Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

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PSCI0309A-S10

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. (PSCI 0101 or PSCI 0107 or SOAN 0103 or SOAN 0105)
Course Reference Number (CRN):
21582
Subject Code:
PSCI
Course Number:
0309
Section Identifier:
A

Course

PSCI 0309

All Sections in Spring 2010

Spring 2010

PSCI0309A-S10 Lecture (Carmola)