Immigration and the Politics of Fear
AMST 301
Fall 2024
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ANTH 301, STS 308 |
This course will examine the role of fear in shaping ideas about immigrants. We start from the notion that emotions are social formations with particular histories and political significance. Therefore, we will refrain from assuming that fear is nothing more than a feeling or an automatic response and instead take it as a site that allows us to examine how psychological and legal discourses together define and dispute what is normal, reasonable, credible, plausible, real, appropriate, and timely. The seminar will cover themes such as risk and threat, race and origin, pain and injury, confession and testimony, fiction and figuration, and personhood and representation. We will look at newspaper articles, social media content, legal opinions, case law, court transcripts, and psychological evaluations, as well as texts in politics, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, literature, comics, and films. Students will write a short essay on the politics of fear. Throughout the course, they will develop their toolkit to critically reflect on an emotion of their choice. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS AMST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ANTH) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
: Sample essays will include works by Sara Ahmed, Joanna Bourke, Mae Ngai, Colin Dayan, Ann Stoler, Michel Foucault, Karen Barad, Miriam Ticktin, Étienne Balibar, Jason de León, Michael Taussig, Susan Coutin, Sara Uribe, Valeria Luiselli, Rosalind Morris, Didier Fassin, Tobias Kelly, Carolina Kobelinsky, among others.
Films:
Chantal Akerman. De l¿autre côté [From the Other Side] (2012)
Lucía Gaja. Mi vida dentro [My Life Inside] (2007)
Joshua Bonnetta and J.P. Sniadecki. El mar la mar (2017)
Alice Diop. La permanence [On Call] (2016)
Avi Mogravi. The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation (2021)
Alain Gomis. Rewind & Play (2022)
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Examinations and Assignments:
: Weekly toolkit activities; critical commentaries (one per unit); final paper. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
: This course will be taught by Valentina Ramia. |
| Instructor(s): Ramia,Valentina Times: .M.W... 10:50AM-12:10PM; Location: CAMS 1; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 2 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 2 | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 20 | 1st Ranked: 3 | 2nd Ranked: 5 | 3rd Ranked: 1 | 4th Ranked: 1 | Unranked: 10 |
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