Concentration in Critical Theory
Macalester College
The undergraduate concentration in critical theory provides students an opportunity to engage in the interdisciplinary study of critical theory through five courses. Core courses focus directly and in a sustained manner on the founders and architects of critical theory, including its background traditions of thought. These courses offer a basic understanding of the genealogy, purpose, and philosophical/historical/intellectual background of critical theory, and provide students with the fundamental conceptual framework and terminology of the field. Elective courses either use critical-theory-oriented approaches or focus on more peripheral representatives of the field or address specialized subfields within critical theory. They offer students a chance to acquire more detailed mastery of specific topics in the field of critical theory, as well as to gain exposure to the broader array of its applications in contemporary discourse.
The objectives are to cultivate skills in analyzing: the underlying presuppositions operative in any field of knowledge in order for it to accept certain claims as true; the underlying presuppositions on the basis of which a field of knowledge raises and pursues a certain set of questions, as opposed to others; the common presuppositions shared by apparently diverse fields of knowledge, so as to discern the constellation of interrelated cognitive, cultural, and socio-political practices that subtend specific historical epochs; and the interaction among discourses in terms of intellectual history or history of consciousness in its relation to socio-political formations.
Contact Information
Kiarina Kordela, Director
2085 Jefferson Ave.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
United States http://www.macalester.edu/academics/criticaltheory/
kordela@macalester.edu
(651) 675-9642
Region
North America
Academic Program
Certificate (includes emphasis, specialization, or concentration)
Year Established
2012