Contemporary Literary Theory

Survey of central debates in cultural and literary studies focusing on texts in contemporary theory that formulate an understanding of the self. Course follows shifts between structuralism, poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, and Marxism. As we begin to disentangle the meanings of what we mean when we say "I", we will inevitably analyze the relationships between subject and subjection, ideology and power, language and authorship, theory and politics. We will ground our analyses within particular literary, visual, and theoretical works, learning how to read cultural production as theory, rather than "applying" theory to selected texts.

Instructor(s): Zahid Rafiq Chaudhary