online)
---. Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book
for Everyone and Nobody (Oxford World's Classics)
Rudiger Safranski, Nietzsche: A Philosophical Biography
Selected Sources in Jupiter Library: bibliography for research
Acampora, Christa D.
and Frank, A
Nietzschean bestiary: becoming animal beyond docile
and brutal
Allen, Megal. Prophets
of extremity: Nietzsche, Heidegger, Foucault, Derrida
Allison, David B. The New Nietzsche: contemporary styles of interpretation
Ansell-Pearson, Keith. An
introduction to Nietzsche as political thinker :
the perfect nihilist
---, Nietzsche
contra Rousseau : a study of Nietzsche's moral and political thought
Appel,
Fredrick. Nietzsche
contra democracy
Babich,Babette. Words
in blood, like flowers : philosophy and poetry, music
and eros in Hölderlin, Nietzsche,
and Heidegger
Bambach,
Charles. Heidegger's
roots: Nietzsche, national socialism and the
Greeks
Bishop, Paul. Nietzsche
and antiquity: his reaction and response to the classical tradition
Burnham, Douglas. Reading
Nietzsche: an analysis of Beyond good and evil
Cameron, Frank and Don Dombowsky.
Political
writings of Friedrich Nietzsche : an edited
anthology
Cate,
Curtis. Friedrich
Nietzsche
Chamberlain,Lesley. Nietzsche
in Turin: an intimate biography
Conway, Daniel. Nietzsche's
dangerous game: philosophy in the twilight of the idols
---,
Nietzsche's
On the genealogy of morals : a reader's guide
Deane, David. Nietzsche
and theology : Nietzschean
thought in Christological anthropology
Derrida, Jacques. Spurs : Nietzsche's styles = Eperons : les styles de Nietzsche
Dombowsky,
Don. Nietzsche's
Machiavellian politics
Dudley, Will. Hegel,
Nietzsche, and philosophy: thinking freedom
Eden, Robert. Political
leadership & nihilism: a study of Weber & Nietzsche
Fritzsche,
Peter. Nietzsche
and the death of God: selected writings
Froese, Katrin. Rousseau
and Nietzsche : toward an aesthetic morality
Guignon,
Charles. The
existentialists: critical essays on Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger,
and Sartre
Hales, Steven D. nd Rex Welshon. Nietzsche's
perspectivism
Hatab,
Lawrence. Nietzsche's
life sentence : coming to terms with eternal
recurrence
Hicks, Stephen, Nietzsche
and the Nazis: a personal view
Higgins, Katherine M. Comic
relief : Nietzsche's Gay science
Hill, R.
Kevin. Nietzsche's
critiques : the Kantian foundations of his thought
Hollingdale,
R.J. Nietzsche:
the man and his philosophy
Houlgate, Stephen. Hegel,
Nietzsche and the criticism of metaphysics
Janaway,
Christopher. Beyond
selflessness: reading Nietzsche's Genealogy
Jaspers, Karl, Nietzsche:
an introduction to the understanding of his philosophical activity
Kernal, Salim, et al. Nietzsche,
philosophy and the arts
Kostka , Alexandre and Irving Wohlfarth. Nietzsche
and "an architecture of our minds"
Kroker,
Arthur. The
will to technology and the culture of nihilism: Heidegger, Nietzsche and
Marx
Lampert,
Laurence. Nietzsche's
task: an interpretation of Beyond good and evil
Leiter ,
Brian and Neil Sinhababu. Nietzsche
and morality
Löwith,Karl. From
Hegel to Nietzsche: the revolution in nineteenth-century thought.
---, Nietzsche's
philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the same
Macentyre,
Ben. Forgotten
fatherland : the search for Elisabeth Nietzsche
May, Simon. Nietzsche's
ethics and his war on 'morality'
Magnus, Bernd, and Kathleen
Higgins. The
Cambridge companion to Nietzsche
Mistry, Freny. Nietzsche
and Buddhism : prolegomenon to a comparative study
Moore,
Gregory. Nietzsche,
biology, and metaphor
Morrison, Roger. Nietzsche
and Buddhism: a study in nihilism and ironic affinities
Nietzsche,
Friedrich. The
Anti-Christ, Ecce homo, Twilight of the idols, and other writings
---.
Beyond
good and evil : prelude to a philosophy of the future (Oxford)
---.
Beyond
good and evil : prelude to a philosophy of the future (Cambridge)
---.
The
birth of tragedy
---.
The
birth of tragedy and other writings
---.
The
gay science: with a prelude in German rhymes and an appendix of songs (Cambridge)
---.
The
gay science; with a prelude in rhymes and an appendix of songs (Vintage)
---. On
the genealogy of morality (Cambridge)
---. On the
Future of our Educational Institutions (online)
---.On
the genealogy of morality (Hackett)
---.
On
the genealogy of morals: a polemic : by way of clarification and supplement to
my last book, Beyond good and evil (Oxford)
---.
The pre-Platonic
philosophers
---. Prefaces to unwritten works
---. Sämtliche briefe
: kritische Studienausgabe in 8 Bänden
---. Sämtliche Werke: kritische Studienausgabe
in 15 Bänden
---.
Thus
spoke Zarathustra: a book for all and none (Cambridge)
---.
Thus
spoke Zarathustra : a book for everyone and nobody (Oxford)
---.
Twilight
of the idols, or, How to philosophize with the hammer (Cambridge)
---.
Twilight
of the idols, or, How to philosophize with a hammer
---.
Unfashionable
observations
---.
Untimely
meditations
---.
Unpublished
writings from the period of Unfashionable observations
---. The
will to power
---.
Writings
from the late notebooks
Owen,
David. Maturity
and modernity : Nietzsche, Weber, Foucault, and the ambivalence of
reason
Peters, Michael, et al. Nietzsche's
legacy for education : past and present values
Porter,
James. The
invention of Dionysus: an essay on The birth of tragedy
---. Nietzsche
and the philology of the future
Rampley, Matt.ew . Nietzsche,
aesthetics, and modernity
Rosenthal,Glatzer. New
myth, new world : from Nietzsche to Stalinism
Safranski, Rüdiger. Nietzsche:
a philosophical biography
Santaniello,
Weaver. Nietzsche,
God, and the Jews : his critique of Judeo-Christianity in relation to the Nazi
myth
Schacht, Richard. Making
sense of Nietzsche : reflections timely and untimely
Schutte, Ofelia. Beyond
nihilism : Nietzsche without masks
Silk , M.S. and J.P. Stern. Nietzsche
on tragedy
Small, Robin. Nietzsche
and Rée : a star friendship
Solomon , Robert C. and Kathleen M. Higgins. Reading
Nietzsche
Stanbaugh, Joan. The
other Nietzsche
Stauth, Georg &
Bryan S. Turner. Nietzsche's
dance : resentment, reciprocity and resistance in social life
Stern, J.
P. Friedrich
Nietzsche
Strauss,
Richard. Also
sprach Zarathustra, op. 30 : tone poem (after
Friedrich Nietzsche) ; Don Juan, op. 20 : symphonic poem after Nicolaus Lenau
Strong,
Tracy B. Friedrich
Nietzsche and the politics of transfiguration
Thiele,
Leslie Paul. Friedrich
Nietzsche and the politics of the soul: a study of heroic individualism
Vattimo,
Gianni; trans Nicholas Martin. Nietzsche
: an introduction
Warren,
Mark. Nietzsche
and political thought
Williams,
Linda. Nietzsche's
mirror : the world as will to power
Wolfenstein, Victor. Inside/outside
Nietzsche: psychoanalytic explorations
Wolin, Richard. The
seduction of unreason : the intellectual romance with fascism : from Nietzsche
to postmodernism
Young,
Julian. Nietzsche's
philosophy of religion
Yovel, Yirmiyahu. Dark
riddle : Hegel, Nietzsche, and the Jews
Online Sources:
Nietzsche,
biology, and metaphor (electronic book)
Weekly
Assignments
Note:
quizzes may be given during any session.
Week 1:
: Jan. 11-13 Nietzsche’s Early Writings:
Lectures, Basel, 1872: Nietzsche’s
Philosophy of Education, On the
Future of our Educational Institutions: Introduction, Preface,
Lecture I;
German Preface with corrected manuscript: Gedanken über die Zukunft unserer Bildungsanstalten; Safranski,
“Dream & Disillusionment,” pp. 19-24.
Week 2: Jan. 18-20 Early theory of Knowledge
1873: Nietzsche, On Truth and Lie in a Non-Moral Sense; Über Wahrheit und Lüge im aussermoralischen Sinne
Safranski,
“Inventing a Life,” pp. 25-42. Response 1 due
Week 3: Jan. 25-27 Struggling with
Tradition
1872:
Nietzsche, Safranski, “Schopenhauer and the Will to Style,” pp. 4-58
Nietzsche 1872 (again): Birth of Tragedy, “Attempt at Self-Criticism,” pp. 3-13; “Preface to Richard Wagner,” pp. 17-18; sec. 1-6, pp.
19-42; Operatic Dimensions; see/listen to
Der Ring des Nibelungen
on library reserve; Nietzsche’s compositions: The Nietzsche Music
Project; Nietzsche Music Files (see lower half of
book page).
Week 4: Feb. 1-3 A renewed understanding of “Classics”
Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy, sec. 7-25, pp. 43-121
Safranski,
“The Birth of Tragedy,” pp. 59-84. Response 2 due
Week 5: Feb. 8-10 Rethinking
the Ends and Means of Scholarship
Nietzsche 1872: Untimely Meditations II: On the Use and Abuse of History for
Life
Safranski,
“Untimely Meditations,” pp. 108-132.
Week 6: Feb. 15-17 A Turning
Point—toward a “chemistry of concepts”
Nietzsche 1878: Human,
All too Human I; Response 3
due.
Safranski, “The Panacea of Knowledge,” pp. 133-154.
Begin selection
of secondary sources for final essay with a view to the development of a
thesis.
Week 7: Feb. 22-24 Morality Reconsidered
Safranski, “The Bicameral System of Culture,” pp. 178-200; “Daybreak [The Dawn]: the Grand Inspiration,” pp. 201-222. Nietzsche from The Dawn or DayBreak Preface and Book One.
Week 8: March. 1-3 “Death of God,”
Eternal Return, Renewed Festivals, vis
contemplativa, vis creativa, geistige Führung [spiritual leadership], Consciousness,
Perspectivism:
Nietzsche 1882: The Gay Science, Preface, Prelude in Rhymes or you might prefer
“Songs of Prince Vogelfrei,” pp. 249-260; , & sec. 1-125, pp. 3-120; sec,
280, pp. 159-160; sec. 283, pp. 160-161; sec. 285 & sec. 341, pp. 161-2;
194-5; sec. 299, pp. 169-170; sec. 301, pp. 170-171; sec. 329, pp. 183-184; sec.
335, pp. 187-190; sec. 354, pp. 211-214; sec. 377, pp. 241-243.
Safranski, “Eternal Recurrence and the Gay Science,” pp.
223-244.
March 7-13 Spring Break
Week 9: March 15-17 Toward
a new Mythology; Response 4 due Tuesday.
Nietzsche 1883-1885: Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Parts 1 & 2, pp. 9-126.
Safranski, “Lou Salomé and the Quest for Intimacy”
Week 10: March 22-24 The Will to Power “the unexhausted
procreative life-will” (Zarathustra II,
12, p. 98).
Thus
Spoke Zarathustra, Parts 3-4, pp. 127-287;
Safranski, “Setting
the Stage for the Will to Power,” pp. 276-303.
Week 11:
March 29-31 Nietzsche 1886: Beyond Good & Evil, sec. 1-203, pp.
3-92.
Safranski, “Setting
the Stage,” continued; Response 5 due.
Week 12: April 5-7 Morality, Genealogy,
and Power
Nietzsche 1887: On the Genealogy of Morals, Preface, First Essay, Second Essay, pp.
3-76
Safranski, “The
Finale in Turin,” pp. 304-316
Week 13: April 12-14
The Transvaluation of all Values
Nietzsche in Turin, 1888: Twilight of the Idols complete;
Week 14: April 19-21 Philosophy as Autobiography
Writer’s Workshop: Rough
drafts for Final Essay due Tuesday; class discussion of drafts on
Tuesday and Thursday; review of drafts by appointment.
Begin Nietzsche 1888: Ecce Homo, Forward, “I: Why I am So
Wise,” II: “Why I am so Clever,” 1-2, pp.
3-35
Week 15: April 26 Nietzsche hugs a Horse
Nietzsche 1888: Ecce Homo, III: “Why I write such Good Books,”,
IV: “Why I am a Destiny,” pp. 36-96. Safranski, “Epilogue:
Europe Discovers Nietzsche”; Response 6 Due.
Week 16
Final Essay due at beginning of Exam Period, Thursday, April 28th
at 10:30 AM; discussion of final papers.