Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Politics of Love Syllabus PDF
Politics of Love Syllabus PDF
Politics of Love Syllabus PDF
Thursdays, 3:30-6:15pm
Room: CAS 314
Course Description:
This political theory course examines 20th and 21st century historical, literary, and
theoretical depictions of love in politics. Love is often depicted as a force that can
productively transcend political division. Yet many political thinkers warn that appeals to
love in politics – for example, on behalf of gay marriage or racial justice – serve merely
to distract us from political problems, oppression, and inequality. Should we see love as a
potent political resource, or a dangerous political fantasy? Does love express our
common humanity, or does it reinforce heteronormativity and racial inequality?
Course Mechanics:
This is an upper level political theory seminar based in class discussion. For this reason,
each student should come to class with the relevant texts in hand, prepared with questions
(about the broader meaning of the text, about particular passages, or about connections
with other texts we are reading in the course) and ready to have a lively class discussion
centered on the course material. To this end, each student is required to give a
presentation on the readings once during the semester (I will distribute guidelines)
and to write 1-2 page response papers (single spaced) about the readings for each
class. This response should include summary and critical questions that you would like
raised in class. You must email me this response by 5pm the night before class, so that I
can incorporate your questions into my plans for the day.
Course Requirements:
*Your work must be your own and your essays must be adequately cited; to do otherwise
is to plagiarize. Plagiarism – the passing off of other people’s words and ideas as
your own – will be severely penalized. Please refer to the BU Academic Conduct code
for further information: http://www.bu.edu/academics/policies/academic-conduct-code/
*Introduction
*Recommended:
NO CLASS
Recommended:
*Lawrie Balfour, The Evidence of Things Not Said: James Baldwin and the
Promise of American Democracy (Cornell, 2001)
*George Shulman, American Prophecy: Race and Redemption in American
Political Culture (Minnesota, 2008)
*Lisa Beard, “‘Flesh of Their Flesh, Bone of Their Bone’: James Baldwin’s
Racial Politics of Boundedness” (Contemporary Political Theory 2016)
*Sara Ahmed, “In the Name of Love,” from The Cultural Politics of Emotions
(Blackboard)
*Jennifer Nash, “Practicing Love: Black Feminism, Love-Politics, and Post-
Intersectionality” (Blackboard)
*Sonu Bedi, “Sexual Racism: Intimacy as a Matter of Justice” (Blackboard)
*Kathi Weeks, “Down with Love” (Verso blog post:
https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/3614-down-with-love-feminist-critique-and-the-new-
ideologies-of-work)