Thinking in Crisis: Political Thought in the Weimar Republic

(1 Credit Hour) · Undergraduate

This course covers the development of Weimar political thought, beginning in 1918 with Max Weber's vocation lectures and ending in 1933 with Martin Heidegger's infamous rectorate address. The aim of the course is to introduce students to the arguments presented in defense of the democratic constitution as well as challenges levied against it by thinkers on the far right and far left. Coursework will consist primarily of short readings from thinkers such as Hans Kelsen, Hermann Heller, and Carl Schmitt.