PHIL 331 Selected Topics: Philosophical Problems in Feminism

Summer Semester 2013 | Day | Burnaby

INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer Warriner, WMC 5607 (jwarrine at sfu.ca)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will explore some of the key questions that engage feminist thinkers and the conceptual and normative frameworks they develop to address these questions. Among the questions we will consider: What is oppression? Why is oppression perpetuated and by whom or what? What is the relation between sexist oppression and other forms of oppression? What does it mean to say that gender is socially constructed? In addition, we will examine strategies of resistance and liberation advocated by feminist thinkers.

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Theorizing Feminisms: A Reader, Elizabeth Hackett and Sally Haslanger, eds., Oxford University Press, 2006, ISBN: 978-0195150094
• Additional readings will be made available to students.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Two papers (1400-1600 words) – 20% and 25%, respectively
• One longer paper (2400-3000 words) – 35%
• Participation (Class discussion questions and short writing assignments) – 20%
  
• All papers must be submitted to turnitin.com, which is a plagiarism detection website.
  

Prerequisites: PHIL 100 or PHIL 120 or permission of the instructor.