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Traditions in Feminist Thought (230-0-20)

Instructors

Silyane Larcher

Meeting Info

Harris Hall 107: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

This course is a rigorous introduction to feminisms' multiple intellectual and political traditions and genealogies within and outside the US and the Western world, at different historical junctures. The course emphasizes the rich debates that have been staged within feminisms as feminists have labored to imagine other worlds in a variety of media and contexts. Our task will be to understand how these varied feminist traditions have interrogated the same sites - marriage and family, sexuality, reproduction, the nation and the state, work, liberation, and feminism itself - in radically different ways, depending on the context and society. Why are these themes or problems the key areas that feminist theorists have focused on across time and cultural divides? How have feminists around the world imagined these spaces as both sites of oppression and potential venues for freedom and emancipation? How can you encounter, think with, and live with feminist expressions and engagements outside the classroom?

Learning Objectives

1) To introduce major ideas in the study of feminisms over time and in different societies, from the perspective of a variety of disciplines;
2) To think critically about the standpoints, methods, omissions, stakes and possible uses of each study;
3) To foster detailed, persuasive writing and discussion about these complicated topics;
4) To introduce you to a variety of disciplinary methodologies to think about and study feminisms, its genealogies, and history across time and space;
5) To create individual and communal spaces of dialogue and reflection around the course topics

Teaching Method

Discussion, class participation, readings, problem sets, lecture, writing assignments, guest speakers

Evaluation Method

Attendance, class participation, writing assignments, group work, final paper.

Class Materials (Required)

All course materials will be provided on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration is reserved for Gender & Sexuality Studies students

Associated Classes

DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 4-410: Fri 9:00AM - 9:50AM

DIS - University Hall 118: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM

DIS - 555 Clark 230: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM

DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 3-410: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM

DIS - University Hall 218: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM

DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-319: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM