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UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Module Specification
1.
Title of Module
Engendering Politics: Feminist Contributions to Political Theory (PO593)
2.
Level of Module
Part II Specialist Option
3.
Units
One. Period 1. Annual
4.
Prerequisite and Co-requisite Modules
None, although normally students will have completed Part I unit 'Thinking about Politics'
5.
Target Intake
15-25 students
Because of its general and theoretical nature, this module could be taken by
students from any of the department’s three principal fields - Politics,
International
Relations (IR)
European Studies (ES).
Hours of study, contact hours
Ten hours per week including two contact hours - one x one-hour lecture; one x onehour seminar.
6.
Aims
 To introduce students to the wide variety of feminist thinking about politics;
 To encourage consideration of the extent to which these feminist contributions
challenge traditional understandings of politics.
The aims of this module complement and contribute to the realisation of the following
aims of the programmes in Politics, IR and ES:
 To provide a stimulating, research-active environment for teaching and learning,
as questions of gender are among the research concerns of the module convenor;
 To educate students in the theoretical analysis of politics, IR and ES.
Objectives
Students who successfully complete this module should be able to:
 Understand some of the main questions and concerns of feminist approaches to
politics;
 Interpret some of the key texts by feminist writers;
 Discuss feminist debates in their own words;
 Critically evaluate different feminist perspectives and situate them vis-à-vis one
another;
 Assess the sorts of challenges feminism poses to mainstream theories of politics;
 Consider the relationship between feminist theories and developments within practical
politics.
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The objectives of this module consolidate the following objectives of the programmes to
which it contributes:
 To foster students’ understanding of the major concepts in Politics & IR;
 To locate these concepts in an historical context;
 To apply their theoretical knowledge to broader questions of global processes and
institutional development;
 To structure, develop and defend complex arguments.
The unit also aims to develop student skills in the following areas:
 Clarity of written expression;
 Clarity of verbal expression;
 Critical evaluation of ideas;
 Application of abstract ideas to particular problems;
 Research skills.
These objectives complement and contribute to the realisation of the following
the programmes in Politics, IR and ES:
 To train students in practical skills – speaking, researching and writing.
aim of
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Organisation & Content
Lectures:
 Introduction: A slice of the contemporary debate: is multiculturalism bad for women?
 Mary Wollstonecraft: the first feminist liberal
 John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor: feminist liberalism continued
 French feminism I: Simone de Beauvoir and feminist existentialism
 Toward a feminist theory of the state? Catharine McKinnon
 Justice vs care? Carol Gilligan’s contribution to feminist thought.
 Ecofeminism.
 Gender and other political forces: bell hooks
 Postmodern feminism: Judith Butler and gender trouble
 French feminism continued: Kristeva, Irigaray, Cixous
 Feminist re-readings of the canon; Carole Pateman et al.
 Conclusion & Overview
8.
Teaching Methods
There will be a weekly lecture dealing with the major outlines of the nominated topic.
Each lecture will be followed by a seminar in which the issues raised in the lecture will
be reviewed, clarified where necessary, debated and amplified. There will be designated
readings for each seminar, and these will also be discussed in the seminar group. The aim
of the lectures and the seminars is to facilitate attainment of the module’s objectives by
promoting students’ understanding of some of the main questions and concerns of
feminist approaches to politics. The discussion of designated readings in each seminar
should foster the students’ ability to interpret a selection of primary texts by feminist
writers. Seminar discussions should also enable students to convey feminist debates in
their own words. From the example set by the lecturer in lecture presentations and
seminar meetings, students will be encouraged to critically evaluate different feminist
perspectives and as the course develops this will be increased by the students’ cumulative
knowledge, as they will be able to situate these perspectives vis-à-vis one another.
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Because this module is being offered as part of the Politics, IR & ES programmes, in the
lectures and seminars reference will be made to the mainstream theories of politics with
which the students are broadly familiar and this will enable them to assess the sorts of
challenges feminism poses to these dominant approaches. Finally, through the use of
examples and illustrations in both lectures and seminars, students will be encouraged to
consider the relationship between feminist theories and developments within practical
politics.
9.
Assessment & Examination Methods
The module will be assessed on the basis of 50% examination and 50% continuous
assessment.
The examination: will be for 2 hours and will be taken in the Trinity term. An optional
review session will be scheduled with the students prior to the exam. The exam will test
the students’ grasp of the issues covered, their analytical skills and their capacity to
integrate the various themes and concerns of the course. There will be a choice of eight
essay topics and students will be required to answer two.
The continuous assessment: will consist of two assignments.
The first is a written reconstruction exercise to be submitted and returned during the first
half of the module. This will be worth 20% of the assessment and will have an upper limit
of 1000 words. It will require students to read and summarise a section of the primary
text of one of the authors studied so far in the module. While this exercise should
contribute to the realisation of all the module objectives, it will in particular assist
students in interpreting some of the key texts by feminist writers and in discussing
feminist debates in their own words.
The second assignment will be an essay, due at the end of the module. It will be worth
30% of the assessment and should be between 2,500 and 3000 words in length. The
essay topics will be general and thematic, allowing students to decide which thinkers and
problems they will discuss in their answers. Students will, however, be expected to
demonstrate their mastery of the relevant primary writings of the authors they select to
discuss the general theme. However, they will not be able to use the same writer as that
chosen for the written reconstruction passage, ensuring that they have a broad coverage of
the material in preparation for the final exam. Requiring this sort of breadth should also
assist in the realisation of two of the unit’s objectives: understanding some of the main
questions and concerns of feminist approaches to politics and assessing the sorts of
challenges feminism poses to mainstream theories of politics. While this exercise should
contribute to the realisation of all the module objectives, it will in particular assist
students in interpreting some of the key texts by feminist writers and in discussing
feminist debates in their own words; understanding some of the main questions and
concerns of feminist approaches to politics; interpreting some of the key texts by feminist
writers; discussing feminist debates in their own words and critically evaluating different
feminist perspectives and situate them vis-à-vis one another.
The combination of assessment methods employed in this module is in keeping with one
of the common aims of the programmes in Politics, IR and ES which is to facilitate the
learning experience through a variety of assessment formats.
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10.
Required and recommended reading and how it will be accessed
The texts will be available from the Templeman Library and/or the campus bookshop.
Extensive use will be made of the library’s Short Loan collection. A reading list for the
whole module will be provided at the start. The list will be divided into Introductory
reading; Required reading and Recommended reading. All students will be expected to
purchase RP Tong’s book, Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction as this
will serve as Introductory Reading for the course as a whole. Required reading will be set
for each seminar. Recommended reading will point students to works that deepen and
broaden their knowledge of each topic and to provide a starting place for sources for their
essay. The students’ mastery of the reading will be examined in their seminar performance,
in their written assignments and in the final examination
Indicative reading list:
J. Butler & J. W. Scott Feminists Theorize the Political
D Cornell
At the Heart of Freedom
C Gilligan
In a Different Voice
C. McKinnon
Toward a Feminist Theory of the State
JS Mill
On the Subjection of Women
SMJ Okin
Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women?
Shanley & Pateman (eds)
Feminist Interpretations and Political Theory
M Wollstonecraft
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
11.
Student Feedback
Students will be encouraged at every point to engage in a dialogue with the
lecturer. The lecturer will keep office hours at which the students can discuss
academic issues pertaining to the course as and when they arise. At the end of the
course students are given course evaluation forms to complete, these are processed
by the central administration, results are reported to the Head of Department who
in turn reports to the lecturer concerned so that he/she might take the appropriate action.
The normal University complaints procedure is available to students.
12.
Evidence that all resource requirements will be provided
Teaching staff: Ruth Abbey
Library impact: This is a new module in the Department’s programme. Therefore a
moderate library impact is anticipated.
Timetabling implications: The proposed module is an addition to the Department’s
teaching portfolio. The Timetabling Office has been informed of this.
Computing implications: The module will not generate any additional demand for
computing resources.
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