Office Hours: Tues. 11:30-12:30 Or by Appointment

RS 794: Augustine and Augustinianisms

Autumn 2016, Tues. 9:30-11:30 (UH 122)

T. Kroeker (; 23385; UH 117)

Office hours: Tues. 11:30-12:30 or by appointment

Augustine’s Confessions and Nietzsche’s Zarathustra

While Nietzsche is not typically considered to be “Augustinian,” reading his Zarathustra in relation to Augustine’s confessional frame may yield rich comparative insights (e.g. will, desire, sickness and convalescence, education, time and eternity) on their respective teachings of human becoming. That is the wager of this particular seminar.

Texts:

Augustine, Confessions (Maria Boulding or Henry Chadwick translation)

Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Walter Kaufmann or Adrian Del Caro translation)

Schedule:

Sept. 13Introduction

20Confessions, Books 1-4

27Zarathustra, Book 1

Oct. 4Confessions, Books 5-7

11Term Break

18Zarathustra, Book 2

25Confessions, Books 8-9

Nov. 1Confessions, Book 10-11

8Zarathustra, Book 3

15Confessions, Books 12-13

22No class, AAR meeting

29Zarathustra, Book 4

Dec. 6Concluding reflections

Requirements and Evaluation:

Participation20 %

Careful reading and preparation of texts is required in order to participate actively in the weekly seminar discussions. Students are expected to respond orally to each seminar presentation, raising points of criticism, alternative interpretation, and questions for discussion.

Seminar presentations30 %

Depending on seminar size, students will be responsible for one or two seminar presentations on an assigned seminar reading. The presentation will interpret its contribution to the seminar topic by focusing on specific passages, providing comparative analysis where relevant, and raising critical, interpretive questions for further discussion. The presentations (10-15 minutes) may be read or presented informally, though an outline at least should be submitted to the instructor. After the presentation seminar participants will respond and the presenter will have opportunity to address and engage the responses. In the final class students will make brief presentations on their essay topics.

Major paper 50 %

A ca. 15-20 page typed double-spaced paper is due December 16 on a topic pertaining to the seminar. Students are encouraged to consult with the professor on their topics. Late papers will be downgraded unless there is a prior agreement with the professor.

Some Selected Secondary Sources:

Confessions:

James O’Donnell, Augustine: Confessions, text and commentary in 3 volumes

Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo: A Biography

Jean-Luc Marion, In the Self’s Place: The Approach of Saint Augustine

Kim Paffenroth & Robert Kennedy, A Reader’s Companion to Augustine’s Confessions

Gary Wills, Augustine’s Confessions: A Biography

Kenneth Burke, The Rhetoric of Religion, chp. 2: “Verbal Action in Confessions”

John Peter Kenney, The Mysticism of Saint Augustine: Rereading the Confessions

Zarathustra:

Laurence Lampert, Nietzsche’s Teaching: An Interpretation of Zarathustra

Stanley Rosen, The Mask of Enlightenment: Nietzsche’s Zarathustra

Kathleen Higgins, Nietzsche’s Zarathustra

Robert Gooding-Williams, Zarathustra’s Dionysian Modernism

Jean-Luc Marion, The Idol and Distance, chap. 2.

Krzysztof Michalski, The Flame of Eternity: An Interpretation of Nietzsche’s Thought