This course will offer an advanced introduction to marxist cultural theory. Following closely the work of Walter Benjamin we will ask what the relationship is between culture and capitalism. Does capitalism have a specific cultural form or logic? What kind of culture does capitalism emphasize? Are there "cultures" that are defunct or dis-functional for capitalism? Moreover, are struggles over culture-- struggles around taste, high and low culture, gentrification, educational content, etc-- merely a distraction from problems of real social inequality or are they its most complicated expresssions? Lastly, how has capitalism's development over two millennia changed the meaning and experience of "culture" for the modern person? We will read Marx to understand the materialist method and then Benjamin to grasp the study of culture in modernity. Our readings will be supplemented with literary works and filmic texts.