Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
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To introduce students to particular themes and issues in contemporary feminist philosophy and their relation to culture and society. We tend to take the categories of sex and gender for granted, thinking them ‘natural’. But just as traditional roles assumed by men and women in society are in the process of changing, so these fundamental assumptions about our gendered existence have been examined and critiqued, and the processes in which they are constructed have been analysed by a number of seminal feminist philosophers. Their key ideas will be examined in this module and the influences which shaped them, and which they helped to shape, will be discussed.
Content is subject to change depending on staff teaching interests, but an indicative syllabus might include the following:
Key Topics:
1. Introduction: key issues in feminist philosophy
2. The psychoanalytic roots of feminist philosophy
3. Luce Irigaray on the (m)other
4. Julia Kristeva on ‘abjection’
5. Hélène Cixous on écriture feminine
6. Judith Butler on sex and gender
7. Donna Haraway and the “Cyborg Manifesto”
The subjects of the lectures will be augmented by discussions in seminars of specific issues, using examples drawn from recent and contemporary politics.
By the end of the module, students will be:
—acquainted with the foundations of Western feminist thought
—cognisant of many of the foundational problems, concepts, positions, terms, and schools within the tradition
By the end of the module, student will have gained:
—the ability to read texts of Feminist thought, and to be able to speak eloquently regarding this tradition of philosophy
—the ability to speak and write articulately and formally about the foundations of this discipline of philosophy
—the conceptual framework which will allow them to make sense of any related modules that they will study at University—the ability to distinguish between various schools of feminism.
Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
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Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Essay preparation and completion |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Tutorials |
Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Specific research or reading activities developed and directed a academic staff |
Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 50:00 | 50:00 | Review lecture material, prepare for small group teaching and assessment |
Total | 100:00 |
Lectures provide students with a systematic account of the concepts and ideas of the treated thinkers and their relation to key aspects of life, e.g., in politics. Students are given a structured reading list, a set of lecture notes with seminar questions, supported by references to secondary works in order to develop the interpretative, logical and analytical skills required for good argument.
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
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Essay | 2 | A | 100 | 2000 word essay |
The students have the choice between picking an essay title out of six standard topics or designing their own with their tutor’s help and approval. This makes it possible to assess knowledge possession and advanced theoretical understanding as well as the critical and creative verbal skills of the student. The essays test the ability to think analytically, creatively, self-critically and independently as well as managing one’s own work to set time limits. This assessment method also gauges the students’ ability to move between generalisation and appropriately detailed discussion, to cite relevant texts and interpret them adequately, to discover examples in support of or to challenge a position, and to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant considerations.
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Disclaimer: The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2022/23 academic year. In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described. Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Module information for the 2023/24 entry will be published here in early-April 2023. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.