Foucault, Winter Semester 2007, CEU (2 credits)

Instructor: David Weberman, office hours Monday 12-1:00, W 14:45-16:00

Time and place: Monday, Wednesday 15-16:40, room 412

Description: This course deals with the work of Michel Foucault. We will focus in particular on his ideas abou 444t1917e t social constructedness and his undermining of the concept of subjectivity. We will begin with some extracts from his work on madness and on criminality, continue with extracts from Les Mot and Les Choses on the "invention of man," read an interview with key statements on truth and power. The rest of the course consists largely of a close reading of his work on the history of sexuality along with some related work by other thinkers.

Texts: 1) Excerpts from Michel Foucault, Madness and Civilization, Discipline and Punish, Les Mot es Les Choses (The Order of Things), History of Sexuality: Vol. 2

2) Michel Foucault, "Truth and Power"

3) Michel Foucault, History of Sexuality: Vol. 1

4) Sally Haslanger, "What Are We Talking About? The Semantics and Politics of Social Kinds"

5) David Weberman, "Are Freedom and Anti-Humanism Compatible? The Case of Foucault and Butler"

Requirements and grading: 1) 1/2 based on attendance and class participation 2) 1/2 based on either a final essay exam or a final short paper (3,000 -4,000 words).

1^st week M Jan 8 Introduction

2^nd week M Jan 15 from Foucault, Madness and Civilization

3^rd week M Jan 22 from Foucault, Discipline and Punish

4^th week M Jan 29 Foucault, The Order of Things; Weberman

5^th week M Feb 5 Foucault, "Truth and Power"

6^th week M Feb 12 Foucault, History of Sexuality, pp. 1-35

7^th week M Feb 19 Foucault, History of Sexuality, pp. 36- 73

8^th week M Feb 26 Foucault, History of Sexuality, pp. 75-102

9^th week M Mar 5 Foucault, History of Sexuality, pp. 102-131

10^th week M Mar 12 Foucault, History of Sexuality, pp. 131-159

11^th week M Mar 19 from Foucault, History of Sexuality, vol. II

12^th week M Mar 26 Haslanger