PHIL 230 - The Frankfurt School

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course is an introduction to the Frankfurt School, the Institute for Social Research. Started in Frankfurt in 1930s, and spanning 30+ years, this group of intellectuals worked in Germany, and in exile in England and the United States during the Second World War and following. Regardless of their particular philosophical pursuits and disciplines, their overarching concerns included: providing a critical theory for, and of, society, a critique of ideology, and an assessment of the role and task for philosophy in the 20th century. Areas of their writings that we examine are: social theory, politics, political-economy, aesthetics, and history. Philosophers studied include: Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, and fellow traveler Walter Benjamin. Osman Nemli.

Prerequisite(s): A 100-level Philosophy course or permission of instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS