Convener: Dr. Natasha Shivji

Course entry requirements: At least two courses in historical, cultural studies or social sciences offered by the Faculty of Humanities, or by permission of the Head of Department.

capitalism but a defining feature of the system itself. Understanding the moments and state of crisis in capitalism are crucial to destabilize capital as a standardizing global system and to understand the contradictions that capitalism produces. In doing so we move away from the solution driven model and the exceptionalities of crisis, which think of crisis simply as a temporary breakdown of an otherwise functional system. By centering crisis as an analytical lens, we seek to destabilize the idea of capitalism as a self- regulating global system and instead investigate the contradictions and tensions that capitalism continuously produces. Through this approach the course will grapple with the following questions: What does crisis mean in capitalism? How does a moment of crisis unravel, shaping the political and social world? Is the moment of crisis a juncture of possibility? To what extent can crisis help us better understand the world we live in? We will use approaches from political theory, environmental histories, socio-cultural discourses and histories of science to think through crisis in capitalism.

Please see Humanities Handbook  or departmental course offerings for semester details