Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE PHI2103

 
TITLE Reading Politics: Foucault and Derrida

 
UM LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Philosophy

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit will explore Foucauldian and Derridean formed approaches in the study of political philosophy with particular attention to key ideas and concepts in contemporary political theory. It is because of their radical interventions in the political field that their ideas have been received and appropriated by various movements. This study-unit will focus on specific texts by Foucault and Derrida and read them closely with students.

Study-Unit Aims:

- To explore the Foucault and Derrida's fundamental political concepts;
- To appraise the various, and sometimes contrasting, theoretical approaches to Foucault and Derrida's politics;
- To introduce alternative modes of thinking to Foucault and Derrida's political philosophy;
- To critically examine the ways in which Foucault and Derrida's political philosophy can be situated within contemporary political discourses.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Identify the key differences between a Foucault and Derrida's political philosophy and other different political systems;
- Appreciate the tradition of political theory within which Foucault and Derrida are 'doing' politics;
- Engage with the reception towards Foucault and Derrida's political thinking;
- Assess the various critical positions towards Foucault and Derrida's political thinking.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Identify Foucault and Derrida's political thinking to a variety of other political theories;
- Interpret political positions from Foucault and Derrida's perspective;
- Situate contemporary political scholarship in the light of Foucault and Derrida's critics of politics;
- Employ close readings to Foucault and Derrida's academic texts.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Foucault, M. (1988) The History of Sexuality Vol. 1, New York: Vintage Press.
- Derrida, Jacques (1981) Positions. Translated by Alan Bass. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 1981.
- Derrida, Jacques (2002). On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness. London: Routledge.
- Derrida, Jacques (2005) Rogues: Two Essays on Reason. Translated by Pascale-Anne Brault and Michael Naas. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
- Derrida, Jacques (2011) The Beast and the Sovereignn: Volume 1. Translated by Geoffrey Bennington. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press.

Supplementary Readings:

- Derrida, Jacques, and John D Caputo (1997). Deconstruction in a Nutshell: A Conversation with Jacques Derrida. New York: Fordham University Press.
- Gutting, G. (2006) The Cambridge Companion to Foucault. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Routledge.
- McWhorter, L. (1999) Bodies and pleasures : Foucault and the politics of sexual normalization. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
- Reynolds, Jack, and Jon Roffe (eds) (2004). Understanding Derrida. New York: Continuum.
- Weeks, J. (2014) Sex, Politics and Society. London: Routledge.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM1 Yes 50%
Assignment SEM1 Yes 50%

 
LECTURER/S Claude Mangion
Niki Young

 

 
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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