CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY SOCI 3P01, Winter 2016 Brock University INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Lauren Corman; Sociology Dept., Academic South, Rm. STH 404 EMAIL:
[email protected] TEL: 905-688-5550 – x5080 OFFICE HOURS: Mondays, 15:00 – 16:00, or by appointment PREREQUISITE: SOCI 2P00 Foundations in Sociological Thinking (Note: Students who do not hold the prerequisite will be automatically deregistered from the course.) LEC 1 SEM 1 SEM 2 SEM 3 SEM 4 SEM 5 SEM 6
Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday
19:00-21:00 21:00-22:00 18:00-19:00 21:00-22:00 18:00-19:00 21:00-22:00 18:00-19:00
WH324 TH133 MCC303 MCJ209 MCD304 MCD300 MCD403
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This contemporary social theory course takes conversation as its central metaphor and critical thinking as its guiding principle. As such, the course can be understood as a set of conversations among those who critically analyse social phenomena. The authors featured both attempt to illuminate and to intervene in various social relationships and practices, particularly with the intent of challenging the status quo and various “common sense” assumptions. These key theorists offer a broad survey of perspectives that are relevant to contemporary critical sociology, often directly referencing each other’s work in the development of their ideas. In other words, contemporary social theory is constantly evolving, opening up new ways of thinking about social and political phenomena. As Michel Foucault, social theorist and historian of ideas, states, “I don't write a book so that it will be the final word; I write a book so that other books are possible, not necessarily written by me.” The featured theories are typically directed toward various forms of resistance and anti-oppression struggle. Students are invited to actively participate in the unfolding conversation, directing a critical gaze toward the theories while also cultivating increasing self-reflexivity and a more incisive social analysis. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE: The purpose of this course is to provide a survey of contemporary social theory, and to contextualize the authors and theories within various social, political, and historical contexts. In lecture, emphasis is placed on the biography of the theorists, highlighting them as individuals who were or are also embedded in numerous contexts that inform the evolution of their ideas. Further, the course aims to show the applicability of these
theories to current social movements, such as Idle No More and the Occupy movement, and to popular culture, such as Facebook and video games. This course extends beyond a cursory understanding of key social theory concepts, as the materials demand that students read primary and secondary sources, and thus first grapple with the ideas of the original author and then, often, an interpretation of his or her work. Seminars are meant to serve as places of critique and rigorous discussion, in the spirit of the materials presented. The seven main learning outcomes of the course are: 1) To provide a survey of contemporary social theory, particularly in the West. 2) To directly engage with primary and secondary sources, and to foster an awareness of social theory as an evolving and contested conversation. 3) To establish a clear understanding of key social theory concepts, such as hegemony, orientalism, panopticism, etc., and various approaches, such as Marxism, anarchism, feminism, posthumanism, etc. 4) To analyse social issues through an intersectional lens, stressing simultaneous ‘social axes of difference’ related to race, gender, class, species, etc. 5) To place contemporary social theories within their social, political, and historical contexts. 6) To develop an awareness that we are always already engaged in social theory, and thus from that vantage, to more critically locate ourselves in these ‘conversations.’ 7) To link theory to practice, through the application of ideas to current social problems. ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE: The course emphasizes engagement with primary and secondary sources, so that students read original texts as well as interpretations of those texts. Through the critical pedagogy of Paulo Freire, we begin where we are, by first thinking about teaching, learning, and the role of education, especially at the university. We then explore overlapping theories of Marxism, anarchism, feminism, postmodernism, critical disability studies, posthumanism, indigenous and post- and decolonial thought through notable works by Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, Emma Goldman, Hannah Arendt, Edward Said, Michael Oliver, Julia Serano, Will Kymlicka and Sue Donaldson, among others, in conjunction with those who have recently adopted and modified their ideas. Each week’s materials and lectures build upon the previous ones, often challenging and complicating the preceding arguments. Therefore, it is very important that even if a class is missed, students should read the materials for the week. COURSE TEXTS: All materials will be available on the course Sakai site.
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SAKAI: Sakai will be used in this course for posting grades, all readings, auditory interviews, websites, and announcements. IMPORTANT COURSE NOTES: Please make use of the course office hours. Questions that require long replies should be raised in person. I do not check or respond to emails on weekends. Include the course number in the subject line of your email. I will reply to your email during the week within 24 hours. Please do not send more than one email in a 24-hour period. I will not respond to emails regarding assignments the day before they are due. LAPTOP AND CELLPHONE USE: Do not surf the Internet or chat online while in class, as it compromises the learning of others. Seminar leaders will monitor computer use in lecture, and students who are using the Internet will be given a warning and then asked to leave. (If you are using a laptop, do not sit in the back row, as your screen must be visible to the teaching assistants.) Please respect the learning environment of your classmates and only use your laptop for taking notes. Similarly, do not text during class. It is distracting to me and to others. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: A call to critical thinking… Italian political theorist and revolutionary Antonio Gramsci (1971) urges, …is it better to “think”, without having a critical awareness, in a disjointed and episodic way? In other words, is it better to take part in a conception of the world mechanically imposed by the external environment, i.e., by one of the many social groups in which everyone is automatically involved from the moment of his [sic] entry into the conscious world…? Or, on the other hand, is it better to work out consciously and critically one’s own conception of the world, and thus, in connection with the labours of one’s own brain, choose one’s sphere of activity, take an active part in the creation of the history of the world, be one’s own guide, refusing to accept passively and supinely from outside the moulding of one’s personality? (pp. 323-324) From Selections from the Prison Notebooks (First ed., pp. 323-377). New York, NY: International Publishers.
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Week 1: January 4
Freire & Giroux – Critical Pedagogy
1) Freire, P. (2007). Chapter 2. In Pedagogy of the oppressed (pp.71-86). (M. B. Ramos, Trans.). New York, NY: Continuum. 2) Giroux, H. (2010). Bare Pedagogy and the Scourge of Neoliberalism: Rethinking Higher Education as a Democratic Public Sphere. The Educational Forum, 74, 184-196. Week 2: January 11
Marx & Engels – Class Struggle
1) Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1848). Manifesto of the Communist Party. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/ecn265/manifesto.pdf Week 3: January 18
Gramsci – Hegemony
1) Cassar, R. (2013). Gramsci and Games. Games and Culture, 8(5), 330-353. 2) Rehmann, J. (2013). Occupy Wall Street and the Question of Hegemony: A Gramscian Analysis. Socialism and Democracy, 11(1), 1-18. DUE: ***1st Response Paper (15%) DUE IN LECTURE.*** Week 4: January 25
Goldman & Chomsky – Anarchism
1) Goldman, E. (1910). Anarchism: What it Really Stands for. The Anarchist Library. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldmananarchism-and-other-essays#toc3 2) Goldman, E. (1916). The Social Aspects of Birth Control. The Anarchist Library. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from http://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldmanthe-social-aspects-of-birth-control.pdf 3) Kensinger, L. (2007). Speaking with Red Emma: The Feminist Theory of Emma Goldman. In P. Weiss & L. Kensinger (Eds.), Feminist Interpretations of Emma Goldman (pp. 255-282). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press. 4) Chomsky, N. (2013). What is Anarchism? Leigha Cohen Video Production. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB9rp_SAp2U
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Week 5: February 1
Foucault – The Panopticon
1) Foucault, M. (1995). Panopticism. In Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison (Second ed., pp. 195-227). New York: Vintage Books. 2) Gilchrist, B. (2012). Surfing Foucault: Panopticopolis: Facebooking Our Way to a Panoptic World. Explorations in Media Ecology, 11(1), 45-55. Week 6: February 8
Arendt – The Banality of Evil
1) Arendt, H. (1994). VI: The Final Solution: Killing. In Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (pp. 83-111). New York, NY.: Penguin Books. 2) Hayden, P. (2010). The Relevance of Hannah Arendt’s Reflections on Evil: Globalization and Rightlessness. The Human Rights Review, 11, 451-467. 3) Kennedy, P., Berkowitz, R., Galchen, R., Kirsch, A., & Gopnik, A. (2014, April 23). The Human Factor - Hannah Arendt. CBC Ideas. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/the-human-factor-hannah-arendt-1.2913887 DUE: *** 2nd Response Paper (15%) DUE IN LECTURE.*** ***Reading Week February 15th – February 19th*** Week 7: Said & Spivak – Orientalism & The Subaltern February 22 1) Lee, C. (2011). Locating Hannah Arendt within Postcolonial Thought: A Prospectus. College Literature, 38(1), 95-114. 2) Brohi, N., & Spivak, G. (2014, December 23). Herald Exclusive: In Conversation with Gayatri Spivak. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from http://www.dawn.com/news/1152482/herald-exclusive-in-conversation-with-gayatrispivak In class film: Taireja, S. (Producer), & Jhally, S. (Director). (2002). Edward Said: On Orientalism [Motion picture on DVD]. (2002). Northampson, MA: Media Education Foundation.
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Week 8: Mohanty & Ahmed – Decolonizing Feminism & Feminist Killjoys February 29 1) Ahmed, S. (2010). Feminist Killjoys (And Other Willful Subjects). The Scholar and Feminist Online, 8(3). Retrieved January 5, 2015 from http://sfonline.barnard.edu/polyphonic/ahmed_01.htm 2) Mohanty, C. (1988). Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses. Feminist Review, 30, 61-88. 3) Mohanty, C., & Alcoff, L. (2013, October 4). Feminists We Love: Chandra Talpade Mohanty. Retrieved from http://thefeministwire.com/2013/10/feminists-we-love-chandramohanty/ ***IMPORTANT: MARCH 4TH IS LAST DATE FOR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT ACADEMIC PENALTY AND LAST DAY TO CHANGE FROM CREDIT TO AUDIT STATUS FOR DURATION 3 COURSES WITHOUT ACADEMIC PENALTY*** Week 9: March 7
Serano & Walters – Identity, Transphobia, and Cissexism
1) Serano, J. (2007). Pathological Science: Debunking Sexological and Sociological Models of Transgenderism. In Whipping girl: A transsexual woman on sexism and the scapegoating of femininity (pp. 115-160). Emeryville, CA: Seal Press. 2) Walters, K., T. Evans Campbell, J. Simoni, T. Ronquillo, & R. Bhuyan. (2006). “My Spirit In My Heart”: Identity Experiences and Challenges Among American Indian TwoSpirit Women. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 10 (1-2), 125-149. Week 10: March 14
Oliver & Ladd – The Social Model of Disability & Deaf Culture
1) Oliver, M. (1990). The Ideological Construction of Disability. In The politics of disablement: A sociological approach (pp. 43-59). New York: St. Martin's Press. 2) Ladd, P. (2005). Deafhood: A concept stressing possibilities, not deficits. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 12-17.
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Week 11: March 21
Kymlicka, Donaldson, & Taylor – Animals as Citizens & Interdependence
1) Kymlicka, W. & S. Donaldson. (2014). Animals and the Frontiers of Citizenship. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 34(2), 201-219. 2) Taylor, S. (2011). Beasts of Burden: Disabilities Studies and Animal Rights. Qui Parle, 19(2), 191-222. DUE: ***3rd Response Paper (15%) DUE IN LECTURE.*** Week 12: March 28
Kennelly, Davis, & Palmater – Youth Culture, Prison Abolition, and Anti-Colonial Resistance
1) Palmater, P. (2011). Stretched Beyond Human Limits: Death By Poverty in First Nations. Canadian Review of Social Policy, 65/66, 112-127. 2) Morris, A. (2014). Twenty-First-Century Debt Collectors: Idle No More Combats a Five-Hundred-Year-Old Debt. WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly, 42(1/2), 242-256. 3) Kennelly, J. (2009). Learning to Protest: Youth Activist Cultures in Contemporary Urban Canada. Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 293-315. 4) Davis, A., & Mendieta, E. (2005). Prisons and Politics. In Abolition democracy: Beyond empire, prisons, and torture (Seven Stories Press 1st ed., pp. 19-47). New York, NY: Seven Stories Press ASSIGNMENTS ***NOTES: 1) Date-stamped assignments will NOT be accepted. Emailed assignments will NOT be accepted. 2) Put your name and student number on all written work.*** ***“All assignments are DUE IN LECTURE. Any assignment handed in after lecture will be subject to a late penalty.*** 1) Response Papers 45% (15% x 3) 2) Participation 25% 3) Final Exam 30% 1) Response Papers 15% (x3 = 45%) OVERVIEW: The purpose of the response paper is to encourage thoughtful and engaged critique with the course materials. While it is expected that you will do all of the readings, and thus will be able to fully participate in every seminar, the response papers offer a unique
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opportunity to 1) summarize and confirm an understanding of the authors’ major points (including his or her thesis), and 2) articulate critical responses (including a comparison of the works), and 3) personally reflect on your own experiences in relation to the readings. SPECIFICATIONS: 4 pages, with 1-2 paragraphs summarizing the main points each reading. (For example, if two texts are assigned for the week, write 2-4 paragraphs in total summarizing both of them. The bulk of the paper should be dedicated to analysis, critique, and reflection.) 12 pt font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced. APA, ASA, or Chicago citation style. No references list is required unless outside sources are used. No cover page required. (Put title, name, student number, Teaching Assistant’s name, and date on the first page). Double-sided printing encouraged. GRADING CRITERIA: The summary aspect of the “Response Paper” must include a 1-2 paragraph synopsis of each text assigned for the week. The synopsis should outline the major arguments of the texts, and clearly demonstrate that you understand the material. Then, be sure to include an engaged reflection on the readings for the week, which demonstrates that you have read, digested, and carefully thought about the texts. Keep your critical reflections grounded in the readings. In other words, the readings are an essential “spring board” for your reflections. This needs to be illustrated in your response. As with all assignments, marks will be lost for incorrect spelling and grammar. DUE DATES: The three response papers are due in lecture. The due dates are January 18th, February 8nd, and March 21th. 2) Participation 25% Given that the ideas within the “Contemporary Social Theory” course are presented through a set of debates and contemporary case studies, each student’s capacity to discuss the week’s materials is essential to the success of the course. The arguments and perspectives examined are very much alive today, and should be treated as such. The student’s grade will be based upon attendance, his or her contribution to class discussions (both the frequency and quality), listening skills, respectful engagement with other students, and evidence of reading preparation. The student’s level of self-reflexivity will also be factored into his or her mark. 3) Final Exam 30% (TBA) PLAGIARISM & CHEATING: Please refer to the General Calendar guidelines concerning Academic Programs and Regulations. Plagiarism is the presentation of another’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism or other forms of cheating on papers or examinations is subject to serious penalty. The minimum penalty is a zero grade for the work but cheating
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may also result in a zero for the course and expulsion from the University. If you are in doubt, consult the instructor. Turnitin.com will not be used in this course. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Because academic integrity is vital to the well-being of the university community, Brock University takes academic misconduct very seriously. Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, which involves presenting the words and ideas of another person as if they were your own, and other forms of cheating, such as using crib notes during a test, fabricating data for a lab assignment, or submitting the same piece of work in more than one course. The penalties for academic misconduct can be very severe. A grade of zero may be given for the assignment or even for the course, and a second offense may result in suspension from the University. Students are urged to read the section of the Brock University Graduate Calendar that pertains to academic misconduct. Students are also reminded that the Student Development Centre (Schmon Tower, Room 400) offers free workshops on writing and study skills and on avoiding plagiarism. Please take the following tutorial to acquaint yourself with the meaning of academic integrity at Brock University. This will help avoid problems with serious consequences in the future. http://www.brocku.ca/academic-integrity APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR: You are expected to observe appropriate behaviour in lectures and seminars. Please do not act in ways that are rude or distracting to others, such as chatting during lectures. “Participation” in seminars means more than mere attendance; you must do the required readings and be prepared to contribute to discussions. Seminars are open for any relevant topic of discussion but this should occur in an atmosphere of mutual respect, courtesy and support. Those who behave inappropriately will lose marks. Do not check Facebook, or otherwise “surf” the Internet, either during lecture or seminars: Such behaviour is distracting to others, makes it difficult to pay attention, and thus hinders other students’ learning. This is unfair and will not be tolerated. Laptops should only be used for note-taking in class. Students will be docked participation marks for texting in seminar. EVALUATION, GRADING & ASSIGNMENTS: Put your full name, student number, e-mail address on all written work. No e-mail submissions are accepted. Use recycled paper; write on the back of used pages you no longer need. Number the pages; staple them. As noted: Penalties for late submission of an assignment are 10% per day and papers will not be accepted at all after five days, unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. Meeting deadlines is your responsibility. Plan ahead. “Computer problems” will not be accepted as an excuse for late assignments. Be sure to make a back-up copy and save your text periodically so that any mechanical failure only results in the loss of a few paragraphs. Keep extra copies. Presentations and written assignments should reflect class learning. Material will be graded on the basis of clarity of thought and expression, reflection of class material,
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degree of analysis and insight, familiarity with relevant arguments and theoretical material, extent of research and demonstration of serious effort. To obtain a final grade, all students must complete the required term work. Students are expected to attend all lectures and seminars. Those who do not attend and make a serious intellectual effort cannot be said to have “participated” in the course and will be evaluated accordingly. GRADING STANDARDS GRADING STANDARDS (as outlined by the Brock University Secretariat http://www.brocku.ca/social-sciences/undergraduate-programs/cpcf/studentsuccess/grading-standards-and-principl) Grading Standards and Principles The final grade awarded in a course shall be determined on the basis of the goals and requirements established for that course. Grading standards are established appropriate to the level of the course, as indicated by its course number, rather than to the level of the student. Written Work An A paper is written with verve and clarity. It displays a curiosity, a control of knowledge beyond what was covered in class, an original insight or an extrapolation beyond class work. The student will demonstrate an ability to develop an independent and well-organized line of argument. A B paper presents a valid case competently or shows a good understanding of the topic but lacks either the independence or organization of an A paper. A C paper is the record of a valiant struggle to make a case or to keep up with material and skills demanded by the topic. It is frustrated by confused prose or organization, or by lacunae in the argument. A D paper is incompetently expressed, organized, or conceived, with only a limited or intermittent grasp of the topic or awareness of the skills and principles of analysis. An F paper is devoid of grammar, logic, and critical method, and may have only a nodding acquaintance with the topic assigned. Seminar Participation The A student will have prepared well-thought-out approaches to the topic in advance of the class, and is prepared to engage in a probing and coherent discussion on the topic.
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She/He will participate regularly and eagerly, with an ear for the contributions of others and an eye on the parameters imposed by the topic. The B student will have prepared the topic and will contribute regularly but without the insightful relevance that characterizes the A student’s responses. The C student will participate infrequently and/or display only a general knowledge of the material, frequently losing focus on the topic. The D student will infrequently demonstrate knowledge of the topic assigned and will rarely extend the discussion. She/He will pass because of regular attendance and an occasional valid contribution. The F student will rarely attend or will attend irregularly with rare contributions, and/or show little or no grasp of the course material. Lateness Unless otherwise indicated by a course instructor, the following guidelines apply to all assignments given in the department. Extensions will only be granted for medical reasons (with appropriate documentation) or on compassionate grounds, such as a death in the family. First year courses Late assignments will receive a grade of zero unless accompanied by appropriate documentation. Second, third, and fourth year courses The penalty for a late assignment is a grade deduction of 10% per day, beginning the day following the assignment’s due date. The weekend counts as one day. The assignment will not be accepted if it is more than two weeks late. If an assignment extension is granted, for an appropriate reason agreed to by the instructor, and the student does not submit the assignment on the extension due date, the same 10%-per-day late penalty will apply. Marking Schemes Each course has its marking scheme declared for the course. Students are not assigned extra work for bonus marks. In some cases a student may volunteer for extra work, either for no credit or by advance arrangement for credit in lieu of some formal assignment in a
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course. No bonus marks are given to anyone outside the marking plan announced for the course. System of Numerical Grades The following scheme is used for final grades submitted to the Office of the Registrar. Letter Grade — Numerical Grades A — 80 - 100 B — 70 - 79 C — 60 - 69 D — 50 - 59 F — 0 - 49 IN (Incomplete) — This is a temporary grade assigned to a student who because of exceptional circumstances, for reasons satisfactory to the Department, has been unable to complete some part of the term work in a course in time to have it graded by the instructor for inclusion in the final mark. This grade must be accompanied by a numerical grade and will automatically lapse eight weeks after the last day of the examination period, and the numerical grade will stand, unless both are replaced earlier by the instructor. IP (In progress) — This grade can be used only in fourth-year thesis courses. If the IP has not been lifted within twelve months of the initial registration in the course, the student must re-register and pay the appropriate course fee. Appeals Students are entitled to inspect their final examination papers. Questions regarding final grades should first be discussed with the instructor. In the event of a disagreement between a student and an instructor, representations should be made first to the Department Chair and then, if necessary, to the university committee on Petitions and Appeals.
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ACCESSIBILITY If you have an accessibility concern, please let Professor Corman know as soon as possible. Students with appropriate documentation are entitled to accommodation for disability issues. Please be in dialogue with the Professor early in the term. Also, if you have any concerns about accessibility in lectures or seminars, please discuss these with Professor Corman. Your concerns will be communicated to “Accessibility at Brock.” For more information, please see the following links. Accessibility at Brock http://www.brocku.ca/accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities http://www.brocku.ca/services-students-disabilities
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