European Thought and Culture in the 20th-century

This course introduces students to three major centers of 20th-century European thought: Vienna, Frankfurt and Paris. Students will learn the intellectual and cultural history of major ideas that shape our thinking to this day such as Viennese Modernism, the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, and French existentialism. The course follows a chronological order from the turn of the century, World War I and the interim war period to World War II and its aftermath.

Course objectives:

• introduce students to the most important concepts and ideas in European social and critical thought
• teach students to understand these concepts within their historical and cultural contexts
• enable them to make conceptual links between the various ideas and modes of thinking
• teach them to discern and make philosophical arguments and think analytically about an issue
• familiarize them with the richness, depth and passion of European thinkers during one of the most cataclysmic historical time periods on the continent

Requirements: Reading all course materials (30%), active and regular attendance (30%), final exam (40%)