Fall 2004 Syllabus

POLT 2500 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Politics: Sex, Drugs, and Garbage

The Political Economy of Sex, Drugs and Garbage

Finally, there came a time when everything that men had considered as inalienable became an object of exchange, of traffic and could be alienated. This is the time when the very things which till then had been communicated, but never exchanged; given, but never sold; acquired, but never bought--virtue, love, conviction, knowledge, conscience, etc.--when everything, in short, passed into commerce. It is the time of general corruption, of universal venality, or, to speak in terms of political economy, the time when everything, moral or physical, having become a marketable value, is brought to the market to be assessed at its truest value.
                                 Karl Marx, The Poverty of Philosophy (1847)

I refuse to adopt the currently popular stance as a martyr in order to legitimize myself as a women or a feminist. I will not channel all my desire for sex into love, romance and "meaningful relationships." I reserve the right to fuck. I reserve the right to pursue physical pleasure just because it feels good. And I refuse to eschew money and all that it can buy so I can earn merit badges for doing without and leading a life of self-sacrifice. I claim the right to want, to procure, and to be satisfied.
                                 Veronica Monet, "Sedition" (1997)

Our society is one not of the spectacle, but of surveillance; under the surface of images, one invests bodies in depth; behind the great abstraction of exchange, there continues the meticulous, concrete training of useful forces...it is not that the beautiful totality of the individual is amputated, repressed, altered by our social order, it is rather that the individual is carefully fabricated in it, according to a whole technique of forces and bodies.
                                 Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish (1977)

Course Description: This course will explore several different theoretical perspectives in political economy. Class lectures, discussions, videos, guest speakers and readings will raise important philosophical and political questions concerning the relationship between economics and public policy--or more specifically, between market values and social values. Among the questions we will address are: Do human beings have a natural right to buy and sell their bodies and/or sexual services? On what grounds can a government prohibit its citizens from consuming narcotics? Should policy makers consider the cost effectiveness of their actions, or should moral concerns outweigh economic considerations? What role, if any, should market forces play in addressing these issues?  

Texts:

Ackerman, Frank. Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values and Public Policy. Washington D.C.: Island Press. (1997).

Schaler, Jeffrey A. Drugs: Should We Legalize, Decriminalize or Deregulate? Amherst, NY:
Prometheus Books. (1998).

Chapkis, Wendy. Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor. New York: Routledge. (1997).

Other readings are available on-line via the internet by following links on the course syllabus website or on electronic reserve.

On-line resources are available on the course links page.

Course Requirements and Grading:

The primary requirement for the course is that each student comes to class having read and thought about the assigned readings, and is prepared to participate in discussion. Other requirements are as follows:

• Debates:
  There will be three debates in which each student will participate on one side of one debate. The debate topics are listed below.
  Debates will be held at the end of the section dealing with that topic as indicated on the course schedule.
   
  1. Public curbside recycling is cost effective, and therefore local governments should participate in such programs.

  2. There should be no laws prohibiting the exchange or consumption of drugs.
  3. Prostitution should be legalized.
  Please note: while the debates will require you to work in groups, each student will be graded individually based on preparation, the strength of the arguments and logic, and performance.
  
  
• Position Papers:
  Students will also be required to write two papers (6-8 pgs.) on two of the three topic areas. The papers will be on the two topics that are not their debate topic.  For example, if you are doing your debate on recycling you will write position papers on sex and drugs.  In these papers you will take a position on the issue and defend your point of view.  The papers must discuss the counterarguments to your position and they must address specific arguments in the articles that are assigned in class (you can bring in arguments from other sources, but you must at least deal with the assigned articles).  The papers will be due on the dates when the debate on that topic will take place.

Grading:  

Academic Dishonesty:

It is the policy of the instructor that any student caught cheating or committing plagiarism will receive a failing grade for the course and may be subject to further disciplinary action. Plagiarism occurs when a writer intentionally or unintentionally use someone else's words or ideas without proper acknowledgement.

Plagiarism: How to Define It, Recognize It and Avoid Doing It
Citation Guides for Doing Papers

Course Outline and Schedule: