F0816 Resisting the Society of the Spectacle

This course will introduce students to the concept of the “society of the spectacle” and various ways of working against it. We will begin with Freud’s psychoanalytic understanding of fetishism, since fetishism flourishes in the society of the spectacle. We will next read Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” to enter Benjamin’s ambivalent Marxist perspective into the mix. Then we will tackle perhaps the central text in defining the society of the spectacle, Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle, which offers a Marxist approach distinct from Benjamin’s and, oddly, compatible with Kristeva’s. Turning next to literature, we will read Gide’s The Immoralist, whose relevance to the course will become especially clear once we take up Kristeva’s Intimate Revolt. Toward the end of the semester, we will consider techniques through which contemporary film—Contempt, Volver, and Caché—counters the society of the spectacle. And we will end with several essays from Agamben’s Profanations. Kristeva and Agamben overlap in their disenchantment, to say the least, with robotized contemporary life. Speaking (I think) for both of these theorists, Agamben writes, “Confronted with phenomena such as the power of the society of the spectacle that is everywhere transforming the political realm today, is it legitimate or even possible to hold subjective technologies and political techniques apart?”

There will be one mid-term paper (about five pages) and a final paper (about ten pages), in addition to the final exam. I will generally provide specific questions about the reading in advance to help students prepare for our discussions. Spontaneous one-page essays may also be assigned to explore further an issue raised in class discussion. There is no required preliminary knowledge for this course. Grades will be based on the two papers, the final exam, and class contributions.

Please note: all students are expected to adhere to the accepted norms of intellectual honesty in their academic work. For ambiguous cases, consult me.
You must communicate with me about a late paper—BEFORE the deadline—to avoid penalty. Please try to visit me during office hours at least once during the semester.
Please double space all course writings. Papers that are not double spaced, or whose font size is tiny, will be returned for adjustment. Your writing will receive my full attention; I expect polished, grammatically correct, stylistically appealing papers that present an idea of your own (a thesis) that the paper elaborates in a persuasive manner. Spontaneous one-page essays may also be assigned to explore further an issue raised in class discussion.