Topics in Culture and Society (492-0-20)

Topic

Foucault and AIDS

Instructors

Matthieu Dupas
847/491-2772
1860 S. Campus Drive, Crowe Hall #2-139

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 4-410: Wed 3:00PM - 5:50PM

Overview of class

This graduate seminar engages with Michel Foucault's concepts of biopolitics, sexuality, and power as they intersect with the AIDS crisis, while also exploring the parallels between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on Foucault's History of Sexuality and his work on governance, health, and resistance, the course examines how the management of life, risk, and public health during both crises reflects broader structures of control and societal response. By investigating the medical, governmental, and activist discourses surrounding HIV/AIDS, and asking to what extent these frameworks can inform our understanding of the COVID-19 era, the seminar encourages a reflection on how epidemics reshape public perceptions of the body, sexuality, and state power. Through this lens, students will critically explore the historical, social, and cultural dynamics of a pandemic, as well as the evolving relationships between health, power, and resistance.

Class Materials (Required)

Readings will be available through Canvas.