Anthropos and the Archive
CHUM 338
Spring 2009
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
COL 338, HIST 299, FGSS 338, ANTH 310, AMST 338, ENGL 338 |
This course will address various theories of the archive and how the idea of the "human" comes to figure within them. Can the human be equated with a "subject" or a "self"? How does subjectivity emerge in relation to the knowledge-body that is the archive? In what ways does this subjectivity encompass both the agent doing the archiving and the very subject that is being archived? By examining key critical works on the nature of knowledge and the archive, we will begin to uncover the various methodologies of knowledge production and the way that these form how we think of and define ourselves. The class will look at accepted notions of history and the way that history materializes in the collection of things deemed worthy of preservation in the narrative that emerges from the archive itself. As we shall see, neither the narrative nor the act of preservation can claim neutrality. In the face of this, we will be looking at our own accepted versions of truth and of the possible Real. The course is structured around a longer, more sustained research project of each students' own choosing. While exploring the theory of archives, students will perform their own archival research within the Wesleyan University Archives and Special Collections. |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
None |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
We will be looking at both text and film.
Authors will include: Benjamin, Blanchot, Butler, Deleuze & Guattari, Derrida, Erdrich, Foucault, Morrison, Phelan, Spivak, and Woolf, among others. We will also consider films by Marker, Herzog and Shyamalan.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Two short papers (4-6 pages) and a longer research project (15-20 pages or the equivalent if not strictly in text). |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Students will be encouraged to incorporate all aspects of their encounter with the archive into their final projects (archival prohibitions, the rules of archival handling, logics of organization, etc.). We will also concentrate on each student developing his or her voice in relation to the critical voice that is encouraged within traditional research. This course requires a commitment to the theoretical investigations we will embark upon, at the same time as being structured like a practice class. Students should come prepared to discuss both the reading material and the experiences they have as they engage with their own writing processes. |
| Instructor(s): Perta,Litia Times: ...W... 07:00PM-09:50PM; Location: CFH106; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 18 | | SR major: 0 | JR major: 0 | | |
| Seats Available: 8 | GRAD: 0 | SR non-major: 9 | JR non-major: 9 | SO: 0 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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