GERST 1126

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  • Schedule of Classes - September 7, 2025 7:07PM EDT

GERST 1126
FWS: Philosophies of Violence: Conceptualizations of Force from Kant to Zizek

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

Violence is a complex concept with a nuanced history. Beginning with Kant and progressing through the discourses of Engels, Benjamin, Arendt, and others, this seminar will employ close readings of philosophical texts to problematize violence’s conceptual history. Through in-class discussions you will learn how violence’s various conceptualizations have shaped the political, religious, and scientific landscapes of modern life. In addition to learning this discrete body of knowledge, you will use weekly writing activities and assigned essays to develop your own critical voice. By semester’s end you will have gained a critical eye towards the institutional dilemmas of contemporary life, and through those eyes you will be empowered with the voice to change it.


Last 4 Terms Offered 2025FA, 2024SP, 2023FA

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Syllabi:

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 20491 GERST 1126   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR
    • Aug 25 - Dec 8, 2025

    • Thomas, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.