Active Outline
General Information
- Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
- WMST D049.
- Course Title (CB02)
- Women and Philosophy
- Course Credit Status
- Credit - Degree Applicable
- Effective Term
- Fall 2023
- Course Description
- Examination of feminist theory, "feminism," feminist thought and the philosophy produced by a diverse range of women in philosophy. Investigation of the ways that understandings of the relations between the sexes have influenced the work of philosophers from different cultures.
- Faculty Requirements
- Course Family
- Not Applicable
Course Justification
This course meets a general education requirement for °®¶¹´«Ã½, CSUGE and IGETC. This course is UC and CSU transferable. The course fosters a student's ability to defend a position of one's own in philosophy regarding women, feminism, and gender issues. The course is cross-listed and includes the work of theorists within and outside of the academic discipline of philosophy in ways that mutually serve students of philosophy and women's studies.
Foothill Equivalency
- Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
- No
- Foothill Course ID
Formerly Statement
Course Development Options
- Basic Skill Status (CB08)
- Course is not a basic skills course.
- Grade Options
- Letter Grade
- Pass/No Pass
- Repeat Limit
- 0
Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options
- Transferability
- Transferable to both UC and CSU
| °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2GC2 | °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area C2 - Humanities | Approved |
| CSU GE | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGC2 | CSU GE Area C2 - Humanities | Approved |
| IGETC | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| IG3B | IGETC Area 3B - Humanities | Approved |
Units and Hours
Summary
- Minimum Credit Units
- 4.0
- Maximum Credit Units
- 4.0
Weekly Student Hours
| Type | In Class | Out of Class |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture Hours | 4.0 | 8.0 |
| Laboratory Hours | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Course Student Hours
- Course Duration (Weeks)
- 12.0
- Hours per unit divisor
- 36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
- Lecture
- 48.0
- Laboratory
- 0.0
- Total
- 48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
- Lecture
- 96.0
- Laboratory
- 0.0
- NA
- 0.0
- Total
- 96.0
Prerequisite(s)
Corequisite(s)
Advisory(ies)
EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.
Limitation(s) on Enrollment
(Not open to students with credit in the cross-listed course(s).)
(Also listed as PHIL D049.)
Entrance Skill(s)
General Course Statement(s)
(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)
Methods of Instruction
Lecture and visual aids
Discussion of assigned reading
Discussion and problem solving performed in class
Homework and extended projects
Collaborative learning and small group exercises
In-class essays
Other:Film / documentary / or other media
Assignments
- Required reading assignments from texts
- Collaborative written and / or oral report on a particular issue in feminism, feminist philosophy, or a particular female philosopher
- Study of, including the comparison and contrast of, an epistemological or metaphysical problem /issue within feminist philosophy (as an individual or group assignment)
- Written and oral exercises on a particular ethical and moral concepts or issues within feminist philosophy
Methods of Evaluation
- Two or three midterm exams including multiple-choice and/or essay components showing the ability to comprehend, analyze, and critique arguments concerning the nature and aims of feminist theory.
- Reports on a particular woman in philosophy (or issue in feminist philosophy) demonstrating ability to summarize textual materials and theories in written and oral forms
- Essays on topics within feminist metaphysics and epistemology showing the ability to analyze, compare, and critique philosophical theories
- Essays on topics within feminist ethics and value theory showing the ability to analyze, compare and contrast, and present ethical theories and concepts
- Final exam including multiple-choice and/or essay components that requires students to summarize, integrate, and critically analyze and apply concepts examined throughout the course.
Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities
Essential Student Materials:Â
- None.
- None.
Examples of Primary Texts and References
| Author | Title | Publisher | Date/Edition | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cudd, Robin, and Andreasen, eds. "Feminist Theory: A Philosophical Anthology," Oxford: Blackwell, 2011. | ||||
| DeBeauvoir, S., "The Second Sex", Trans. Constance Borde & Sheila Malovany-Chevallier. New York: Vintage, 2011. | ||||
| Tuana, N. "Woman and the History of Philosophy". New York: Paragon, 1998. | ||||
| Hackett, Elizabeth, and Haslanger, Sally. "Theorizing Feminisms: A Reader". Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. |
Examples of Supporting Texts and References
| Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Haslanger, Sally. "Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique". Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. | ||
| Fricker, Miranda. "Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing". Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. | ||
| Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity". New York: Routledge, 2006. | ||
| Alcoff, L.M. "A Companion to Feminist Philosophy," Malden: Blackwell, 1998. | ||
| Bartkey, Sandra, "Femininity and Domination: Studies in the Phenomenology of Oppression," New York: Routledge, 1990. | ||
| Bordo, S. ed. "Feminist Interpretations of Rene Descartes". University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1999. | ||
| Davis, A. "Women, Race,and Class" New York: Vintage, 1983. | ||
| DeBeauvoir, S., "The Ethics of Ambiguity", Trans. B. Frechtman. Seacacus, NJ: Citadel Press, 1948. | ||
| Falmagne, Hass, Plumwood Eds. "Representing Reason: Feminist Theory and Formal Logic," New York: Roman & Littlefield Press, 2002. | ||
| Freeland, C., ed., "Feminist Interpretations of Aristotle". University Park: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998. | ||
| Harding, S., "The Racial Economy of Science". Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1993. | ||
| Hooks, Bell. "Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center," 2nd ed., Boston: South End Press, 2000. | ||
| Hooks, Bell. "Feminism is For Everyone: Passionate Politics," Cambridge: South End Press, 2000. | ||
| Kolmar, W. and Bartkowski, F., "Feminist Theory: A Reader". Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2000. | ||
| Millett, Kate. "Theory of Sexual Politics," Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2000. | ||
| Narayan, Uma. Decentering the Center: Philosophy from a Multicultural, Postcolonial, and Feminist World. Bloomington: IUP, 2000. | ||
| Nye, A., "Words of Power: A Feminist Reading of the History of Logic". New York: Routledge, 1990. | ||
| Pomeroy, Sarah. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1995. | ||
| Trinh, Minh-Ha. "Woman, Native, Other: Writing Postcoloniality and Feminism" Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2009. | ||
| Wollstonecraft, M. "Vindication of the Rights of Woman," New York: Penguin, 1988. | ||
| Young, Iris "On Female Body Experience: "Throwing Like a Girl" and Other Essays" Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. |
Learning Outcomes and Objectives
Course Objectives
- Identify, examine, and evaluate the discipline and methods of philosophy, with an emphasis upon feminism, women in philosophy, and possible methodological modes of suppression of women in philosophy.
- Identify, examine, and analyze the metaphysical claims discussed by various feminist thinkers and women within philosophy.
- Examine, compare, and contrast various epistemological claims, theories, and methodologies in feminist philosophy.
- Identify, compare, examine, and evaluate different claims concerning ethics and moral concepts within feminist philosophy.
- Identify, examine, compare, and evaluate different sociological/economical factors that have impacted philosophical categories of thinking in regards to women. Explicate feminist responses to such sociological /economical factors and categories, particularly in regards to the suppression of women.
CSLOs
- Identify and analyze issues relating to women and philosophy.
- Analyze and assess texts relevant to women and philosophy.
- Analyze and defend one's own position on an issue relevant to women and philosophy.
- Exhibit an application of the concepts learned in this class to one's own existence in the world.
Outline
- Identify, examine, and evaluate the discipline and methods of philosophy, with an emphasis upon feminism, women in philosophy, and possible methodological modes of suppression of women in philosophy.
- Analyze and evaluate the historical origins of feminist thinking about--and contributions to--philosophy with an emphasis upon historical repression and suppression of women within philosophy.
- Locate and analyze the origin of the term "Feminism" and the unique problems associated with its usage.
- Identify and appraise method's appropriate to the study of women in philosophy.
- Identify, examine, and analyze the metaphysical claims discussed by various feminist thinkers and women within philosophy.
- Explicate various categories of thought related to the metaphysical claims and terms within feminist metaphysics.
- Analysis and comparison of the concepts employed within feminist philosophy in general, as well as in various philosophical traditions within feminist philosophy.
- Analyze and interpret the ontological status, problems, and features of women, human existence, and the relation(s) between feminist ontologies and traditional "male-centered" ontologies.
- Examine, compare, and contrast various epistemological claims, theories, and methodologies in feminist philosophy.
- Appraise, assess, and relate various theories involving the nature, structure, and essence of "the mind" and "consciousness" as discussed by feminists and women in philosophy.
- Analyze and interpret various feminist thinking on issues such as freedom of the will, human agency, and the subject-object relation / schematic. Compare and contrast differing conceptions of feminist thinkers on freedom, free will, and agency. Formulate an argument in support of a feminist's beliefs about freedom and freewill. Apply such thinking to one's own life and culture.
- Summarize differing conceptions of consciousness and conscious experience as construed by feminist thinkers and women in philosophy.
- Identify, compare, examine, and evaluate different claims concerning ethics and moral concepts within feminist philosophy.
- Analysis and examination of gender, gender concepts, sex-roles, and their metaphysical and social determinates.
- Analysis and examination of culturally determined (or construed) values and their impact upon women.
- Compare and contrast various ways of resolving problems in feminist philosophy associated with freedom, necessity, and responsibility.
- Identify, examine, compare, and evaluate different sociological/economical factors that have impacted philosophical categories of thinking in regards to women. Explicate feminist responses to such sociological /economical factors and categories, particularly in regards to the suppression of women.
- Compare and evaluate various socio-economic models / theories, and explicate various feminist critiques of such models. Evaluate such models in regards to their potential for suppression and subjugation of women.
- Analyze, appraise, and assess various issues involving technology and its meaning within (and for) human society, particularly women.
- Identify, summarize, compare and contrast various theories that aim at resolving inequalities between the sexes and subjugating factors for women stemming from socio-economic issues.
