Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL2027: Feminist Philosophy

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Overview

NQF Level 5
Credits 15 ECTS Value 7.5
Term(s) and duration

This module ran during term 1 (11 weeks)

Academic staff

Dr Christine Hauskeller (Lecturer)

Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Available via distance learning

No

Feminist philosophy introduces you to philosophical theories of justice, equality and epistemology in the specific framework of – mainly – 20th Century and current feminist theory. The module will start with an introduction to the beginnings of feminist theory in the 18th Century suffrage movement and the sex-difference theories of Enlightenment philosophers it argued against. We continue with concepts of constructivism, stand point theory, care ethics, and theories of difference. While developed philosophically in the context of the feminist movement these theories are fundamental for reflecting more widely on justice, equality and the perception of truth.

 

The questions and approaches developed in feminist philosophy have shaped the reflection and judgment in other social debates including racial and ethnic diversity and local and global economic diversity and ecology. This expansion of feminist theories from the previous women’s rights agenda to issues of discrimination and exploitation became pronounced in the 2nd wave of 20th Century feminism in the 1970s, when black women writers began to criticize feminism as a white middle class endeavor blind to the situations and problems of black women.

 

Knowledge of these theories will give you transferable skills in analyzing social developments and the beliefs, norms, and values that guide politics, law, and moral decision-making. This new course in philosophy engages with present day moral and societal questions, including the new feminist and anti-discrimination movement present in the new media. It also discusses issues of cultural diversity, economic and legal equality, and the gap between formal rights and the ability to demand their enactment in everyday life.

 

Main requirements are an interest in the themes addressed in the course and that you are prepared to do the readings and contribute actively in the seminars. The course is open as an option module in philosophy to students in social sciences and other disciplines. 

Module created

06/01/2015

Last revised

01/07/2015