Description
Book SynopsisConfronting Theory presents a methodological (philosophical) and educational evaluation and critique of what has come to be known as Theory (‘with a capital-T’) in cross-disciplinary humanities education. Rather than merely dismissing Theory writing as risibly pretentious and abstract, Confronting Theory examines its principal concepts from the perspective of academic psychology and shows that, although ‘Theory that only dogs can hear’ may sound like revolutionary psychological analysis it is frequently incoherent and/or has few, if any, empirical implications that students can evaluate.
Table of ContentsChapter One: Cultural Studies and Capital-T Theory The Problem of ‘Theory’ Cultural Studies and/as Psychology Texts and Science Theory's Challenge
Chapter Two: What is Theory About? Immaterial Foundations After the ‘Sokal Hoax’ Theory is Not Metaphor
Chapter Three: Different Things Language Problems Reductionism and ‘Essentialism’ Relations and Things Becoming Theoretical Real Differences: ‘Race’ and Identity Making Sense of Difference
Chapter Four: Theory, People and ‘Subjects’ Psychology and the Emergence of Cultural Studies The ‘Return to the Signifier’ Semiotic Subjects, or Persons? Decentring Psychology Equivocating: Anti-‘Essentialism’ Subjects Need Biology
Chapter Five: ‘Post-Human’ Theory and Cultural Studies The Printing Press, Digital Media and Humanism Enlightenment Humanism Escaping the Human? Problems of Coherence
Chapter Six: Affecting Ontologies Affect as an Entity The Trinity: Feeling, Emotion, Affect Becoming Ontological – The Student’s Problem Affect extraordinaire: Horse Sense?
Chapter Seven: Real experience, Un-real Science Moving Science: The Body in Theory Vital Phenomenology Neo- or Non-Psychology? Realism as an Ethical Attitude
Chapter Eight: Theory and Education Realism as a Default Position When Students ‘do Theory’ Teaching Theory Bluffing ‘Post-Humanities’ and Education No Laughing Matter
