WS 300 Spring 1992 Sandra Gill Associate Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies Gettysburg College, Gettysburg PA 17325 E-mail: sgill@cc.gettysburg.edu (Internet) Feminist Theories In this course we will read historical and contemporary feminist works examining feminist approaches to explaining women's experiences, their representations and their relative positions in societies. The course begins with an overview of the development of American feminist thought looking at theorists central to the development of liberal feminism, cultural feminism, freudian feminism, socialist feminism, existentialist feminism, and radical feminism. We will then focus upon the theoretical contributions of French feminists and women of color and the revisions that these works have brought to feminist thought. Course Objectives: 1. Increase awareness of the multiplicity of feminist theories. 2. Further the ability to examine critically theoretical assumptions. 3. Develop the ability to synthesize and assess theoretical arguments. 4. Stimulate the use of written and oral communication as an effective means of expression. 5. Encourage the envisioning of social changes which might bring about gender equality. Texts: Donovan, Josephine. 1985. Feminist Theory: The Intellectual Traditions of American Feminism. New York: Frederick Ungar. Kourany, Janet A, James P. Sterba, & Rosemarie Tong (eds.). 1992. Feminist Philosophies. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Hartsock, Nancy C. M. 1985. Money, Sex, and Power: Toward a Feminist Historical Materialism. Boston: Northeastern University Press. Johnson, Miriam. 1989. Strong Mothers, Weak Wives. Berkeley: University of California. hooks, bell. 1984. Feminist Theory: from Margin to Center. Boston: South End Press. Morrison, Toni. 1987. Beloved. New York: Penguin. Class "Packet": Goldman, Emma. 1970. "The Traffic in Women (1911)." Pp. 19-32 in The Traffic in Women and Other Essays on Feminism. New York: Times Change Press. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. 1980. "The Yellow Wallpaper (1892)." Pp. 3-20 in The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader edited by A. J. Lane. Kolodny, Annette. 1985. "A Map for Rereading: Gender and the Interpretation of Literary Texts." Pp. 46-62 in The New Feminist Criticism: Essays on Women, Literature & Theory edited by Elaine Showalter. New York: Pantheon. Benston, Margaret. 1977. "The Political Economy of Women's Liberation (1969)." Pp. 216 - 225 in Woman in a Man-Made World edited by N. Glazer & H. Waehrer. New York: Rand McNally. Gill, Sandra. 1992. Marriage, Money and Mobility. Unpublished Paper. Freud, Sigmund. 1925. "Some Psychological Consequences of the Anatomical Distinction Between the Sexes." Pp. 186-197 in Collected Papers Volume 5. New York: Basic Books. Ruddick, Sara. 1984. "Maternal Thinking." Pp. 211-230 in Mothering: Essays in Feminist Theory edited by J. Trebilcot. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Allanheld. De Beauvoir, Simone. 1968. The Second Sex (pp.xiii-xxix). New York: Knopf. Tong, Rosemarie. 1989. "Postmodern Feminism." Pp. 217-233 in Feminist Thought. Boulder, CO: Westview. Irigaray, Luce. 1985. This Sex Which is Not One (pp. 23-33). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press Cixous, Helene. 1981. "The Laugh of the Medusa." Pp. 245-264 in New French Feminism edited by E. Marks and I. de Courtivron. New York: Shocken. DuPlessis, Rachel Blau. "For the Etruscans." Pp. 271-291 in The New Feminist Criticism: Essays on Women, Literature & Theory edited by Elaine Showalter. New York: Pantheon. Hirsch, Marianne. 1989. The Mother/Daughter Plot: Narrative, Psychoanalysis, Feminism (Pp. 162-199). Bloomington IN: Indiana University Press. Spivak, Gayatri C. 1987. "French Feminism in an International Frame." Pp. 134-153 in In Other Worlds. New York: Methuen. Lugones, Maria. 1990. "Playfulness, 'World'-Travelling, and Loving Perception." Pp. 390-402 in Making Face, Making Soul: Haciendo Caras edited by Gloria Anzaldua. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Foundation. Evaluation: I will use four criteria for determining your grade in this course. They are: Weekly Papers 25% Class Participation 25% Essay midterm exam 25% Essay final exam 25% Weekly Papers: You will be asked to write weekly papers 2 to 4 pages in length. Generally I will give you an fairly general question or topic around which to organize your essay. I encourage you to use creativity and imagination in your response to the assignment. In these papers I ask that you accomplish the following objectives. 1) Demonstrate that you have read and understood readings assigned by referring, specifically and in your own words, to important ideas in the articles . 2) Show your ability to synthesize material from assigned class readings. Compare and contrast ideas from several articles. 3) Evaluate ideas with reference to the views expressed of other articles or with reference to your own experiences. 4) Prove your ability to use written language as an interesting and effective means of communication. Be sure to use cites and quotation marks as you would in any paper. Bibliographic information need be listed only for materials not included on this syllabus. Class Participation: Several dimensions of your class participation will be evaluated: Contributing verbally to daily discussion: This course will be conducted as a seminar. Thus it is crucial that you read all material assigned for a class. You will be evaluated upon your contributions to class discussions. The students who will be evaluated most highly are (1) those who demonstrate that they have read and thought about the material assigned for the class, (2) those who demonstrate that listen to their peers and build upon their ideas, (3) those who can relate the ideas in the articles assigned for the day with ideas from articles assigned earlier and ideas from other courses or contexts. Developing questions or topics for discussion: Each day students will be asked to bring to class two or three ideas for discussion formulated from readings assigned for the day. Leading class discussions: Students will be assigned to lead discussions. Leading such a discussion will require outside reading or review of material covered in other classes. Students leading such discussions will begin the discussion with a brief introduction to the author and her ideas. Responding to in class writing assignments: Periodically you will be asked to write a paragraph or two during class to demonstrate your ability to comprehend and thoughtfully reflect upon reading assignments. Attending class (and making up for non-attendance): As much of your grade is based on participation, it is important to be in class. If you must miss class, I expect you to turn in a one to two page paper in which you meet objectives 1 and 3 under "Oral contribution to daily discussion". If you know you must miss class turn in this paper ahead of time or send it to class with a friend; otherwise it should be turned in as soon as you return to class. Class Schedule: 1/14 Introduction 1/16 Liberal Feminism Donovan Chapter 1 Stanton Pp. 269-270 in Feminist Philosophies 1/21 Cultural Feminism Donovan Chapter 2 Goldman 1/23 Gilman Kolodny 1/28 Socialist Feminism Donovan Chapter 3 Engels Pp. 331-342 in Feminist Philosophies 1/30 Benston Hartsock 1-15...115-144 2/4 Hartsock 145-153...210-251 2/6 Hartsock Complete Book 2/11 Gill 2/13 Freudian Feminism Donovan Chapter 4 Freud 2/18 Matrifocal Theories Chodorow Pp. 309-322 in Feminist Philosophies 2/20 Ruddick Johnson Pp. 1-23 2/25 Johnson Pp. 44-156 2/27 Johnson Pp. 157-270 3/3 Existential Feminism Donovan Chapter 5 De Beauvoir 3/5 Radical Feminism Donovan Chapter 6 Firestone Pp. 282-287 in Feminist Philosophies 3/10 Frye Pp. 288-294 in Feminist Philosophies MacKinnon Pp. 295-308 in Feminist Philosophies Spring break 3/24 Postmodern Feminism Review Donovan Chapter 4 especially 113-116 Irigaray 3/26 Tong Cixous Irigaray Pp. 372-377 in Feminist Philosophies 3/31 DuPlessis 4/2 Hirsch 4/7 Toward Inclusivity Spivak 4/9 Hooks Pp. 1-81 4/14 Hooks Pp. 83-end 4/15 Patricia Hill Collins will give lecture entitled "The Challeng of Black Feminist Thought" at 7:30 in the Lyceum. Plan to attend. 4/16 Lugones 4/21 Applying Theories Morrison 4/23 Morrison 4/28 Toward Transformation Donovan Chapter 7