Nick DeHoust: Reflections on the Course

Finally, I’ll take this opportunity to briefly reflect on the course itself. I had never been in a three-hour lecture before, so this was uncharted territory for me (not to mention that this class was my fifth lecture on Tuesdays, which means 8 hours of classes in one day). I’m not sure I would have survived with a typical, dry, boring professor. Dr. Redick’s engaging, lively, idiosyncratic style was my saving grace. I loved the slideshows, the stories, the laughter, and especially the banjo playing. I also enjoyed the feeling of freedom in the classroom. Dr. Redick seems to have read and understood every single philosopher ever, and our classroom discussions reflected his ability to dialogue with all kinds of ways of thinking. I already loved to study phenomenology, so when it was introduced at the beginning of the semester, I was pleasantly surprised. As an artist, our discussions of mythopoesis, truth, poetry, language, etc. were especially interesting. I had never thought of C.S. Lewis as a philosopher, but the ways his thinking resonated with that of other thinkers who are philosophers (like Heidegger, Gadamer, Nietzsche for me, etc.) were truly fascinating. In particular, I really enjoyed the creative writing assignment for Narnia—it was probably the highlight of the entire semester for me. I depart with a newfound appreciation for both C.S. Lewis and myth.