Lacan and subjectivity
Proposed to be offered next in 1996
Elizabeth Grosz
8 or 12 points * 2 hours per week * First semester * Clayton * Prerequisites: CRT2050/3050 or PHL3050; or CRT2060/3060 or PHL3060
The subject is designed to provide an introductory reading of the difficult psychoanalytic texts of the French psychoanalyst, Jacques Lacan. We will explore his accounts of (1) the ego, subjectivity and otherness; (2) the unconscious and desire `structured like a language'; (3) his understanding of the phallus and sexual difference. The subject will aim to show his relevance to (a) philosophical accounts of subjectivity; (b) theories of literary and visual representation; (c) feminist theory.
Assessment: 8 points
One seminar paper: 20% * One 3000-word essay: 80%
Assessment: 12 points
One seminar paper: 20% * Either one 6000-word essay or two 3000-word essays: 80%
Prescribed texts
Descombes V Modern French philosophy
Gallop J Jacques Lacan
Grosz E Jacques Lacan: A feminist introduction
Irigaray L Speculum of the other woman
Lacan J Écrits: A selection
Lacan J Feminine sexuality
Lacan J The four fundamental concepts of psychoanalysis
Lacan J Seminar I, II and IV
Muller J and Richardson W Lacan and language
Roudiresco E Jacques Lacan and Co.
Wilden A The language of the self
Zizck S The sublime object of ideology