URBS 106 - Philosophy & Contemporary Issues

1 unit(s)

Topic 2021/22b: Incarcerating Philosophies. (Same as PHIL 106) This introductory philosophical course examines the topic of “Incarcerating Philosophies”. Philosophy is used both as a justification to incarcerate as well as that which is incarcerated. This course offers a philosophical survey of various relevant literatures in order to ask the following questions: What are the different methods and rationalities employed in order to incarcerate, and how are those methods used to fashion the incarcerated, criminal body? How have various Western philosophical programs and approaches, figures and texts responded to such incarcerating methods in order to question and oppose them critically and immanently? Readings include: Plato, Boethius, Jeremy Bentham, Antonio Gramsci, Martin Luther King Jr., Michel Foucault, Angela Davis, Frank Wilderson III, Michelle Alexander, Lisa Guenther, and others. Osman Nemli.

Two 75-minute periods.

Not offered in 2022/23.

Course Format: CLS