1
Professor Marion Smiley
Brandeis University
Fall 2014
110 Mandel Center
Phone: 736-2792
email: smiley@brandeis.edu
WGS 205
An Interdisciplinary Graduate Course on the Foundations of Feminist Thought
WGS 205 focuses on the efforts of 20th and 21st century feminist theorists both to
uncover the nature of gender based oppression and to grasp the various ways in which
modes of inquiry, persons, and practices have been gendered over the years. The first
part of the course explores the works of Simone de Beauvoir and bel hooks, as well as
arguments by materialist feminists, and poses a variety of questions about how to deal
with overlapping oppressions, e.g., sexism, racism, homophobia. (What, if anything, can
theories of intersectionality do for us here?) The second part of the course explores the
relationship between sex and gender, as well as the various ways in which sexual
identities and practices are created and performed in the world. (Queer theory becomes
key in this context.) The third part of the course zeroes in on historical constructions of
masculinity and traces their effects on both men and the organization of particular social
and political practices, e.g., war and the market. The fourth part of the course explores
the place of cultural and religious difference in feminism and other gender based
movements and asks: Can these movements deal with multiculturalism and how, if at all,
can they be pursued globally without oppressing particular cultural and religious groups?
Course Requirements: Class attendance is mandatory. Students will be asked to
write either two medium length papers (7-8 pages) or a longer (20 page+) paper on
theories covered in the course. (Note: In the case of the longer paper, students are
welcome to apply theories covered in the course to projects in their own discipline.)
The following required books can be purchased at the Brandeis University
Bookstore:
Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex.
bel hooks, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center.
R. W. Connell, Gender.
Nikki Sullivan, A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory.
Susan Okin, Is Multiculturalism Good for Women?.
All other readings will be in a course pack (CP) for purchase at the first class
meeting and thereafter in the Philosophy Department Office.
2
Course Readings
NOTE: The seminar will be organized around the selections listed for each session. So
please do read these selections by the date cited.
Sept.2: Introduction to Course
Sept. 9: Feminism and Existentialism I
Simone de Beauvoir, Second Sex, Intro; ch.s 1, 3, 21, 22, and 23.
Sept. 16: Feminism and Existentialism II
Second Sex, ch. 25 and Conclusion.
Judith Butler, “Gender and the Body; de Beauvoir’s Philosophical Contribution”
(CP).
Elizabeth Spelman, “Who is the ‘We’ in Simone de Beauvoir’s Second Sex?”
(CP).
Sept.30: Hierarchies of Oppression I
bel hooks, Feminist Theory. From Margin to Center, ch.s 1-.7
Oct. 7: Hierarchies of Oppression II
Feminist Theory. From Margin to Center, ch.s 8-12.
Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege and Male Privilege” (CP).
Oct. 14: Materialist Feminism
Margaret Benston, “The Political Economy of Women’s Liberation” (CP).
Barbara Ehrenreich, “What is Socialist Feminism?” (CP).
Swasti Mitter, “Women Working Worldwide” (CP).
Chandra Talpade Mohanty, “Women Workers and Capitalist Scripts: Ideologies
of Domination, Common Interests, and the Politics of Solidarity” (CP).
3
Oct. 21: Intersectionality as Theory and Practice
Elizabeth Spelman, selection, “The One and the Many” (CP)
Kimberly Crenshaw, “Beyond Racism and Misogyny; Black Feminism and
Two Live Crew” (CP).
Kathy Davis, “Intersectionality as Buzzword” (CP).
Jennifer Nash, “Rethinking Intersectionality” (CP).
Oct. 28: Constructions of Gender
R. W. Connell, Gender.
Nov. 4: Queer Theory
Judith Butler, “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution” (CP).
Nikki Sullivan, A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory, chapters 1-7.
Nov. 11: Intersex Treatment and the Ethics of Transformation
Iain Morland, “Intersex Treatment and the Promise of Trauma” (CP).
Cressida Hayes, “Changing Race, Changing Sex: the Ethics of
Transformation”(CP).
Nov. 18: Masculinities
Daniel Gilmore, “Conclusion”, Manhood in the Making (CP).
Patrick Hopkins, “Gender Treachery: Homophobia, Masculinity,
and Threatened Identities” (CP).
Victor Seidler, “Masculinity and Violence” (CP).
[recommended but not required:
Genovieve Lloyd , “Selfhood, War, and Masculinity” (CP).
Ross Poole, “Morality, Masculinity, and the Market” (CP).]
4
Nov. 25: Feminism and Multicultualism
Susan Okin, ed., Is Multiculturalism Good For Women?. pp. 7-26; plus read
at least five of the responses that follow (your choice).
Jennifer Saul,”Feminism and ‘Respect for Cultures’” (CP).
Sarah Song, “Majority Norms and the Compatibility of Feminism and
Multiculturalism” (CP).
Dec. 2: Global Feminism?
Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell, “Global Women” (LATTE)
Chandra Talpade Mohanty, “Feminist Encounters: Locating the Politics of
Experience” (LATTE).
Valerie Sperling, Myra Marx Feree, and Barbara Risman, “Constructing Global
Feminism: Transnational Advocay Networks and Russian Women’s
Activism”
(LATTE).