Annotation
Derrida is arguably the most influential philosopher of the late 20th century. His conceptions of “difference” and
“deconstruction” have been widely influential in philosophy, critical theory and literary analysis. In this course, we will read three of his most characteristic works: The essay, “Difference,” Archive Fever, and his deconstruction of
Levinas, Violence and Metaphysics. To set the context for the latter, we will also study Levinas’ Ethics and Infinity, a series of interviews in which Levinas discusses his philosophy.