The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 1) Course Syllabus

Overview: This course provides a comprehensive introduction to modern European thought, tracing the development of modernity from the Enlightenment through early postmodern ideas. Through six modules, learners will explore key philosophical, literary, and artistic movements that shaped modern consciousness. With approximately 11.5 hours of content, the course combines lectures, readings, and reflective assignments, culminating in a final project. Ideal for beginners, it offers a structured pathway into the intellectual history of modernity and its lasting impact on art, philosophy, and society.

Module 1: Philosophy, Modernity, and Intellectual History

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Introduction to the concept of "the modern"
• Immanuel Kant and the idea of enlightenment
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s critique of progress
• The philosophical foundations of modernity

Module 2: The Enlightenment and Inequality

Estimated time: 1.5 hours

• Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origins of Inequality
• The relationship between knowledge and political power
• Natural vs. social inequality
• The role of reason in shaping modern society

Module 3: From Enlightenment to Revolution

Estimated time: 1.5 hours

• Karl Marx’s theory of alienation
• Class struggle and historical materialism
• The role of revolution in modern thought
• Marx’s critique of capitalist modernity

Module 4: Modernism and Art

Estimated time: 2 hours

• Flaubert’s Madame Bovary as a modernist text
• The shift in narrative perspective and realism
• Artistic responses to modern life
• The role of literature in expressing modern subjectivity

Module 5: Re-imagining the World

Estimated time: 2 hours

• Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution
• Rejection of teleological views of progress
• The impact of Darwinism on philosophy and science
• Reimagining human nature without divine purpose

Module 6: Intensity and Subjectivity

Estimated time: 1.5 hours

• Charles Baudelaire’s poetic modernity
• Friedrich Nietzsche’s critique of absolute truths
• The embrace of intensity and individual experience
• The shift from rationalism to subjectivity in art and thought

Module 7: Art and Abstraction

Estimated time: 2 hours

• The evolution of painting toward abstraction
• Focus on the surface of the canvas
• Rejection of realistic representation
• The role of perception and form in modern art

Prerequisites

• No prior knowledge required
• Interest in philosophy, literature, or history
• Basic familiarity with European intellectual history helpful but not required

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Explain the philosophical origins of modernity
• Analyze key texts from Rousseau, Marx, and Nietzsche
• Understand the relationship between art and modern thought
• Identify the impact of Darwin and Baudelaire on modern culture
• Apply critical thinking to literary and artistic expressions of modernity