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​Core II Social Thought and Political Economy 392 H Tu / Thu 2:303:45 Core II ​ Social Thought and Political Economy 392 H Tu / Thu 2:30­3:45, Bartlett 205 Fall 2016 Instructor: Shakuntala Ray Office Hours: Tuesdays 4:00­5:00 at E­30 Machmer, or by appointment. ​ Email : [email protected] Course Description This course is the second seminar in the year long STPEC Core Seminar sequence. In Core I, we focused on the reading, critique, and discussion of key foundational Western texts from the 16th century onwards to explore the driving forces behind the production of modernity as a Western episteme ( the way we organize and learn the world today). In Core II, we will turn to ​ ​ understanding in more detail the complex ways in which key political, social, and cultural practices and philosophies of the 20th century reveal or critique contradictions, complexities and pitfalls of modernity. As this is an interdisciplinary class, we will be bringing tools and perspectives from various disciplines (i.e. economy, sociology, anthropology, political science, literary theory, gender studies, history and cultural studies) to bear upon each other, always paying special attention to the construction and reception of ideas in specific contexts differentiated by class, race, gender, sexuality, religion, and geopolitics. Importantly, we will try to understand the relevance of “theory” to praxis and the contested worlds that we all form a part. Core II is an interactive seminar rather than a lecture course. Full and active participation is needed and expected. All students are expected to attend all class meetings, arrive on time, read assigned texts, and participate in discussions. Student Responsibilities All readings and a copy of this syllabus are updated on Moodle. If you are unsure about how to use Moodle or are encountering problems, please visit OIT and seek help immediately. If I have trouble using Moodle, I will be sending out updates via gmail. I expect you to search beyond the assigned material, i.e. look up background information on the author, time period, context etc. before engaging with textual analysis. This course is an advanced university course; it requires much reading, but also intelligent and productive discussion and analysis. Please bring your ​ readings to class. Your laptops will be welcome, but please do not use the laptop to browse ​ materials that are not relevant for this class. Attendance Attendance will affect your participation both in lectures and discussion sections. This is not an online course, and therefore your presence and punctuality are required. I will accept only THREE (3) unexcused absences. Every absence after that will lower your final grade by a third of a letter. Also, every THREE (3) late presents will count as ONE (1) unexcused absence. All excused absences MUST be accompanied by proper documentation (doctor’s note, obituary, athletic department letters, etc). Communication with the instructor You are encouraged to meet with the instructor during office hours to chart your individual learning and progress in this class. There will be one mandatory meeting this semester. ​ Additionally, we will try to hold discussion sessions to talk about our learning collectively as a class. Academic Honesty Please remember that plagiarism is a serious academic offense. You should review the University’s policies on academic honesty at http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty/ Please be aware that you will get an F for the class if plagiarism occurs. ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION You will be evaluated in the course based on the quality of your written work combined with your attendance and participation. Your grades will not be based on your beliefs or whether you ​ ​ agree with the perspectives presented in class, but on your knowledge of the material, rigor in analysis and writing skills. Talking about what you think will NOT pass you! The reading of the material is necessary for any real discussion. Critical discussions are necessary for any real significant learning. Each class students must prepare at least 2 discussion questions or 2 fleshed out definitions of the ​ ​ major concepts from the readings for each class and post it on the Discussion Forum for each ​ class before class begins. I will call upon you to share your discussion questions or concept definitions in class. Additionally, you are expected to take charge of the class space and participate in class discussions regularly. Co­facilitation of a class session ​ As part of our commitment to a participatory classroom each student is expected to co­facilitate ​ the first 10 minutes of one class session. A sign­up sheet will be passed around the first week of ​ ​ the semester so that everyone can sign­up. This is not a formal lecture, but a participatory ​ seminar. The student should prepare to present for 8­10 minutes and lead the rest of the class ​ time in meaningful discussion on the session topic. Creativity and interactive presentations are encouraged. Powerpoints are necessary. 2 Main Papers: Midterm and Final 1)The midterm analytical paper should be a 5­ 6 page critical essay. The purpose of this short ​ analytical paper is to help you understand the main argument of the texts and to put different authors in conversation with each other. Due on Oct 22nd. 2) You will write a final academic paper that is 10­12 pages. Before writing a final paper, you ​ will be required to hand in a paper proposal and bibliography. More details about the final paper will be made available on Moodle. Your annotated bibliography and summary are due on 12/01. The final paper is due on 12/17. Class Exercises In addition to your presentations and participation in class discussions, we will do other exercises in class along with assigned readings. These may include presenting each other’s work, media analysis exercises, debates etc. These will form a part of your participation grade. Creative Project The project proposal is due on Oct 2nd . The project will be due Tuesday and Thursday last week of class. Instructions and details will be uploaded on Moodle. Grading Criteria Attendance and Participation 10%, Discussion questions and blog : 5%, Co­facilitating class ​ sessions 10%, Project 20%, Final Paper and Midterm paper 30% and 25% (each i.e. total 55%) (A) 94­100 points, (A­) 93­90 points, (B+) 87­89 points, (B) 84­86 points, (B­) 80­83 points, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ (C+)77­79 points, (C) 74­76 points, (C­) 68­73 points, (D+)64­67 points, ( D)60­63 points, and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ (F) below 60 points. Class etiquette If any of the class discussions and readings make you uncomfortable, we can talk about it outside class, but we need to start with the awareness that certain academic discussions will not have easy resolutions. This course is built around debate and discussion of complex, controversial issues. We will proceed with this knowledge. Syllabus While students may rely upon this syllabus for all readings and assignments, they should also be aware that unforeseen events and circumstances might require that we alter the syllabus from time to time. Students are therefore encouraged to attend class regularly and check emails and ​ ​ Moodle for any updates or changes. Depending on class learning, the instructor might make alterations to the syllabus. Course Calendar ​ Week One: Introduction Sept 6th Tuesday: Introduction to the seminar. Sept 8th Thursday: Revisiting Core 1; What were the main concepts/theories in 391H? Week Two: Empire Vladimir Lenin's main goal in Imperialism was to show how the colonial expansion and ​ ​ ​ imperialist rivalry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were based in profound changes in the nature of capitalism during the same period, calling imperialism at the beginning of the 20th century the last stage and end of capitalism. Sept 13th Tuesday : Vladimir Lenin, (1917) Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. ​ ​ Moscow: Progress Publishers. Selections. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp­hsc/ Sept 15th Thursday: Imperialism as we knew it may be no more, but Empire is thriving. It is, as Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri argue that Empire as a universal order allows no boundaries. ​ ​ ​ According to them, this Empire is fundamentally different from the imperialism of European dominance and capitalist expansion in previous eras. Hardt and Negri link this change to cultural and economic shifts —to new forms of racism, new conceptions of identity and difference, new webs of communication and power, and new paths of movement and mobilization. Antonio Negri, Michael Hardt. (2000). Empire. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University ​ ​ Press.Selections. http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/negri/HAREMI_printable.pdf Week Three: Neoliberalism Globalization has created a new interconnected, mobile and shifting world. As capital flows freely across borders, protected by laws and regulations, it also collides with social movements that oppose it. In a move that David Harvey famously defined as “accumulation by ​ ​ dispossession,” neoliberal policies were implemented to guarantee the freedom of markets. Unevenly deployed across the world, these policies created various new situations of conflict and oppression. Sept 20th Tuesday : David Harvey,(2005). A Brief History of Neoliberalism. New York:Oxford ​ ​ University Press. Selections. ​ ​ http://www.sok.bz/web/media/video/ABriefHistoryNeoliberalism.pdf Sept 22nd Thursday: Africa is a huge, diverse continent. However, the concept of “Africa” is ​ ​ ​ ​ socially constructed as monolithic. Nevertheless, people in the continent have
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