Mic Check: Theorizing Resistance,
Revolution, and Social Transformation
ENGL 244 | MWF 11:10-12:00PM | Fall 2013 | Butterick Hall 306
Professor Emily King | Email: Emily.L.King@vanderbilt.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 12:10-1:45PM & by appointment in Benson 423
Course Description
“Mic Check” refers to a practice in which protesters form a human microphone, a technique
that was popularized by the Occupy movement and circumvented legal restrictions on the use
of megaphones. It is this concept of voice -- alongside notions of revolution and resistance -that this course examines in its focused introduction to contemporary critical theory.
Examining canonical texts from the fields of structuralism, Marxism, deconstruction,
postmodernism, postcolonialism, cultural studies, and gender theory, we will engage with the
following questions: How might critical theory and the ways in which we read it constitute a
revolution? And how might critical theory simultaneously reveal the limits of that revolution?
Over the course of our semester together, we will grapple with the work of Ferdinand de
Saussure, Jacques Derrida, Judith Butler, Jacques Lacan, Franz Fanon, Lee Edelman, Julia
Kristeva, and Michael Warner. Though this is not a film course, we will use film as a way of
accessing and, perhaps, extending the philosophical ideas we will explore in the discourses of
critical theory.
Course Requirements
Required Texts: All materials may be found online. Note that these readings are password
protected. Please print out these readings and bring them to class on the day that they are
assigned.
Attendance and Participation: Some of the most significant discoveries occur during class,
and as such, there is no way to make up for the loss of a classroom learning experience. I
permit three absences from my class for illness, family emergencies, and other personal
matters. After three absences, I will subtract 1/3 letter grade for each subsequent absence.
Should you miss class, the class material and any associated assignments are still your
responsibility. Please note that Vanderbilt athletic or extracurricular activities do not
constitute “allowed” absences beyond the two permitted for our class.
The educational benefits of a dynamic, interactive classroom that features engaging and
respectful discussions are numerous. However, I will not simply award full participation
credit to students who talk the most. I recognize that there are a myriad of ways to
productively participate in a classroom, and I will stimulate discussion to encourage this
diversity. If you tend to be a “talker” in a class, please make sure that you’re listening to the
ongoing discussion and encouraging the participation of your peers. If you are hesitant to
speak in larger groups, please push yourself to speak once or twice during each class period.
Both you and your peers will reap the rewards of this effort.
Essays, Exams, and Grading Procedures
Essays: You will write two formal essays. The first essay will be 4-5 pages, and the second
essay will be 7-9 pages.
Exams: Exams include short answer questions, passage identification, and short essays.
Please note that the midterm and final are comprehensive; however, I will facilitate an
optional review session before each exam to assist you.
Blog Posts: Students are expected to write substantive blog posts and comments on a weekly
basis. Our classroom website is: https://my.vanderbilt.edu/criticaltheoryfall13/
Please see the handout for further details.
Films: All assigned films are placed on reserve at the Central Library. Please go to the
Government Information and Media Services Desk (GIMS), which is located on the fourth
floor, if you would like to screen films there. Otherwise, you’re welcome to make use of your
own media library or online resources (Amazon, Netflix, and so forth).
Quizzes: I reserve the right to give out surprise quizzes if I suspect that students are not
keeping up with the readings.
Grading: Your final grade will be based on the following:
15% for Formal Essay #1
25% for Formal Essay #2
15% for Midterm Exam
25% for Final Exam
20% for blogging and class participation
Course Policies
Late Policy: Tardy students disrupt the learning environment and make me immensely
cranky. If you arrive late to class more than 3 times, I will count this tardiness as an absence.
Late Papers: I collect papers at the beginning of class on the due date. I penalize late papers
1/3 letter grade for each subsequent calendar day (e.g., B becomes B-).
Academic Integrity: Vanderbilt’s Honor Code governs all work in this course, and a violation
of this code carries serious consequences that may include a failing grade on the plagiarized
assignment, a failure in the course itself, suspension, or even expulsion. More importantly, you
cheat yourself out of a valuable learning experience. When you turn in an assignment, you
tacitly acknowledge that this is your own work. To avoid unintentional offenses, please
document your work according to MLA style. Should you have any questions concerning
plagiarism or documentation, please don’t hesitate to ask me.
Students with Disabilities: If you haven’t already done so, please visit Vanderbilt’s EAD
website to help secure appropriate documentation: www.vanderbilt.edu/ead. In addition,
please come to me with your concerns, and I will do my best to accommodate your needs.
Course Calendar – Critical Theory
Fall 2013 – Emily King
Please note that this calendar is subject to change as we progress
through our semester together.
August
21 (W)
Introduction to Course
Section I: Identity Formation and the Resistance to Language
September
23 (F)
de Saussure, Course in General Linguistics
26 (M)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Levi-Strauss, Structural Study of Myth
28 (W)
Mulholland Drive
Derrida, “Plato’s Pharmacy”
30 (F)
Mulholland Drive
Derrida, “Plato’s Pharmacy”
2 (M)
Memento (2000)
Lacan, “The Mirror Stage”
Gallop, excerpts from Reading Lacan
4 (W)
Memento
Lacan, “The Mirror Stage”
Gallop, excerpts from Reading Lacan
6 (F)
Memento
Lacan, “The Mirror Stage”
Gallop, excerpts from Reading Lacan
9 (M)
Suddenly Last Summer (1959)
Žižek, “How Real is Reality?”
11 (W)
Suddenly Last Summer
Žižek, “How Real is Reality?”
13 (F)
Suddenly Last Summer
Žižek, “How Real is Reality?”
Section II: Resistance to the Social Fabric
16 (M)
Matrix (1999)
Althusser, “Ideology and Ideological State Appartuses”
October
18 (W)
Matrix
Althusser, “Ideology and Ideological State Appartuses”
20 (F)
Matrix
Althusser, “Ideology and Ideological State Appartuses”
23 (M)
Fight Club (1999)
Kristeva’s “Approaching Abjection”
25 (W)
Fight Club
Kristeva’s “Approaching Abjection”
27 (F)
Fight Club
Adorno and Horkheimer, “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as
Mass Deception”
30 (M)
Fight Club
Adorno and Horkheimer, “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as
Mass Deception”
2 (W)
Agamben, excerpts from Homo Sacer
Thesis Workshop for Paper #1
4 (F)
Macbeth (1971)
Agamben, Homo Sacer
7 (M)
No Class
9 (W)
Macbeth
Agamben, Homo Sacer
Due: Paper #1
11 (F)
Fall Break (No Class)
Section III: Bodies in Resistance
14 (M)
28 Days Later (2002)
Fanon, excerpts from Wretched of the Earth
16 (W)
Exam 1
18 (F)
28 Days Later
Fanon, Wretched of the Earth
21 (M)
Hartman, excerpts from Scenes of Subjection
23 (W)
Django Unchained (2012)
Hartman, Scenes of Subjection
November
25 (F)
Django Unchained
Hartman, Scenes of Subjection
28 (M)
El Orfanato (The Orphanage, 2007)
Siebers, Disability Theory
30 (W)
El Orfanato
Siebers, Disability Theory
1 (F)
El Orfanato
Siebers, Disability Theory
Section IV: Resistance through Gender, Sex, and Desire
December
4 (M)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
Cixous, “Sorties: Out & Out: Attacks / Ways Out / Forays”
6 (W)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Cixous, “Sorties: Out & Out: Attacks / Ways Out / Forays”
8 (F)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Butler, excerpts from Gender Trouble
11 (M)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Butler, excerpts from Gender Trouble
13 (W)
Edelman, excerpts from No Future
15 (F)
Little Children (2006)
Edelman, No Future
18 (M)
Little Children
Edelman, No Future
20 (W)
Warner, excerpts from The Trouble with Normal
22 (F)
Trainspotting (1996)
Warner, The Trouble with Normal
2 (M)
Trainspotting
Warner, The Trouble with Normal
Final Paper Due at 5PM
4 (W)
Review Session for Final Exam
Please note that our final exam will be held on Monday, December 9th at 9AM.
I’ll bring the donuts and coffee; you can bring a blue book.