KARSTEN H. PIEP 2015 7A (JAN-MAY 2015) 3-CREDIT-HOURS
(513) 421-0551
HMS 809
Ernest Meissonier, The Barricade (1848)
The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.
--Karl Marx, “Theses on Feuerbach” (1848)
SEMINAR DESCRIPTION
Although Critical Theory (capitalized) has come to be closely associated with the Frankfurt School, as a
practice of sustained critical inquiry that seeks to bring about social change, its reach and application
extends far beyond the work of the members of the Institute for Social Research. Karl Marx’s famous
assertion that “philosophers have only interpreted the world” but “the point is to change it” has been taken
up by a wide variety of social, political, and cultural theorists who, akin to Patricia Hill Collins’s account
of “one distinguishing feature of Black feminist thought,” insist “that both the changed consciousness of
individuals and the social transformation of political and economic institutions constitute essential
ingredients for social change.” A central supposition underlying all critical theories, then, is that
oppression, whether it is based on (frequently intersecting) constructs of class, gender, race, sexual
orientation, or ability, cannot be overcome “under existing ideological and institutional structures”
(Rhode). Thus, according to Max Horkheimer, critical theory distinguishes itself from traditional theory
in that it actively critiques and challenges existing ideological and institutional structures. Whereas
traditional theory, marked by positivism and foundationalism, uncritically reproduces existing society,
Horkheimer claims, critical theory strives to transform the very structure of society. “The aim of this
activity,” he explains, “is not simply to eliminate one or another abuse, for it regards such abuses as
necessarily connected with the way in which the social structure is organized. Although it itself emerges
Critical Theory
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 2
from the social structure, its purpose is not, either in its conscious intention, or in its objective
significance, the better functioning of any element in the structure. On the contrary, it is suspicious of the
very categories of better, useful, appropriate, productive, and valuable, as these are understood in the
present order.” In part due to its characteristic suspiciousness of all things that are considered given (a
critical move that, Paul Ricour has argued, allows the interpreter to glimpse “a world that opens up new
possibilities of being”), critical theory is “rooted in ‘critical activity’ which is oppositional and which is
involved in a struggle for social change and the unification of theory and practice,” as Douglas Kellner
notes. Generally speaking, critical theory may therefore be understood as an ongoing effort to critique the
social organization of economics, politics, and culture so as to discern and foster the emergence of
alternative social practices and formations.
In the spirit of what Frankfurt School theorists call “immanent critique,” this advanced HMS seminar
invites participants to turn a critical eye on five, decidedly interdisciplinary schools of critical theory that
have gained prominence before the historical backdrops of nationalism, imperialism, and Fascism as well
as the attendant resurgence of antiauthoritarianism, feminism, civil rights struggles, and various
decolonization efforts. Following a brief consideration of Karl Marx’s approach to ideology critique, we
will scrutinize how thinkers such as Ernst Bloch, Antonio Gramsci, and Frantz Fanon theorize resistance
by expanding upon basic Marxist concepts. Next, we are going to take a close look at Max Horkheimer’s
definition of critical theory and examine its applications and permutations in the historico-materialist art
criticisms of Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno as well as Hannah Arendt and Jürgen Habermas’s
writings on the political functions of public places and spheres. Turning to select foundational texts by
Stuart Hall and Raymond Williams, we will consider central critical approaches that continue to inform
(British) cultural studies and then investigate how these have been brought to bear on the study of popular
culture as well as empire. Nancy Fraser’s “What’s Critical About Critical Theory?” sets the stage for our
subsequent exploration of feminist appropriations of critical theory that entails close considerations of
Chandra Mohanty’s indictment of feminist scholarship in colonial discourses and Barbara Smith’s
account of the emergence of black feminist thought. Finally, we will examine some basic tenets of critical
race theory such as intersectionality via pioneering texts by Kimberle Crenshaw, Paulette Caldwell, and
Patricia Hill Collins, and consider the ways in which critical feminist theory and critical race theory
contest “androcentric, Eurocentric, and colonial ‘ways to truth’ that universalize the experiences of a
fraction of the human population...and develop alternative research practices that further feminist and
antiracist goals of social transformation” (Hawkesworth). Interspersed throughout the seminar, one
cinematic and three literary interludes--centered on Charlie Chaplin’s silent movie, Modern Times (1936);
Herman Melville’s short story, “Bartleby, the Scrivener” (1853); James Joyce’s short story, “Eveline”
(1914); and Sherley Anne Williams’s novel, Dessa Rose (1986)--challenge participants to apply aspects
of critical theory to the interpretation of cultural artifacts.
INTEGRATION OF PROGRAM THEMES
Since, as defined by Max Horkheimer, critical theory “strives for a state of affairs in which there will be
no exploitation or oppression,” this seminar perforce requires participants to critically engage changing
notions of social justice as well as intersecting constructs of otherness and difference. Based on the guiding
assumption embraced by many critical theorists that critique must begin by sketching out the limits of our
current ways of knowing, the readings, discussions, and assignments have been assembled to facilitate a
self-reflective approach to scholarship that entails a critical assessment of one’s investments in existing
structures of organizing knowledge, obtaining power, and making judgments.
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 3
INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING
In the context of HMS 809, thinking and writing about ideas and issues is conceived as a reflective
dialogue between one’s own intuitions and beliefs, and a series of complex and provocative theoretical
arguments and texts. Thus, the critical responses, annotated bibliography, critical review essay, and final
seminar project allow participants to advance their individual intellectual projects through an informed
dialogue with influential thinkers, concepts, and theories.
UNIVERSITY AND PROGRAM OUTCOMES
HMS 809 pays particular attention to UI&U Doctoral Learning Outcome IV: Social and Global
Perspectives as well as Ph.D. Program outcome ii, “Demonstrate understanding of theories and practices
of the creative process, engaging difference, and social justice.” This means that seminar contributions
will be evaluated on the basis of the clarity of their descriptions and critiques of central arguments,
theories, methods and their critical appraisals of potential benefits and shortcomings of theories and
practices of the creative process, engaging difference, and/or social justice.
ASSIGNMENTS
CLOSE READING RESPONSES (CRR): To facilitate the close reading of and critical engagement with texts,
seminar participants will be divided into two groups and post altogether five reading responses. These
responses should be between 400 and 800 words long and contain specific references to and/or quotes
from the text under discussion. Rather than attempting to summarize an entire reading, the responses
should focus on one idea, theme, or issue and pursue it in greater depth, recording comments or
criticisms, and raising questions.
BRIEF COMMENTS (BC): In order to allow for group discussions, seminar participants who are not posting
their (roughly) biweekly reading response will post one or more brief comments on one or more of the
responses. The length of these short comments may vary from a few lines to an entire paragraph.
VIRTUAL MID-SEMESTER RESIDENCY (MSR): As part of the mid-semester residency, this seminar will
meet via Adobe for a two-hour session during the period of March 14-28. The precise date and time will
be determined at the January Residency. Additionally, all students are required to attend the virtual Social
Justice Presentation on Saturday, March 21, from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM ET and breakout sessions in
areas of concentration on March 28, from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM ET.
CONFERENCE CALL DISCUSSIONS: Toward the end each sequence, we will convene by phone to discuss
what we have learned (or failed to learn) through our close engagement with various texts. Although these
discussions are intended to be rather informal, participants are asked to prepare a three- to five-minute
opening statement, in which he/she takes an arguable (preferably provocative) position on one or
more of the readings.
CRITICAL REVIEW ESSAY: About midway through the seminar, participants will write a critical review
essay that deals with one or more issues concerning the theory and/or practice of critical theory. The
review essay should be 2000-2500 words in length (approximately 7-10 pages) and contain specific
textual evidence from the readings to support interpretations and contentions. Written for an
audience already familiar with the primary texts under discussion, the essay should largely consist of
analysis and interpretation rather than mere summarization. The essay should be organized around a
specific thesis or point based on the writer’s own reaction to the reading, and should make an
argument.
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 4
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: In order to advance both their thinking and their research, seminar
participants will compile a short annotated bibliography, consisting of 8 to 10 entries, each of which is
followed by paragraph-length summary/assessment of the cited article or book chapter. The material
included in the annotated bibliography should be selected with an eye toward the final research paper
described below.
RESEARCH PAPER: A vehicle for applying core theories and concepts encountered in the seminar to
individual intellectual and practical pursuits, the research paper affords seminar participants with the
opportunity to advance their own projects. Work on the research paper will occur in three stages: (1) a
brief PROPOSAL, containing a thesis that relates the seminar’s theme to their specific fields of inquiry as
well as a short bibliography of relevant texts; (2) a first DRAFT OF his/her RESEARCH PAPER, to which
the instructor will respond with detailed comments and specific suggestions for revision; (3) and a PEER
REVIEW that will allow participants to revise their papers. The final product should contain 6000-8000
words (approximately 20 to 25 pages) and engage some of the seminar readings, supplemented by
copious outside research, in a manner that advances the writer’s own specific field or area of inquiry.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Williams, Sherley Anne. Dessa Rose: A Novel. 1986. New York: William Morrow, 1999.
All of the remaining texts listed below can be accessed electronically via direct links through Union
Institute & University’s library, an e-reserve depository, or public internet sites. Additional texts,
recommended readings, lecture notes, handouts, assignments, et cetera will be made available through the
HMS 809 CampusWeb site.
ADA COMPLIANCE INFORMATION
UI&U is committed to non-discrimination on the basis of disability. Students may request
accommodations by filling out the disclosure of disabilities form on the university’s ADA website
http://www.myunion.edu/academics/academic-services/ada-policy-of-union-institute-university/
Additional information can be found at http://www.myunion.edu/the-office-of-student-success/disability-
services/.
No accommodations can be made without approval from the ADA office so it is important that you file
this confidential information with the ADA office in the event you have a reoccurring condition that may
require accommodations.
THE WRITING CENTER
Union Institute & University’s Writing Center offers self-help resources and free one-on-one tutoring
sessions over the phone for all students. Tutoring sessions by phone are available mornings, afternoons,
evenings and weekends. Self-help resources are located at http://www.myunion.edu/academics/academic-
services/writing-center-2/. Appointments for tutoring by telephone can be scheduled through the writing
center’s CampusWeb group or by contacting the center (phone: 513-487-1156 or toll free: 1-800-861-
6400 ext. 1156 or email: [email protected]).
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 5
GRADING SCALE AND SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP)
(Grading, SAP and Financial Aid Policies can be found in the University Catalog
http://www.myunion.edu/academics/academic-services/university-catalog-program-handbooks/.)
Students in the Cohort PhD Program must make satisfactory academic progress every term. This means
that students must earn at least a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or S. Students must also successfully complete at
least 67% of cumulative credits attempted. For example, if a student has attempted 60 credit hours during
enrollment, he/she must successfully complete 40 or more of those hours. Student completion rates are
reviewed at the end of each term of attendance. Grades of U, W, I, V, NE and WIP adversely affect a
student‘s completion rate because they are calculated as attempted but not completed. This can
cause a student’s completion rate to drop below 67%. This may result in the student not meeting
the SAP requirement facing possible academic and financial aid probation and/or dismissal from
the program. Grades of C or U adversely affect the student’s GPA and academic standing in the
program. A special review will be initiated if a student receives a C, U or two or more incomplete
(I) grades.
Grading Scale
Grade Criteria
A Academic work reflects impressively thorough and accurate knowledge of assigned
material, including the complexities and nuances of major and minor theories, concepts,
and intellectual frameworks; exceptional evidence of capability to compare, assess, and
synthesize material; especially strong capability to logically critique extant theories and
claims and to develop persuasive arguments based on original thinking.
4.0 Quality Points
A- Criteria for A work not fully met.
3.70 Quality Points
B+ Criteria for B work is more fully met.
3.30 Quality Points
B Academic work reflects accurate grasp of major concepts, theories, and prevailing
knowledge; abundant evidence of capability to offer informed analysis of extant knowledge
and ideas; clear capability to synthesize and apply key information from prevailing
knowledge; appropriate critiques of extant theories and knowledge; considerable
demonstration of capability to develop and logically present own judgments.
3.0 Quality Points
B- Criteria for B work is not fully met.
2.70 Quality Points
C+ Criteria for C work is more fully met.
2.30 Quality Points
C Academic work reflects adequate familiarity with key ideas and knowledge, although
interpretations of key theories and concepts are occasionally incomplete and flawed;
written and verbal accounts of information, theories, and concepts remain primarily at the
level of description; critiques are present but not well developed with occasional
interpretive errors.
2.0 Quality Points
S Academic work reflects satisfactory completion of all prescribed learning and is equivalent
to B or better at the doctoral level on a standard letter grading scale. The S grade is used
only for ACS 897, ECL/HMS/PPS 841, 850, 860, MLK 800, MLK 890 and RSCH 900
Dissertation.
0.00 Quality Points and does not calculate into the GPA
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 6
U Academic work reflects insufficient capability to comprehend and accurately present ideas
and information; superficial and unpersuasive critiques; little evidence of capability for
original thinking. Unsatisfactory performance is defined as any performance less than C at
the doctoral level. A U grade should be given only on the basis of less than satisfactory
work and should not be given because a student has not been present in a seminar (in
such a case a V grade should be given).
0.0 Quality Points
W Withdrawal: Student initiated withdrawal from a seminar or the program. Withdrawal
from the program discontinues connection to university passwords and accounts.
I Incomplete: Student completes at least 60% of work in a seminar but less than 100% of
the required work in a seminar.
NE Never Engaged: An NE grade will be assigned during the first 21 days of each term for a
student who neither attends nor engages in a registered seminar (including the residency
sessions).
V Vanished: A V grade will be assigned six weeks after the beginning of a term by the
Dean’s Office, or during end-of-term grading by a faculty member for a student who
attends/engages in a registered seminar (including the residency sessions) but subsequently
ceases to attend/engage in the seminar and does not officially withdraw from the seminar.
WIP (No
grade)
No Grade: Faculty member has not submitted a grade for a student.
Repeated
Seminar
Students are permitted to repeat any seminar once after receiving a U. The last grade
earned is calculated in the GPA.
Successful
Completion
A grade of A through C or S is considered successful seminar completion.
Special Note Regarding Incompletes:
Students must have approval from the seminar faculty member to receive an incomplete for the term. If
this approval is not requested and approved, the student will receive a W (withdrawal) or V
(vanished), depending on the circumstances in regard to attendance in the seminar. In other words,
incompletes are not automatic and students should not assume that they can take incompletes at will. All
incomplete work for a current term should be submitted by May 1 or November 1 of the following term.
It is always best for students to stay in communication with faculty members and to try to get all
the work done for the term by the deadline. Students and faculty members should explore all
options together before deciding that the incomplete route is the one to take.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
I. Critical Theory: An Introduction
Please read all assigned readings below prior to our residency meetings.
First Session: Surveying the Terrain of Critical Theory
Balsamo, Anne. “Feminism and Cultural Studies.” The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language
Association 24.1 (1991): 50-73. Direct Link
Bell, Derrick. “Who is Afraid of Critical Race Theory?” University of Illinois Law Review 4 (1995): 893-
910. Direct Link
Johnson, Richard. “What Is Cultural Studies Anyway?” Social Text 16 (1987): 38-80. Direct Link
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 7
Kellner, Douglas. “Cultural Marxism and Cultural Studies.” 2004. UCLA Faculty Website.
˂http://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/papers/cultmarx.htm˃.
Rode, Deborah L. “Feminist Critical Theories.” Stanford Law Review 42.3 (1990): 617-38. Direct Link
Second Session: Specters of Marx
Derrida, Jacques. “What Is Ideology?” Specters of Marx, The State of the Debt, the Work of
Mourning, & the New International. Trans. Peggy Kamuf. New York: Routledge, 1994. 70-86.
Direct Link
Marx, Karl. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. 1842. New York: International, 1994. 1-20.
(Chapters I-III). Direct Link
---. “The Fetishism of the Commodity and the Secret Thereof.” 1867. Capital: A Critique of
Political Economy, Volume 1. Trans Ben Fowkes. New York: Vintage, 1976. 134-49. Direct Link
---. “Letter to A. Ruge, September 1843.” Karl Marx: Early Writings. New York: Vintage, 1975. 209.
Direct Link
---. “Theses on Feuerbach.” 1845. Selected Writings. Ed. Lawrence H. Simon. Indianapolis:
Hackett, 1994. 98-101. Direct Link
Third Session: Literary Interlude - “Bartleby, the Scrivener”
Reed, Naomi C. “‘Bartleby, the Scrivener’ and the Language of Commodities.” American
Literature 76.2 (2004): 247-73. Direct Link
Melville, Herman. “Bartleby, the Scrivener.” 1853. The Piazza Tales and Other Prose Pieces, 1839-1860.
Eds. Harrison Hayford, Alma A. MacDougall, and G. Thomas Tanselle. Chicago: Northwestern
UP, 1987. 11-35. Direct Link
II. Cultural Marxism
January 25-31: Utopia
Post Close Reading Response (Group I) or Brief Comments (Group II)
Bloch, Ernst. “Introduction.” The Principle of Hope. 1954. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1987. 3-18.
Direct Link
Jameson, Fredric. “Reification and Utopia in Mass Culture.” Social Text 1 (1979): 130-148. Direct Link
Kellner, Douglas. “Ernst Bloch, Utopia and Ideology Critique.” 1996. Illuminations: The Critical Theory
Website. University of Texas at Arlington. ˂http://www.uta.edu/huma/illuminations/kell1.htm˃
February 1-7: Hegemony and Resistance
Post Close Reading Response (Group II) or Brief Comments (Group I)
Gramsci, Antonio. “History of the Subaltern Class,” “The Concept of ‘Ideology’,” “Cultural
Themes: Ideological Material,” “Subversive.” Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio
Gramsci. Ed. Quintin Hoare. New York: International, 1971. 52-53, 57-8, 78-80. Direct Link
Hall, Stuart. “Gramsci's Relevance for the Study of Race and Ethnicity.” Journal of Communication
Inquiry 10 (1986): 5-27. Direct Link
Scott, James C. Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance. New Haven, CT: Yale
UP, 1985. 29-47. Direct Link
February 8-14: Uses and Abuses of Theory
Post Close Reading Response (Group I) or Brief Comments (Group II)
Lukács, György. “What is Orthodox Marxism?” (1919) and “Class Consciousness” (1920). History and
Class Consciousness. 1923. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1971. 1-25, 46-82. Direct Link
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 8
Fanon, Frantz. “The Pitfalls of National Consciousness.” The Wretched of the Earth. 1961. New York:
Grove, 1963. 148-205. Direct Link
Said, Edward. “Traveling Theory Reconsidered.” Reflection on Exile and Other Essays. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard UP, 2000. 436-52.
III. Frankfurt School
February 15-21: Traditional and Critical Theory
First Conference Call and Adobe Session
Horkheimer, Max. “Traditional and Critical Theory.” 1937. Critical Theory: Selected Essays. New
York: Continuum, 2002. 188-243. Direct Link
Kellner, Douglas. “Critical Theory and the Crisis of Social Theory.” Sociological Perspectives 33 (1990):
11-33. Direct Link
February 22-28: Art and Aura
Post Close Reading Response (Group II) or Brief Comments (Group I)
Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” Illuminations. Ed. Hannah
Arendt. New York: Schocken. 217-67. Direct Link
Hansen, Miriam. “Benjamin, Cinema, and Experience: The Blue Flower in the Land of Technology.”
New German Critique 40 (1987): l79-224. Direct Link
February 22-March 14: Cinematic Interlude - Modern Times
Howe, Lawrence. “Charlie Chaplin in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: Reflexive Ambiguity in
Modern Times.” College Literature 40.1 (2013): 45-65. Direct Link
Modern Times. Dir. Charlie Chaplin. Perf. Chaplin and Paulette. Goddard. United Artists, 1936.
Direct Link
March 1-7
Virtual Break
March 8-14: Cinema
Critical Review Essay Due
Adorno, Theodor and Anson G. Rabinbach. “Culture Industry Reconsidered.” New German Critique 6
(1975): 12-19. Direct Link
Adorno, Theodor and Thomas Y. Levin. “Transparencies on Film.” 1966. New German Critique
24/25 (1981-1982): 199-205. Direct Link
Hansen, Miriam. “Introduction to Adorno, ‘Transparencies on Film’ (1966).” New German Critique
24/25(1981-1982): 186-198. Direct Link
March 15-21: From Public Space to Public Sphere
Mid-Semester Residency (MSR) Social Justice Presentation, March 21, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM ET
Second Conference Call and Adobe Session (To be scheduled as part of MSR)
Habermas, Jürgen. The Theory of Communicative Action, Volume 1. Boston: Beacon, 1984. 1-74.
Direct Link
Arendt, Hannah. “The Gap Between the Past and the Future” and “The Crisis in Culture Its Social and Its
Political Significance.” Between Past and Future. New York: Viking, 1968. 3-16.
Benhabib, Seyla. “Feminist Theory and Hannah Arendt's Concept of Public Space. History of the Human
Sciences 1993 6: 97-114. Direct Link
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 9
---. “From Public Space to Public Sphere: Hannah Arendt and Jürgen Habermas” and “The Contested
Public Sphere: Arendt, Habermas and Beyond.” The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt
2000. 199-215.
IV. (British) Cultural Studies
March 22-28: Doing Cultural Studies
Humanities and Culture MSR Meeting, March 28, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM ET
Post Close Reading Response (Group I) or Brief Comments (Group II)
Hall, Stuart. “Cultural Studies: Two Paradigms.” Media, Culture and Society 2 (1980): 57-72.
Direct Link
---. “The Problem of Ideology-Marxism Without Guarantees .” Journal of Communication Inquiry 10
(1986): 28-44. Direct Link
Williams, Raymond. “The Analysis of Culture.” The Long Revolution. New York: Penguin, 1965. 57-70.
Direct Link
---. “Dominant, Residual, and Emergent.” Marxism and Literature. New York: Oxford UP, 1977. 121-28.
Direct Link
March 29-April 4: Popular Culture
Post Close Reading Response (Group II) or Brief Comments (Group I)
Bennett, Tony. “Marxism and Popular Fiction.” Literature and History 7.2 (1981): 138-65. Direct Link
Eagleton, Terry. “Versions of Culture.” The Idea of Culture. London: Blackwell, 2000. 1-31. Direct Link
March 29-April 11: Literary Interlude - “Eveline”
Joyce, James. “Eveline.” 1914. Dubliners. New York: Dover, 1991. 25-28. Direct Link
Uphaus, Maxwell. “An ‘Unworkable Compound’: Ireland and Empire in ‘Eveline’.” MFS Modern Fiction
Studies 60.1 (2014): 28-51. Direct Link
April 5-11: Nation and Empire
Seminar Paper Proposal Due
Post Close Reading Response (Group I) or Brief Comments (Group II)
Baker, Houston A., Stephen Best, and Ruth H. Lindebog. “Representing Blackness/Representing Britain:
Cultural Studies and the Politics of Knowledge.” Black British Cultural Studies: A Reader. Eds.
Houston A. Baker, Stephen Best, and Ruth H. Lindebog. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1996. 1-15.
Gilroy, Paul. “British Cultural Studies and the Pitfalls of Identity.” Cultural Studies and
Communications. Eds. James Curran, David Morley and Valerie Walkerdine. London: Hodder, 1
995. 35-49.
V. Feminist Critical Theories
April 12-18: Feminist Critical Theory
Individual Calls
Fraser, Nancy. “What’s Critical About Critical Theory?” New German Critique 35 (1985): 97-131.
Direct Link
Butler, Judith. “Merely Cultural.” Social Text 52/53 (1997): 265-77. Direct Link
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 10
April 19-25: Gender, Race, and the “Third World”
Third Conference Call and Adobe Session
Carby, Hazel V. “White Woman Listen! Black Feminism and the Boundaries of Sisterhood.” 1982. Black
British Cultural Studies: A Reader. Eds. Houston A. Baker, Stephen Best, and Ruth H. Lindebog.
Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1996. 136-53. Direct Link
Mohanty, Chandra. “Under Western Eyes.” Feminist Review 30 (1988): 61-88. Direct Link
April 19-May 16: Literary Interlude - Dessa Rose
Burns, Phyllis Lynne. “‘I Kill White Mens...Cause I Can’: The Rewriting of Liberation and Mastery in
Dessa Rose.” Criticism: A Quarterly for Literature and the Arts 55.1 (2013):119-45. Direct Link
Seliger, Mary A. “Dessa's Blues: Reimagining the Master's Narrative in Sherley Anne Williams's Dessa
Rose.” The Western Journal of Black Studies 36.4 (2012): 314-24. Direct Link
Williams, Sherley Anne. Dessa Rose. New York: William Morrow, 1986.
April 26-May 2: Black Feminist Thought
First Draft of Seminar Paper Due
Collins, Patricia Hill. “Black Feminist Thought in the Matrix of Domination.” Black Feminist Thought:
Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Boston: Hyman, 1990. 221–238.
Direct Link
Smith, Barbara. “Introduction.” Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology. 1983. New Brunswick, NJ:
Rutger UP, 1999. xxi-Xlvii.
“The Combahee River Collective Statement.” 1983. Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology. Ed.
Barbara Smith. Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1999. 25-29. Direct Link
VI. Critical Race Theory
May 3-9: Intersectionality
Post Close Reading Response (Group II) or Brief Comments (Group I)
Caldwell, Paulette. “Hair Piece: Perspectives on the Intersection Between Race and Gender.” Duke Law
Journal 42.2 (1991): 365-96. Direct Link
Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against
Women of Color.” Stanford Law Review 43.6 (1991): 1241-99. Direct Link
Varma, Rashmi. “On Common Ground?: Feminist Theory and Critical Race Studies.” Feminist
Literary Theory. New York: Cambridge UP, 2006. 232-60.
May 10-16: Decolonization
Post Close Reading Response (Group I) or Brief Comments (Group II)
hooks, bell. “Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance.” Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston:
South End Press, 1992. 21-39. Direct Link
Montoya, Margaret. “Trenzas, y Grednas: Un/Masking the Self While Un/Braiding Latina Stories and
Legal Discourse.” Chicano-Latino Law Review 15 (1994): 1-37.
May 17-23: Looking Back, Ahead
Post Close Reading Response (Group II) or Brief Comments (Group I)
Beauvoir, Simone de. “Introduction: Woman As Other.” The Second Sex. 1949. Trans. H. M. Parshley.
New York: Penguin,1972. 1-14. Direct Link
Du Bois, W.E.B. “Of the Dawn of Freedom.” The Souls of Black Folks. Chicago: A.C. McClurg, 1903.
18-32. Direct Link
HMS 809 - Critical Theory 11
Gerassi, John. "Simone de Beauvoir: The Second Sex: 25 Years Later.” Society 13.2 (1976): 79-85.
Direct Link
Hawkesworth, Mary. “From Constitutive Outside to the Politics of Extinction: Critical Race Theory,
Feminist Theory, and Political Theory.” Political Research Quarterly 63.3 (2010): 686-96.
Direct Link
May 24-30
Revision Week
May 31
Final Seminar Paper Due
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