Aesthetics and Adorno?

[surlefil]

Hi! I'm looking for Ph.D. programs in Philosophy (or Comp. Lit.) where I can focus con aesthetics. I'm interested in "continental" philosophy, and I've seen the "continental programs", but most of the times they are stronger in french philosophy (let's say Derrida, Deleuze, Levinas, and others) and I think I would prefer a department stronger in the Frankfurt School, especially Adorno. New School is of course a GREAT option, but the funding issue worries me, and of course I would like to find other options. What do you think?

Thanks a lot!

[bar_scene_gambler]

I don't know if this will be of any help, but University of Warwick has a strong "continental" program, and they have an MA in Philosophy and Literature (you mentioned you were interested in Comp. Lit.). They are, much like other "continental" programs, stronger in contemporary french philosophy, but they do have a number of faculty who work in aesthetics, so it might be worth a look anyway.

[magog]

Northwestern's Comp-Lit dept seems to be a hot-bed of such things.

[surlefil]

Hi! Thank you!

 

I've seen Warwick and you are completely right, it's great, but is it possible to get funding there? I heard you have to ask for funding for the MA and then repeat the process for de Ph.D., and that's too risky for me because I'm applying with my boyfriend, so I need safe options... Maybe you know more about this than me.

 

About Comp. Lit. programs, well, I'm not at all interested in literature, I love philosophy, and within philosophy, aesthetics, but more focused on music and visual art. I've been checking Comp. Lit. programs because many people say continental philosophy is "happening" there, so that's why. I'm trying to find programs in Philosophy strong in continental philosophy and especially aesthetics (or at least with a few great professors there, like Lydia Goehr in Columbia) or programs in Comp. Lit. strong philosophy, but it's not that easy...

 

Thanks magog! I'll check Northwestern Comp. Lit.

[bar_scene_gambler]

Funding is tricky. I'm applying for the MA in Continental Philosophy and the only reason why I'm even attempting it is because I'm working on getting Fulbright funding to support me for my year with the MA. Professor Poellner told me that funding for PhD students is usually much easier to get, it's just making it to that point that is tricky. It's a shame really, because the program is probably the most enticing out of the programs that I'm looking into thus far (in terms of the concentration on "continental" theory, not due to placement records or any of that).

[tomjonesy517]

Hi I'm in a similar boat--somewhat. The problem is that people don't read the Frankfurt School philosophically (at least seriously). Maybe the texts are too radical or impenetrable, but most people...just don't work on them. You're not going to find much if Adorno's your project. Comp lit might be better for you. However, you should look at Stony Brook and Emory. They have professors who actually work on FS and regularly have courses on FS philosophers. 

[marXian]

I would second Northwestern as a good option. I'm there now (in the Religious Studies dept.) and critical theory is a subfield of mine. Peter Fenves (German department) might be a person of interest. He is an Adorno and Benjamin scholar. Sam Weber (also German dept.) was actually a student of Adorno's. The way comp lit. works at NU is that you're admitted to a home dept. (like German or French) but you're working on a comp lit. PhD. There isn't a comp lit "department."

 

We do A LOT of German stuff here across the philosophy, RS, and comp lit programs, from the Reformation to the present (for example, I study 19th/20th century German theology in the RS dept.) NU has a program called the interdisciplinary cluster initiative which encourages interdisciplinary study. There is a "critical theory" cluster that's fairly large and composed of mostly English, philosophy, comp lit, and poli sci students. From that, I've been involved in a fairly rigorous reading group in aesthetics for the last year with some English and art history students. We've been reading Hegel's Aesthetik over the summer. There is a lot of stuff like that going on here (more intangible stuff that you wouldn't necessarily be able to glean from the website.)

 

With regard to the philosophy department specifically, it's true that no one is doing Frankfurt School work, but there are a couple people who could be resources for pre-FS philosophy (Rachel Zuckert does Kant and aesthetics and Mark Alznauer does Hegel and 19th/early 20th century social theory including Marx and Weber.) The humanities departments are very friendly with one another here making it very easy to take whatever courses you need, take comps in whatever areas are relevant to you, and include faculty on your dissertation committee from whatever departments make sense for you. Comp lit is obviously really flexible in this respect since the program is supported by multiple departments. Hope that helps!