Marxism 101 – Fall 2026 Cohort

Struggling with your community to understand the current political moment and how to reverse the gains of the far right? Organizing with working people trying to tackle the rising costs of housing, healthcare, food, and education? Trying to make sense of geopolitics and how colonized people free themselves from the chokehold of imperialism?

Get a handle on how capitalism operates and gain tools for making change with CPE’s Marxism 101. Find out why this material has proved so essential for revolutionaries and is so threatening to the ruling class.

Center for Political Education invites organizers, activists, union members, and community workers to participate in an eight-week introduction to Marxist theory and practice. By engaging with weekly readings and discussions, and with the help of guest teachers, beginners to Marxism will work together to learn answers to these key questions:

• what is capitalism? how does it function and what are some of its major contradictions?
• what and who advances history? how does dialectical materialism explain that process?
• why has Marxist theory been so influential to revolutionary struggles across the planet?
• how can we apply a Marxist lens to understand local and global events and organize?

Classes for our fall cohort meet online via Zoom on Mondays from 4-7pm (PDT) / 5-8pm (MDT) / 6-9pm (CDT) / 7-10pm (EDT) on the following dates:

September 28

October 5

October 12

October 19

October 26

November 2

November 9

November 16

Space in Marxism 101 will be limited.

***This course is offered on a sliding scale of $160-320. However, NO ACCEPTED APPLICANT WILL BE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS.***

APPLICATION

Fill out the application form here: https://bit.ly/m101fall26

FAQ

• Do I need to apply to join this class?

Yes. If you’re interested in participating, please take a moment to thoughtfully fill out an application form so we can get a sense of who you are and why you are interested in taking this class. We are most interested in students who plan to take this learning back into their organizations and communities. Being connected to an organization, even if it’s not a formal nonprofit, is a good sign to us that you’ll be more able to apply this learning in your work, and not just use it for individual self-development. While everyone should feel free to apply for this class, preference will be given to beginners to Marxism, and members of people of color-led organizations. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting Thursday, August 27 until Friday, September 18th. Applicants accepted into the Fall 2026 Cohort of Marxism 101 will receive an email with information to register and confirm their spot in the class.

• Is there a registration fee?

For the first time, CPE will be asking students who have resources to pay a modest registration fee to help us cover some of the costs of the class. Accepted applicants can choose one of three options along a sliding scale based on their ability to pay: a) $160 ($20/class); b) $240 ($30/class); or c) $320 ($40/class). Accepted students who cannot afford to pay can write to us  (center@politicaleducation.org) to request a scholarship to attend the class for free. AS ALWAYS, NO ACCEPTED STUDENT WILL BE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS.

• I have access needs—how can I share them?

Please make sure to note your accessibility needs in your application, and we will do our best to meet them.

• What does this class cover and who will be teaching it?

Our class sessions are as follows:

• September 28: The Communist Manifesto & Marx in His Time, Place, and Conditions
• with CPE instructors Chika Okoye + Thomas Mariadason
• October 5: Political Economy: Wage Exploitation & the Labor Theory of Value 
• with Charmaine Chua, Associate Professor of Geography, UC Berkeley
• October 12: Capitalism’s Origins: Primitive Accumulation
• with Colleen Lye, Associate Professor of English and Chair of Asian American Research Center
• October 19: Racial Capitalism
• with Justin Leroy, Assistant Professor of History, Duke University
• October 26: Materialism vs. Idealism: Why Revolutionaries Need Philosophy
• with Chika + Thomas
• November 2: Dialectical Development: How Does Change Happen?
• with Chika +Thomas
• November 9: Dialectics Applied: Liberation Struggles & the Principal Contradiction
• with Cynthia Gao, Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, Middlebury College
• November 16: Marxist Futures: The State and Revolution & 21st Century Socialism
• with Fahd Ahmed, Executive Director of DRUM-Desis Rising Up and Moving