Hannah and Hitler

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The causes and consequences of the rise and fall of Nazi totalitarianism are arguably among the most important lessons of the 20th century. This course will grapple with these issues through close readings of Hannah Arendt’s controversial classics The Origins of Totalitarianism and Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil alongside Adolph Hitler’s notorious Mein Kampf. Prior to the first class, please read the short assignments noted in the syllabus and watch Charlie Chaplin’s famous 1940 film, The Great Dictator. (Please do not watch any of the other films used later in the course.)

Texts
  • Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
  • Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
  • Arendt, The Portable Hannah Arendt
  • Hitler, Mein Kampf
Films
  • The Great Dictator (Chaplin, 1940, 125 min, English)
  • Triumph of the Will (Riefenstahl, 1935, 110 min, German)
  • Hannah Arendt (Von Trotta, 2012, 113 min, German)
TAUGHT: AUTUMN 2021