Middlebury

SOAN 0309

Pol Theory of Late Modernity

Risk and Late Modernity: Politics, Culture, and Danger
In this course we will address the political theory of our contemporary "late-modern" era. We will begin by reading selections from Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger on technology, danger, and political action. Then we will turn to an analysis of what some thinkers have labeled our current "risk society," focusing on the cultural anthropologist Mary Douglas, the sociologists Ullrich Beck and Anthony Giddens, and the political scientist Aaron Wildavsky. Questions we will address include the current preoccupations with global disaster, the politics of risk assessment and analysis, its effect on national and military decision-making, the rise of the insurance industry, and the background assumptions that guide our understanding of action in the world. 3 hrs. sem.
Subject:
Sociology/Anthropology
Department:
Sociology/Anthropology
Division:
Social Sciences
Requirements Fulfilled:
EUR PHL SOC
Equivalent Courses:
PSCI 0309 *

Sections in Spring 2009

Spring 2009

SOAN0309A-S09 Lecture (Carmola)