Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2026 - HUM 321W B100

The Humanities and Critical Thinking (4)

Class Number: 4759

Delivery Method: Blended

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 6, 2026: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Study of the counter-traditions in human civilization and thought, including impulses and movements that critique and resist dominant value systems. Focuses on writers, artists and thinkers that break with their traditions creating new values, ideas, and forms of experience and expression. May be repeated for credit when a different topic is taught. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Karl Marx and the Idea of Critique

According to Marx, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." For him, the criticism of religion was the very model of the activity of critique per se.  The reason for this is that Marx regarded religion as clearest form taken by alienated human capacities. To criticize religion, in Marx’s view, wasn’t simply an academic enterprise but one that was geared, at the end of the day, to practically reclaiming and indeed developing these estranged human capacities in the interest of genuine freedom and flourishing. This course introduces Marx’s idea of critique and seeks to demonstrate its contemporary importance to the key social structures and technological  forces shaping our lives today. The basic question of the course is: To what extent is Marx’s critique of capitalist state and society the criticism of religion by other means?

Grading

  • Essay (First Draft) 10%
  • Presentation 10%
  • Essay (Final Draft) 20%
  • Class Participation 20%
  • Quizzes 20%
  • Portfolio (Notes/Reflections) 20%

NOTES:

This course fulfills the Global Humanities requirements for the  

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

The Marx and Engels Reader  (New York: WW Norton, 1978) 
ISBN: 13: 978-0393090406

Michael Heinrich, Karl Marx and the Birth of Modern Society
ISBN: 13:978-1583677353

Other readings will be provided by the instructor.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.