ENGL 408(S) Culture, Criticism and Praxis (Same as Comparative Literature 345)
What is the political value of criticism? This course will examine how various
forms of "cultural criticism" respond to that question, with an emphasis on the
Marxist traditions. We will begin with a reading of some basic texts by Marx and
an analysis of concepts such as base and superstructure, alienation, fetishism,
reification, mediation, determination, ideology, hegemony, and praxis. Then we
will trace the appropriations of Marx in wokrs by theorists such as Georg
Lukacs, Walter Benjamin, and Raymond Williams. The latter part of the course
will concentrate on analyses of literature and other cultural artifacts by Williams,
British "cultural studies" theorists, and American cultural critics such as Frederic
Jameson and bell hooks.
Format: seminar. Requirements: A journal, one short paper, and a final longer
paper (15-20pp.)
Prerequisites: One 300-level English course or permission of instructor.
Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 10). Preference given to junior and senior
English majors.
(Criticism)