FEMINISM, RELIGION, & ETHICS: A WOMEN STUDIES SEMINAR
Religion 368/Fall 2002
Professor Suzanne Holland
Office: Wyatt 114; ext 3750
Office Hours: TBA
Email: sholland@ups.edu (Be advised: I do not check email on weekends.)
Web Site: www.ups.edu/religion/holland/holl.ht
"Spiders are patient weavers
And who knows what keeps them at it:
Hunger, no doubt
And hope."
(May Sarton)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Throughout history, women have been weavers, both literally and metaphorically. The weaving and
piecing together of their quilts (and of their lives) has been fed by hunger, as Sarton's poem suggests, and
sustained by hope; so it is with this seminar in feminist religious and social ethics. This course represents a
weaving together of various strands of thought, arising from women's reflections on their experiences, their
religious traditions, and their gendered perspectives as members of society. As such, this course privileges
the particularity of a gendered perspective, or standpoint, on the world and its institutions.
While this seminar does not seek to be a comprehensive survey of feminist thought, it does seek to tie
together into a cohesive whole a diversity of disciplines and perspectives. Feminist religious and social
ethics has been formed through a nexus of religion, philosophy, and concrete socio-political experiences.
In order to probe the depth of the connections between these disciplines and experiences, our course will be
divided into three roughly equivalent units. While I will weave together the threads of the first two units, in
the final unit that task will be yours.
Prerequisites
Things that are not prerequisites of this course:
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Being a woman
Being a feminist
Prior work in religious studies
Things that are prerequisites of this course:
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Ability to listen respectfully and thoughtfully to others' ideas with which you may disagree
Willingness to open your own ideas to critical examination in both written and oral form
Patience with the frustrations that come with real dialogue
COURSE ORGANIZATION
I. The Thread of Religion
This first unit seeks to trace the influences of institutional religion and of religious thought on feminist
ethics. In this unit, we will limit ourselves to Western religious traditions and to the ways in which
feminists have struggled with their respective religious inheritances, and how these inheritances have
shaped issues in ethics: women's moral commitments, epistemologies, ways of reasoning, notions of moral
agency, visions of social justice, and so on. Thus, our primary focus will be on Christianity, Judaism, post-
Christian or neo-pagan religions. If time permits, we may also examine "Americanized" versions of
Buddhism and Islam, though it is important to note that this is not a course in comparative feminist
religious ethics.
Primary texts: Rita Gross, Feminism and Religion; Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow, eds., Womanspirit
Rising; selections from Rosemary Keller and Rosemary Radford Ruether, eds., In Our Own Voices (in
course reader).
II. The Thread of Philosophy
This second unit of study shifts our attention to more "secular" considerations. Here we will examine
traditional philosophical approaches to moral reasoning, as well as historical approaches concerning
women as moral agents. We will look at questions of gender, behavior and ethics, as well as ontological
and epistemological considerations: What is it that women "know," and what constitutes women as
"knowers?" What are the implications of this kind of knowledge for social thought? Is knowledge
constructed or biologically determined (the nature/nurture debate)?
Primary texts: Rosemarie Tong, Feminine and Feminist Ethics; selections from Carol Gilligan, In a
Different Voice(in course reader).
III. The Socio-Political Thread
Here, in our third unit, we will consider the effects of a gendered perspective on social policy issues. We
will do this by examining concrete social issues that may include, for example: sexual violence, abortion,
sexual difference, pornography, reproductive technologies, social constructions of the body, and women in
the military. Conversely, we will consider how social policy perspectives have been shaped or informed by
feminism. What is/ought to be the place of feminist religious and social ethics with respect to
contemporary social policy questions?
As we look at these concrete issues, you will begin to notice and to process the differences in approach to
various ethical problems. In other words, feminist philosophical ethics and feminist theological ethics vary
in their analyses and in their methods. Thus, some of the questions you will want to consider are: What are
those differences? What are the similarities? Which approaches do you find most adequate to the issues at
hand, and why? What is/ought to be the place of religion in approaching policy concerns? What is the
connection between religion, feminism and social ethics? Is there a distinctively feminist theological
ethics? How has it been formed? What are its contours? Of what import is it? What assumptions does it
challenge? What are the prospects for the future of feminist ethical thought?
Primary Texts: Student-selected and assigned
COURSE READINGS
RELIGION 368
Required
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Rita Gross, Feminism and Religion (Beacon, 1996).
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Judith Plaskow and Carol Christ, eds., Womanspirit Rising (Harper San Francisco, 1979, 1992).
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Rosemarie Tong, Feminine and Feminist Ethics (Wadsworth Press, 1993).
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Lois Daly, ed., Feminist Theological Ethics (Westminster John Knox, 1994).
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Beverly Wildung Harrison, Making the Connections (Beacon Press, 1985).
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Holland, Suzanne. Course Reader (in bookstore)
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Professor's Responsibilities in this Course
My job is to teach with integrity the scholarship representative of my field, to see that students learn as
much as possible, and to create a comfortable environment for learning. These goals cannot be
accomplished without genuine attention to the unique strengths, experiences, and expectations that both the
professor and students bring to the classroom. My goal is to provide encouragement and support for your
learning. Sometimes flexible procedures and learning options are necessary to facilitate the kind of
teaching and learning that should occur here. I am anxious to hear what energizes you, what disappoints
you, where you disagree, and what helps you to learn. Please see me if you have questions, concerns, or
specific needs.
Student Responsibilities in this Course
Students will be expected to abide by institutional guidelines regarding both class attendance and academic
honesty. Beyond this, it is your responsibility to have an attitude of openness to new material, an attitude
of respect toward differences, and a willingness to work hard in pursuit of our common educational goals.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR RELIGION 368
(agreed upon by class consensus)
Grading: On the first day of class, students in consultation with the professor will determine how grading
will be assessed. Criteria for grading all assignments are listed under the Web site for this course—see
Grading Rubrics.
Class Participation is required of each student. By class participation, I mean that you must attend class
regularly and engage in discussions. You must attempt all reading and written assignments. This does not
mean that you will fully understand material, but that you will be familiar with the text(s) and know which
passages are puzzling for you. Class participation allows you to raise questions and to achieve some
understanding of course content. Class participation will require collaborative small group work and may
include ungraded writing assignments in class. At the end of the semester, each student will assess the
quality of her or his own class participation and will assign oneself a letter grade. This will be
accomplished through a self-evaluation work sheet, which makes explicit the criteria for good class
participation. By consensus, students will determine what percentage of their grade is reflected in class
participation. (I will also assign a class participation grade.) The work sheet is due on the last day of class.
If self-evaluations are not received by that day, my grade will constitute the full class participation grade.
Self-evaluation work sheets may be printed out from the course Web site.
OTHER THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Attendance: In a seminar like this, attendance at class is crucial. Attendance will affect my perception
of your grade — active attendance will affect my perception of your grade in a positive light. By class
agreement, if you miss more classes than the number of times this class meets per week (two), your
grade may be reduced by fifteen points for each missed day.
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Late Paper Policy: There is none. Papers are due on the dates listed on syllabus. Papers that come in
late will lose one full letter grade for each business day that the paper is late.
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Spelling & Grammar: In this class, you are writing within the discipline of religious and social ethics.
The primary mode of writing within this discipline is the analytical or argumentative essay. An
effective essay in this discipline is measured by the persuasiveness and coherence of arguments being
made; therefore it follows that the way in which one constructs sentences, and uses grammar and
spelling can either detract from or contribute to an argument. For this reason, if any of your papers
contain errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar/syntax which impede my ability to grasp your
argument, the paper will be returned ungraded for revision and is no longer eligible for an "A" or
"A-" grade. Such offenses may vary, but in general, I use a rule of three: no more than three such
errors (3) per 3-page paper, or no more than one error per page. If this happens, your paper
may be revised only as to spelling, grammar and punctuation (not content) and is due at the next class
session after being returned. You are advised to run a spell check and/or grammar check for all written
work in this class. Remember that the Writing Center is there to help you. Although Reading Journals
are of a different nature, repeated, careless spelling/grammar errors may also affect your grade.
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All written work should contain page numbers on every page. If you use any citations from the
Internet, I expect you to print out the page from the Web that you are citing and attach it to your
paper.
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Citation and Attribution: any time you use an author's idea or a quotation from an author's work, you
must cite properly, and this includes references from the Internet. I recommend you purchase the small
handbook, Writing With Sources by Harvey if you do not already own a style manual. The reference
section of the Collins Library also has style sheets available. I have no preference on style, only that
you are consistent in your use of one.
REL. 368 Fall 2002
SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS
(subject to ongoing revision as needed)
UNIT ONE: WEAVING THE THREAD OF RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS IN FEMINIST
RELIGIOUS ETHICS
T: 9/3 Introductions to the course and to each other. Gender as a category of experience and
analysis. Feminism as scholarly method and social vision; feminist pedagogy.
Suggestion: Begin to make a glossary section in your journal for definitions of new terms.
Th: 9/5 Framing the Topic
Read: Gross, chapter One, "Defining Feminism, Religion and the Study of Religion, pp. 5-28.
Bellafante, "It's All about Me!" in Course Reader
Questions: What is Religion? Feminism? The study of religion? What do you think of Gross' proposal
for a society free from gender roles? What is the distinction between women studies and feminism? What
are the problems of patriarchy? What would be your definitions of (a) religion; (b) feminism; (c) religious
studies? What would you say is your standpoint? What is feminism as a social vision? In your view, does
Bellafante's article accurately describe feminism at this stage in history? Why or why not?
T: 9/10 Feminism & Religion: A Bird's-Eye View
Read: Gross, chapter Two, "Feminism's Impact on Religion and Religious
Studies: A Brief History," pages 29-64.
Ruether, "Growing Pluralism, New Dialogue," pp. 427-467, found in Course Reader.
(Note: You are to read Ruether's introduction and Documents 1-7.)
Suggested: Solari, #28 in Reader
Questions: What is the history of feminism? Has it had any impact on religion? In what way(s)? What
are the issues of distinctiveness and diversity that Gross and Ruether are seeking to point out? Can you
summarize what characterizes each of the major feminist influences on the respective religions mentioned?
Why are many voices required?
Th: 9/12
Questioning the Given World View
Read: Gross, chapter Four, 105-148; and chapter Five, 149-197
Plaskow and Christ, pages 19-41(includes introduction to part one and Valerie
Saiving's article)
Walker, excerpt from The Color Purple