Term Paper on "Existentialism 'I Should Seek"

Quoted Instructions for "Existentialism 'I Should Seek" Assignment:

Note: I ordered three separate papers at once. Each one is a full page, and there are described for you in order below.

First paper.-Title: Existentialim-"I should seek not the way, but my way." Write on three quarter'page about the quotations/statements that you support or favor. Describe the Existentialist clasroom. On the remaining page give a briefly description about the class that gave you most freedom.

Given statements.- Basic Beliefs-It is a philosophy of 'personal freedom' and responsibility. General Aims-Objectives- To help the student learn to live his life int he knowledge that some day, a day like this one,'life is going to end. When he dies, will it have mattered whether he lived at all, or should he, as Blaise Pascal said, "Live today as if you were to die tomorrow." Methodology- Any way which is desired by the students. The 'end' of the group education is the education of the individual. The 'problem-centered approach'of experimentalism is rejected on the grounds that the problems chosen concern the student chiefly in his role as a social being. The Existential teacher must be democratic and must utilize a nondirective technique. Subject Matter-curriculum- The whole emphasis of the curriculum must shift from the 'world of objects' to the 'world of the person.' It must cease to regard subjct matter as an end in itself or as an instrument to prepare the student for his future career, and consider it instead as a 'means for the cultivation of the self.' role of the Pupil- Learning is no longer regarded primarily as mental discipline. The student should be urged to involve himself intellectually and 'emotionally' in whatever he studies, he must appropriate to himself and exercise a problen or study he tackles. role of the Teacher- His function is to assist each student personally in his journey towards self-realization. He advises them no to be discouraged by the 'fear or error.' when dealing with the rebellious adolescent, the teacher should not seek to humiliate him or hold him u[ to the ridicule of the rest of the class. By all means let him 'punish the child,' pointing out that certain behaivor will not be tolerated, but let him not talk down to him or seek to rid him of his self-respect. The teacher should impress each pupil with the need to be himself or herself rather than a 'stereotype of the group.' Values- the only values acceptable to the individual are those that he 'freely has adopted.' the teacher shoud bring home vividly to the student that, whatever he does, he cannot escape the'consequences of his actions.'

Second paper.Title: Classroom.-Draw a classroom after the existentialist experience on about half page.

Third paper.-Title: Existentialism Notes and Quotes. Down below, I will quote for you what is necessary to be explained on the paper.

Metaphysics- Reality is 'live'-To describe the real, we must describe not what is beyond but what is the human condition. the physical universe, the world apart from man, has neither meaning nor purpuse-Just something that 'happens to be there.' 'Man is nothing other than what he makes himself.' Choosing- 'Freedom' is neither a good nor an ideal. 'Man is condemned to be free-Man is free, therefore he is totally responsible and has no excuse, no exist.' Knowing- My knowledge depends on my understanding of reality, on my own interpretation of the nature of being. Subject matter 'codified knowledge' should be treated neither as an end in itself nor as a means of preparing the student for an occupation or career. Specialization diminishes a man-He is a creature of knowledge, not the master of it. Teaching an Learning- 'A dialogue is a conversation between persons in which each person remains a subject for the other, a conversation.' 'When introducing a subject, the teacher seeks to introduce as many points of view as he can. Process-

'The teacher presents the class with a variety of views.' He is well-read and knowledgeable about the subject. Existentialims insists not that the teacher be successful, but that he be honest. Subject Matter- The 'humanities loom large in Existentialism because they deal with the essential aspects of human existence. Learning/knowledge is not 'soaking up' but is acquired by acctive effort, by 'never closing the mind or heart,' and by seeking more profound truths than those one possesses. Methods- The socratic method is the ideal mode of education, since by it, the student learns what he personally asserts to be true. Teacher- The teacher is not in his clasroom primarily to impart knowledge (realism) or as a consultant in problem solving pragmatism) or a personality to emulate (idealism). His function is to assist each student personally in his journey toward 'self-realization.'