 SYLLABUS
Marxism and Culture
E59.1402
Spring 2007
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Class Time: Tue/Thu 11am-12:15pm
Class Location: Waverly Building, room 566A
Office Hours: Tue/Thu 3:30-5pm
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The purpose of this course is to read a number of key works from western Marxism and
to understand the various political and philosophical debates with which
they engage. The course emphasizes Marxism as a scholarly methodology
for critique, applicable across disciplines. Particular attention is
given to the so-called cultural turn in twentieth-century Marxist
thought, including Marx's influence on feminism, identity, and
theories of representation. Themes include: the commodity, alienation and
reification, surplus value, ideology, hegemony, and
subjectivity.
January 16--Course Introduction.
I. "The History of Capital and Class Struggle"
January 18--Karl Marx, Capital, pp. 873-907.
January 23--Karl Marx, Capital, pp. 908-940.
II. "The Young Marx"
January 25--Karl Marx, "Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts" in Early Writings, pp. 279-309.
January 30--Karl Marx, "Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts" in Early Writings, pp. 322-334, 345-358, and 375-379.
February 1--Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, The Communist Manifesto, pp. 218-258.
III. "Commodities and Reification"
February 6--Karl Marx, Capital, pp. 89-103 and 125-153.
February 8--Karl Marx, Capital, pp. 154-209.
IV. "Surplus Value and Reproduction"
February 13--Karl Marx, Capital, pp. 247-257, 270-306, and 320-329.
February 15--Karl Marx, Capital, pp. 429-454 and 544-564.
February 20--Karl Marx, Capital, pp. 675-682 and 709-724.
February 22--Midterm Exam.
V. "The Cultural Turn"
February 27--Georg Lukács, "What is Orthodox Marxism?" (Reader).
March 1--Walter Benjamin, "The Author As Producer" (Reader).
VI. "Social Realism"
March 6--Vittorio De Sica, The Bicycle Thief (screening--part one);
Karl Marx, "Letter to Ruge" in Early Writings, pp. 206-209.
March 8--Vittorio De Sica, The Bicycle Thief (screening--part two);
Karl Marx, "Concerning Feurbach" and "Preface" in Early Writings, pp. 421-428.
March 13 and 15 (spring break)
VII. "Hegemony and Ideology"
March 20--Louis Althusser, "Ideology and State Ideological Apparatuses," pp. 56-75 (Reader).
March 22--Louis Althusser, "Ideology and State Ideological Apparatuses," pp. 76-95 (Reader).
March 27--Stuart Hall, "The Problem of Ideology: Marxism Without Guarantees" (Reader).
March 29--Stuart Hall, "Notes on Deconstructing the Popular" (Reader).
April 3--Chantal Mouffe, "Hegemony and Ideology in Gramsci" (Reader).
April 5--Donna Haraway, "'Gender' for a Marxist Dictionary" (Reader).
April 10--Fredric Jameson, "Reification and Utopia in Mass Culture" (Reader).
VIII. "After the Berlin Wall"
April 12--Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire, preface and pp. 3-30.
April 17--Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire, pp. 31-63.
April 19--Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire, pp. 137-159.
April 24--Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire, pp. 203-218, 280-300.
April 26--Final Exam.
EVALUATION
The course contains midterm and final examinations. Each exam will be
in-class and will follow a short-answer, written format. Students will
also be evaluated according to their class participation. All course
work and participation should demonstrate a close reading of the
required materials and exhibit a method of critical analysis.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Course Reader
Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire (Cambridge: Harvard, 2000).
Karl Marx, Early Writings (London: Penguin, 1974).
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, The Communist Manifesto (London: Penguin, 2002).
Karl Marx, Capital, Vol. 1 (London: Penguin, 1976).
GRADE FORMULA
Midterm examination 40%
Final examination 40%
Class participation 20%
GRADING RUBRIC
A — Excellent. Student exhibits exemplary creativity through a close
reading and critical analysis of the required materials. Style is lucid
and engaging with zero mistakes.
B — Good. References to the course material are well-selected and
topical. Critical analysis is present, but largely rehearsed from class
lecture and discussion. Student's style is clear and has very few
mistakes.
C — Satisfactory. References to the course material are well-selected
and topical, but student performs little or no critical analysis.
Problems exist in student's work. Work consists mostly of
underdeveloped ideas, off-topic sources or examples, inappropriate research,
or anecdotes.
D — Unsatisfactory. Student does not engage with the material and no
critical analysis is present. Substantial problems exist in student's
work.
F — Fail. Student does not submit work, or work is below unsatisfactory
level.
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