Marx’s Capital

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No prior knowledge is required.

Content of Course

In contradiction to how Marxism is treated in popular debate and literature, many scholars of Marx’s writings viewed the collapse of the Soviet Union as an opportunity to re-evaluate his ideas. For the first time since his death, Marx’s work could be interpreted (properly and diligently) outside the framework of socialist political institutions. To this end, the course takes a contemporary approach to studying Marx’s Capital, engaging with recent research and debates on key subjects such as class struggle, technology, commodification, alienation, and worker subjectivity. The overall aim is to understand Capital as more of a political and moral thesis than an economic one.

The course will develop your understanding of core concepts in Marx’s Capital, and look at the way in which he develops his theory. After a general introduction to Marx’s life and intellectual context, the course starts its reading of Capital with Chapter 7 on the value producing process, followed by coverage of the working day, the concepts of absolute and relative surplus value, and the discussion of mass and rate of exploitation in relation to technology. Once you have a solid grasp of the heart of Volume 1 the course will turn to the first six chapters, which are more difficult to understand. Marx’s ideas will also be placed in the context of the wider history of political economy, including earlier studies by thinkers such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo. The course will finish by examining issues Marx felt he needed to resolve in Volume 3 and covering the legacy of his ideas and theories after his death in 1883.

Teaching method(s)

Each weekly two-hour class will combine lecture and discussion. You will be encouraged to read in advance the sections of the text to be discussed; tutorial questions will be circulated in advance to maximise the potential for you to participate in class discussion.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Display knowledge of key concepts in Marx’s Capital, such as surplus value;

• Explain Marx’s approach in relation to Hegel’s dialectical method;

• Locate Capital in the history of Western political theory and the development of economic thought;

• Critically evaluate different interpretations of, and responses to, Marx’s Capital.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

• Marx, K., 1867. Capital. Classics of World Literature, 2012. Ware: Wordsworth. [Other editions can be used – but page references in the course will make use of this edition.]

Recommended:

• Allen, R.C., 2011. Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Backhouse, R., 2002. The Penguin History of Economics. London: Penguin Books.

• Marx, K. and Engels, F., 1848. The Communist Manifesto, Classics of World Literature, 2012. Ware: Wordsworth.

• Singer, P., 2018. Marx: A Very Short Introduction. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Web Sources

Harvey, D., 2008. Reading Marx’s Capital Volume I with David Harvey [online]. Available at: <http://davidharvey.org/reading-capital>

Hughes, B., 2017. Genius of the Modern World: Marx, Nietzsche, Freud. Open Learn [TV programme]. Available at: <https://www.open.edu/openlearn/tv-radio-events/tv/genius-the-modern-world>

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.