Timely teaching in higher education: A note on being present in existential matters

Abstract

This is a note on being present in existential matters. The article poses and responds to questions of teaching in relation to time and draws on classic and contemporary thoughts from the Continental pedagogical tradition and existential philosophy. In a time of haste and efficiency, being present in existential matters and life as it unfolds may be a challenge in higher education, but it is still of significance for the student. Two main questions are highlighted. First, why should we in higher education make students aware of human vulnerability and responsibility as a personal call? Second, how do we arrange teaching in classrooms and auditoriums if topics of human vulnerability and interdependence should be relevant and involve the students? To engage in existential matters in higher education through aesthetic sources like films, paintings, poems, and novels is suggested as a way to decelerate time and to help students see, feel and be touched by concrete moments in life that might demand a response.