Overview of Approach to Women's Studies 6000: Feminist Theory
Ellen Balka
In developing this approach, I am assuming the students will have a fairly strong background in feminist theory. If students lack familiarity or comfort with feminist theory, they may want to read Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Westview Press: Boulder, CO. (Available in library, and possibly MUN bookstore). OR Jaggar, A. (1988) Feminist politics and human nature. Harvester: Sussex, or Tuana, N. and Tong, R. (Eds.). (1995), Feminism and philosophy: Essential readings in theory, reinterpretation, and application. Westview: Boulder.
This course is organized around three themes. The themes are
Although it is difficult to select readings that address only one theme at a time, in discussing readings we will attempt to address some of the questions outlined below.
Part 1: An Overview of Theory (weeks 1-3)
- What is theory?
- What is feminist epistemology?
- How is feminist theory different from other forms of theory?
- What is interdisciplinary?
- What issues arise in the use of feminist theory in interdisciplinary research?
Part 2: Emergent Issues in Feminist Theory (weeks 4-8)
- How have various feminist theories used the terms women, experience and change?
- How are notions of difference addressed within various theoretical perspectives?
- How are issues related to diversity addressed within various feminist theories?
- Should it be a requirement of feminist theory that it be not only grounded in personal experience but also suggest a course of action for change?
Part 3: Other disciplinary Perspectives and Feminist Theory (weeks 9-13)
- What is going on in other disciplines that is influencing feminist theory?
- Why are these arguments relevant to contemporary debates within feminist theory?
- What discipline based theoretical perspectives might be relevant to student interests?
This section of the course will partly reflect specific student interests. In addition, it might address areas such as insights from communication studies, post modern and feminist psychoanalytic perspectives, etc.
Requirements:
Participation (including seminar presentation) 15%
Exercises 1 and 2 5% each
First structured critique of readings 10%
2nd and 3rd Structured Critiques of Readings 15%
Final Paper (that addresses theoretical issues in student's area of interest) 35%
Book List:
Brodribb, S. (1992). Nothing mat(t)ers: A feminist critique of post modernism. James Lorimer: Toronto.
Code, L. (1991). What can she know: Feminist theory and the construction of knowledge. Cornell: Ithaca N.Y.
Descarres-Belanger, F. & Roy, S. (1991). The CRIAW Papers/Les Documents de l'ICREF # 26: The Women's Movement and its currents of thought: A typological essay.
Grant, J. (1993). Fundamental feminism: Contesting the core concepts of feminist theory. New York: Routledge.
Harding, S. (1991). Whose science, whose knowledge: Thinking from women's lives. Cornell: Ithaca N.Y.
Hartsock, N. C.M. (1983). Money, sex and power: Toward a feminist Historical Materialism. Northeastern University: Boston.
Miles, A. (1995). Integrative feminism: building a global vision, 1960s to 1990s. Routledge: New York.
Rakow, L.F. (1992) (Ed.). Women making meaning: New directions in communication. Routledge: New York & London.
Salter, L & Hearn, A. (1992). Report on Interdisciplinary Prepared for the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. (Photocopy).
Weedon, C. (1987) Feminist practice and poststructuralist theory. Basil Blackwell: London.
All books have been placed on 2 hour reserve (overnight at 4:00 p.m.) in the QEII Library.
Exercises:
1. Identifying Theoretical perspectives relevant to your research question
Identify disciplines and or areas of study relevant to your research interest, and list these on a piece of paper, along with a sentence or two about the central issues or debates addressed within areas of study relevant to your research interests. Then, identify what issues (if any) are left inadequately explained by general theories, that feminist theories might shed some light on.
For example, if my research interest was women and technological change I might identify the following areas of inquiry relevant to my research interest:
philosophical studies about the nature of technological change;
what is the nature of the technological change process? Is it neutral and value free?
Does technology determine human behaviour?
To what extent can people influence the technological change process?
sociological and historical studies of the labour force;
sociological theory provides various explanations for why people fill different roles in society and the family, and some theories (e.g., Marxism) provide an explanation for the conflictual relations of the workplace.
Left unexplored:
women and men appear to have different kinds of relationships to technology;
can women have an impact on the technological change process, and if so, how?
why are women and men in different jobs in the paid labour force, and how does this have relate to technology?
Optional:
You may also want to identify some of the terms that are important in your area of study, and begin locating definitions of these terms. You will find it particularly interesting to locate definitions reflecting different disciplinary perspectives.
DUE DATE: Beginning of class, week 3 (Sept. 26)
2. Locating your research interest in terms of interdisciplinary
Salter and Hearn suggest that there are several aspects of a research problem or question that may render the problem or question interdisciplinary. You should identify each of these, and, thinking about your research topic, identify how (in terms of Salter and Hearn's framework) your research question or topic is interdisciplinary, and whether or not the theoretical issues raised throughout the semester pose a challenge to any of the disciplines relevant to your area of study.
If you are still unsure what topic you will pursue in your research, for the purposes of this exercise you should select one of the topics you are considering. Ideally, you will have some degree of familiarity with whatever topic you choose, as that will make your task a little easier.
DUE DATE: Beginning of class, week 4 (Oct. 3)
Structured Critiques and seminar presentations
Structured critiques should be brief-no more than five double-spaced typed pages, and should follow the format below.
- identify the 3 main points of each article;
- identify 3 things you liked in the article;
- identify 3 things you didn't like or didn't agree with in the article;
- identify 3 things that were unclear in the article or reading;
- identify 3 questions or issues the article(s) left unaddressed.
- How might this article or book be relevant to your area of study?
Other questions or issues you might want to address during your presentation are:
- How is this theory related to other theoretical perspectives (e.g., liberal, radical, or Marxist feminism)?
- What does this theory imply (implicitly or explicitly) about feminist practice?
DUE DATE: Prior to the end of the class during which you are doing a seminar presentation.
Final Paper:
Your final paper should be a discussion of theoretical issues covered in the course, and how these pertain to your research topic. As a general guide, your paper should include the following sections:
Introduction and Background: This section introduces the reader to your research topic or area and the problems or issues presented when one attempts to investigate your area of interest from a feminist perspective.
Theoretical Issues and Debates: This section identifies the important theoretical issues and debates that arise when your topic is addressed from a feminist perspective, and allows you to elaborate on these themes in greater depth than you did in the introductory section.
The remainder of your paper will be shaped by the theoretical issue you address in depth and what you have identified as theoretical problems warranting further investigation in your area of study. You may want to address the questions included in the Overview of Approach to Women's Studies 6000... in your final paper.
After reading your paper, your audience should have a good idea about what you think the central theoretical issues in your research area are, and what (if any relevance) material covered in class and in your research outside of class has to these debates.
DUE DATE: 5 p.m. Dec. 15
General:
As you go through readings this semester, you should outline what (if any) of these issues various theories address, and whether or not in addressing these issues, any contradictions are presented between the two bodies of theory or areas of interest.
Professor: Ellen Balka e-mail: ebalka@kean.ucs.mun.ca Office: S-4079 Office hours:Tuesday Noon-2 and by apt. Phone: 737-2515 or 754-3362 (9-5, M-F only)
Women's Studies 6000 Reading Schedule
Week 1 Introduction to the course
Sept. 12 What is theory
Week 2 An investigation of theory
Sept. 19
Descarres-Belanger, F. & Roy, S. (1991). The CRIAW Papers/Les
Documents de l'ICREF # 26: The Women's Movement and its currents of
thought: A typological essay. ISBN 0-919653-28-6.
Rakow, L. (1992). The field reconsidered. In L. Rakow (Ed.). Women
making meaning: New feminist directions in communication.
Routledge: New York. (3-17)
Cirksena, K. & Cuklanz, L. (1992). Male is to female as _is to _: A
guided tour of five feminist frameworks for communication studies.
In L. Rakow (Ed.). Women making meaning: New feminist directions in
communication. Routledge: New York. (18-45).
Grant, J. (1993) Fundamental feminism: Contesting the core
concepts of feminist theory. New York: Routledge. Chapters 1-3.
Week 3 Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary
Sept. 26
Salter, L & Hearn, A. (1992). Report on Interdisciplinary Prepared
for the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
(Photocopy).
Harding, S. (1991). Whose science, whose knowledge: Thinking from
women's lives. Cornell: Ithaca N.Y. Preface and Part 1.
Probyn, E. (1992). Theorizing through the body. . In L. Rakow
(Ed.). Women making meaning: New feminist directions in
communication. Routledge: New York. (83-99).
Week 4 Roots of Contemporary Issues
Oct. 3
Hartsock, N. C.M. (1983). Money, sex and power: Toward a feminist
Historical Materialism. Northeastern University: Boston. Part 1
Russo, A. (1992). Pornography's active subordination of women:
Radical feminists re-claim speech rights. . In L. Rakow (Ed.).
Women making meaning: New feminist directions in communication.
Routledge: New York. (144-166).
The ideology of the women's movement. In Adamson, Briskin, &
McPhail, (1988). Feminist organizing for change. Toronto: Oxford
University Press. (p. 198-228).
Week 5 Roots, cont.
Oct. 10
Hartsock, N. C.M. (1983). Money, sex and power: Toward a feminist
Historical Materialism. Northeastern University: Boston. Part 2 and
Appendices.
Week 6 Epistemology
Oct. 17
Harding, S. (1991). Whose science, whose knowledge: Thinking from
women's lives. Cornell: Ithaca N.Y. Part 2.
Grant, J. (1993) Fundamental feminism: Contesting the core
concepts of feminist theory. New York: Routledge. Chapter 4
Week 7 Epistemology cont.
Oct. 24
Code, L. (1991). What can she know: Feminist theory and the
construction of knowledge. Cornell: Ithaca N.Y.
Week 8 New and Emergent Theoretical Issues- Theorizing 'Otherness'
Oct. 31
Harding, S. (1991). Whose science, whose knowledge: Thinking from
women's lives. Cornell: Ithaca N.Y. Part 3
Chapters 3,4 and Part 3, Rakow
Week 9 Post-structuralism and Feminism
Nov. 7 Weedon, C. (1987) Feminist practice and poststructuralist theory.
Basil Blackwell: London.
Week 10 Post modernism and Feminism
Nov. 14
Brodribb, S. (1992). Nothing mat(t)ers: A feminist critique of post
modernism. James Lorimer: Toronto.
Grant, J. (1993) Fundamental feminism: Contesting the core
concepts of feminist theory. New York: Routledge. Chapter 5
Week 11 Integrative Feminism
Nov. 21
Miles, A. (1995). Integrative feminism: building a global vision,
1960s to 1990s. Routledge: New York.
Week 12 The future of feminism
Nov. 28
Grant, J. (1993) Fundamental feminism: Contesting the core
concepts of feminist theory. New York: Routledge. Chapter 6
Week 13 Wrap -up
Dec. 5