Professor: D. Brown
CRN: 92974
Distribution: C/D
Time: M W 1:20 pm - 2:40 pm LC 206
cross-listed: LAIS
Professor: J. Kovel
CRN: 92400
Distribution: A/C
Time: M W 9:00 am - 10:20 am OLIN
205
Though one of the most consequential doctrines of
modern history, marxism is now in grave crisis and has been written off by many. This course will
explore the essentials of marxism, evaluate its various interpretations, and assess its future in light
of recent capitalist victories. Roughly half the sessions will be devoted to the basic writings of
Marx and the remainder to key texts of other marxist thinkers, for example, Lenin, Stalin, Mao,
Gramsci and Marcuse, among others. Limited to 25 students. Open to First-Year
students.
Professor: J. Kovel
CRN: 92401
Distribution: A/C
Time: M 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm OLIN
307
The title of the course is that of a recently published
volume by the instructor. The course tracks the main theme of this work, that spirituality is
produced historically and plays complex political roles even as it relates people to what is beyond.
We shall consider the ambivalent function of religion, the spiritual aspects of various forms of
politics, such as fascism and communism, New Age spiritual movements, and the nature of
visionary/utopian practice.
of related interest: MES
This course will explore interpretations of contemporary Brazilian society and culture through the
ethnographic literature. After first situating Brazil within its colonial heritage and the global
economy, specific issues and areas to be addressed will include class and gender in the household,
workplace, and political arena; race and ethnicity; changing forms of Catholicism, Protestantism,
and Afro-Brazilian religions; human rights and ecology in the Amazon; poverty and urban
problems in the northeast, Brasilia, and industrial Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo; and popular
culture, including Carnaval. Ethnographies are selected to provide a variety of theoretical
approaches. Open to First-Year students.
SST 220 Marxism and Radical Social Theory
SST 330 History and Spirit