Critical Theory

Catalog description

This course examines the 20th century philosophical movement of cultural critique arising out of the association of German Jewish scholars known as the Frankfurt School. Central problems within this movement include the persistence of violence within human reason, the various forms and forces of ideology, the relation of political activity to artistic activity, the proper undertaking of immanent social critique, and the possibility of freedom in societies that are increasingly authoritarian. Representative thinkers within this field include Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Herbert Marcuse, Erich Fromm, and Walter Benjamin.