Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PH/GDR 314"
COURSE NAME: "Feminist Philosophy"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Tom Bailey
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisites: One previous philosophy course or Junior Standing Co-requisites: EN 110; Recommended: Junior Standing
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment, Tues. and Thurs., 11.15 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4.15-6 p.m.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Feminist philosophy evaluates feminist claims and arguments and investigates biases in past and present philosophy. Using existing philosophical tools and developing new ones, it analyzes the social and conceptual subordination of women and other groups, and questions prevailing ideas about what is real and valuable, how we know things, and how society should be. In doing so, it makes distinctive contributions to each of the principal subfields of philosophy: epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics. This course will examine a variety of challenging issues, ideas, and arguments in feminist philosophy, in relation to concrete examples and cases. Topics may include the meaning and nature of “gender,” “sex,” or “sexuality,” how categories, institutions, or attitudes can be oppressive, the gendered nature of philosophical conceptions of the self, mind, body, or knowledge, theories of sexual difference, post-colonialism, ecofeminism, and ethical or political issues regarding work, speech, sex, or the family.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course is divided into two parts. The first part explores issues regarding the nature of “gender” and “oppression” in the philosophy of feminism. The second part explores feminist contributions to philosophy of the self, knowledge, and justice. For more details about the (provisional) topics, please see the course schedule below.

Throughout the course, our focus will be on understanding and engaging with these philosophical ideas, arguments, questions, and issues, and on reflecting on, developing, and defending your own views about them. We will do this in a variety of activities in class and online, as well as in two written assignments and a final exam.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• explain important feminist positions and arguments in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, social philosophy, and environmental philosophy;

• discuss the interpretation and evaluation of these positions and arguments;

• develop your own reasoned views of the positions, arguments, and issues;

• make appropriate use of secondary academic resources and do guided research work;

• do all this in appropriately academic oral and written forms and in individual and group contexts.

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Class participation	Classes will involve a mixture of lectures, seminar discussions, group presentations, and other activities. The emphasis will be on helping you to develop your own and others’ opinions and arguments and your ability to discuss them with others, as well as your understanding of the readings and other materials and the positions and arguments presented in them. Your active involvement in discussions and other class activities, based on adequate preparation outside class, is therefore essential.	20%
Exercises	Since the exercises are intended to allow for free discussion, I will not assess the content of your contributions. Your grade for this assessment will be simply the percentage of times that you complete an exercise by 2 p.m. on the day of the relevant class, out of the total classes. You may also miss up to two exercises unexcused without this affecting your grade.	10%
Two written assignments	The written assignments will be “take-home” assignments of 1400-1600 words. You will write one after each of the first two parts of the course. I will give you a set of questions from which to choose on the last Thursday of the relevant part of the course, although you may also agree an alternative question with me. The assignment will be due a week later, at the end of the writing week.	25% each
Final examination	The cumulative final examination will consist of an essay written under examination conditions. The questions will be distributed on Thursday of week 13 and at the examination, which will take place in week 15, you will be given a selection of these questions to choose one from.	20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

A maximum of two unexcused absences from class will be accepted. Beyond this, a zero grade will be given for each unexcused absence, bringing your average grade down. It is your responsibility to inform me if you miss or cannot participate fully in a class for a good reason. Good reasons include illness, unavoidable appointments, religious holidays, and transport strikes, but not trips, guests, or malfunctioning alarm clocks. Note that arriving late to class, leaving for lengthy ‘toilet breaks’, and using a laptop or mobile phone in class also count as ‘unexcused absences’.

Note also that you may make up a missed assessment only with the permission of the Dean’s Office. This permission is granted only in cases of serious impediment – such as a documented illness, hospitalization, or attendance at an immediate family member’s funeral – and when you notify the Dean’s Office beforehand.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Class schedule and topics

Wk. 1. Introduction

What is feminist philosophy?

Amia Srinivasan, “Does Feminist Philosophy Rest on a Mistake?”

A. Philosophy of feminism: Gender and oppression

2. Introduction

What is gender?

Brian D. Earp, “What is your Gender?”, Practical Ethics, 2020

What is oppression?

Carol Hay, Think Like a Feminist, Norton, 2020, ch. 2

3-4. Gender

Social roles

Charlotte Witt, The Metaphysics of Gender, Oxford UP, 2011, ch. 4 and epilogue

Resemblances

Natalie Stoljar, “Different Women: Gender and the Realism-Nominalism Debate,” in C. Witt ed., Feminist Metaphysics, Springer, 2011, pp. 27-46

Trans

Talia Mae Bettcher, “Trans Women and the Meaning of ‘Woman’,” in N. Power, R. Halwani, and A. Soble eds., Philosophy of Sex, 6^th ed., Rowman & Littlefield, 2013, pp. 233-50

Intersections

Sara Bernstein, “The Metaphysics of Intersectionality,” Philosophical Studies 177, 2020, pp. 321-35

5-6. Oppression

Patriarchy

Robin Dembroff, “Real Men on Top,” Royal Institute of Philosophy, February 24, 2023

Structural injustice

Sally Haslanger, “Social Structure, Narrative and Explanation,” Canadian Journal of Philosophy 45:1, 2015, pp. 1-15

Misogyny

Kate Manne, Down Girl, Oxford UP, 2018, pp. 31-54 and 62-77

Pornography

Rae Langton, “Speech Acts and Unspeakable Acts,” in Sexual Solipsism, Oxford UP, 2009, pp. 25-63

7. Preparation of first written assignment

B. Feminism in philosophy: Self, Knowledge, and Justice

8-9. Self

Body

Shannon Sullivan, Living Across and Through Skins, Indiana UP, 2001, ch. 4

Identity

Susan J. Brison, “Outliving Oneself: Trauma, Memory, and Personal Identity,” in D.T. Meyers ed., Feminists Rethink the Self, Westview, 1997, pp. 12-39, extracts, pp. 12-18, 20-24, and 27-31

Beauty

Sara Protasi, “The Perfect Bikini Body: Can We All Really Have It? Loving Gaze as an Antioppressive Beauty Ideal,” Thought 6, 2017, pp. 93-101

Sexuality

Christie Hartley, “Feminist Heterosexuality,” in B. D. Earp, C. Chambers, and L. Watson eds., The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Sex and Sexuality, New York: Routledge, 2022, pp. 147-63

10-11. Knowledge

Marginal knowledge

Patricia Hill Collins, “Black Feminist Epistemology,” in Black Feminist Thought, 2^nd ed., Routledge, 2000, pp. 251-71

Epistemic injustice

José Medina, The Epistemology of Resistance, Oxford UP, 2012, chs. 2 and 3, extracts

Producing science

Helen E. Longino, The Fate of Knowledge, Princeton UP, 2002, chs. 5 and 6, extracts

Values and objectivity

Elizabeth Anderson, “Uses of Value Judgments in Science: A General Argument, with Lessons from a Case Study of Feminist Research on Divorce,” Hypatia 19:1, 2004, pp. 1-24

12-13. Justice

Autonomy

Clare Chambers, Sex, Culture, and Justice, Pennsylvania State UP, 2008, pp. 172-201

Care

Virginia Held, The Ethics of Care, Oxford UP, 2006, ch. 5

Family

Sophie Lewis, Abolish the Family, Verso, 2022, chs. 1 and 4

Ecofeminism

Carol J. Adams and Lori Gruen, “Ecofeminist Footings,” in their eds., Ecofeminism, 2^nd ed., Bloomsbury, 2022, ch. 1

14. Preparation of final assignment

15. Final examination