Law and Continental Thought: Resistance

Dominant trends in continental thought will be studied with an emphasis on the complex evolution of the relationship between theories of the rule of law and the definition and assertion of liberal democratic rights, on the one hand, and the sources of systematic legal failure and justifications of resistance to law, on the other. The roots, development, and pathologies of post-structural theory will be a central preoccupation of the course, as will the tensions between post-structuralism and the premises of liberal democratic thought. Major works by a range of theorists (such as Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, Benjamin, Fanon, Lacan, Foucault, Bhabba, Butler, Said, Chakrabarty, Haraway, Crenshaw, Ranciere, and Agamben) will be situated in relation to historical and theoretical interpretations of discrete 19th and 20th century resistance movements. No prior work in philosophy or critical theory is required to enroll in the seminar. Students may elect to write an 'R' credit paper or complete a 10-12 page essay. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Grading Elements: attendance, active class participation and written assignments (essay or research paper).