Schedule
25. August: Introductions
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1. September: Labor Day Holiday [No Class]
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8.September: Historical Context of the Frankfurt School & Critical Theory
Rius (1976). Marx for Beginners: pp.94-142 + Glossary
David Held (1980). Introduction to Critical Theory: Introduction pp.13-26; Chapter 2 pp.40-41
Max Horkheimer (1972). “Postscript” in Critical Theory: Selected Essays, pp.244-252
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15.September: Frankfurt School
Theodor Adorno, “from Aesthetic Theory” in Adams and Searle, pp.231-237
Theodor Adorno (1975). “Culture Industry Reconsidered” in New German Critique, pp.12-19
Recommended:
Max Horkheimer (1972). “Art and Mass Culture” in Critical Theory, pp.273-290.
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22.September: Walter Benjamin
Walter Benjamin (2008). “The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility: Second Version” in Jennings, Doherty and Levin, pp. 19-42; notes 42-55 (originally written in 1930s).
Dan Graham (1987). “Legacies of Critical Practice in the 1980s” in Discussions in Contemporary Culture edited by Hal Foster, pp.88-91.
Recommended:
Walter Benjamin (2007). The Author as Producer in Reflections, p.220-238. (originally appeared in 1966)
Sturken and Cartwright, p.121-134
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29.September: Spectacle Society
Guy Debord. Society of the Spectacle (selections)
Jonathan Crary (1989). Spectacle, Attention, Countery-Memory in October, vol.50, pp.96-107.
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6.October: Freud | Psychoanalysis
Richard Appignanesi and Oscar Zarate (2003). Freud for Beginners: pp.60-70 and pp.144-165.
Peter Gay (ed) (1989). The Freud Reader: introduction, pp. 129-172, pp. 572-584, pp. 628-658
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20.October: Lacan | Psychoanalysis
Sean Homer (2005). “Why Lacan?” pp.1-14, “The Imaginary,” pp.17-32, “The Subject of the Unconscious,” pp.65-80 in Jacques Lacan.
Jacques Lacan the mirror stage (p.734-738 in Adams and Searle);
Recommended:
Slavoj Zizek (1989). “Looking Awry,” in October, Vol.50, pp.30-55.
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27.October: INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS [sign up for time-slot in class]
- Bring 1 page abstract of final paper with you to meeting
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3.November: The Spatialization of Knowledge and Power
Michel Foucault and Paul Rabinow (1982). “Space, Power, Knowledge” in K. Michael Hays (ed) Architecture Theory since 1968, pp.428-439.
Michel Foucault(1986). “Of Other Spaces” in Diacritics vol.16, no.1, pp.22-27.
Michel Foucault (1982). “The Subject and Power” in Critical Inquiry vol.8, no.4,
pp.777-795.
Recommended:
Michel Foucault (1978), “The West and the Truth about Sex” in SubStance, vol.6, no.20, pp.5-8.
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10.November: Postmodernism [everything is a text]
a selection of essays below from Hal Foster (1998). The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture:
Hal Foster, introduction
Jürgen Habermas, “Modernity—An Incomplete Project,” pp.1-16
Frederic Jameson, “Postmodernism and Consumer Society,” pp.127-144
Rosalind Krauss, “Sculpture in the Expanded Field,” pp. 35-48
Gregory L. Ulmer, “The Object of Post-Criticism,” pp. 93-126
Edward W. Said, “Opponents, Audiences, Constituencies and Community,” pp.155-
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17.November: Identities and Power
selections from Kocur and Leung:
Adrian Piper, “Cornered,” pp.182-186
Judith Butler, “Gender is Burning,” pp.166-181
Charles A. Wright, Jr., “The Mythology of Difference,” pp. 187-203
Recommended:
Kobena Mercer, “Looking for Trouble,” pp.360-371
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24.November: Postcolonial Critiques
selections from “Part III Postcolonial Critiques” in Kocur and Leung, pp.213-276 (coming soon)
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1.December: After Post-Modernism
**DUE: First Draft of final paper [revised abstract + 3 pages]**
a selection from essays below from “Part V Theories after Postmodernism” in Kocur and Leung:
Nelly Richard, “Postmodernism and Periphery,” pp.351-359
Laura Kipnis, “Repossessing Popular Culture,” pp. 372-387
John Rajchman, “The Lightness of Theory,” pp.388-394
Rosalind Krauss, “Informe without Conclusion,” pp.395-407
Lev Manovich, “The Database,” pp.408-428
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8.December: Presentations + Evaluations
Presentation of individual abstracts
Evaluations
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**THURSDAY 11.December: FINAL PAPER DUE [in my mailbox in Pao Hall]