AS: 191.318 (13) On War and Its Discontents
Intersession 2015Ben Meiches
Office hours by appointment
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Class: MWF 1:15 – 5:00
This class pursues two themes. First, according to many theories of international relations, war plays a powerful role in constituting interstate relations, shaping the state system, or endangering international society. However, international relations literature rarely discusses war itself as a political thematic in favor of looking at the potential causes or consequences of war. This class will address the thematic of war directly as a formof political practice with complex layers, textures and dynamics. In short, we will try to excavate what we mean when we discuss or describe war as a political event. Second, the course examines emerging dynamics in contemporary warincluding the alleged obsolence of great power war, the rise on terrorism as well as the implications of science, technology and globalization. The class will examine to what degree these developments transform or alter war and what consequence they might have on the relationship between war and politics.
Requirements:
1)Attendance & Participation- Attendance is mandatory and essential for completion of this class. Participation is more than being present. It includes active and thoughtful engagement in discussions and thorough completion of any assignments that are part of the class. Good contributions build on, challenge, or ask for clarification on class materials and arguments. I reserve the right to call on anyone at any time.
2)Précis - a précis is a short (2-3 page double spaced) writing assignment completed prior to class. Précis address central points in the reading by highlighting, extending, or criticizing major themes in the assigned texts as well as developing questions for class discussion. A précis is an opportunity for critical reflection and independent thinking not reiteration of the central arguments of a text.
3)Expectations and Citizenship- Students are expected to conduct themselves appropriately at all times. Due to the emotional and controversial topics covered in this class, I insist that all students respect each other’s opinions. You are expected to listen respectfully to the instructor and other students when they are speaking. Racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ageism and other forms of bigotry are inappropriate to express in this class. We may discuss issues that require sensitivity and maturity. Finally, plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Get in the habit of citing all your work. Use simple in-text references please. For example (Smith 2003, 14) or (
Week 1: War as Politics
Monday
Carl von Clausewitz, On War, “What is War?” “On the Theory of War” 3-19, 68-84
Baron de Jomini, The Art of War, “Definition of Strategy and the Fundamental Principle of War,” 66-71
Wednesday
Hans Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations, Chapter 22 “Total War” 357-378 Chapter 24 “Security,” 407-418
Kenneth Waltz, Man, The State, and War, Chapter 6 “The Third Image: International Conflict and International Anarchy,” 159-187
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Hackett edition, Trans. Edwin Curley, Chapter XIII, “of the Natural Condition of Mankind, As Concerning Their Felicity, and Misery,” 74-78
Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political, Expanded Edition Trans. George Schwab, Section 3, 27-37
Friday
Gillo Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers (film)
Martin Van Creveld, The Transformation of War, 1-33
Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, 52-62
Week 2: Peace and War
Monday
Joshua Goldstein, Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide, 1-44
Mary Kaldor, New and Old Wars: Organized Violence in a Global Era, 72-94
Tarak Barkawi, Globalization and War, 27-57
Chris J. Cuomo, “War Is Not Just an Event: Reflections on the Significance of Everyday Violence,” Hypatia, Vol. 11, No. 4, Autumn, 1996, 30-45
Wednesday
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty (film)
Slavoj Zizek, “Are We in a War? Do We Have An Enemy?” London Review of Books, Vol. 24, No. 10, May, 2002, 3-6
Jasbir Puar and Amit Rai, “Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile Patriots,” Social Text Vol. 20, No. 3, 117-148
Darius Rejali, Modernity and Torture, 405-445
Friday
Gregoire Chamayou, Manhunts: A Philosophical History, 1-19, 57-77, 134-155
Week 3: Politics as War
Monday
Michel Foucault, ‘Society Must Be Defended,’ 1-42
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science,Trans. Walter Kaufmann, Note 23, 96-98, Note 283, 228-229
Wednesday
Terrance Malick, The Thin Red Line (film)
Michael Shapiro, Cinematic Geopolitics, 137-67
Friday
Ian Bogost, “The Rhetoric of Video Games,” 117-140
Manuel De Landa, War in the Age of Intelligent Machines, 179-195
In-Class Video Game Exercise
(For Rob: this included showing early flight simulators, the emergence of first-person shooters through Doom and Dark Forces (late 80s games), to contemporary war gaming America’s Armies (used as a recruitment tool for the armed forces) and Call of Duty)
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