PHIL 261 – The Meaning of Life

Image of Cafe De Flore in Paris, France.

Washington and Lee University Center for International Education Spring Term Abroad Spring Term Abroad 2026 PHIL 261 – The Meaning of Life
Center for International Education
Four credits, FDR - HU, EXP
Four weeks in France
Professors Angela Sun and Paul Gregory
de Beauvoir and Sartre Flore
Thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus contemplated life’s meaning against the backdrop of World War II, death camps, and the development of the atomic bomb. What were they to make of the human condition in such a world? In this course, we will spend four weeks following in the footsteps of Parisian existentialists contemplating the same questions they did. Is life absurd? Is meaning possible in a world without God? Is meaning possible under a materialist scientific world view? What reasons, if any, do we have to fear death? To answer these questions, we will pair our readings and discussions with locations and experiences in which people throughout history have found and questioned meaning, and we will question and try to find meaning ourselves.

Program fee (paid to W&L): $4,255
Includes programming, room, some meals (~4 lunches and ~4 dinners), most in-country transportation.

Additional costs: airfare, most meals, cell phone, spending money, passport, and visa fees (if applicable).

For further details, please contact Professor Angela Sun or Professor Paul Gregory.

The information session for this course will take place on October 6, 2025, at 7 pm on Zoom.

Center for International Education

Mark Rush

Director

Hunter Swanson

International Student Advisor

Cindy Irby

Associate Director and Study Abroad Advisor

Jillian Murphy

Assistant Director of International Education and Study Abroad Coordinator

Kristy Reed

Center for International Education Office Manager

Center for International Education

  • Campus Address
    Ruscio Center for Global Learning
    Room 145
    Mailing Address
    Center for International Education
    204 W. Washington St.
    Washington and Lee University
    Lexington, Virginia 24450