GER 166Marx, Nietzsche, Freud

3 credits · German · Penn State

In this course you will learn about three controversial thinkers of modern life. We will turn to German philosophy and psychology to examine basic questions that trouble us today. Karl Marx will help us understand: How does capitalism actually work? How are profits produced? What forms of exploitation are built into industrial labor? How did globalization begin? Sigmund Freud's invention of psychoanalysis will show us: How sexual drives shape our personalities? What is the unconscious and how does it appear in our daily lives? What do dreams tell us about ourselves? The radical ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche will challenge: What is truth? How does it serve power? What are the foundations of Christian morality? Does God exist? In this course you will learn how each thinker altered the course of modern history through their distinctive methods and questions. You will learn why they were each so revolutionary and how important they are for our own era. All texts and discussion are in English.