Biopolitics 3800-BP25-BE-S-OG
The aim of the seminar is to present the philosophical assumptions and historical forms in which the connection between life and politics has emerged, and to familiarize students with basic texts in the field of biopolitics. During the classes, two models of biopolitics will be discussed, among others: the first one related to the ancient concept of life and the political way of shaping it, and the second one concerning life as an object of biological sciences and the political use of the results of these sciences (e.g., Darwinism, race theory, etc.). The subject of the classes will also include contemporary philosophical interpretations of biopolitics, as found in the writings of Foucault, Agamben, Giddens, and their application to the analysis of various cases on both national and international scales.
Selected topics:
- Basic human needs (shelter, freedom, security),
- Nationalism and ethnonationalism,
- Reproduction, gender, and sexuality as political issues,
- Eugenics as a political practice,
- Technological development and the issue of human enhancement,
- Disease as a political category (epidemics, addictions).
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Student knows and understands:
K_W02 – at an advanced level, the role of bioethics and biopolitics in the practice and development of biomedical sciences and other life‑science disciplines.
K_W03 – advanced bioethical and biopolitical terminology in Polish and English.
K_W12 – in depth, leading to specialization, the key issues, problems and current state of debate and research in the field of biopolitics.
Skills
Student is able to:
K_U01 – identify biopolitical problems and conflicts that arise in the practice and development of biomedical sciences and other life‑sciences, as well as in everyday and social life.
K_U02 – critically analyse oral and written statements by other authors in bioethics and biopolitics: reconstruct theses, identify factual and normative assumptions, and assess the validity and strength of argumentation.
K_U13 – prepare a written work, especially in biopolitics, in accordance with the relevant writing conventions: formulate a linguistically and editorially correct text, compile a bibliography and references.
K_U14 – prepare and deliver an oral presentation (paper) in the field of biopolitics.
K_U15 (English‑language seminar) – use English at level B2+ ESOKJ and employ specialist terminology from biopolitics and related disciplines and sub‑disciplines of science.
Social competences
Student is ready to:
K_K01 – critically evaluate their own knowledge, the information they obtain and the content they receive.
K_K02 – recognise the importance of biopolitical knowledge in solving problems generated by the practice and development of biomedical sciences and other life‑sciences, and to seek expert opinions when unable to solve these problems independently.
K_K05 – develop the achievements of biopolitics as a theoretical sub‑field and social practice in a reliable and responsible manner.
K_K06 – perceive the ethical, legal, and socio‑cultural problems and challenges connected with their own research and professional work.
Bibliography
Wybór/Selection:
Agamben G., Homo sacer; Arendt H., Korzenie totalitaryzmu (The Origins of Totalitarianism); Butler J., Uwikładni w płeć (Gender Trouble), Foucault M., Historia seksualności (History of Sexuality); Hobbes T., Lewiatan (Leviathan); Fukuyama F., Koniec człowieka. Konsekwencje rewolucji biotechnologicznej (Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution); Sussman D.,Co złego jest w torturach? (What’s Wrong with Torture?)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: