A curious feature of contemporary North Atlantic culture is its concern to discover, describe, obtain, and distribute something called "agency." In tandem with with CHUM's Spring 2026 theme, Doing Nothing / Nothing Doing, this course critically re-examines the cultural metaphysics of agency and action that captivates modernity in general and liberalism in particular. Reading widely across anthropology, STS, philosophy, literary studies, political theory, religious studies, and aesthetics, we will critically explore the peculiar form of life whose protagonists and critics alike are transfixed by the figure of the Agent. |