The term socialism has now re-entered U.S. American political discourse. This comes at a time when, after long periods of crises, the traditions of both revolutionary and reformist socialism seemed to have reached their complete exhaustion. With the help of New School Faculty members the course will consider “what is alive and what is dead in socialism” today. In the course, students engage with classical theories as well as their applications in a variety of historical and international contexts. Staunchly interdisciplinary, we will utilize expertise in philosophy, history, economics, sociology, anthropology and political theory.
The course Socialism and Sociology is a useful resource for those interested in idea and practice of socialism through the lense of interdisciplinary social research. Although the structure of the course appears quite unsystematic, taken together, the course provides a comprehensive overview of the complex and heteregenous history of socialism and the debates surrounding it. It is an additional plus that the course features a wide variety of (guest) lecturers including world-renowned economists like Nancy Fraser, Duncan Foley, Anwar Shaikh or Sanjay Reddy and an expansive selection of texts. Even those, who may not commit to working through all 28 sessions of the course, the video lectures (and the text selections) can also be drawn upon individually, where interest in specific aspects prevails.