180066 LPS Theodor Adorno: Minima Moralia (2020S)

Theodor W. Adorno's essay volume "Minima Moralia. Reflections on a Damaged Life" is considered one of the most important philosophical books of the 20th century. Written between 1944 and 1947 in his American exile and first published in Germany in 1951, this collection of short and pointed texts and aphorisms began to show their impact as of the 1960s. Despite the fact that they are related to their time, these texts still show unabated relevance in their sharpness and idiosyncratic formulation. The aim of the LPS is to subject selected chapters of the "Minoma Moralia" to a precise reading and interpretation. This should raise the question of the historical-systematic location of these essays as well as their relevance to current social and political problems. Likewise, the handling of texts, which deviate to a large extent from the academic style but still have a philosophical claim should also be discussed and practiced.

Methods:
As Methods of the LPS careful collective readings, intensive discussion and addressing the problem areas in view of current experiences will be put to practice.

Reading:
The selected Essays can be seen next to the assigned groups. They should be read by all students at the latest before the following unit, regardless of whether the unit is held physically or online.

Text based questions:
Students are to submit "questions to the text" and are free to choose five text passages as an assignment for the following unit. This can be written as a question in the form of a short text commentary or directly as a question to the author and should be approximately one-half to a maximum of one page. (to be submitted on moodle, one day before the particular unit).

Presentations:
Students (1 - 4 people) are given the task of carefully working through selected essays and preparing a reading proposal for the subsequent unit (further research, clarification of unclear terms, taking up text based questions and giving references to secondary literature).
Based on this proposal, the students lead through an entire unit and the current reading section. In the process, the lecturer makes sure that the questions submitted by the colleagues are considered.

Home-Learning:
As things stand, we will hold the first two units online (March 26th and April 2nd ), i.e. You upload your presentation in written form to Moodle on Wednesday before 23:55, in a special discussion forum (see seminar program for exact requirements). All students should have read the corresponding essay of the Minima Moralia by then and must each post a short written comment on one of the presentations (Question or statement based on argument, in a few sentences). The home learning units must be completed by the end of the day, i.e. Thursday March 26th and April 2nd, until 23:55). The course management will check that the task is completed on time.
The task is completed after posting one comment, but the discussion threads remain open. It will therefore be possible (and pleasant) to respond to comments and continue a lively online discussion. We ask for a respectful and understandable way of expressing and arguing. The course management reserves the right to intervene in discussions.

Consultation hours during the university's closure will be held upon agreement, either by phone, Skype or using the video conferencing tools on Moodle.