SyllabusHelp

In this course we will explore how the Danish thinker Sren Kierkegaard (1813-55) deals
with the problems associated with relativism, the lack of meaning and the undermining of
religious faith that are typical of modern life. His penetrating analyses are still highly relevant
today.
During the eight weeks of the course we will go through the following eight topics:


Week Topic Start End Workload
1 Course Introduction: The Life and World of Kierkegaard as a
Socratic Task
7 Oct 13 Oct 2-3 hrs.
2 Kierkegaard, Martensen and Hegelianism at the University of
Copenhagen
14 Oct 20 Oct 3-4 hrs.
3 Kierkegaards View of Socrates 21 Oct 27 Oct 3-4 hrs.
4 Kierkegaard, Heiberg and History 28 Oct 3 Nov 3-4 hrs.
5 Kierkegaard, P.M. Mller and Friedrich von Schlegel 4 Nov 10 Nov 3-4 hrs.
6 The Conception of Kierkegaards Socratic Task: 1843
The Trip to Berlin and the Beginning of the Authorship
11 Nov 17 Nov 3-4 hrs.
7 Kierkegaards Socratic Task: 1844-45
The Development of the Pseudonymous Works
16 Nov 24 Nov 3-4 hrs.
8 Kierkegaards Socratic Task: 1846-55 25 Nov 2 Dec 4-5 hrs.


Each week (Monday to Sunday) covers one topic.
All information and resources you need for each week is available in the Course
Assignments page and the the course menu on the left side of this page.
Each Sunday afternoon (EST: New York) the Course Assignments for the following week
will be made available via email and in the course. In the announcement, you will find the
objectives and assignments for the week's lesson.
Course format
For each week you will find four different kinds of learning resources:
1: Video Lectures
The on-location video lectures by Jon Stewart of the Sren Kierkegaard Research Centre at
the University of Copenhagen are the foundational for the course. The in-video quizzes
embedded in the lecture are just there to test your own understanding and will not count
towards the final grade of the course. Video lectures can be accessed as they become
available in the course in the Video Lectures section of the course menu.
2: Readings
These can be mandatory (texts you might be tested on) or voluntary (supplemental readings
if you want to go deeper into the topic). All mandatory and supplemental readings are
available online in the Readings section of the course menu and you are not required or
expected to buy a textbook to follow this course.
3: Assignments
The assignments will be Quizzes and a peer-assessed essay. These will test your
understanding of the content acquired during the video lectures, mandatory reading, and
discussion forums. Quizzes can be accessed as they become available in the course in
the Quizzes section of the course menu.
4: Discussion Forums
Each week we will open up a new discussion forum and pose a question related to the
weeks topic. Taking part in forum discussions can be a very rewarding learning experience,
and we strongly recommend that you visit the forums and take part in these discussions.
Participating will help students prepare for the final peer assessed essay. In this truly global
classroom we have a unique chance to discuss Kierkegaard in relation to relevant global
issues. A team of Kierkegaard scholars from around the world will help to facilitate the
discussion forums in native languages to help engage the learner. Discussion forums can
be accessed throughout the course in the Discussion Forums section of the course menu.
This is also where students can asked relevant questions about the lectures, readings, and
technical issues.
5: Study Groups
In the discussion forums are study group threads organized by geographic region.
Kierkegaard scholars and Coursera students will use these threads to organize possible
Meetup locations to discuss the content material in f2f discussion groups using
Meetup.com.
6: Final Peer Assessed Essay
This will be the final assignment for the class in which students will detail their understanding and
apply Kierkegaard to their own life in an essay. Other members of the class will then assess these
essays for points to consider. The peer assessed essay assignment process will begin and end during
the last week of the course.
7. Grading
Seven of the eight end-of-week quizzes and the peer-assessed essays will count towards your
final grade.
Each quiz accounts for 10% and the essay accounting for 30%.
To earn a normal Statement of Accomplishment you will need a total score of 70%.
If you reach > 90% you will receive a Statement of Accomplishment with distinction.