TRN203H1
TRN203H1: Society, its Limits and Possibilities
Course Description
We study key texts that have articulated fundamental features of modern social and political reality, including capitalism, socialism, bureaucracy, media, identity politics, consent, colonial exploitation and the post-colonial world. Our chief guides are selections from texts in which historical authors first articulated the foundations of the contemporary world. Because the fundamental features that co-constitute our reality—and so determine our limitations and possibilities—have histories and inertias, our journey is a historical one.
If today some aim to overcome the status quo while others resist change, they all do so in terms of social and political foundations. Our task is to understand the evolving foundations that have made us who we have become.
Assessment: October take-home of about five one-page-answer questions (~25%); end-of-term essay (~6pp, ~30%); tutorial participation (~15%); final exam (either oral or written, depending on public health requirements) (~30%).
2023-2024 Instructor
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John Duncan John Duncan is director of the University of Toronto’s major program in Ethics, Society and Law (ES&L, we say “E, S AND L”) hosted by Trinity College. ES&L enrolls 75 new students from more than 500 applicants annually, and features small seminar courses, innovative programing, a focus on sustainability, and more traditional courses. John is also the academic director of the Ideas for the World program at Victoria College in the U of T. John’s interests include outreach and engagement co-learning (please see, e.g., “Humanities for Humanity”), critical issues in contemporary society and politics (please see, e.g., “Three NATO gambles in Ukraine”), and the history of philosophy and the humanities (please see, e.g., Rousseau and Desire). He is involved in peace research and directs the Humanities for Humanity program at Trinity. For more information, please see his web presence on Academia.edu. |
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