Of Grammatology

This course will read Jacques Derrida’s Of Grammatology and Rogues, the last book published during Derrida’s lifetime. The course will be taught with a special focus on problems in translation. We will finish reading Of Grammatology by April 1. The rest of the semester will be given over to Rogues. Students will be expected to read Grammatology with special reference to Rousseau, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Husserl, Saussure, Plato, and Descartes. The 62 secondary texts mentioned in the book will be on reserve in the original and in English translation. Students are expected to consult them carefully as they relate to the class reading. The sessions on Rogues will follow the same pattern, the general textual reference being Kant. The students will have a choice of the secondary authors to discuss. In each class a student will present a 20-minute paper discussing Derrida’s readings of a secondary text with reference to the chapters in succession. This course is cross-listed between the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society and the Department of English. ICLS students will be expected to demonstrate that they are reading the texts in the original languages. The instructor will interview students before establishing the class roster. Each student will write a 13-page (footnotes additional) Times New Roman 12-point, 1-inch margin final paper, the topic of which will be discussed with the instructor before Spring Break. Class participation will be considered in the final grading. The instructor will herself deal with the “Exergue” and Chapter 1 of Grammatology with reference to Hegel at the first class meeting. Details will be disclosed to the members of the class at the end of the first week in January, when the final roster is established.