Hannah Arendt

Reading Responses for Unit 4

The Crisis in Education

1) Reflections on Little Rock from The Portable Hannah Arendt

2) The Crisis in Education (from Between Past and Future)

(750 words per response. Must be submitted prior to lecture in question)

Reading responses should begin by identifying a central question posed in your chosen text.

If there are important conceptual innovations introduced by Arendt in her framing of the

question, these should be made explicit and fleshed out. The bulk of the response should be

understood as a commentary on both the question itself and Arendts perceived answer to it. You

are very welcome to take a critical position viz. Arendts own conclusions, but in this case your

critique should take its point of departure from the terms made available in the text itself. An

external critique which simply dismisses the premises or terms of Arendts argument ought to

be avoided. NOTE: NO external research is needed (or wanted) for the reading responses. Avoid

all secondary sources (and avoid the internet, above all). You should be engaging entirely and

strictly with Arendts text. Do not seek inspiration, or any sort of aid, from secondary sources