COMP 301 Word Virus: Cultural Theory after the Linguistic Turn (Same as Linguistics 301 and Religion 301) (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010)

REL 301 Word Virus: Cultural Theory after the Linguistic Turn (Same as Comparative Literature 301 and Linguistics 301) (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010)
"My general theory since 1971 has been that the Word is literally a virus, and that it has not been recognized as such because it has a achieved a state of relatively stable symbiosis with its human host." (William S. Burroughs 1986, 47). Parallel movements in continental European and Anglo-American philosophy (known popularly as "the linguistic turn") led to an interdisciplinary emphasis on the way in which language constitutes reality. Language could no longer be thought of as simply a mechanism for the transmission of "facts." Increasingly, theorists recognized that differences in language created incommensurable worlds of meaning; that specialized forms of linguistic discourse are both determined by and constitutive of their putative objects. Accordingly, linguistic phenomena have taken center stage not only in philosophy, but also in the study of culture and society. The influx of these new theories of language has also dramatically reshaped the discipline of religious studies. By examining the linguistic turn and its implications for the study of cultural phenomena, this course will introduce advanced students to some of the most important theoretical approaches to come out of this movement. Authors whose work will be considered include: Ludwig Wittgenstein, Ferdinand de Saussure, Benjamin Whorf, George Lakoff, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jacques Derrida, Roland Barthes, Paul Ricoeur, Mikhail Bakhtin, Luce Irigaray, Richard Dawkins, and Dan Sperber.
Format: seminar. Requirements: active participation, class presentations, short writing assignments, and a take-home final exam.
Prerequisites: Religion 101 or Comparative Literature 117 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 15). Preference given to Religion and Comparative Literature majors.
JOSEPHSON