PHIL 422: Honors Seminar

PHIL 422-003: Critical Philosophies of Race
(Spring 2019)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM R

Section Information for Spring 2019

What is race? Is it a feature of a person's biological makeup, a product of certain kinds of social and political structures, a historical artefact, an axiom, an unwarranted assumption, a way of living, a way of seeing and a way of being seen, something else, several of these, none of these? What does it mean for race to be "real"? What exists when we say that humans have races? What are the origins of current notions of race? What might be the future of race as an idea, as a feature of social and political landscapes, as a feature of social and political and scientific ontology, as a consideration in the quest for social and political and economic justice? What are the relationships between race and racism? In what ways have racial formation, class formation, and gender formation interacted? 
 
This course will explore the roles philosophical inquiry can play, and the resources it can offer, to address these and related questions critically and constructively. Authors studied will include D. Bell, K. Crenshaw, T. Curry, A. Davis, W.E.B. Du Bois, E. Dussel, F. Fanon, D.T. Goldberg, L.R. Gordon, Hippocrates/Hippocratic writers, Homer, A. Locke, Parmenides, V. Plumwood, Q. Spencer, P.C. Taylor, S. Wynter, Xenophanes, G. Yancy. 

Tags:

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Seminar for students enrolled in the honors program in philosophy. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 18 credits.
Mason Core: Capstone
Specialized Designation: Mason Impact., Topic Varies, Writing Intensive in Major
Recommended Prerequisite: 9 credits in philosophy and acceptance to the honors program in philosophy.
Schedule Type: Lec/Sem #1, Lec/Sem #2, Lec/Sem #3, Lec/Sem #4, Lec/Sem #5, Lec/Sem #6, Lec/Sem #7, Lec/Sem #8, Lec/Sem #9, Sem/Lec #10, Sem/Lec #11, Sem/Lec #12, Sem/Lec #13, Sem/Lec #14, Sem/Lec #15, Sem/Lec #16, Sem/Lec #17, Sem/Lec #18, Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.