Consent seems straightforward: Is the answer yes or no? But do we—or can we—always know the consequences of what we agree to? What criteria do we use to assess when consent can or cannot be freely given? And just who is the self that says yes or no?
In this course, we will explore the philosophical, ethical, and practical complications of consent, above all in relation to questions of sex and power. We will examine the relationship between our politics and our sexual politics, considering accounts of what might constitute genuine consent alongside critiques of the very concept. As we go, we will ask: In what ways is the ability to consent, and to evaluate consent, bound up with notions of will, agency, and autonomy? How does the idea of consent implicate everything from our notions of individual subjectivity to the concept of the social contract to what it means to be an ethical sexual partner, in monogamous contexts and otherwise? Can we reimagine consent outside of the transactional terms that classical liberalism has bequeathed to us? Readings will include selections from Joseph Fischel, Katherine Angel, Talia Mae Bettcher, Kate Manne, Heidi Hurd, Carole Pateman, Catharine MacKinnon, Andrea Dworkin, Manon Garcia, Avgi Saketopoulou, and Quill R. Kukla.
