Pick any of these questions 1. Heidegger on being-towards-death. Drawing on Heidegger’s phenomenological account of our existence as ‘being-in-the-world’, describe and explain what Heidegger means by the notion of ‘being-towards-death’. What does this notion capture about the way in which we deal – or fail to deal – with our mortality and finite temporal existence? What is the difference between an authentic and an inauthentic response to our mortality?  2. Sartre on existential freedom. Sartre claims that human beings are defined by consciousness, and more particularly by freedom understood as transcendence. Drawing on Sartre’s account of consciousness and ‘nothingness’, discuss and explain what Sartre means by defining freedom as transcendence. What is the significance of characterising freedom as always ‘freedom in a situation’? What implications does Sartre’s existential account of freedom have for our sense of choice and responsibility?  3. Merleau-Ponty on embodied existence: Merleau-Ponty emphasises the embodied character of existence and the importance of foregrounding the lived ‘subject of perception’. Discuss Merleau-Ponty’s account of embodied perception, including how perception is both multimodal and tends towards ‘synaesthesia’. What does he mean by the ‘body schema’ and why is this idea important for how we orient ourselves for action in the world? References to examples would be helpful in developing your response.  4. The Problem of the Other: Both Heidegger and Sartre explored the ways in which relations with Others are intrinsic to being a Self but also threaten authentic selfhood. Select EITHER Heidegger’s account of ‘the They’ OR Sartre’s account of ‘the Look’ and discuss what this phenomenological approach shows about our relations with Others. For students discussing Heidegger, what role does ‘the They’ play in our everyday existence? Why does it keep us in a state of inauthenticity? For students discussing Sartre, what does the experience of ‘the Look’ show about our relations with Others? What implications does this have for the nature of our social relationships?  5. Camus’ response to the Absurd: Drawing on Camus’ account of absurdity, discuss his account of how we should respond to the absurd in a way that is authentic rather than inauthentic. What does Camus mean by ‘absurd freedom’ and in what ways does it involve a ‘revolt’ or rebellion against absurdity? What are some of the aesthetic, ethical, and political responses to absurdity that Camus defends? Is there an ethics of authentic freedom in Camus’ existentialist philosophy? How might this be put into practice?  6. De Beauvoir on existentialist ethics and feminism: Simone de Beauvoir radically modified Sartre’s account of freedom by developing an ‘ethics of ambiguity’. Discuss what de Beauvoir means by the ‘ethics of ambiguity’ and what positive implications it has for understanding action and meaning. She also applied this approach to the situation of women in relation to men (Woman as the ‘Other’ of Man). Discuss de Beauvoir’s account of the situation of women in society, and what challenges women face in creating their own situations and authentic forms of freedom.  7. Lewis Gordon on black existentialism. Drawing on Sartre and the existentialist critique of colonialism developed by Frantz Fanon, Lewis Gordon has developed a ‘black existentialism’. Discuss and explain Gordon’s account of black existentialism, in particular the role of ‘bad faith’ in the experience of racial oppression. What kind of ethico-political response to this condition does Gordon advocate in order to liberate us – both oppressor and oppressed -- from this situation of oppression?  8. Arendt on action and politics: Drawing on the phenomenology of Husserl and Heidegger, Hannah Arendt developed a highly influential ‘existential’ form of political philosophy. What are the key elements of Arendt’s account of human action? How do we reveal our authentic selves through speech and action in world? What does Arendt mean by the claim that, in the modern world, genuine politics has disappeared? Do you agree with her critical assessment of modern society?  9. Existentialist Aesthetics: Merleau-Ponty offered a phenomenological account of painting that stressed how visual art can ontologically disclose different ways of perceiving the world. Discuss Merleau-Ponty’s account of painting as a way of rendering visible the ‘flesh of the world’: explain how painting presents a ‘subjective-objective’ perspective on the world, evoking a sense of depth and expressing things through line and colour in ways that reveal our intertwining with the world. Some use of art examples is recommended in developing your response.