CHID 390 A: Colloquium in the History of Ideas

"THE POLITICS OF LIFE" (W CREDIT) DRAWING ON SCHOLARLY, LITERARY, AND VISUAL TEXTS, THIS SEMINAR INVITES STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THE POLITICS OF LIFE AND DEATH (HUMAN AND OTHER-THAN-HUMAN) IN THE CONTEXT OF MIGRATION, SLAUGHTER, EXTRACTION, INDIGENEITY, AND ACTIVISM. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY THAT ROCKS LISTEN AND "EARTH-BEINGS" (SUCH AS RIVERS AND GLACIERS) SPEAK? IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WE WILL CONSIDER ENTANGLEMENTS OF RACE, GENDER, SPECIES, AND (DIS)ABILITY. IT IS MY HOPE THAT OUR RIGOROUS EXAMINATION OF THESE AND OTHER ISSUES WILL SERVE AS WINDOWS THROUGH WHICH WE CAN VIEW THE WORKINGS OF ALTERITY, MARGINALIZATION, AND VULNERABILITY, AS WELL AS SURVEY PATHWAYS TO ALTERNATIVE AND BETTER FUTURES