Prerequisites: graduate standing or consent of instructor

Description: An introduction to individual figures in the history of German aesthetic theory and their legacy in critical discourse. Topics include philhellenism, the beautiful, the sublime, the ugly, fascist chic, mimesis, ornament, the “thing,” mechanical reproduction, suddenness, synaesthesia, and technomedia. All readings are in English. E. Kant; F. Benjamin. Students who submit a term paper receive a letter grade; other students receive a Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grade. Each segment is repeatable as its topics change.