Seattle DSA Syllabus

Quarters

  1. Principles
  2. Domestic history
  3. International History

Quarter 1 – Principles

  • Overview

    Overview

    What is socialism? What is capitalism? What are the animating ideas behind those who seek to maintain and impose systems of social, political, and economic hierarchy? What are the animating ideas behind those of us who seek to dismantle said hierarchies?

    This first unit acts as a common departure point for SDSA members to develop the critical tools of “political education”—a collective process of research, analysis, and knowledge production for liberatory ends. The breadth and depth of writings on socialism, solidarity, and class struggle could be overwhelming for many of us who are new to political education. Instead of an exhaustive list, “Principles” will introduce members to the basics for understanding the ideological and historical underpinnings of two competing forces: capitalism, which currently organizes the world in which we live, and socialism, which offers a democratic alternative for shaping our future.

    To understand the basics, Jacobin’s “ABCs” series are excellent and short primers that will prepare members for more book-length treatments of these ideas, including those in this unit. For example, Corey Robin’s The Reactionary Mind traces the intellectual foundations of counter-revolutionary and reactionary politics from its pre-industrial roots in defense of slavery, monarchy, and aristocracy to its modern iterations that work in defense of capitalism, empire, and racialized/gendered hierarchies. The readings will also show the possibilities for a better world based on solidarity, class struggle, and the promise of democracy in political and economic life. Angela Davis’ Women, Race, and Class the successes and failures of the women’s liberation movement from abolitionism to the 20th century and provides historical lessons for waging collective struggle in a capitalist system that privileges wealth and whiteness in the fight for democracy. Meanwhile, the essays, podcasts, and excerpts discuss the challenges we face in our current moment and provide additional context for further study.

  • Recommended Approach

    Recommended Approach

    Members are encouraged to work through Principles in a reading group that meets regularly, at least semi-monthly. While this unit is designed to be completed in 10-12 weeks, assuming a full-time work schedule and personal obligations, members should work through this material at a pace that makes sense for them. Members are also encouraged to discuss readings in the context of current events and bring their own questions. An important aspect of political education is to continuously situate ourselves and the world we live in currently within the broader history of earlier struggles.

  • Goals

    Goals

    1. Members will share a common vocabulary and set of conceptual foundations
    2. Members will draw on theory and history that they can apply to the world we live in currently
    3. Members will gain confidence and competence for engaging in political education work, communicating and debating ideas, and organizing around socialist goals
    4. Members will gain the ability to confidently seek out and engage readings and ideas beyond Principles
  • Materials

    Materials

    Books & Book Selections

    1. ABCs of Socialism – Jacobin
    2. ABCs of Capitalism – Jacobin
    3. Women, Race, and Class – Angela Davis
    4. The Reactionary Mind – Corey Robin

    Chapters, Speeches, and Essays

    1. From #blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation (last chapter) – Keeanga Yahmatta Taylor
    2. What it Means to be a Marxist
    3. Socialism: Converting Hysterical Misery into Ordinary Unhappiness
    4. What is Marxism? – Olman
    5. The Roots of Trump’s Family Separation Policy

    Podcasts

    1. Why Do Socialists Care So Much About Workers? – Vivek Chibber, The Dig, March 9, 2017

    Further Resources

    1. Why Everything Costs Money – An Accessible Introduction to Marx’s Capital (with memes!)

Quarter 2 – Domestic History

  • Materials

    Materials

    Books & Book Selections

    1. The Politics of Everybody: Feminism, Queer Theory And Marxism At The Intersection – Holly Lewis
    2. Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in America – Barbara and Karen Fields (Introduction, Chapters 1 & 4)
    3. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America – Richard Rothstein
    4. The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America – Naomi Murakawa

    Chapters, Speeches, and Essays

    1. It’s a Class Struggle, goddammit! – Fred Hampton
    2. Beyond Marx’s Hidden Abode – Nancy Fraser
    3. Racial Capitalism – Jodi Melamed
    4. The Roots of Trump’s Family Separation Policy

    Podcasts

    1. Interview with Barbara and Karen Fields – The Dig, January 2018

Quarter 3 – International History

  • Materials

    Materials

    Books & Book Selections

    1. The Age of Revolution – Eric Hobsbawm
    2. The Black Jacobins – CLR James
    3. October – China Mieville
    4. A History of Pan African Revolt – CLR James
    5. Imperialism – The Highest Stage of Capitalism – Vladimir Lenin
    6. The Open Veins of Latin America – Eduardo Galeano

    Chapters, Speeches, and Essays

    1. The Communist Manifesto – Karl Marx
    2. Wage Labor and Capital – Karl Marx
    3. Shock Doctrine – Naomi Klein
    4. Economic ‘Freedom’s’ Awful Toll; The ‘Chicago Boys’ in Chile – Orlando Letelier, Review of Radical Political Economics 8 (3) p.44-52