CSP2033 Radical Politics: Thought, Action, and Culture
(Formerly CVA2033)
4 Credits
This Intermediate Liberal Arts course examines the theory, actions, and artistic and cultural representations of radical political movements historically and in our time. Radical political movements seek major transformations and can span the political spectrum from left to right. Radical movements tend to work outside and even at odds with the mainstream political process. Through an interdisciplinary approach, this course will look at the history and contemporary forms of radical politics, analyses, manifestos and artistic work. In past courses, we have examined the Alt-Right and Antifa, the Movement for Black Lives, Indigenous politics, worker rebellions, the Arab Spring, and queer and women’s liberation movements around the globe. In recent years, we have also witnessed the Free Palestine movement, radical climate change action, the Serbian liberation movement and the rise of fascist organizations and governments around the globe. These and other examples could be topics in our course, which will pay attention to and discuss radical political movements taking place during our semester. We will focus on the North American context, but student projects and our discussions will also take account of global events. The materials for this class will include historical and political scholarly analyses, journalism, documentaries, film, literature, music, podcasts, public commentary, and the narratives of activists themselves.
Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)