This course introduces Frankfurt School Critical Theory through the writings of Benjamin, Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse and Habermas. Proceeding from Marx, it poses such questions as, What is ideology? How can one distinguish between ideological and non-ideological forms of consciousness? What is the Frankfurt School's notion of "critique"? The course seeks to engage the diverse answers Marxist and post-Marxist thinkers have given to these questions, considering what remains at stake in questions of ideology today. Course requirements include regular short papers, presentations, and a longer seminar paper. Students enrolled in the German Studies section of the course will be expected to complete some reading and assignments in German. May be elected as Philosophy 319.
German 106; or consent of instructor.