Traditions in Feminist Thought (230-0-20)
Instructors
Silyane Larcher
Meeting Info
University Hall 122: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
This course is a rigorous introduction to feminisms' multiple intellectual and political traditions and genealogies, at different historical junctures, with a global perspective. The course emphasizes the rich debates that have been staged within feminisms in the US and abroad 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 - feminism itself, the nation and the state, work, liberation, marriage and family, sexuality, reproduction - 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 worldwide 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 in your daily life, 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, readings, problem sets, lecture, case studies, guest speakers, films/videos.
Evaluation Method
Attendance, class participation, writing assignments, mid-term and final paper.
Class Materials (Required)
in Canvas
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity