CST 250

Syllabus

Course Description | Course Requirements | Case Study | Course Readings | Syllabus

Course Description: In this seminar, we will discuss and reflect upon the writing and critical approaches of 20^th century thinkers, such as Fantz Fanon, Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, Edward Said and Michel Foucault within the context of their lives and the social issues which still affect our lives today. In particular we will be exploring the experiences of exile, displacement and alienation, the role of language in shaping the relations between power and knowledge, especially as these experiences are played out on bodies and subjects, the role of history and memory in shaping the narratives of colonialism and postcolonialism, and the politics of identity, race, gender, and class.

What is the relation between theory and practice? How can critical social thought contribute to an understanding of ideas in action? What is the role of critical thinking in today's world? What can we learn about differences of power in the 20^th century by placing theoretical discourse within the context of actual cases?

Course Goals and Format: This seminar focuses on the communication of ideas through structured reading, writing, speaking and cultural activities. The main goal of the seminar is to deepen your ability to critically analyze and interpret theoretical, historical and literary text s, to engage in case studies, and to apply this interpretation to broader questions prevalent in critical social thought. As we focus on the writing of 20^th century thinkers, Franz Kafka, and Susan Sontag, we will apply their thinking to focused discussions, case studies, and a theater production of the Brecht play "The Good Person of Szechwan."

Course Mentor: ___ is the speaking and writing mentor for this course. She will conduct workshops tailored to the needs of the class and be available for consultation on writing and speaking assignments on an appointment basis. The last half-hour of every other class will be devoted to workshops and/or discussion about aspects of speaking, arguing and writing critically in an interdisciplinary setting.

Optional Discussion Hour: Every second week, the mentor or I will meet with students who express an interest in further discussion of the topics covered in class and/or with individual groups who would like more guidance on their group projects. This will be an informal discussion.

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Course Requirements:

Individual participation: Your participation is a crucial part of this course. Ample opportunity will be provided for class and group discussion, oral presentations, and ongoing study groups. This course meets once a week and attendance is mandatory.
Your participation will be evaluated based on your individual progress and level of contribution to class discussion. 25%
Weekly Critical Response Paragraphs: As you read the work of a major thinker, you will be asked to write a short responses to a question raised in discussion. The purpose of the response is to encourage you to engage critically with the main premises of a theoretical text and to contribute your own perspective on the issues at hand. Your response paragraphs should build on one another as you develop one or two major themes to guide you in your reading and discussion. The first group of response paragraphs is due on March 7 and the second group of paragraphs is due April 18. On occasion, you may be asked to share your response paragraph with peers. Your paragraphs will be read for clarity of expression and for originality of content. 25%
One 15-minute Oral Presentation: For each major thinker, four or five students (preferably in the same group) will be responsible for presenting the following: a) an explication of the assigned reading b) a critical response to the assigned reading. You may present in pairs. Explication of the reading works best if you outline the main argument of the text using specific examples. The purpose of the explication is to provide a basis upon which we can discuss the text. The purpose of the critical response is to engage in a dialogue with the thinker in which you question and counter the main premises of a text. You will be evaluated on the clarity and creativity of your presentation. Your are strongly recommended to meet with the course mentor before your presentations for practice and input. 20%
One 5-7 page paper based on oral presentation.The essay is due one week after your oral presentation
Group Progress Reports, 60-minute Oral Presentation and Individual 4-5 page final paper based on group presentation: We will form five groups at the beginning of the semester based on your interest in a particular thinker. This will be your study group throughout the semester. Each group will develop a group project in which you apply the critical thinking of your group's thinker to a contemporary (or historical) social, political, or cultural case that raises issues pertaining to power relations as they are played out in post-colonial scenarios and/or identity politics as they impact race, class and/or gender differences. Each group will be asked to give a progress report on their investigation at appropriate intervals during the semester. The last two classes of the semester will be devoted to group presentations on their projects. The presentation may take the form of a case study, a court case, a debate or a panel discussion. All groups are required to meet with the mentor or with me at least once during the semester. Each member of the group will write an individual paper on an issue addressed in the group project. 30%

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Case Study: The standard definition of a case study follows. CST case studies will be modified versions of this definition. In addition to playing the roles of those involved in a case, we will also be putting on our critical hats and analyzing the thought process involved in reading, understanding, analyzing, and critiquing a case study. We will also rely on a great deal of imagination.

"A case is a story. Cases recount—as objectively and meticulously as possible—real (or realistic) events or problems so that students experience the complexities, ambiguities, and uncertainties confronted by the original participants in the case (be foreign policy decision-makers, medical doctors, or government officials). As they "inhabit" a case, students must tease out key components from the real messiness of the contradictory and complicated information. Cases compel students to:

-distinguish pertinent from peripheral information,

-identify the problem(s) at hand and define its context and parameters,

-identify a set of possible solutions,

-formulate strategies and recommendations for action, and

-make decisions and confront obstacles to implementation.

A retrospective or narrative case presents a comprehensive history of a problem—complete with multiple actors, contending interests, and the real outcome; students identify alternative options and analyze why this outcome resulted, when other—possibly "better" resolutions—existed. A decision-forcing case stops short of revealing the outcome, thus forcing students to identify and assess the range of possible options for action. Typically, these cases have an "Epilogue," which tells "the rest of the story"; again, students analyze why this was what happened.

Case formats vary. They can be formal written cases, a lead newspaper article, a movie clip, a radio/TV news story, a picture, a mathematical word problem, a piece of art. Whatever the format, cases:

-illustrate issues and factors typical of the kind of problem under examination,

-reflect theoretical frameworks,

-underscore prevailing disciplinary assumptions and principals, and

-reveal realistic complexities and tensions.

From: Vicki Golich, Workbook on Case Teaching for Mount Holyoke College Case Method Project Faculty Development Workshop. South Hadley, MA May 30—June 2, 2000

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Course Readings:

Required Books: We will read substantial excerpts from the following books (in chronological order):

Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth
Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison
Arendt, Hannah The Origins of Totalitarianism