Structuralism

Instructor: Dr. Lawrence Wheeler

Structuralism's heyday, in the 1950's and 60's, saw the interventions and contributions of this "new" method to many fields--among others, anthropology, linguistics, history, literary criticism, psychoanalysis, engaging the efforts of such thinkers as Barthes, Foucault, Benvéniste, Lacan, Vernant. Yet by the end of the 1960's it seemed exhausted (and under heavy critical attack for its shortcomings.)

We'll look at some of the key primary documents of structuralism, think about the historical conditions of its emergence, and reflect on it both as working method and as theory. A seminar paper will be expected.