CRITICAL THEORY
PHL 468, SECTION 01 (CRN NO. 74807)
LIBERAL ARTS BUILDING, ROOM 146
TR 12:40-2:00pm
AUTUMN SEMESTER 2015
Professor: David Sherman
Office: LA 159, ext. 2607
Office Hours: TR 1100-1200pm and by appt
E-Mail: david.sherman@umontana.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
For the philosophers of the Frankfurt School, “critical theory” is a multifaceted interdisciplinary
social theory that seeks to mediate the relationship between the utopian idealism of the German
philosophical tradition and the uncritical realism of the social sciences: the former gives critical
theory its normative impetus, while the latter grounds it in the existing sociohistorical practices.
Through the use of “immanent critique,” critical theorists try to show how the emancipatory aims
of idealism remain (however problematically) inherent in contemporary ideologies and practices,
and how sociohistorically they have been betrayed.
This course looks at some of the key works of the first generation Frankfurt School philosophers.
These works span approximately 40 years—from Max Horkheimer’s assumption of the School’s
directorship in 1930 through Theodor Adorno’s death in 1969. It was around this time that the
School’s intellectual leadership passed to the second generation philosophers, who, led by Jürgen
Habermas, gave critical theory a neo-Kantian linguistic turn.
We shall focus on the ways in which the first generation critical theorists reworked the HegelianMarxist dialectic to analyze such essential issues as the nature and scope of philosophy and its
relationship to the social sciences, the inherent tendencies within the enlightenment project, and
the normative grounding of the precarious standpoint of critique required by critical theory itself.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Theodor W. Adorno, Dialectic of Enlightenment, Stanford, 2002 (“DOE”)
Theodor W. Adorno, Negative Dialectics, Continuum, 1973 (“ND”)
Herbert Marcuse, Eros and Civilization, Beacon Press, 1966 (“EC”)
Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, Beacon Press, 1991 (“ODM”)
Articles and excerpts from longer works are posted on the Moodle course page.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION:
Attendance, Punctuality, and Discussion: You are expected both to attend class and to arrive
on time. Beginning with your fourth absence, one grade increment will be subtracted from your
final grade for every class missed. Moreover, you are expected to participate in class discussion,
which may affect your final grade by one grade increment.
Evaluation: Your evaluation for the course will be based upon two tests, each of which is worth
30% of your grade, and one paper, which is worth 40% of your grade. The tests are tentatively
scheduled for October 27 and December 10, and the paper is due on December 14. However, I
do reserve the right to reschedule the first test (with one week notice) if we do not move through
the materials at a speed conforming to the schedule. Each test will consist of three multipart
essay questions. Your papers must be 2500-3000 words. All students must meet with me to
discuss their paper topic by December 1.
Disabilities: Students with disabilities may request reasonable modifications by contacting me.
UM assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students with disabilities,
instructors, and Disability Services for Students (“DSS”). “Reasonable” means that UM permits
no fundamental alterations of academic standards or retroactive modifications.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
CLASS:
READINGS:
Sept. 1
The Roots of Critical Theory
Foundations of Critical Theory:
Sept. 3
Horkheimer, “The State of Contemporary Social Philosophy and the Tasks of an
Institute for Social Research,” “Notes on Science and the Crisis” (Moodle)
Sept. 8
Horkheimer, “Traditional and Critical Theory” (Moodle)
Sept. 10
Horkheimer, “Traditional and Critical Theory” continued (Moodle)
The Response to Fascism’s Ascendance:
Sept. 15
Pollock, “State Capitalism” (Moodle); Neumann, from Behemoth (Moodle)
Sept. 17
Horkheimer and Adorno, Dialectic of Enlightenment: Preface, “The Concept of
Enlightenment” (DOE xiv-xix and 1-34)
Sept. 22
Horkheimer and Adorno, Dialectic of Enlightenment: “Odysseus or Myth and
Enlightenment” (DOE 35-62)
Sept. 24
Horkheimer and Adorno, Dialectic of Enlightenment: “Juliette or Enlightenment
and Morality” (DOE 63-93)
Sept. 29
Horkheimer and Adorno, Dialectic of Enlightenment: “The Culture Industry”
(DOE 94-136)
Oct. 1
Horkheimer and Adorno, Dialectic of Enlightenment: “Elements of AntiSemitism (DOE 137-172)
Critical Theory and Psychology:
Oct. 6
Marcuse, Eros and Civilization: Introduction, Chapters 1-3 (EC 3-77)
Oct. 8
Marcuse, Eros and Civilization: Chapters 4-5 (EC 78-126)
Oct. 13
Marcuse, Eros and Civilization: Chapters 6-8 (EC 129-171)
Oct. 15
Marcuse, Eros and Civilization: Chapters 9-11 (EC 172-237)
Oct. 20
Marcuse, Eros and Civilization: Epilogue (EC 238-274); Fromm, “The Crisis of
Psychoanalysis” (Moodle)
Oct. 22
Catch-Up
Oct. 27
First Exam
Philosophical Models:
Oct. 29
Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Chapters 1-2 (ODM 1-55)
Nov. 3
Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Chapters 3-4 (ODM 56-120)
Nov. 5
Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Chapters 5-6 (ODM 123-169)
Nov. 10
Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Chapters 7-8 (ODM 170-224)
Nov. 12
Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Chapters 9-10 (ODM 225-257)
Nov. 17
Adorno, Negative Dialectics: Preface, Introduction (ND xix-xxi, 3-31)
Nov. 19
Adorno, Negative Dialectics: Introduction (ND 31-57)
Nov. 24
Adorno, Negative Dialectics: Concept and Categories (ND 135-161)
Nov. 26
Thanksgiving
Dec. 1
Adorno, Negative Dialectics: Concept and Categories (ND 161-192)
Dec. 3
Adorno, Negative Dialectics: Concept and Categories (ND 192-207)
Dec. 8
Catch-Up
Dec. 10
Second Exam
Dec 14
Papers Due (Monday at 5:00pm, LA 101—my mailbox)