Contemporary Political Theory



Institution: Washington State University

Department: Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs

Course-level: Undergraduate

Format:  Lecture

Position: Assistant Professor



Description: In this seminar we engage with central themes and approaches of three paradigms in contemporary political theory: critical theory, post-structuralism, and feminist political theory. This course has three goals. First, we engage with these theories to obtain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of power in contemporary societies. Second, we analyze the ways in which these theories might assist us to think about issues pertaining to injustices and inequalities in such societies. Third, we analyze the ways in which the respective thinkers conceptualize socio-political change. We begin with Marx and Marcuse (critical theory), followed by Foucault and Agamben (post-structuralism), and conclude with Young and Fraser (feminist political theory).




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