Culture and Criticism in Marxist Theory

Readings in major 20th and 21st century texts, with emphasis on Western Marxist thought, from Lukács through the present. Focus on problems in the conception and reading of culture and cultural texts, with some attention to cinema and other media where possible. Where appropriate, consideration of interaction with other major theoretical frameworks (such as aesthetics, phenomenology, semiotics, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial criticism, globalization theory, affect theory etc.) Readings may include figures such as Lukács, Benjamin, Eisenstein, Bakhtin, Adorno, Sartre, S. Hall, Haraway, Heath, Mouffe, Virno, Spivak, Lazaratto, Jameson, Zizek, etc. Some screenings.