Hey there critical thinkers! Old Capitol Books, the Direct Action Monterey Network, and the Monterey Community Education Project work together to bring you exciting seminars series on social theory four times a year – and we’ve just announced our Summer seminars! Queer Theory, Reading Marx, Psychedelics and Society, and Intellectual Property & CopyLeft! Wow! 
This series of seminar sessions has been put together to encourage the exchange of ideas, experiences, and knowledge surrounding a particular topic or theme. We want to create a place where people can meet with other people from Monterey Bay communities to talk about current events and discuss new philosophies and ways of thinking critically about society. Though these seminars have been designed for non-students, and for those of us who have had little or no college experience, everyone is invited to participate. We believe that everyone can have something to offer to the seminars as we move through current debates in politics and different political and social theories.
Seminars:
Introducing Queer Theory Friday 7th August 2015 7pm
Queer theory is a diverse field of studies that involves a lot of disparate ideas. It’s a rapidly expanding body of literature that seeks to answer a series of questions about what is normal, how normal comes to exist, and who is excluded or oppressed by those notions of norms. In bed.
Readings:
- Allen Brizee, J. Case Tompkins, Libby Chernouski. “Gender Studies and Queer Theory (1970s-present)”
- Robyn Wiegman and Elizabeth A. Wilson. “Antinormativity’s Queer Conventions.” Differences (2015).
- Annamarie Jagose. “Queer Theory.”
Reading Marx Friday 14th August 2015 7pm
This session, led by Michael Frederiksen of the Peace and Justice Center, will discuss some of the key readings of Marxism in a friendly and accessible way.
Readings:
- The Communist Manifesto (Of course) by Marx and Engels. Click here for text.
- “Socialism: Utopian & Scientific” by Engels. Click here for the text.
Psychedelics & Society Friday 21st August 2015 7pm
From religious experiences to government control of substances, this seminar will be an introduction to the ways that psychedelics have been used and how society limits use or proposes new use for psychedelics in the 21st century.
Readings:
- Alan Watts “Psychedelics and Religious Experience” 1968. Text HERE.
- Aldous Huxley “The Doors of Perception” 1954. Text HERE.
- Ben Sessa “Can psychedelics have a role in psychiatry once again?” 2005. Text HERE.
Intellectual Property & CopyLeft Friday 28th August 2015 7pm
This session will discuss the basics of intellectual property and critiques of copyright such as CopyLeft.
Readings:
- “Fair(y) Use,” produced by Bucknell professor Eric Faden
- “Fair(y) Use” Transcript
- “Copyleft vs. Copyright: A Marxist Critique,” Johan Soderberg
- “Thinking, buying, selling: Intellectual property rights in political economy,” Christopher May
- “Feminist Interpretations of Intellectual Property,” Debora Halbert
SEMINARS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Old Capitol Books 