晚近班雅民對文學批評的影響日益明顯，本課程將以文學、文化批評為切入點，閱讀班雅民研究的若干基本文獻，特別是以生命、技術這兩大觀念為主軸，發展一般論者較少處理的觀念連結。本課程的內容涉及文學、美學、歷史、視覺藝術、工藝、政治學等紛雜的領域，但都可歸結到生命政治、生命哲學、人文與科技等幾個重要議題。

評量方式 Grading:
討論及口頭報告：50%； 期末報告：50%。

進度 Syllabus
第1週 Introductory
第2週 Language and Life
“On Language as Such and the Langauge of Man” (SW1)
第3週 Childhood and Play
“The Cultural History of Toys” (SW2); “Toys and Play” (SW2); “On the Mimetic Faculty” (SW2); “Berlin Childhood around 1900” (Selecitons; SW3)
第4週 Translation
“The Task of the Translator” (SW1); “Translation—For and Against” (SW3)
第5週 Criticism
“The Concept of Criticism in German Romanticism” (Selections; SW1)
第6週 Literature and Time
“Goethe’s Elective Affinities” (Selections; SW1)
第7週 Tradition
“The Storyteller: Observations on the Works of Nikolai Leskov” (SW3)
第8週 Allegory I
The Origin of German Tragic Drama (Selections)
第9週 Allegory II
The Origin of German Tragic Drama (Selections)
第10週 History I
“On the History of Knowledge, Theory of Progress” (Arcades)
第11週 History II
“Theses on the Philosophy of History” (SW4)
第12週 Place I
“A Berlin Chronicle” (Selections; SW2)
第13週 Place II
“Paris, Capital of the 19th Century,” “The Streets of Paris,” (Arcades)
第14週 Modernity
“One-Way Street” (Selections; SW1)
第15週 The Image
“The Image of Proust” (SW2); “Panorama” (Arcades); “Letter from Paris (2): Painting and Photography” (SW3)
第16週 Photography
“Little History of Photography” (SW2); “Photography” (Arcades)
第17週 Film
“The Work of Art in the Age of Reproducibility” (SW3)
第18週 (no class)