LIT 561 - Decentering the Human

This course provides an introduction to what has been called Critical Posthumanism and/or the Non-Human Turn, an umbrella term that refers to various schools of thought (such as animal studies, disability studies, black studies, vital materialism, object oriented ontology, action-network theory, ecocriticism and affect theory) that call for an integral redefinition of the human and thus question, critique and/or move beyond human exceptionalism and the ontological dualities (nature/culture, human/non-human, mind/body, self/other, subject/object, etc.) that constitute it. The course combines interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives with a focus on how the relation between humans, non-humans and the environment has been represented, questioned and problematized in cultural productions from the Hispanic world. The course ultimately asks students to think critically about what it means to be human today if, that is, we have indeed ever been human.

Unit(s): 0.5
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Notes: Graduate course. Offered spring 2027.
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Identify interactions and influences among various disciplines, fields, theories, analytical strategies, and source materials.
Demonstrate close, analytical interpretations of source materials in one’s writing.
Conduct complex research, synthesize it, and argue persuasively in support of a claim based on evidence.
Express oneself articulately in oral discussion and in presentational modes when appropriate, and express oneself articulately in writing.