Humanities (HUMN) 417

Overview

This course is designed to develop the student’s understanding of and appreciation for the role of critical theory, and the theoretical issues that it poses, in relation to cultural studies and the humanities. Students will not only acquire a familiarity with the various schools of critical theory and how they have impacted various academic disciplines but also develop their own skills in critical thinking as they work their way through the questions that theoretical issues present. This course illustrates that theory has not only had an effect on all areas of academic learning but also has ‘trickled down’ to impact all aspects of modern life and popular culture. The key objective, other than those mentioned above, is to show students how theory is relevant to their lives, thoughts, experiences, and interpretations of the world around them. The study of theory is a valuable undertaking in its own right, but it will also be a definite source of help in making sense of the approaches encountered in other courses, and is especially invaluable for those students who are considering graduate study.

Outline

Part I: Introduction

• Unit 1: Why Consider Theoretical Issues?
• Unit 2: Dogma, Enlightenment, and Ideology

Part II: Some Major Schools of Modern Critical Thought

• Unit 3: Marxism and Feminist Theory
• Unit 4: Modernism and Postmodernism
• Unit 5: Structuralism and Post-Structuralism
• Unit 6: Linguistics and Deconstruction Theory

Part III: Authority

• Unit 7: Objectivity and Subjectivity, Reader Response Criticism, Reading
• Unit 8: Knowledge, Power and Agency, and Causation

Part IV: Society and the Individual

• Unit 9: The Frankfurt School and Neo-Marxism
• Unit 10: Gender/Queer/Race/Class
• Unit 11: Multiculturalism and Media Culture

Part V: History

• Unit 12: The History and Ideology of the Study of History
• Unit 13: Historical Criticism, New Criticism, and New Historicism
• Unit 14: Post-Colonial Criticism: Sources and Discourses

Evaluation

To receive credit for this course, the student must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent) and a grade of at least “D” percent on the final examination. The weighting of the course assignments is as follows:

Assignment 1: Short Essay	Assignment 2: Long Essay	Telephone presentation and online postings	Final Exam	Total
20%	30%	20%	30%	100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.