Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 358"
COURSE NAME: "Politics of Enchantment"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Eszter Salgo
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The purpose of this course is to demonstrate that without reflecting on the imagination, emotions and desires of political actors (leaders and citizens), it is not possible to understand today’s world. While they have always been present throughout the history of politics, the role of feelings and fantasies, myths and charismatic authority has become even more crucial and visible in the twenty-first century. The course aims to investigate how extra-rational factors shape political decision-making and public responses through psychoanalytic and anthropological theories. Its interdisciplinary approach offers students the opportunity to better understand the deeper causes of the rise (or return) of nationalism, populism, authoritarianism and radicalization.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This discussion-based course is built on the premise that we need to move beyond the rational actor model and adopt a reflexive-interpretative approach when analyzing political events and social phenomena. It seeks to investigate the sacralization, emotionalization and dramatization of political agendas - how political actors (and entities) assume mythological connotations and become the object of a secular cult, faith, loyalty, and reverence. In the second part of the course students will analyze the many forms that the politics of enchantment can take and how visual propaganda can be used in both democratic and non-democratic systems. What is the role of paintings, films, digital images, sculptures, monuments, and buildings in generating awe and excitement? The case studies will cover topics such as the mythical narratives about the Russia-Ukraine war, the “messianic roots” of the European Union’s legitimacy, the myth of the Golden Age in contemporary nationalist movements, the transformation of Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping into heroic (divine?) ﬁgures (in the way they are imagined) and the carnivalesque nature of Italy’s Five-Star Movement.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

a) understand the relationship between politics and the characteristics of human nature; b) show an ability to apply anthropological and psychoanalytical approaches to the study of politics and society; c) understand the sources of charismatic leadership; d) interpret verbal and visual political communication; e) critically assess the role of symbols, rituals and myths in politics; f) appreciate the importance of the aesthetic sources of politics; g) participate in the flourishing interdisciplinary conversation about the deep connections between psychology, aesthetics, anthropology and politics; h) use critical thinking, analytical skills and imagination to propose individual interpretations; i) use research skills (relying both on primary and secondary, verbal and visual sources and j)demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills.

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Attendance and participation in discussions	Students are expected to attend the classes, read the assigned chapters/articles, show interest/curiosity and participate in class discussions with thoughtful comments	15%
Research project	Students are expected to conduct a research on a topic of their choice, give a (powerful, informative, clear and thought-provoking!) 10-minute-long presentation and submit their abstract and bibliography (in APA citation style).	25%
Midterm exam	The midterm exam consists of short questions with a focus on the topics covered in the first half of the semester.	20%
Final exam	The final exam (cumulative!) consists of essay questions. Students are graded on accuracy, depth of analysis, logical content, creative thinking, on their ability to formulate a sophisticated argument, provide evidence for their statements, discuss and show understanding of alternative explanations, offer an original perspective.	40%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Week 1
Class 1: Introduction
Class 2: Enchantment, disenchantment, re-enchantment: an individual journey

Week 2:
Class 3: Interpreting Max Weber’s concept of disenchantment
Reading: Green, Two meanings of disenchantment and J.A. Josephson-Storm, The Myth of Disenchantment, Chapter 10
Class 4: The different meanings of reenchantment
Reading: What is Reenchantment? (2019) An Interview with Charles Taylor + Landy & Saler (2009) The Re-Enchantment of the World: Secular Magic in a Rational Age,Introduction

Week 3
Class 5: The different forms of reenchantment
Readings:J.A. Josephson-Storm, The Myth of Disenchantment, Intro and chapter 1

Class 6: Interpreting Max Weber’s concept of charisma
Reading: Iván Szelényi’s Yale Lecture “Weber on Charismatic Authority” + Molly Worthen 2023 Gurus, Prophets, and the Problem of Charisma in North American Politics

Week 4
Class 7: Modernity and the sacred
Readings: Roberto Calasso (2014) Ardor, Chapter 1 and R. Calasso (2020) The Unnamable Present, Chapter 1 plus https://merionwest.com/2021/10/12/roberto-calasso-a-man-possessed/ and watch lecture Rene Girard lecture series, Stanford “Last superstition”

Class 8: Modernity and the loss of sacred
Reading: Byung-Chul Han (2017) Psychopolitics, Verso and Joshua Pauling (2022) Philosophy as Enchantment: Exploring the Work of Byung-Chul Han

Week 5
Class 9: Modernity and gnosticism
Readings: Linda C. Raeder (2013), Voegelin on Gnosticism, Modernity, and the Balance of Consciousness, The Political Science Reviewer 344-370; Arpad Szakolczai (2021) On Imbecility as a Contemporary Mode of
Exercising Power: Davos Thinking as a Version of Modern Gnosticism, International Political Anthropology journal, (2021) Vol. (14) 2, 141-155

Class 10: Sacralization of politics
Reading: Emilio Gentile (2006) Politics as Religion, New York: Princeton University Press Chapter 1, Harald Wydra (2015) Politics and the Sacred, Cambridge University Press, Chapter 1
Class 11(make-up class for April 25): Images and enchantment
Readings: David Morgan (2019) Images at Work : The Material Culture of Enchantment, Introduction and Chapter 5

Week 6
Class 12: Popular culture and enchantment
Reading: Federica Caso, Caitlin Hamilton (2015) World Politics and Popular Culture, E-International Relations

Class 13: Public space and enchantment

Reading: Dell’Aria (2021) Enchanted encounters: moving images, public art and an ethical sense of place + Eszter Salgó (2022) Simone Leigh’s Brick House: America’s Mighty-Mighty New Colossus, Milan: Postmedia Books

Week 7 BREAK

Weak 8

Class 14: Review

Class 15: Midterm

Week 9
Class 16: Politics of Enchantment in Russia
Reading: Amy Singleton Adams (2023) War and Peace: Orthodox Icons and Putin’s Politics of the Sacred

Class 17: Politics of Enchantment in China
Reading: Ruichang Wang and Ruiping Fan (2023) Tracing Confucianism in contemporary China + Maria Adele Carrai (2021) Chinese Political Nostalgia and Xi Jinping’s Dream of Great Rejuvenation, International Journal of Asian Studies (2021), 18, 7–25,

Week 10
Class 18: Politics of Enchantment in India
Reading: Lakshmi (2020) Choreographing Tolerance: Narendra Modi, Hindu Nationalism, and International Yoga Day
Class 19 Politics of Enchantment in Turkey

Reading: Ahmet Erdi Öztürk (2021) The transnational politics of religion: Turkey's Diyanet, Islamic communities and beyond + Senem B. Çevik (2019) Turkish historical television series: public broadcasting of neo-Ottoman illusions, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, Vol. 19, No. 2, 227–34

Week 11

Class 20: Politics of Enchantment in Hungary and Poland

Reading: Kulska, J. The Sacralization of Politics? A Case Study of Hungary and Poland. Religions 2023, 14, 525. + Salgò (2014) Psychoanalytic Reflections on Politics: Fatherlands in mothers' hands, Chapter 3

Class 21: Politics of Enchantment at the FAO

Reading: FAO (2022) Inside FAO

Week 12

Class 22: Oral presentations
Class 23: Oral presentations

Week 13

Class 24: The Politics of Enchantment of the ISIS
Readings: Charles Winter (2015) The Virtual ‘Caliphate’: Understanding Islamic State’s Propaganda Strategy, Quilliam, Thorsten Botz-Bornstein (2017) The “futurist” aesthetics of ISIS, Journal of Aesthetics and Culture and Dauber C. E.
Class 25: The EU’s Politics of Enchantment
Reading: Eszter Salgó (2017) Images from Paradise: the Visual Communication of the European Union’s Federalist Utopia, New York: Berghahn Books, Introduction and Part I, Part II or Part III

Week 14
Class 26: The Politics of Carnival
Reading: M. Lane Brune (2005) Carnivalesque Protest and the Humorless State Text and Performance Quarterly Vol. 25, No. 2, April 2005, pp. 136–155, Claire Tancons (2011) Occupy Wall Street: Carnival Against Capital? Carnivalesque as Protest Sensibility, E-Flux Journal 30
Class 27: Environmentalism and AI: new forms of religion?

Readings: Pinto T, Vilaça H. New Age and Environment: New Forms of Spirituality and Lifestyle in the Context of Secularization? Religions. 2023; 14(4):468 + McAerur (2023) AI worship

Week 15
Class 28: Review
Thursday: Holiday, no class