Selected Topics in Poststructuralism and Psychoanalysis

The syllabus includes key concets in poststructuralism and psychoanalysis and the wider context of philosophy, literary theory, lingustics, art history etc.

Main topics:

The first topic includes the presentation of the emergence and developments of structuralism and poststructuralism in the context of contemporary philosophy, phenomenology, existentialism, critical theory etc., and in the broader scope of humanities.

The second topic includes the presentation of the 'structural paradigm' and structuralist turn to language, importance of Ferdinand de Saussure, Roman Jakobson, Emile Benveniste etc., the role of Claude Lévi-Strauss, importance of relation to psychoanalysis, Lacan's 'return to Freud', Lacan's key concepts, etc., and of the end of paradigm.

The third topic includes the presentation of key concepts of poststructuralism and psychoanalysis, the confrontation of 'structural paradigm' with poststructuralism; the presentation of the importance and work of Jacques Derrida and his criticism of structuralism, Derrida's readings of Lévi-Strauss, Rousseau, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Heidegger etc., the role of Derrida's collaborators and the importance of the wider field of deconstruction for philosophy, literature, arts, etc.

The fourth topic includes a thorough presentation of Derrida, his key concepts, critique of metaphysics, importance for literary theory, theater, arts etc.; a presentation of Michel Foucault, his 'archaeology of knowledge', genealogy, history of sexuality, etc., Foucault's key concepts, his anwser to the question 'What is Enlinghenment?' etc.; a presentation of Gilles Deleuze, his key concepts, Deleuze's answers to the questions 'What is philosophy?' and 'What is Enlightenment?', relations to literary theory, theater, film, etc.

The fifth topic includes the presentation of the broader field of poststructuralism and psychoanalysis, work of Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, Hélene Cixous, Catherine Malabou, Judith Butler, Jacqueline Rose, Shoshana Felman, Jane Gallop, etc., their importance for philosopy, literary theory, feminist theory, etc.; the presentation of the importance of Deleuze and Guattari's collaboration, the importance of antipsychiatry, antiphilosophy, anti-oedipal movement, etc. for development of humanities and for social critique.

The sixth topic includes the critical evaluation of the main representatives of poststructuralism and psychoanalysis, their influence on the Enlightenment heritage, the importance for contemporary currents in philosophy, literature, arts etc. and for humanities and social sciences in general.