PHIL 250-01, Feminist Philosophy, Spring 2008

Abstract

Within in the last half-century, feminist activity and feminist theory revolutionized academia in general and the discipline of philosophy in particular. In this course, we will survey the scope and development of feminist theory by focusing on some of its major authors and themes. Our overarching aims will be, first, to understand and to critique the social, political, moral and intellectual subordination of women to men and, second, to evaluate the unique contributions of feminist theory to broader philosophical questions in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and politics. In doing this, we will pay special attention to the congruence, or lack thereof, between feminist theory and other theories of contested identity (such as race, class, ability and sexuality).