SATURDAYS, 1–4PM

New School University New York (New School)
Conference Room, 65 West 11th st. (Ground floor)

SUNDAYS, 1–4PM

New York University (NYU)
Puck Building
295 Lafayette St. 4th floor Memorial Room

I. What is the “Left?” — What is “Marxism?”

• required / + recommended reading

Week 12. Jan. 28–29, 2012

• Korsch, “Marxism and philosophy” (1923)
+ Marx, To make the world philosophical (from Marx’s dissertation, 1839–41), pp. 9–11
+ Marx, For the ruthless criticism of everything existing (letter to Arnold Ruge, September 1843), pp. 12–15

Winter–Spring 2012

II. Introduction to revolutionary Marxism

Week 13. Feb. 4–5, 2012

• Rosa Luxemburg, “The Crisis of German Social Democracy” Part 1 (1915)
• J. P. Nettl, “The German Social Democratic Party 1890–1914 as a Political Model” (1965)
• Cliff Slaughter, “What is Revolutionary Leadership?” (1960)

Week 14. Feb. 11–12, 2012

• Luxemburg, Reform or Revolution? (1900/08)

Week 15. Feb. 18–19, 2012

• V. I. Lenin, What is to be Done? (1902)
+ Richard Appignanesi and Oscar Zarate / A&Z, Introducing Lenin and the Russian Revolution / Lenin for Beginners (1977)

Week 16. Feb. 25–26, 2012

• Leon Trotsky, Results and Prospects (1906)
+ Tariq Ali and Phil Evans, Introducing Trotsky and Marxism / Trotsky for Beginners (1980)

Week 17. Mar. 3–4, 2012

• Lenin, The State and Revolution (1917)
+ Lenin, Socialism and War Ch. 1 The principles of socialism and the War of 1914–15 (1915)

Week 18. Mar. 10–11, 2012

• Luxemburg, “What does the Spartacus League Want?” (1918)
• Luxemburg, “On the Spartacus Programme” (1918)
+ Luxemburg, “German Bolshevism” (AKA “The Socialisation of Society”) (1918)
+ Luxemburg, “The Russian Tragedy” (1918)
+ Luxemburg, “Order Reigns in Berlin” (1919)
+ Sebastian Haffner, Failure of a Revolution: Germany 1918–19 (1968)

Week 19. Mar. 17–18, 2012 (Left Forum NYC)

Week 20. Mar. 24–25, 2012 (Spring break)

Week 21. Mar. 31 – Apr. 1, 2012 (Platypus international convention Chicago)

Week 22. Apr. 7–8, 2012

• Lenin, “Left-Wing” Communism: An Infantile Disorder (1920)
+ Lenin, “Notes of a Publicist” (1922)

Week 23. Apr. 14–15, 2012

• Lukács, “The Standpoint of the Proletariat” (Part III of “Reification and the Consciousness of the Proletariat,” 1923). Available in three sections from marxists.org: section 1 section 2 section 3

Week 24. Apr. 21–22, 2012

• Trotsky, The Lessons of October (1924) [PDF]

Week 25. April 28–29, 2012

• Walter Benjamin, “On the Concept of History” (AKA “Theses on the Philosophy of History”) (1940) [PDF]
• Benjamin, Paralipomena to “On the Concept of History” (1940)
+ Benjamin, Theologico-political fragment (1921/39?)
+ Benjamin, “To the planetarium” (from One-Way Street, 1928)
• Max Horkheimer, “The Authoritarian State” (1942)

Week 26. May 5–6, 2012

• Theodor Adorno, “Reflections on Class Theory” (1942)
• Adorno, “Imaginative Excesses” (1944–47)
+ Adorno, Dedication, Minima Moralia (1944–47)
+ Adorno, “Warning: Not to be Misused” and “Finale”, Minima Moralia (1944–47)
+ Horkheimer and Adorno, “Discussion about Theory and Praxis” (AKA “Towards a New Manifesto?”) [Deutsch] (1956)

Week 27. May 12–13, 2012

+ Adorno, “On Subject and Object” (1969)
• Adorno, “Marginalia to Theory and Praxis” (1969)
• Adorno, “Resignation” (1969)
+ Adorno and Herbert Marcuse, correspondence on the German New Left (1969)
+ Esther Leslie, Introduction to the 1969 Adorno-Marcuse correspondence (1999)
+ Adorno, “Late Capitalism or Industrial Society?” (AKA “Is Marx Obsolete?”) (1968)