Spring 2021

Taking Marx Seriously

Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-415

Formerly listed as: POSC-61  |  POSC-81

Faculty

Pavel Machala (Section 01)

Description

Should Marx be given yet another chance? Is there anything left to gain by returning to texts whose earnest exegesis has occupied countless interpreters, both friendly and hostile, for generations? Has Marx’s credibility survived the global debacle of those regimes and movements which drew inspiration from his work, however poorly they understood it? Or, conversely, have we entered a new era in which post-Marxism has joined a host of other “post-”phenomena? This seminar will deal with these and related questions in the context of a close and critical reading of Marx’s texts. The main themes we will discuss include Marx’s conception of capitalist modernity, material and intellectual production, power, class conflicts and social consciousness, and his critique of alienation, bourgeois freedom and representative democracy. We will also examine Marx’s theories of historical progress, capitalist exploitation, globalization and human emancipation.

Requisite: Two of POSC 213, 413 and 480. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Machala.

POSC 415 - L/D

Section 01
M 02:10 PM - 04:40 PM ONLI ONLI

Offerings

2024-25: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2008, Fall 2009, Spring 2011, Fall 2013, Fall 2015, Spring 2017, Spring 2021