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CS92PROD
Critical Philosophy of Race

PHIL 211
Spring 2023
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: AFAM 211
Course Cluster and Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory Certificate

This course starts with WEB Du Bois, not only because he is formative, but because like Hobbes's philosophy of law, he sets out many of the major themes of the course. We then explore "What is Race" through an understanding of social construction, what problems people of mixed races and non-Black/white races pose to metaphysical theories of race, and finally the relationship between the social construction of race and the "reality" of the biological differences in races. We look at the position--both for and against--that the goal of racial justice is "no longer seeing race," but also from the interesting perspective of those who literally don't "see" race: the blind. We look at the mini-topic of what the role of white people should be in racial justice. We then look at the first-person experience of being a racialized subject through Frantz Fanon and through Frank Wilderson's new book "Afro-Pessimism." We also look at sexual desire and its connection to race. The course ends with a timely look at the connection of race, criminalization, policing, and incarceration, as well as prison and police abolition.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS PHIL
Course Format: LectureGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (CSCT)(HRAD-MN)(PHIL)(PHIL-Social Jus)(STS)
Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74%

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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