RELS 220 Nietzsche, Genealogy, and Critique

Friedrich Nietzsche's work articulates a radical critique of Western Judeo-Christian thought. His critique of transcendental and universal ideas of truth and morality his attack on dominant Western modes of reasoning and his transformative account of human freedom are at the roots of contemporary critical theory and the liberating discourses of social justice. This course explores Nietzsche's critique of Western metaphysics his method of critique (genealogy) and his proposal for modes of thought and practices of living that overcome the dangers and violence of the Western Judeo-Christian tradition. The course will also explore the ways in which Nietzsche's thought has been taken up by postmodern and post-colonial thinkers and critical theorists of race gender and sexuality.