Introduction to Critical Theory

Module title	Introduction to Critical Theory
Module code	PHL3115
Academic year	2021/2
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Christine Hauskeller (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	20

Module description

The 20^th century confronted modernity with its inherent paradoxical nature. Rationality, science and technology seemed not to deliver the promise of more freedom, equality and fairness. The advanced modern German society turned into a barbaric state, a mass-murdering ideological war machine. Totalitarianism, economic exploitation, ideology and great wars characterize the seemingly enlightened 20^th century. The social place of each individual is insecure; she is individualized and alienated from her work and society, easily replaceable. Depression and aloneness become major social problems in a world of global trade and mass-media. The promise of happiness is increasingly reduced to private love and sex relations.

Critical Theory as advanced by the Frankfurt School and developed by many philosophers since then, is rediscovered in its relevance for philosophical understandings of our present time. Concepts such as Alienation or Fetishization, and the critique of ideologies in the interactions between the modern state and changing forms of capitalism are rediscovered and applied to today’s problems. Racism and identity politics, authoritarianism and populism, big data capitalism and monetization of our most personal experiences, as we post them online are

The module requires no prior knowledge on the course topic. You need to bring and contribute a lively interest in the topics outlined in the module materials and must take the time to read and analyse philosophical texts that are not easy to read. This is an optional module for the Single Honours programme in Philosophy. Because of the social science relevance, it is open to students from other schools as an optional course in philosophy.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aims of this module are:

to introduce you to 20^th century Critical Theory and its Freudo-Marxist concepts
to practise critical methods and critical reflection
to learn about philosophical examination of modern-day social changes and problems
to introduce you to 20^th century philosophers who have been greatly influential on current philosophical and political thought.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the theories and texts (readings) for the course
2. Demonstrable sound understanding of the methodological and conceptual problems of critiquing modernity

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Demonstrate critical understanding of the interrelation between epistemology, values, and material social conditions
4. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of a specific current type of philosophical social and political analysis

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Demonstrate the ability to critically analyse texts with guidance, and discuss complex problems
6. Demonstrate the ability to write short, explanatory summaries of academic texts.
7. Demonstrate the ability to research independently and write a critical philosophical essay on a course theme.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Critical analyses and reflections on the relationship between social structure and organisation and the individual in Modernity, with an examination of proponents of critical theory such as:

Herbert Marcuse,
Th. W. Adorno and
Max Horkheimer
Hannah Arendt
Erich Fromm.

You will also be introduced to recent works in Critical Theory on alienation and freedom, the role of religion in the 21^st Century and the formation of the self and social political agency, looking at works by Jürgen Habermas, Judith Butler, Axel Honneth, Nancy Fraser and Christian Fuchs.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	22	11 lecture/seminars (Ca. 1 h lecture and 1 h discussion of set readings)
Guided Independent Study	40	Reading and Research
Guided Independent Study	36	Preparation and Writing of 3 Reading Summaries
Guided Independent Study	52	Preparation and Writing of Essay

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Discussion in Lecture/seminars	Read set texts and discuss	1-5	Oral
Participation in tutorials	Prepare questions on the set readings	1-5	Oral

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	50	2500 words	1-6	Written
3 Reading Summaries	50	3 x 500 words	1-7	Oral and written
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (2500 words)	1-6	August/September assessment period
3 Reading summary	Essay (1500 words)	1-7	August/September assessment period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

- Stephen Eric Bronner, ‘Critical Theory, A Very Short Introduction’ (2011), Oxford University Press

- Martin Jay, ‘The Dialectical Imagination, A History of the Frankfurt School and the Institute of Social Research, 1923-50’, (1973/1996), University of California Press

- Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer: ‘The Dialectic of Enlightenment’ (1944/2002) Stanford University Press

- Theodor W. Adorno: ‘Minima Moralia’ (2005), Verso

- Judith Butler: ‘Giving an Account of Oneself’ (2005), Fordham University Press

- Erich Fromm: ‘Escape from Freedom’ (2011), Ishi Press

- Herbert Marcuse on Ecology: The Journal of Socialist Ecology, pp. 29-49; @ https://www.marcuse.org/herbert/pubs/posthumous/79MarcuseEcologyCritiqueModernSociety1992CapNatSoc.pdf

- Jürgen Habermas: ‘The Discourse of Modernity’, (1990), MIT Press

- Axel Honneth, ‘Disrespect. The Normative Foundations of Critical Theory’ (2007), Polity Press

- Nancy Fraser 2014, Taling About Needs, Ethics Vol 99(2), pp. 291-313.

- Christian Fuchs 2017, Anxiety and Politics in the New Age of Authoritarian Capitalism, Triple C, pp. 637-650.

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

- Film ‘Hannah Arendt’ (2012) by Margarete von Trotta (organised viewing for the course by Dr Hauskeller)

- BBC4 The Frankfurt School (14 Jan 2010), by Melvyn Bragg and guests

- BBC Mini-Series: The Century of the Self 2002, parts 1-4

Key words search

Frankfurt School, Critical Theory, Social Philosophy

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	6
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	01/01/2019
Last revision date	01/01/2019