Discovering
Others:
An Introduction to Contemporary Cultural Theory II
Tama campus, spring term, Friday 3:00~4:30
This course is intended as a continuation of Discovering Others: An Introduction to Contemporary Cultural Theory I. Accordingly, new students will be asked to work with returning students to ensure understanding of material covered in the earlier course, particularly the theoretical issues that grew from discussion of Edward Said’s Orientalism. Beyond this, students will become acquainted with influential contemporary understandings of culture and cultural theory as manifest in selected writings by and about Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin, Judith Butler, Jacques Derrida, Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault, Antonio Gramsci, and Edward Said.
Time spent in class will alternate between informal discussion and student presentations, both formal and informal. Each week students will read and present to the seminar a written summary of a chapter or article related to the concepts of the course.
The minimum requirements are attentive presence at all class meetings and timely completion of assignments. Assuming these basics, the percentages for determining grades will be as follows:
active participation 25% written summaries 25% presentations 25% final examination 25%
Texts:
Roland Barthes, “L’imagination du signe” (1962; “The Imagination of the Sign”) and from L’Empire des signes (1970; Empire of Signs).
Walter Benjamin, from Illuminationen (1961; Illuminations).
Judith Butler, from Gender Trouble (1990).
Jacques Derrida, from Positions (1972; Positions).
Frantz Fanon, from Les Damnés de la terre (1961; The Wretched of the Earth).
Michel Foucault, from L’Archéologie du savoir (1969; The Archaeology of Knowledge).
Antonio Gramsci, from Lettere dal carcere (1947; Letters from Prison).
Edward Said, from Covering Islam (1981).
Student-selected articles noted in David Ewick, ‘Toward a Classified Bibliography of Not One Thing: Cross-Disciplinary Cultural Studies in English-Language Journals’ (2003).
