Contemporary Political (4333) John Glassford, ​​Professor of Philosophy

Office: ​RAS 217 Email: ​[email protected] Office Phone: (​325) 942-2262 Office Hours:​ (by appointment on Blackboard Collaborate) Class Times and Room:​ all online because of covid-19

Required Text: ​​The Routledge Critical and Cultural Theory Reader​, Edited by Neil Badmington and Julia Thomas, 2008. The course textbook is not optional, I can provide some texts (PDF Blackboard) but not all, it is very important that you purchase the textbook.

Course Description Following (1844-1900) shattered into a bewildering array of new 'isms.' If the nineteenth century could be described as the high water mark of , , and nationalism, the twentieth century saw a marked change in developments; , , Nazism, , , , , post-structuralism, , post-colonialism, environmentalism, and multiculturalism, to name just a few of the ‘isms’ that have come to dominate political philosophy.

It would be impossible to cover all of these developments in a sixteen week semester course, so we will focus on new movements in thought in the CONTINENTAL tradition, rather than the Anglo-analytic tradition, (i.e. no or , both of whom are covered in my ​Intro to Ethics class). We will tackle these streams of thought thematically; through language and text, subjectivity, culture, , , freedom, technology, oppression, and post-colonialism. In the continental tradition Nietzsche inaugurated the turn towards the ‘text’ and the ‘body’ as sites of conflict and examination, so we will begin with Nietzsche.

Anyone looking for a comprehensive reader in this subject is immediately confronted with a number of difficulties; in the first instance much of this material is still under copyright, so many of the most famous essays and papers of contemporary political thought are available only in the expensive journals and books where they originally appeared. I will fill that gap with PDF documents that you can access on Blackboard where possible.

Blackboard Collaborate One-on-One Reading political philosophy is difficult and sometimes it is hard to make sense of it no matter how attentively one reads. Contemporary political use a lot of technical and specialist language, and there is often a great deal of historical context lying behind their debates. So I highly recommend that if you are having trouble with the texts, or if you have a few poor grades, then you email me to set up a one-on-one collaborate session on Blackboard for some additional tutoring.

(​Important Note: If you do decide you would like a collaborate session then I require that you have BOTH audio and webcam set ON. I did try to hold some collaborate sessions last semester and without these settings ON it was an unsatisfying and frustrating experience).

Course Requirements All course requirements, tests and papers, must be met in full for the successful completion of the course.

Assessment 8 Multiple Choice quizzes 6.25% each 1 Midterm and 1 Final paper 25% each

*Note: ​Each test is 10 multiple choice, true/false questions, and you will have 30 mins to take the test, set for force completion, and displays only one question at a time, no backtracking. This test is NOT designed to be open book. It is assumed that you have completed most of the reading assignments before taking the test (all course work must be completed for a final grade).

Papers Two papers;​ ​one midterm and a final. (25% each) You will be expected to write an answer of about 800-1000 words. There will be 3 or 4 questions to choose from and these will be made available on Blackboard. All papers should be submitted to Blackboard. The main reason why students under-perform with regard to papers is that they do not engage with course material. Papers often tend towards ‘streams of consciousness’ with few references to what has been studied. It is expected in a philosophy class, even in an intro class, that you will have learned the ’s names and can accurately point to what ideas are associated with these philosophers, and how to deploy these ideas in a coherent fashion. Higher grades will be awarded to those who can do some of this. (I​ mportant note: No internet sources should be used on papers, course content only. You are not being asked to write a ‘research’ paper).

Academic Honesty Angelo University expects its students to maintain complete honesty and integrity in their academic pursuits. Students are responsible for understanding and complying with the University Academic Honor Code, which contained in both print and web versions of the ASU Student Handbook. See the Current Student page on the ASU homepage (URL address http://www.angelo.edulcstudent/) and click on the Academic Honor Code. Acts of academic dishonesty and misconduct as referenced in Angelo State University's Student Handbook will be referred to the Dean of Students.

Religious Observances Every effort will be made to accommodate all forms of religious observance in compliance with ASU OP 10.19. Students who require additional arrangements to be made should make these known in good time in order that arrangements can be made.

Disabilities ASU is committed to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities of the university, or be subjected to discrimination by the university, as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008 (ADAAA), and subsequent legislation. The Student Affairs Office is the designated campus department charged with the responsibility of reviewing and authorizing requests for reasonable accommodations based on a disability. It is the student's responsibility to initiate such a request by contacting the Student Affairs Office, Suite 112 of the Houston Harte University Center, at 325-942-2047 (phone) or 325-942-2211 (fax) or by e-mail at [email protected] to begin the process. The Student Affairs Office will establish the particular documentation requirements necessary for the various types of disabilities. Please let me know if you have any special need due to any learning disability. You are encouraged to make this request early in the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Title IX Statement Angelo State University is committed to providing and strengthening an educational, working, and living environment where students, faculty, staff, and visitors are free from sex discrimination of any kind. The University prohibits discrimination based on sex, which includes pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and types of Sexual Misconduct. Sexual Misconduct is a broad term encompassing all forms of gender-based harassment or discrimination including: sexual assault, sex-based discrimination, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, public indecency, interpersonal violence (domestic violence and/or dating violence), and stalking. As a faculty member, I am a Responsible Employee meaning that I am obligated by law and ASU policy to report any allegations I am notified of to the Office of Title IX Compliance. This is done in order to connect students with resources and options in addressing the allegations reported. As a student, you are encouraged to report any incidents of sexual misconduct directly to ASU’s Office of Title IX Compliance and the Director of Title IX Compliance/Title IX Coordinator. You may do so by contacting:

Michelle Miller, J.D. Director of Title IX Compliance/Title IX Coordinator Mayer Administration Building, Room 210 325-942-2022 [email protected]

ASU Mission Statement Angelo State University, a member of the Texas Tech University System, delivers undergraduate and graduate programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional disciplines. In a learning-centered environment distinguished by its integration of teaching, research, creative endeavor, service, and co-curricular experiences, ASU prepares students to be responsible citizens and to have productive careers.

Grading Scale A-90% and over Outstanding B-80 Very good C-70 Satisfactory D-60 Minimum required F-less than 60%

Students who receive an F on any assignment should visit with me on collaborate to discuss what might have gone wrong and what can be done to improve the situation. Discussions regarding performance late in the semester are pointless.

The Course (I reserve the right to change the course readings from time to time)

You should allocate (roughly) two weeks per ​Blackboard Folder to complete the reading assignments. There are 8 folders for the 16 week term. There will be one short quiz after the completion of the readings from each folder, or folder sections, and the readings from the textbook.

Folder 1 Philosophy and the Text Week 1 ​(reading assignments) Editors’ Introduction, (Textbook: pp. 1-5) Sigmund Freud, “A Note on the Unconscious in Psychoanalysis,” 1912 (Textbook; Chapter 2). Ferdinand de Saussure, “Linguistic Value,” 1916 (Textbook: Chapter 3).

Week 2​ (reading assignments) , “The Death of the Author,” 1968 (Textbook, Chapter 11) , “Differance,” (Textbook, Chapter 12),

First Multiple Choice Quiz: Friday, February 5.

Folder 2 Subjectivity and the Body Week 3​ (reading assignments) Nietzsche on the drives, selection from ​The Dawn (​ PDF: Folder 2) Nietzsche on our lack of self-knowledge, selection from ​The Dawn ​ (PDF, Folder 2) , “The Mirror Stage,” (Textbook: Chapter 6).

Week 4 ​(reading assignments) Joan Riviere, “Womanliness as a Masquerade,” 1922 (Textbook: Chapter 4) Michele Foucault, “The of Sexuality” (PDF: Folder 2) Berlant and Warner, “What does Queer Theory Teach us about X?” (Textbook, Chapter 28).

Second Multiple Choice Quiz: Friday, February 19.

Folder 3 Political Technology Week 5​ (​reading assignments) , “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” 1936 (Textbook: Chapter 5) Donna Haraway, “A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and in the 1980s,” 1985 (Textbook: Chapter 23).

Week 6​ ​(reading assignments) , The Question Concerning Technology,” 1950 (PDF: Folder 3). Michele Foucault, “Panopticism,” 1975 (Textbook: Chapter 15).

Third Multiple Choice Quiz: Friday, February 26

Folder 4 Culture Wars Week 7​ ​(reading assignments) , “Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of ,” 1859 (Textbook: Chapter 1) , “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of ,” 1905 (PDF: Folder 4)

Week 8​ (reading assignments) Antonio Gramsci, “On ,” ​Prison Notebooks,​ 1931 (PDF: Folder 4) , “Culture is Ordinary,” 1958 (Textbook: Chapter 8). Theodor Adorno, “On Jazz,” 1930s (PDF: Folder 4)

Midterm Paper: Friday, March 19

Folder 5 Ideology Week 9​ (reading assignments) , “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses,” 1970 (PDF: Folder 5). Slavoj Zizek, “The Sublime of Ideology,” 1989 (PDF: Folder 5) Slavoj Zizek, “Fantasy as a Political Category: A Lacanian Approach,” 1996 (PDF: Folder 5) , “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” 1991 (Textbook: Chapter 25)

Fourth Multiple Choice Quiz: Friday, March 26

Folder 6 Oppression Week 10 ​(reading assignments) Sigmund Freud, C​ ivilization and Its Discontents​, Chp 5, 1929 (PDF: Folder 6) , “The Authoritarian State,” 1940 (PDF: Folder 6). and Felix Guattari, “What is a Minor Literature?” (Textbook: Chapter 14)

Fifth multiple Choice Quiz: Friday, April 2.

Week 11 ​(reading assignments) R.D. Laing, “Pathological Communication,” (PDF: handout, Folder 6) R.D. Laing, “Ontological Insecurity” from T​ he Divided Self, ​1960 (PDF: Folder 6 ). R.D. Laing, “The ghost of the Weed Garden: a study of a chronic schizophrenic, from ​The Divided Self,​ 1960 (PDF: Folder 6)

Sixth Multiple Choice Quiz: Friday, Friday April 9

Folder 7 Postcolonialism Week 12 ​(reading assignments) Antonio Gramsci, “The War in the Colonies,” 1919 (PDF: Folder 7) , “The Fact of Blackness,” 1952 (Textbook: Chapter 7). , “Introduction to ,” 1978 (Textbook: Chapter 17).

Week 13 ​(reading assignments) Frantz Fanon, “The Wretched of the Earth,” 1961 (PDF: Folder 7) Jean-Paul Sartre, “Colonialism is a System,” 1956 (PDF: Folder 7) , “Preface to Djamila Boupacha,” (PDF: Folder 7)

Seventh Multiple Choice Quiz: Friday, April 23

Folder 8 Postmodernism Week 14 ​(reading assignments) Jean-Francois Lyotard, “Answer to the Question: What is the Postmodern?” 1982 (Textbook: Chapter 21). , “Simulacra and Science Fiction,” 1981 (Textbook: Chapter 20), Jean Baurdillard, “The Spirit of Terrorism,” 2002 (PDF: Folder 8)

Final Multiple Choice Quiz: Friday, April 30

Final Paper Monday, May 10