In this sophomore tutorial, students will read selections from an array of texts by and about Simone de Beauvoir-including autobiographical writings, interviews, philosophical essays, and biographies-in order to come to a critical appreciation of her philosophical, literary and political contributions. The centerpieces of this course will be three of her most influential texts: her philosophical essays, The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947), her phenomenological study of the situation of women, The Second Sex (1949), and her philosophical novel, The Mandarins (1954). After reading short selections from Beauvoir's memoirs, students will read extensive selections from The Second Sex. The Second Sex represents a good starting point since it contains an accessible introduction to key existentialist and feminist concepts, and is, undoubtedly, her most widely recognized work. Thus, this text will be engaged not only as a seminal work in the history of twentieth century feminist thought, but also as an important contribution to the existentialist philosophy of freedom. Although Beauvoir is often treated as a footnote on Sartre, more recently, historians of philosophy have come to recognize her original contributions to existentialist ethics and to political theory. These contributions will be further assessed by turning to her philosophical (The Ethics of Ambiguity) and literary (The Mandarins) investigations into the ethics of existentialism. Throughout the course students will also be assigned shorter selections from biographical and secondary texts, very brief excerpts from Sartre's Being and Nothingness as well as fascinating interviews (After the Second Sex: Conversations with Simone de Beauvoir and Adieux, A Farewell to Sartre). These readings will be used to highlight controversies in Beauvoir scholarship, existentialism, and feminist theory and to introduce critical perspectives on the principle texts. Students will work in pairs. Each student will write and present orally a five page essay every other week on an assigned paper topic. Students not presenting an essay will prepare oral critiques of their partner's essay. Evaluation will be based on written work, oral presentation of essays, and oral critiques. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or one course in Women's and Gender Studies. Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10). This course is writing intensive. Satisfies the Women's and Gender Studies theory requirement for the major.