The Lecture Series: Conceptions of Race in Philosophy, Literature and Art
CTMP/EMSP/HSTC 2011/3011/4011.03F
This course will examine how race has developed through the Western tradition, viewed through the lens of prominent thinkers, theoreticians and philosophers.
DESCRIPTION
Although the current notions of “race” and “racism” are distinctly modern concepts whose emergence coincided with the development of colonialism and the institution of slavery, about race and cultural and ethnic differences appeared already in antiquity, continuing through the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Enlightenment.
This lecture series focuses on the conceptions and representations of race as they have developed throughout “the Western tradition,” and on their relations to culture, history, ideology, science, politics, and lived experience. We will begin with examining historical, theoretical and literary texts from the early modern period, whose authors commented on issues of race (eg., Shakespeare, Montesquieu, Kant, and Hegel). We will consider the relations between race and the development of modern science (from Buffon, Blumenbach, Camper, Darwin, and Haeckel to modern genetics). The course will culminate with the examination of contemporary responses by various authors (scholars in different disciplines, writers and artists) who expose systemic racism as it inheres in social institutions, government policies, and social customs and behaviors.
The Lecture Series course can be taken at the 2000, 3000 or 4000 level. Evening lectures and the seminar will be the same for all levels. The requirements for the different levels will differ in terms of the number and length of written assignments.
TIMETABLE
Seminar:
W 3:35-5:25 p.m.
The lecture series class will consist of bi-weekly evening lectures and weekly two-hour seminars. The speakers invited for lectures will include local as well as nationally and internationally known experts, writers, and artists. The readings will include philosophical, scientific and literary works.
REGISTER NOW
Login to Dal Online
Registration services, such as checking your registration status, adding or dropping classes and viewing fees, your class schedule, your final grades and the academic timetable, are available on Dal Online. If you have any difficulties registering for courses, please contact the Registrar's Office.
READING LIST
