Critical Social Inquiry 0287 - Meeting Lacan

Students will learn Lacanian psychoanalysis through working both in solitude and in collaboration. We'll read primary and secondary literature on Lacanian psychoanalysis, including cases by Freud. Students will work in groups to create scenes in which Lacan visits Freud and advises him on a case, and perform that scene. We'll also explore Lacan's concept of desire, the Other of language, and the Real unconscious. Finally, students will be involved in working at the Hampshire College Farm Center, recording their impressions, associations, and any dreams that refer to this experience. The idea is to learn how formations of the unconscious emerge, to understand their logic and use them to make something new. The final project takes the form of an artistic production, with a Lacanian analysis. Div. III students may take this course as an advanced course.

Independent Work Writing and Research Students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.