Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2024 - IS 309 D200

Special Topics in International Security and Conflict (4)

Everyday Geopolitics of Coloniality & Empire

Class Number: 5291

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2024: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Specific details of courses to be offered will be published prior to enrollment each term.

COURSE DETAILS:

Coloniality is alive and well in the present moment and continues to influence how power and knowledge are produced and normalized. Have you ever wondered why Eurocentric knowledge and logic are often considered universal? How does this affect our everyday lives? This course aims to uncover how the coloniality of power/knowledge and the ruins/remnants of empire impacts our interactions with languages, borders, cultures, state-police-military institutions, literatures, intimacies, and differences.

We will explore powerful ideas like border thinking, decoloniality, and decolonial love to challenge and counter empire and coloniality. The course will also delve into everyday acts of resistance and collective action to discover decolonial ways of reimagining life and asserting sovereign futures.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • Gain a deep understanding of coloniality and empire, and how they continue to influence the contemporary production of power and knowledge.
  • Learn and apply critical theories such as border thinking, decoloniality, and decolonial love to challenge and counter colonial and imperial legacies.
  • Develop an understanding of non-Western knowledge systems to challenge Eurocentric intellectual traditions.
  • Learn methods to engage with race, gender, and indigeneity in relation to coloniality and empire.
  • Investigate everyday practices of resistance and collective action as decolonial tactics for reimagining life and asserting sovereign futures.
  • Develop an independent research proposal to further study decolonial projects globally.

Grading

  • Participation and Attendance 15%
  • Discussion Facilitation 20%
  • Reading Reflections (5 in total; 350 words each) 20%
  • Film Reflection 15%
  • Research Proposal (approx. 3500 words) 30%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All readings will be available through Canvas.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.