Time Schedule:
Christine Di Stefano
POL S 513
Seattle Campus
Contemporary issues in feminist theory as they affect studies of women, politics, and society. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the research interests of the instructor.
Class description
Description: While all feminist theory is “political?by definition, in this seminar we will focus on recent work in feminist “political?theory. Feminist “political?theory is self-consciously connected in some way to the literatures, concepts, narratives and concerns of “political theory.? Our readings and discussions for this seminar will cover a broad range of recent work in feminist political theory. We will read and discuss one text per week for the first nine weeks of the quarter. During the final two weeks of the quarter, we will read and discuss every student’s final paper.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Texts: Seyla Benhabib, The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era;Wendy Brown, Politics Out of History; Drucilla Cornell, Just Cause; Jane Flax, The American Dream in Black and White: The Clarence Thomas Hearings; Nancy Hirschmann, The “Subject?of Liberty; Bonnie Honig, Democracy and the Foreigner; Martha Nussbaum, Sex and Social Justice; Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, A Critique of Postcolonial Reason; Iris Marion Young, Inclusion and Democracy.
Class assignments and grading
Assignments. Students will be asked to write short weekly response papers on the assigned readings. A final, longer paper will also be required. This is not a research paper, but a paper that critically engages with one or several of the assigned texts. Active and informed participation in seminar meetings is, of course, expected.
Grading: Response papers: 25 %; Final paper: 50 %; Seminar participation: 25 %.
