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Academic Year 2004/2005

Critical Perspectives on the State
WMST 302 FA

In the course we will examine the state from a variety of social science perspectives. These will include feminist, Marxist, and culture-based conceptualizations and critiques of the state. Our purpose will be to look at the state, including its structure, practices, and policies, from these various perspectives to see what they reveal about the nature of the state and the consequences of actions undertaken through the state. We will analyze, for example, how the state is implicated in and engenders social inequalities and cultural transformation. Specific examples of states/state practices will be drawn from the Caribbean, Europe, the United States, and South Asia, among others. Students will not only examine the state as a culturally-embedded institution (through specific examples of microlevel state practices, disaggregating the state) but will also interrogate the state-civil society binary. Throughout, we will pay particular attention to the gendered nature of the state.

MAJOR READINGS

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS WMST    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005

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