Feminist Philosophy/Women’s Studies 202 Fall 2003 Syllabus
University of Wisconsin-Marathon County
6-8:45 Wednesdays
Office #331
Office Hours: Every afternoon in Room 242 (the
Email: jhunt@uwc.edu
Phone: 261-6341 (Please
use email -- I’ll receive it and respond much more quickly!)
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Required Texts (Available at the UWMC Bookstore)
Mary Wolstonecraft, A
Vindication of the Rights of Women
John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own
Blenekey, et. al., Women’s Ways of Knowing
Betty Friedan, The
Feminine Mystique
bell hooks, Communion: The Female Search for Love
Natalie Angiers, Woman: An Intimate Geography
Eisenstein, Contemporary Feminist Thought
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Grading:
Attendance & Participation 25%
Quizzes & Response Papers 25%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam/Paper & Project 25%
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Welcome to Feminist Philosophy, aka Women’s Studies. Because our subject involves both ‘Philosophy’ (the actual historic dialogue) and ‘philosophy’ (the art and practice of dialogue), we will be discussing both the classic texts of feminist thinking and the experiences, observations, and reflections that make the subject personal to us as individuals. For this reason, I hope you will read thoughtfully and come to class prepared to share your thoughts and feelings about both the readings and the sentiments they elicit. I would like you to use the first 10-20 minutes or so of every class to write a brief summary of your thoughts on the readings and to develop a substantial question or issue you would like to discuss. It is then your responsibility to bring up your question as it fits into our discussion. Your participation grade will depend upon your willingness to volunteer your thoughts and questions, that is, without being called on (though I may resort to that, if need be). I hope you will feel comfortable sharing your thoughts freely, because, as Socrates says, you never really understand something until you hear your own voice say it. I will lecture occasionally, as the need arises, but the bulk of our time together will be spent in discussion.
There will be an in-class midterm exam for which you will be given study questions in advance. I recommend you study together with your classmates. I will be happy to schedule a review session, if requested. For your final exam, you will be required to write a well-researched paper on one of the issues we will be studying and discussing, or another issue of your choice (please ok it with me though). One requirement of the final paper will be that you bring the works we have read into a meaningful dialogue that addresses the particular issue you have chosen to address. You will be expected to thoroughly research the current state of affairs regarding your issue, and to gather insights drawn from your readings, research, our discussions and your internet dialogue to formulate potential solutions.
You will also be asked to develop a final project of your own conception and present it to the class in our final class period. Use your imagination with this, as it will not be graded or judged; it is ‘for the fun of it’ – but I think you will find that you could learn a good deal in the process of its development, just the same. More on this later…
As there are many different ways we could approach this material, I intend to wait until we have met and talked together to decide just what material we will cover and in what order. Therefore, I will remain flexible for the time being. I will offer several handouts during the first class, and will expect you to have read them by the time we meet for a second time, at which point, I will have a more complete schedule of readings and topics to give you.
The Following
Schedule is Subject to Revision:
Sept. 10 Introduction
& Overview
Sept. 17 Begin Women’s Ways of
Knowing & Wolstencraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Women
Sept. 24 Continue Women’s Ways of
Knowing & Wolstencraft
Film: Goddess
Culture
Oct. 1 Finish Women’s Ways of
Knowing & Wolstencraft
Films: Slim
Hopes & Let’s Get Married
Oct. 8 Read bell hooks’ Communion
& Begin Mill’s Subjection of Women
Also Read Handout: Richard Dawkins’
‘Battle of the Sexes’
Oct. 15 Finish
Mill & Read Woolf's Room of One's Own
Midterm
Questions Handed Out (Part Take-home, Part In-Class)
Oct. 22 Take-home
Exam Due: One Question to be Written In-Class
Film:
The Hours
Oct. 29 Begin
Friedan's Feminine Mystique
Visit
from Sarah Rudolph
Nov. 5 Finish
Friedan
Nov. 12 Begin
Angiers' Woman: An Intimate Geography
Nov. 19 Finish
Angiers
Film:
Freda
Nov. 26 Begin
Eisenstein's Contemporary Feminist Thought
Visit from Doug Hosler
Dec. 3 Finish
Eisenstein