The Political and Social Thought of Hannah Arendt

Catalog description

Hannah Arendt is one of the most important 20th century western political thinker. Although her work covered a wide range of subjects, her foremost concern was politics and society. This course aims to familiarize students with the political and social thought of Hannah Arendt, so that they may use her ideas to understand and address the 21st century's pressing problems. We will read from her seminal works, as well as secondary scholarship, in order to understand Arendt's key concepts – which could include thoughtlessness, the banality of evil, totalitarianism, the political, statelessness, revolution, power, authority, and labor and work. We will then apply these concepts to some of today's pressing social and political problems. 001580