Society and the Event
New School for Social Research: Sociology
CRN: 14439
Credits: 3
Social life is framed (and re-directed) increasingly not just by institutions and processes but by events. Recent theorizing of events in philosophy, history, anthropology, political theory, and sociology discuss their qualities of rupture,surprise, and incomprehension, the way events elude the present, act as turning points, require recognition by subjects, and prompt the appearance, focusing or reconstitution of individual subjects themselves. Indeed events are shape-shifters, now appearing as letters and treaties, now paintings and maps, now political constitutions, now handshakes etc. In this course we will rethink and reconceptualize ‘event’, its deployment of performatives, its actors and publics as a key political and sociological category that illuminates the understanding both our present and our future. The readings will include Alain Badiou, William Sewell, Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, Reinhart Koselleck and others.
College: New School for Social Research (GF)
Department: Sociology (GSOC)
Campus: New York City (GV)
Course Format: Lecture (L)
Modality: In-Person
Max Enrollment: 13
Add/Drop Deadline: September 12, 2022 (Monday)
Online Withdrawal Deadline: December 18, 2022 (Sunday)
Seats Available: Yes
Status: Closed*
* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 5:04am EST 1/28/2023