46-3540 Theorizing Power

This seminar explores central questions and problems in contemporary cultural and political theory related to how we theorize power in two dominant forms, including its meanings, its mechanisms, and its ideology. We will contrast the dominant liberal image of power with other understandings of power derived from Foucault: discursive, disciplinary, and biopolitical. We will examine major texts and concepts from Foucault, Butler, Locke, Mill, and others.

3 Credits
PREREQUISITES: 46-2100 Cultural Theories