Topics in Philosophy (242-0-71)

Topic

Language and Power

Instructors

Torsten Menge

Meeting Info

Northwestern Qatar Room 3-203: Tues, Su 10:00AM - 11:15AM (AST)

Overview of class

Language plays a central role in our social lives: it helps us express our feelings, convey our thoughts, and create important connections with others. At the same time, it can be used to disparage, marginalize, or subordinate people. In this course, we will examine how the use of language can draw on, exert, and reinforce social power. With the help of classic ideas from the philosophy of language, we will analyze a number of contemporary issues concerned with the forms and effects of social discourse. Topics may include: free speech; the impact of hate speech, pornography, slurs, and other harmful speech; generalizations (so-called generics); propaganda and ideology; the representation of gender, race, and other social categories in language; the relationship between our social position and the effect of our speech; resistance to harmful speech. As we explore these topics, we will practice reading and critically engaging with analytical and argumentative texts, challenging basic assumptions, analyzing concepts, and assessing arguments.

Registration Requirements

Prerequisites: None

Open to First-Year Students, sophomores and ABP Dual Enrolled students

Open for Cross-Registration

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: NUQ: Seats are reserved for Sophomore and Freshmen only.