Hegel, Marx and the evolution of dialectical materialism

Course Outline
11 Weeks

The purpose of this course is to gain a comprehensive understanding of Marxist critical & cultural theory from Marx to Postmodernism.

Section 1: Understanding Hegel & the Dialectic
Weeks 1-2

Objective:
To gain a basic understanding of Hegel & his ideas of Absolute Spirit, the Dialectic and other fundamental ideas from the POS.

Readings:
W.M.F. Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit
Alexandre Kojeve, Introduction to the Reading of Hegel
Lloyd Spencer, Introducing Hegel, 2nd Ed.
http://www.wpunj.edu/cohss/philosophy/courses/hegel/

Section 2: Understanding Marx
Weeks 3-4

Objective:
To gain a clear understanding of Marx’s ideas about Capital, Class Struggle, Superstructure, Infrastructure, Dialectical Materialism, Absolute Spirit and other ideas / ideology related to the grand narrative.

Readings:
Karl Marx, Capital I
Marx and Engels, The Marx-Engels Reader
Michael Hardt's Notes on Capital

Section 3: Lukacs, Gramsci and the development of Western Marxist Theory
Weeks 5-6

Objective:
To gain a clear understanding of both Gramsci and Lukacs’ criticisms and readings of Marx and their ideas in regards to the development of contemporary critical theory.

Readings:
Georg Lukacs, The Lukacs Reader
Georg Lukacs, History and Class Consciousness
Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks
Antonio Gramsci, The Antonio Gramsci Reader: Writings 1916-1935

Section 4: The Frankfurt School
Weeks 7-9

Objective:
To gain an understanding of the full development of Marxian Critical Theory in the work of the first true cultural critics, Benjamin, Adorno, Horkheimer and Marcuse.

Readings:
Theodor Adorno, The Adorno Reader
Theodor Adorno, The Culture Industry
Theodor Adorno, Aesthetic Theory
Walter Benjamin, Illuminations
Walter Benjamin, Reflections
Max Horkheimer, Critical Theory
Max Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment
Herbert Marcuse, One Dimensional Man: Studies in Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society
Herbert Marcuse, Reason and Revolution: Hegel and the rise of Social Theory
Herbert Marcuse, Towards a Critical Theory of Society

Section 5: Jameson and the further development of Marxist Theory in the Postmodern Age
Weeks 10-11

Objective:
To gain an objective understanding of the position of Marxist Theory in the postmodern age through Frederic Jameson's theories of postmodernism as a condition of the fully realized, last stage of capitalism.

Readings:
Frederic Jameson, Postmodernism or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism
Frederic Jameson, Marxism and Form

Comments

[Chomps]

I read the Culture Industry for a popular culture class. We were supposed to read a certain chapter but I ended up reading the whole thing.

[Jonah]

Yeah, I've read a selection from it but never the whole thing. I probably won't be reading the whole thing here either. I specifically gave myself more time and more titles for the Frankfurt school. I really appreciate their work.

[Benjamin Heitmann]

In Section 2 there is Michael Hardt, but I dont see him with "Empire" in Section 5. Maybe you should add it there.

As far as I know, Empire is kind of a postmodern and postmarxist approach, revisiting many of the ideas of Marx, and trying to give them a 21st century treatment.

[Jonah]

Those are his academic notes from a course he teaches on Marx's Capital at Duke University. Just a guidline for reading Capital really. I've read Empire and plan on reading Multitude after I finish some of these readings.

Thanks for the input.

[Jonah]

Note // http://paulgraham.com/essay.html