Introduction to Affect Theory

This course will introduce students to the social,
political, and aesthetic history of what is often
known today as "affect theory." While the recent
"affective turn" is largely associated with
poststructuralist theory, this course seeks to
broaden the conceptual framework for thinking
about what constitutes emotions and feelings in
our contemporary moment. Starting with the history
of political sentiment and female sentimentality
from the Romantic period, students will track the
changing contours and definitions of feelings as
they have evolved from the 18th century to the
present. In particular, we will focus on the
relationship between affect and the public sphere
to consider how seemingly individual, embodied,
and private feelings are increasingly imbricated
in political decision-making, mass culture, and
everyday life.

Students will read, consider, and debate a range
of affect theory: the foundational work of Gilles
Deleuze which stems from the philosophical
traditions of Spinoza and Bergson; the work of
psychoanalyst Silvan Tomkins which greatly
influences later queer and feminist theorists such
as Eve Kosofksy Sedgwick and Sianne Ngai; as well
as more recent scholarship on "vibes" and
"atmosphere" that find their roots in German media
theory and phenomenology. In addition to reading
canonical works of affect theorists such as Lauren
Berlant, Rei Terada, and Brian Massumi, students
will also engage work by scholars less frequently
associated with affect theory proper, such as
James Chandler, Stanley Cavell, Janice Radway, and
Linda Williams. In the spirit of affect's own
mercurial and porous nature, our aim is to
consider affect theory both within and outside of
its disciplinary boundaries.

In addition to critical reading summaries and
reflections, students will also play with
different genres of writing about their affective
experiences and encounters in this class. Drawing
on the critical frameworks from our syllabus,
students will be encouraged to experiment with
more creative forms of essayist writing, such as
the "aesthetic report" or the daily journal.