Philosophy 394.83
Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy
Spring 2014
Mon/Wed 4:10-5:25, 505 HW
Professor Linda Martín Alcoff
Office: 1419 Hunter West
Phone: 212-772-4970
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 and by appointment
Course Objectives:
This course will cover two of the most important philosophical trends in contemporary continental European philosophy: Critical Theory and Post-Structuralism.
Despite significant differences, these two trends share the belief that the liberal, secular, humanist Enlightenment philosophy of the 18 th
century (the dominant Western worldview today) is deeply flawed, especially its core assumptions concerning the nature of the self, freedom, human nature, science, and knowledge. Continental philosophy also offers innovative analyses of mass culture, the effects of technology on society, the nature of oppression, and the possibilities of progress. Where post-structuralists and critical theorists differ most with each other concerns the question of whether Enlightenment ideals of individualism, humanism, and universalism can be revised and thus salvaged or must be more completely rejected.
Course Requirements:
Each student is required to attend class prepared to discuss the day's reading. Students must also bring written prepared questions on the readings to class each Wednesday.
These can be questions of understanding and interpretation or critical questions or both.
I will collect these questions in class and grade them as adequate or inadequate.
There will be four take-home essays required, spaced throughout the term. I will give out a list of questions based on the readings and class discussions, and you will choose one of these as an essay topic. These essays should be about 5 typed pages each.
Academic Integrity:
Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g. plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on
Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the
Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.
Final grades will be tabulated as follows: average of your four take home assignments:
80%; written questions 15%; class participation: 5%.

Required books : Besides the books listed below (available at Shakespeare), there will also be a few required readings available in a manner TBA. These readings are listed below as (CR) for Course Reader.
1. Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, Dialectic of Enlightenment.
2. Walter Benjamin, Illuminations.
3. Herbert Marcuse, An Essay on Liberation.
4. Felix Guattari and Gilles Deleuze, Anti-Oedipus.
5. Luce Irigaray, Speculum of the Other Woman.
6. Jean-Francois Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition.
7. Paul Rabinow, editor, The Foucault Reader