Contemporary critical theory draws on a set of classic philosophical texts which are oft-cited but rarely read in their entirety. The goal of this reading group will be to read the following foundational texts cover-to-cover and word-for-word (with frequent reference to the original languages): Kant's Critique of Practical Reason, Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, Marx's Capital, de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, and Sartre's Critique of Dialectical Reason. To frame our discussion of these texts, we will first read Continental Philosophy: A Critical Approach, by UIUC's own William Schroeder, which situates these works in the larger tradition of continental philosophy and critical theory. Meetings will be biweekly and each of the texts will be given two months (four meetings).

Contact: Nancy Blake, Comparative and World Literature (nblake@illinois.edu)