Introductory Presentations/Slides

The presentations/slides from the introductory lectures this week are now online. Click the links below.

Rorty and Fraser 'political recognition/nonrecognition of identity' lecture slides.
Hacking 'metaphysical construction/reality of identity' lecture slides.

And to clarify the one-pager due on Friday:
1. Pick an identity category to write about -- either race or gender (or both if you wish).
2. Briefly explain how you think race or gender categories should contribute to our politics. Are you a 'conservative' who thinks the categories pretty much work well as they are, or are you a 'reformist' who thinks we should keep the categories but reform, or are you an 'eliminativist' who thinks we should get rid of these ideas? Or do you favor some other view?
3. Then briefly explain your view of the metaphysics/ontology of this category. Do you think race or gender is real, is it constructed, or are you an extreme skeptic/anti-realist about that category? State your position and briefly explain it.

This is not to meant to be extraordinarily demanding. It is a response paper. It should be 1 to 1.5 pages only (that's not much!). The idea is just for you to undertake a preliminary exploration of how you currently stand on these issues. The idea is just to gain a little self-awareness through a short writing exercise.

Do not hesitate to email me if you have questions. Also I have office hour this Friday 12:30-1:30 so feel free to stop by though that won't give you much time before 2:00 to work something up.