European Studies 224 - Walter Benjamin Now

(Offered as GERM-224 and EUST-224) This class will embark on an in-depth study of the German-Jewish writer Walter Benjamin, one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. We will be guided by Benjamin’s notion of “the time of the now,” which the critic “blasts” out of the seemingly homogeneous continuum of history. Thinking this “now,” we will study some of Benjamin’s most important and complex texts on the following topics: memory and childhood; cities and urban spaces (in particular Berlin, Paris, and Naples); his philosophy of history and messianism; violence and politics; artworks, technology, and media theory; pedagogy; theories of language and translation. Readers and interlocutors of Benjamin that we will encounter in this class might include: Hannah Arendt, Bertolt Brecht, Judith Butler, Jacques Derrida, Sinan Antoon, and others. In order to strengthen our understanding of Benjamin’s relevance now, we might equally study contemporary uses of his work in media theory, postcolonial studies, legal studies, and related disciplines. Conducted in English, with German majors required to do a substantial portion of the reading in German.

Fall semester: Professor Jonas Rosenbrück.

How to handle overenrollment: German majors, then European Studies majors, then by seniority or relevant prior course work

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: an emphasis on analysis, written work, readings, oral presentations.