Gender and Feminist Theory 2012

Schwerpunkte Soziologischer Theorien
Gender and Feminist Theory (auf Englisch)
Day/Time:
Thursday 14:00-15:30 Place:
Team:
Joost van Loon (Office Hours: Thursdays 8:30-9:30; Fridays 9:00-10:00) and Florian Mayr (Monday 14:00-15:00; Wednesday 14:00-15:00)
1.
19. April
2.
3.
4.
26. April
03.May
10. May
Perspective
Introduction and Organisation of
the course
An overview of feminist theories
Simone de Bouvoir
Liberal Feminism
KAP001
Topic
Text
Gender, Power and Difference
Politics and Female Subjectivity
Socialization and Gender Roles
5.
24. May
Radical Feminism (Mary Daly,
Angela Dworkin and Katherine
Mackinnon)
6.
31. May
Standpoint Feminism
Knowledge and Epistemology
7.
14. June
Socialist Feminism
Capitalism, Labour and
Exploitation
8.
21. June
Third Wave (Cultural) Feminism
Culture and Media
9.
28. June
Postcolonial Feminism
Identity and Difference
10.
5. July
Reading Week
11.
12. July
Donna Haraway
12.
19. July
Judith Butler
Sex and Reproduction
The Female Subject in
Technology
The Female Subject in Action
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Simone de Bouvoir - The Second Sex, p. 35-91
Nancy Chodorow, the Reproduction of Mothering, Chapters 5 and 11
Andrea Dworkin, Intercourse, Chapter 8
Kate Millet, Sexual Politics, Chapter 2
Kate Miller, Das verkaufte Geschlecht, Kapitel K.
Kate Millet, Sexus und Herrschaft, S. 276-308.
Sandra Harding, (1990) Feminism, Science and Anti-Enlightenment
Critiques, in Linda Nicholson (ed) Feminism/Postmodermism,
Chapter 4
Diane Fuss, Essentially Speaking, Chapter 2
Michelle Barrett, Women’s Oppression Today; Chapter 5
Naomi Wolf, the Beauty Myth, Chapters 1 and 3
Chris Weedon, Feminism and Poststructuralist Theory, Chapter 5
bell hooks,
Fuss, D. Essentially Speaking, Chapter 5
Haraway, D., Manifesto for Cyborgs, in in Linda Nicholson (ed)
Feminism/Postmodermism, Chapter 9
Butler, J. Gender Trouble, Chapter 1
Explanation:
The purpose of this course, which is part of the module “Current Issues in Sociological Theory”, is twofold:
-1- introduce you to a broad range of feminist theories
-2-help you develop a critical appreciation of the concept of gender
A key question we will be asking throughout the course is why sociological engagements with gender have a strong tendency to evolve into political debates.
Part of this is easily explained with reference to the very rationale of feminism as a political movement, but we want to explore to what extent this tendency to
politicization is not itself encapsulated in the very concept of gender. Is there any way to refer to gender other than as a marker of social inequality? After all,
gender refers to a boundary (as with its related term “genre”) and boundaries produce difference. In this sense, the course will also engage with questions of
how to think difference differently, not as a means to disavow the contributions of feminism to sociological theory, but in order to rethink the political itself. To
be able to do that, it helps to adhere to a double modus of ordering: the first is focused on different theories and theorists, the second engages with different
themes which have played a major role in the development of the concept of gender. Specific attention will be paid to the concept of subjectivity and in
particular gendered subjectivity as this has become the focal point of most feminist debates over the last 100 years.
Ordering:
The ordering of the course is by and large chronological in that it roughly follows the historical trajectory of feminist theory. The main emphasis is placed on
postwar feminism because that reflects the profile of the module as being mainly concerned with contemporary sociological theory. Because of the
interdisciplinary nature of feminism, the spectrum of theory will go beyond what would normally be regarded as belonging to the field of sociology proper,
however since sociology itself no longer benefits from disciplinary enclosure, such opportunities for enrichment should be welcomed and exploited more fully.
We will therefore also engage with adjacent domains such as philosophy, political theory, psychoanalysis, social psychology, developmental psychology, media
and cultural studies, literary criticism, film theory and science and technology studies.
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Reading Week:
During the week of 2-6 July, there will be a reading week in which you are encouraged to catch up with reading texts and prepare for your essays.
Assessment:
For those taking it as a 2,5 CP Module:
The assessment will be based on a presentation which will be graded. In addition, active participation in the module (including preparation) has to be of
sufficient quality as a precondition for passing the module as a whole
For those taking it as a 5 CP Module:
This module is assessed by an essay on a topic that is relevant to this course. You will also need to do a presentation and participate actively in the seminar,
which is only possible if you adequately prepare for each session. The presentation will not be graded, but both presentation and participation have to be of
sufficient quality as a precondition for passing the module as a whole.
For those taking it as a 10 CP Module:
The module will be assessed by means of an essay which can be written on the topic of either one of the three courses that are part of this module. . You will
also need to do a presentation and participate actively in the seminar for this course, as well as in the Hauptseminar, which is only possible if you adequately
prepare for each session. The presentations will not be graded, but both presentation and participation in this Übung as well as the Hauptseminar has to be of
sufficient quality as a precondition for passing the module as a whole.
Essay Deadline: 1. September 2012. Please submit your essay electronically.
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