Spring 2025: February 10 — June 3
Subject: PHIL
Course Level: 200
Number of Credits: 4 U.S. / 8 ECTS
Max Enrollment: 22
Schedule: Tue, Fri 18:10 – 19:30 CET (Berlin) | 12:10 – 1:30 PM EDT (New York)
Distribution Area: Meaning, Being, and Value
Language of Instruction: Russian
Course Prerequisites: Russian B2 / Equivalent or higher

The work of Walter Benjamin is of interest to researchers for two principal reasons: firstly, the scope of the topics he addresses and, secondly, the depth of the ideas he develops in his works. It is unsurprising that many readers of Benjamin differ in their assessment of his contribution to twentieth-century culture. Some view him primarily as a philosopher, while others see him as a literary critic. For some, his original political philosophy is most significant, while for others, his contributions to the philosophy of history or art criticism stand out. However, this very versatility makes it challenging to unify his work into a coherent system of views. The pertinent question today is whether it is possible to adopt a perspective on Benjamin’s work that could provide a certain unity. Accordingly, the objective of this course is to examine Benjamin’s entire creative oeuvre through the lens of three concepts that are central to his work: experience, history, and literature.We will examine in detail several of Benjamin’s key works, including The Task of the Translator, The Author as Producer, The Storyteller: Observations on the Works of Nikolai Leskov, The Concept of Criticism in German Romanticism, On Some Motifs in Baudelaire, Paris, The Capital of the Nineteenth Century, On the Image of Proust, and Franz Kafka, Berlin Childhood Around 1900, The Arcades Project (fragments) among others.

Guidelines for the Statement of Purpose:
Craft a reflective statement of purpose explaining your interest in the Smolny Beyond Borders online course. The file should be saved with your name and course title as the filename and uploaded accordingly. Your statement’s clarity and substance will significantly influence our selection. Convey your motivations and aspirations for this course succinctly but thoroughly. Kindly write your statement in the course’s Language of Instruction.

Application Portal Instructions:
1) Use the Latin alphabet for all entries on the portal, including your name. If the Language of Instruction is Russian, you may use Cyrillic only within the Statement of Purpose file, and the title of the file should still be in English.
2) Refrain from using email addresses associated with Russian or Belarusian educational institutions.
3) While completing the “Required Information” section, ensure you fill in the “Province” field for your address.
4) Provide an address outside Russia or Belarus in both the “Required Information” and “Geographic Location Confirmation” sections of the “Online Course Application”. This ensures we can send your transcript.
5) You must press the “Sign” button twice during the application.
6) If you hold a bachelor’s degree, select “4th+” in the “Academic Year (online)” section.
7) Applicants either unaffiliated or affiliated with educational institutions in Russia and Belarus should list ‘Smolny Beyond Borders’ as their educational institution.
8) In the student ID section, enter ‘SBB’.
9) Consider drafting your motivation letter ahead of time. Save it as a separate file with this format: LastName_FirstName_CourseTitle for a smoother application process.