Writing Intensive Course Designs
Philosophy

Topics in Political Philosophy: Foucault and Power
Developed by Itir Gunes

Michel Foucault was a public intellectual who has made his mark as one of the most influential figures of the 20th-century European philosophy. Although the main objective of his works was not to build a coherent theory of power (but to write “a history of the different modes by which, in our culture, human beings are made subjects”), he developed a quite original and groundbreaking notion of power. In this course, we will critically evaluate Foucault’s notion of power, as developed in the major works that he produced in 1975 and 1976. Our discussion will focus on three main points: Foucault’s take on Clausewitz’s anti-Hobbesian proposition that “power is continuation of war by other means”, his understanding of “disciplinary power”; and his concept of “biopower.”

Texts: Michel Foucault. “Society Must Be Defended”: Lectures at Collège de France 1975-1976, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, The History of Sexuality Volume I: An Introduction.

Formal Writing Assignments
Explain the Significance of a Passage
Respond to a Question
General Instructions for All Papers
Grading Standards
Grading Rubric

Informal Writing Assignment
Submit a Question About the Reading
One-Page Essay