Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2015 - HIST 463W D100

Resistance, Rebellion, and Revolution in Theory and in Practice (4)

Class Number: 6715

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 8 – Dec 7, 2015: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–1:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units including nine units of lower division history.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores ideas, people, and movements of social criticism and social justice, stressing history as a way to understand and engage the present. Students who have previously taken HIST 412 or HIST 412W may not take HIST 463 for further credit when offered with the course topic "Marxism." Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

A Ruthless Criticism of Everything that Exists": An Introduction to Marx and Marxist Histories

Party like it's 1848!

At the age of 25, Marx called upon students, radicals, and revolutionaries to develop “a ruthless criticism of everything that exists." In this course we'll examine some of his ideas to see what they offer activists and social critics in the 21st century. We'll explore ideas such as class, class conflict, alienation, capitalism, and hegemony as we read Marx, popular works, and academic articles. Students will be encouraged to bring their own experience and ideas to class discussions as we think about how historians, including Marx, try not just to interpret the world but to change it.

HIST 463 full syllabus

Grading

  • Participation 20%
  • Short writing assignments 20%
  • Research presentations 20%
  • Final paper 40%
  • There's a lot of reading, and participation will focus on the readings each week. You've been warned.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Francis Wheen, Karl Marx   Karl Marx, Capital, Volume 1 (It will be easier if you get the Penguin edition; it's a more modern translation. Don't be scared by the size of it: we won't read all of it, and 1/3 of it is footnotes you can ignore.)

Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto: A Road Map to History's Most Important Political Document, edited by Phil Gasper (This edition has lots of other material we'll use in the course)

John Seed, Marx: A Guide for the Perplexed

Courseware package (materials will also be available online and Canvas)

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/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

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS