HNRS 288-01: Michel Foucault: An Intellectual Odyssey
In this course, we will discuss how the work of social theorists can change and adapt over time by focusing on the intellectual journey of noted French sociologist, historian and philosopher Michel Foucault. Foucault (1924-1984) was an influential scholar and activist; this course aims to discuss both his personal and intellectual development. The semester will start with an introduction to Foucault’s major influences, with emphasis on Marx and Nietzsche. Most of the course will be spent on Foucault's own writings spanning the three major periods of his work: the archaeological period including Madness and Civilization and The Order of Things, the genealogical period including Discipline and Punish and The History of Sexuality Part I: An Introduction, and finally his work on Ethics and Subjectivity including Fearless Speech and transcripts from his numerous courses at the College de France. The survey of his work will be combined with discussions of major intellectual conflicts Foucault had with theorists such as Jacques Derrida, Noam Chomsky, Jurgen Habermas and Jean Baudrillard as well as conflicts with larger theoretical disciplines such as feminism. Substantively, we will discuss how Foucault’s work applies to topics such as punishment, pleasure, sexuality, mental health, education and gender as well as topics Foucault addressed far less often such as race, terrorism, and popular culture. Among the many questions we will attempt to answer in this course: what is knowledge and what is knowledge’s relationship with power; in what ways are persons repressed in society; how should one live life when one doesn’t believe in truth or justice; is Foucault a nihilist; is Foucault a postmodernist; what is history; and why are authors important. The semester will conclude considering questions unanswered due to Foucault’s premature death in 1984. Foucault once wrote, “I would like my books to be a kind of tool-box which others can rummage through to find a tool which they can use however they wish in their own area…” Consistent with these wishes, students will spend a large part of the semester completing a Foucauldian analysis of a subject of their choosing.
Term: Spring 2009
Credits: 4
Fulfills: GE Requirement in Social Science (E); or students may petition to have it fulfill Interdisciplinary Studies (I)
Cross-listed: SA 345-03, WMST 345-03, QS 268-01
Meeting times: 10:00-11:20 TR
Instructor: Todd Callais