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Lismore - BB Study Period 1 N/A

Unit Summary

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

7

Level of learning

Intermediate

Former School/College

Former School of Law and Justice

Pre-requisites

96 credit points

Co-requisites

N/A

Anti-requisites

N/A

Unit aim

Investigates the current debate over the idea of communism. The unit examines issues such as the new cycle of struggles, class and identity and a return to communism. The contemporary critique of capitalism in a digital age (communicative capitalism) as well as the limits of media politics will be evaluated.

Unit content

  1. Return to communism
  2. Key positions in debate over the idea of communism
  3. New cycle of struggles
  4. Class and identity
  5. The people as the subject of politics
  6. Collective desire
  7. Communicative capitalism
  8. Limits of individualism
  9. Limits of anarchism
  10. The party
  11. Movement and the party
  12. Beyond resistance

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 Explain a theoretical approach to political struggles
2 Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of politics
3 Investigate the role of networked media in political struggle
4 Describe and examine the idea of contemporary communism

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. Explain a theoretical approach to political struggles
    • GA1:
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of politics
    • GA5:
  3. Investigate the role of networked media in political struggle
    • GA1:
  4. Describe and examine the idea of contemporary communism
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:

Prescribed texts

  • Alain Badiou, 2012, History in a Time of Riots, Verso, London, United Kingdom. ISBN: 9781844678792.
  • Edited by Costas Douzinas and Slavoj Zizek, 2010, The Idea of Communism, Vol 1, Verso. ISBN: 9781844674596.
  • Jodi Dean, 2012, The Communist Horizon, Verso. ISBN: 9781844679546.
  • Jodi Dean, 2016, Crowds and Party, Verso, London, United Kingdom. ISBN: 9781781686942.
  • New edition with an Introduction by Jodi Dean : Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, 2008, The Communist Manifesto, Pluto Press. ISBN: 9780745399379.
Prescribed texts may change in future teaching periods.