NMDS
5460

The Sublime

Schools of Public Engagement: Media

Liberal Arts
Undergraduate Course
Graduate Course
Degree Students
The Sublime
Spring 2026
Taught By: Eugene Thacker
Section: A

CRN: 14957

Credits: 3

In this seminar we will study the aesthetics of the sublime through a close reading of Kant’s Critique of Judgment (1790). We will pay particular attention to the sublime as a planetary, environmental, and technological phenomenon, one that demarcates both the possibility and the limit of the human condition. Along the way we will also consider philosophical approaches to the sublime prior to and after Kant: from readings in classical Chinese and Japanese aesthetics, to the writings of Edmund Burke, Ann Radcliffe, Arthur Schopenhauer, and the gothic novel, to contemporary readings on the Anthropocene, “collapsology,” and the “technological sublime.”

Open to: all Graduate Students. Undergraduate Juniors and Seniors with permission from the program.
Prerequisites: No Prerequisites
Co-Requisites: No Co-requisites

College: Schools of Public Engagement (NS)

Department: Media (MED)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Seminar (R)

Modality: In-Person

Max Enrollment: 11

Repeat Limit: N/A

Add/Drop Deadline: February 3, 2026 (Tuesday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: April 14, 2026 (Tuesday)

Seats Available: Yes

Status: Open*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 3:38am EDT 10/6/2025

Meeting Info:
Days: Tuesday
Times: 4:00pm - 5:50pm
Building: TBD
Room: TBD
Date Range: 1/21/2026 - 5/12/2026