Feminist Philosophy: Gender, Race and Class
| Module title | Feminist Philosophy: Gender, Race and Class |
|---|---|
| Module code | PHL2041 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Astrid Schrader (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
Feminist philosophy introduces you to theories about equality and justice in relation to the discrimination of women. We will focus on feminist literature from the past 50 years. Reading works by the most famous feminist philosophers, such as Angela Davis, Nancy Fraser, and Judith Butler among others.
Feminist philosophy is a theory as well as a practice with direct political goals. Similar to other critical philosophies of society, such a postcolonial theory or critical race theory, it has a normative and political motivation and aim. Approaches developed in feminist philosophy have shaped reflection and judgment in other social debates (e.g. racial and ethnic diversity, local and global economic diversity). We will discuss theories including constructivism, standpoint theory, care ethics, and theories of recognition. While developed in the context of the feminist movement, they are now widely applied in reflections on justice, equality and the perception of truth. The modern individual as defined in social relations is being challenged, and philosophers ask how features such as sex or race work as classifiers of who we are as individuals. At the same time, binaries of male and female, hetero- or homosexual are being challenged, both in theory and in society.
This module brings together problems of social and political philosophy, but also of epistemology. How do we know what man or woman is and what does it mean, why does it matter for your identity and self in the social order we live in. It engages with present day moral and societal questions, including the new feminist and anti-discrimination movement and the intersectional approach developed to address overlapping forms of discrimination. We will discuss the gap between formal rights and their everyday realization as well as problems of cultural diversity, economic and legal in/equality, institutional and systemic discrimination/bias.
Requirements are: an interest in the themes above; preparedness to reading the weekly texts; willingness to present on one of them in the seminar; active contribution in the seminars. The module is open as an optional module in philosophy to students in social sciences and other disciplines.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to:
- Provide knowledge about philosophical theories of identity, difference and equality
- provide you with an understanding of thematic developments in feminist theory and practice
- engage you in current debates about discrimination and equality, biology and difference
- develop your skills in analysis, argument, discussion, and writing
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the theories and problems discussed in the module;
- 2. demonstrate a good level of understanding of the methodological and conceptual problems of critique.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. demonstrate a good level of understanding of the interrelation between theories, values, and political conditions;
- 4. demonstrate sound knowledge of different types of philosophical social and political analysis.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. demonstrate the ability to conduct research independently and to discuss complex present-day issues;
- 6. demonstrate a high level of ability in writing reflective academic essays;
- 7. demonstrate the ability to present your own analyses of the implications theories have on the kinds of arguments which people put forth as convincing in political debates.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Developments in 20th Century and current Feminism
- Feminist Epistemology
- Sex and Gender
- Men Doing Feminism
- Theories of Difference
- Standpoint Theory
- Feminist Ethics
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour weekly lectures/seminars (or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar) |
| Guided independent study | 55 | 11 x 5 hours weekly reading and working through assigned articles and books |
| Guided independent study | 36 | Writing reading reports, preparing presentation |
| Guided independent study | 37 | Independent research and writing of essay |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading report | 500 words | 1-7 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100 | 2,500 words | 1-7 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (2,500 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic readings include the following sources:
- Angela Davis, Women Race and Class, 1981
- Judith Butler, Gender Trouble 1990
- Nancy Fraser, Social Justice in the Age of Identity Politics (1996).
- Carol Gilligan: In A Different Voice (1982), Harvard University Press.
- Patricia Collins Hill and Sirma Bilge (2016),Intersectionality,
- Donna Haraway: Situated knowledges: The science question in feminism and the privilege of partial perspective (1988), Signs Vol. 14.
- bell hooks (1984) Feminist Theory from Margin to Center, South End Press
- Michael S. Kimmel (1998), Men Doing Feminism
- Mohanty, C., Russo, A. and Torres, L. (1991) Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press
- Uma Narayan and Sandra Harding (eds.): Decentering the Center: Philosophy for a Multicultural Postcolonial and Feminist World (2000), Indiana University Press.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 12/02/2020 |
| Last revision date | 28/07/2022 |
