PH02115 Introduction to feminist philosophy

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2018
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Ondřej Beran, Ph.D. (lecturer), Ing. Mgr. Zdeňka Jastrzembská, Ph.D. (deputy)
prof. Dr. phil. Jakub Mácha, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Josef Krob, CSc.
Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 17:30–19:05 A11
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The aim of this facultative course is to provide an overview of the basic topics and discussions within feminist philosophy which represents (beyond the borders of the Czech philosophy at least) a very lively area. The introductory lessons will introduce the concept itself in the lectures about the feminist history of philosophy and the feminist approach in the systematic areas of anthropology, epistemology, ethics, or political philosophy. Then the course will involve seminar reading and discussion of selected texts. The reading part will devote appropriate space to more contemporary texts that reflect theoretically the changes in feminist discussions after the third wave and the entry of queer theory.
Learning outcomes
After passing the course, the students will orient themselves in the relevant representatives and areas of feminist philosophy. They will also be able to apply the feminist methods of critical reading and interpretation in their own study of philosophical works from other traditions.
Syllabus
  • I. Lectures
  • 1. Introduction. What is feminist philosophy
  • 2. Feminist reading of the history of philosophy. The “waves” of feminism and their philosophical reflection
  • 3. Feminist epistemology and philosophy of science; subjectivity, rationality, situatedness
  • 4. Topics in feminist ethics (e.g., care; sexual violence)
  • 5. Feminism as a critical political philosophy
  • 6. Feminist anthropology; body, corporeity
  • II. Seminars
  • 7. Sex, gender, essentialism. Deborah Cameron, „Sex/Gender, Language and the New Biologism“
  • 8. Ethical and political dimensions of the discourse and its “gestures”. Alice Crary, „Feminist Thought and Rational Authority"
  • 9. The culture and the construction of body. Iris Marion Young, „Breasted Experience: The Look and the Feeling“
  • 10. Maternity, pregnancy, birth. Rebecca Kukla, „Measuring Mothering“
  • 11. “Normality” (centrality, non-markedness) and the queer. Naomi Scheman, „Queering the Center vs. Centering the Queer“
  • 12. The construction and the politics of sexuality. Annamarie Jagose, „Counterfeit pleasures: fake orgasm and queer agency“
  • 13. Fourth-wave feminism as practical politics. Rebecca Solnit, „The Longest War“
Literature
  • NAGL-DOCEKAL, Herta. Feministická filozofie : výsledky, problémy, perspektivy. Translated by Hana Havelková. Vyd. 1. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství (SLON), 2007, 316 s. ISBN 9788086429687. info
  • The Cambridge companion to feminism in philosophy. Edited by Miranda Fricker - Jennifer Hornsby. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, xiii, 280. ISBN 9780521624510. info
  • JAGOSE, Annamarie. Queer theory : an introduction. 1st publ. New York: New York University Press, 1996, 153 s. ISBN 9780814742341. info
Teaching methods
lectures, reading, class discussion
Assessment methods
75% attendance and active work in the seminar; the ability to read in English. The attestation is granted, given that the above criteria are met, for the preparation of an introductory summary of a text in the seminar, or for an essay (in Czech or English, following the students’ preferences) of 5-10 standard pages. The introductory summary need not be commissioned in every week, depending on the teacher’s decision. Essay topics will follow the consultation with the teacher.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught only once.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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