Module PHL2041 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2041: Feminist Philosophy: Gender, Race and Class
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to:
- Provide knowledge about philosophical theories of identity, difference and equality
- provide you with an understanding of thematic developments in 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 comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the theories and problems discussed in the module; 2. demonstrate a good level of understanding of the methodological and conceptual problems of critique. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. demonstrate a good 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. |
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:
- Developments in 20th Century and current Feminism
- Feminist Epistemology
- Sex and Gender
- Men Doing Feminism
- 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 lectures |
| Guided independent study | 55 | 11 x 5 hours weekly reading and working through assigned articles and books |
| Guided independent study | 36 | Writing reading reports, preparing presentation |
| Guided independent study | 37 | Independent research and writing of essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan | 1 page | 1-7 | Oral |
| Group presentations of reading summaries in class | 10 minutes | 1-7 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Reports | 30 | 1 x 900 words | 1-5, 7 | Written |
| Essay | 70 | 3,000 words | 1-7 | Written |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Reports | Reading Reports (1 x 900 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
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:
- Angela Davis, Women Race and Class, 1981
- Judith Butler, Gender Trouble 1990
- Nancy Fraser, Social Justice in the Age of Identity Politics (1996).
- Carol Gilligan: In A Different Voice (1982), Harvard University Press.
- Patricia Collins Hill and Sirma Bilge (2016),Intersectionality,
- Donna Haraway: Situated knowledges: The science question in feminism and the privilege of partial perspective (1988), Signs Vol. 14.
- bell hooks (1984) Feminist Theory from Margin to Center, South End Press
- Michael S. Kimmel (1998), Men Doing Feminism
- Mohanty, C., Russo, A. and Torres, L. (1991) Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press
- Uma Narayan and Sandra Harding (eds.): Decentering the Center: Philosophy for a Multicultural Postcolonial and Feminist World (2000), Indiana University Press.
