In his Foucault, Veyne takes great care in establishing Foucaults theory of history, especially with regard to discourses, historical formations, and dispositifs. Given these central concepts, along with any others you may deem essential to this end, how does Veyne conceptualize Foucaults theory of history and the attendant methods Foucault employs in carrying out this distinct form of historical inquiry?

Please select and respond to one of the three topics indicated below.

Each essay response should have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

In the introduction, students should make a commitment, at the very least, to addressing the matter at hand in terms of a clear thesis statement accompanied by supporting reasons for it. While assessment must obviously be based on the overall execution of the essay (i.e., its analytic depth, breadth, and precision, along with the degree to which it coherently develops its discussion as a whole, namely, by advancing reasons for its various claims and also, whenever appropriate or desirable, examples and illustrations in the body of the essay itself), failing to provide an argument in the introduction, as described above, will most likely lead to disappointing results from the very outset.

In the body of the essay, students should proceed to advance their introductory argument by way of clear and distinct thematic blocks. To this end, it may prove advisable for students to indicate, oftentimes at the end of the introductory paragraph, the thematic headings of each block as the various stages through which the argument will be advanced in the body of the essay; at their very best, each thematic block will serve to fortify the introductory argument, building the case for it along every step of the way.

In the conclusion, students should, by all means, avoid contradicting their introductory argument; at its very best, a conclusion will serve more a revelatory than merely repetitive function in relation to the introductory argument.

All essays should be of roughly seven pages in length, with pages numbered (first page number may be suppressed), lines double-spaced, and size 12 font. All essays should include the students name and the topic at the head of the essay; any essay failing to include this information at its head will be returned to the student, with a corresponding reduction of 10 points resulting from the necessity of its resubmission, which will in this case be treated as a late submission (see penultimate paragraph, below).

All essays should include a bibliography and citations. Any essay submitted without a bibliography and citations will be returned to the student, with a corresponding reduction of up to 10 points resulting from its late submission. The bibliography should include the full name of the author(s), the full title of the publication, place of publication, publisher, and date of publication (student are advised to follow the model used for the texts listed in the syllabus). Citations may be done in whatever manner students elect to employ (footnotes, MLA, etc.); provided each citation contains all the information necessary for the reader readily to locate the exact passage in the text(s) listed in the bibliography, no further information is necessary.

All essays submitted late, but within 24 hours of the time of the due date, may be penalized up to 10 points resulting from the late submission; all essays submitted late, but beyond 24 hours after the time of the due date, may be penalized up to 20 points.

Finally, any student caught cheating may be failed for the entire semester.

The harder we work, the luckier we get!

TOPICS

1) In his Foucault, Veyne takes great care in establishing Foucaults theory of history, especially with regard to discourses, historical formations, and dispositifs. Given these central concepts, along with any others you may deem essential to this end, how does Veyne conceptualize Foucaults theory of history and the attendant methods Foucault employs in carrying out this distinct form of historical inquiry?

2) As Michael Goddard argues:[1] in Karos, Negri begins his great triptych with an account of materialist knowledge and temporality as developed, respectively, through the concepts of the common and kairs, the two of which together comprise something that might simply be termed the temporality of the event; in Alma Venus, he then proceeds with a materialist ontology, on the one hand, of power as potentia, or constituent power, and, on the other, of power as potestas, or constituted power; and finally, in Multitudo, he concludes by way of an account of processes of real constitution and the possible emergence of new forces of transformation, or what might simply be termed a post-Marxist communism. Write an essay in which you develop the analyses of these central themes as set forth in Negris Karos, Alma Venus, Multitudo.

3) Cox famously pursues at least two lines of questioning in Social Forces, States and World Orders. His primary interest, of course, consists in establishing a critical theory of international relations, but, prior to doing so, he develops a relatively brief yet extremely cogent critique of problem-solving theory. Write an essay in which you examine both Cox critique of problem-solving theory and, above all, his conception of a critical theory of international relations.

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