Walter Benjamin: An Introduction



Overview

Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) is one of the most fascinating intellectual figures of the twentieth century. Philosopher, literary critic, journalist, historian and creative writer, his writings have attracted the interest of Marxists, theologians, urbanists and artists, just to mention a few.  

The course will take a chronological and textual approach, starting with Benjamin’s writings from the mid-late 1920s and ending with his final text from 1940. The course will seek to situate and understand Benjamin’s ideas in relation to two main poles: firstly, the Marxism he espoused from the mid-1920s onwards; secondly, the theological ideas which he brought with him from his earlier writings. 

One particular focus will be Benjamin's writings on cities and cities life, including the 'Arcades Project' – his huge and unfinished investigation into the emergence of high capitalist modernity in nineteenth-century Paris. 

Programme details

Courses starts: 18 Jan 2024

Week 0: Course Orientation

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: One-Way Street (1928)

Week 3: One-Way Street (1928)

Week 4: ‘Naples’ (1925) and ‘Moscow’ (1927)

Week 5: ‘Surrealism’ (1929)

Week 6: ‘A Berlin Chronicle’ (1932)

Week 7: ‘Paris, the Capital of the Nineteenth-Century’ (1935) and extracts from the ‘Arcades Project’ (1934-40)

Week 8: ‘The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility’ (1936)

Week 9: ‘On the Concept of History’ (1940)

Week 10: ‘On the Concept of History’ (1940)

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend and participate in at least 80% of the live sessions on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Meade McCloughan

Meade McCloughan has been studying philosophy for 40 years and has taught at University College London and Birkbeck College London.  He is on the organising group of the Marx and Philosophy Society.

Course aims

To introduce participants to some of Walter Benjamin's main ideas.

Course objectives:

  • To understand some of Benjamin's key texts.
  • To understand the context of Benjamin's ideas.
  • To evaluate the continuing vitality and applicability of Benjamin's ideas.

Teaching methods

Copies of the primary material by Benjamin will be made available electronically. These materials, along with the pre-recorded lecture, will then be the basis for the "live" discussion session.  Students will be able to benefit from formative feedback on written work during the course.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected:

  • to have gained experience in interpreting and understanding Benjamin's texts;
  • to appreciate the distinctive character of Benjamin’s ideas about art, modernity and history.

 

Assessment methods

Participants will be given four short exercises during the course to complete (up to 500 words each).  The tutor will assess and provide written comments on completed exercises. Students will be able to do all four short exercises.

Students can choose to be assessed for the course EITHER on the basis of THREE completed short exercises OR by submitting an essay of 1,500 words on a chosen topic from the course (suggested questions will be provided during the course). Those choosing to write an essay can submit a 500 word draft for feedback in advance of submitting the final version or can use one of the short exercises for the same purpose.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

We will close for enrolments 7 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (7 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support