Module PHL3041 for 2016/7
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL3041: Feminist Philosophy
This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to
- teach theories of difference and equality
- provide you with an understanding for the historical development of 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
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate solid knowledge and understanding of the theories and problems discussed in the course 2. Demonstrate understanding of the methodological and conceptual problems of critique |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Demonstrate a high 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 |
| Personal and Key Skills | 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 |
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contribution in seminar discussions | Throughout the course | 1-5, 7 | Oral |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual presentation and handout on a course reading | 20 | 10 minutes, 500 words | 1-5, 7 | Oral and written |
| Essay | 80 | 4500 words | 1-7 | Oral and written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation and summary/seminar handout | 1000 word essay on a course reading | 1-7 | August/September assessment period |
| Essay | 4500 words | 1-7 | August/September assessment period |
Re-assessment notes
The credits for the reassessments are as above, 20% for the short essay, 80% for the long essay – which has to be on a different course topic.
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic readings include the following sources:
- Mary Wollstonecraft: A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) online at: http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdfs/wollstonecraft1792.pdf.
- Harriet Taylor-Mill: The Enfranchisement of Women, (1851), in: Ann Robson: Sexual Equality, A John Stuart Mill, Harriet Taylor Mill, and Helen Taylor Reader (1994), Toronto University Press. See reference at http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/awrm/doc15.htm.
- Donna Haraway: Situated knowledges: The science question in feminism and the privilege of partial perspective (1988), Signs Vol. 14, pp. 575–599.
- Stephen Pinker: The Blank Slate (2002), Penguin Books, Chapter 18.
- Helga Satzinger, ‘The Politics of Gender Concepts in Genetics and Hormone Research in Germany, 1900–1940’ (2014) Gender & History, Vol. 24 No.3, pp. 735–754.
- Dephine Gardey: ‘The Reading of an Œuvre. Donna Haraway: The Poetics and Politics of Life’ in: Feminist Studies, May 2014, pp. 86-100.
And sections/chapters from
- Simone De Beauvoir: The Second Sex. Women as Other (1949), Vintage Classics 1997.
- Angela Craeger, Elisabeth Lunbeck, and Londa Schiebinger (eds): Feminism in Twentieth-Century Science, Technology, and Medicine (2002), University of Chicago Press.
- Carol Gilligan: In A Different Voice (1982), Harvard University Press.
- Seyla Benhabib, Judith Butler, Drucilla Cornell and Nancy Fraser: Feminist Contentions: A Philosophical Exchange (Thinking Gender) (1995), Routledge.
- Sandra Harding (ed): The feminist theory standpoint reader: Intellectual and political controversies (2004) New York: Routledge.
- Uma Narayan and Sandra Harding (eds.): Decentering the Center: Philosophy for a Multicultural Postcolonial and Feminist World (2000), Indiana University Press.
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
