Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL3041: Feminist Philosophy

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to

- teach you 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

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the theories and problems discussed in the course 2. Demonstrate in-depth 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. Conduct research independently and to discuss complex present-day issues 6. Demonstrate a high level of ability in writing reflective academic essays 7. Present your own analyses of the implications theories have on the kinds of arguments which people put forth as convincing in political debates

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

- The beginnings of feminist theory in the 18^th and 19^th Century

- The developments in 20^th Century and current Feminism

- Feminist Epistemology

- Theories of Difference

- Standpoint Theory

- Feminist Ethics

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning activity	11	11 x 1 hour lectures
Scheduled learning activity	11	11 x 1 hour seminar
Guided independent study	66	6 x 11 hrs weekly reading and working through assigned articles and books
Guided independent study	20	Preparing presentation and handout
Guided independent study	42	Independent research and writing of course essay

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

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.

The reading list and seminar texts for the course can be found on the ELE page. Basic readings include the following sources:

- Angela Davis: Women, Race and Class, 1983

- Sandra Harding (ed): The feminist theory standpoint reader: Intellectual and political controversies (2004) New York: Routledge

- 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 .

- Mary Wollstonecraft: A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) online at: http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdfs/wollstonecraft1792.pdf .

- A Companion to Feminist Philosophy, Alison Jaggar and Iris M. Young (eds), Blackwell, Cambridge, 1998

- Nancy Fraser, Fortunes of Feminism, Verso 2013

And sections/chapters from

- Judith Butler ‘Gender Trouble

- Tom Digby (ed) Men Doing Feminism, Routledge 1998

- Sandra Harding: Postcolonial and Feminist Philosophy of Science and Technology (2009)

- 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.

- Cressida Heyes, Feminist solidarity after queer theory: The case of transgender, Signs, Summer 2003, 28(4), pp. 1093-1120

- 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/