Fame, notoriety, renown – the desire to be recognized and immortalized is the most enduring and perhaps the most desirable form of power. Culture, commerce, politics, and religion all proffer promises of fame – whether for fifteen minutes or fifteen centuries. This course will investigate this subject by asking, what is fame? Why do people want it? How do they get it? What can they do with it? In other words, what kind of good is fame? Drawing on texts from history, ethnography, theory, literature, philosophy, and contemporary media, this course will reflect on the ethics, erotics, pragmatics and pathologies of fame.