Major Topics in French and Francophone Studies (280-0-20)

Topic

Reading Science

Instructors

Ty Blakeney

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-415: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Reading Science

This course will apply the tools of literary theory and close reading to modern forms of scientific language. Why are some forms of knowledge deemed "scientific" while others are not? What kinds of linguistic practices make a text appear objective? What methods? Does our definition of objectivity change over time? How does scientific knowledge relate to state power? How can literary reading methods be applied to scientific texts, and what can we learn from these close readings? We will read and analyze wide variety of primary texts: modern scientific articles, 19th-century pseudoscientific texts in the fields of phrenology and early psychology, 19th-century texts that are still considered scientific today. In the second half of the course, we will look at French authors and filmmakers whose work engages with scientific objectivity in different ways (Zola, Thérèse Raquin; Ponge, Partisan of Things; Rouch and Morin, Chronicle of a Summer). These will be supplemented by brief theoretical texts that will help frame our readings throughout the quarter.

Taught in English!

Class Materials (Required)

Zola, Thérèse Raquin

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area