Admission requirements
Admission to this course is restricted to:
BA students in Filosofie, who have successfully completed at least 70 ECTS credits of the mandatory components of the first and second year of their bachelor’s programme, including History of Modern Philosophy, Cultuurfilosofie, Continentale filosofie, Philosophy of Mind.
BA students in Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives, who have successfully completed at least 70 ECTS credits of the mandatory components of the first and second year of their bachelor’s programme, including World Philosophies: Modern Europe, Philosophy of Culture, Concepts of Selfhood, and at least one of the courses World Philosophies: China, World Philosophies: India, World Philosophies: Africa, World Philosophies: Middle East.
Pre-master’s students in Philosophy who are in possession of an admission statement and who have to complete an advanced seminar, to be selected from package A.
Description
How to speak philosophically of humanity, as a universal condition, which nonetheless turns out to be conditioned by particular situations, bodily defined in terms of sex, gender and race? How to deal with the epistemic and political injustices associated to sex, gender and race? Moreover, how can we question philoshopy itself through the lenses of sex, gender and race? During this course, we will seek to address these questions by close-reading a number of canonical writers on these topics.
We will read and discuss the different “feminist waves” that have addressed the question of feminism from terms of equality and essentiality to postmodern notions of difference and intersectionality. We will examine the differences between sex, gender and sexuality, and study gender not limited to the male/female division. We will read texts by De Beauvoir, Irigaray, Cixous, Ahmed.
We will discuss the question of race as a question of colonisation and post-colonial forms of racism (Fanon and Said), and as the question of non-Western ways of thinking (Mbembe), and as the question of one or many cultures (Leirs, Descola, Vivieros).
Course objectives
This course aims to give students a solid understanding of the prinicpal historical and contemporary philosophical discussions concerning feminism, sex, gender, race, colonialism and postcolonialism.
Students who succesfully complete the course will have a clear understanding of:
the classical authors and arguments of feminist philosophy, as well as philosophical questions of sex and gender; (Researching, Analyzing, Reflection);
the most important philosophical positions concerning race, colonialism and postcolonialism (Researching, Analyzing, Reflection).
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
construct and present (both oral and in writing) many-sided and balanced philosophical analyses concerning sex, gender and race (Oral Communication, Written Communication, Reflection, Independent Learning);
develop their own research claim and write a final paper on a self-defined problem (Written Communication, Independent Learning);
be aware of the philosophical, social and political problems concerning sex, gender and race (Societal Awareness);
be capable of designing and presenting a text together with others (Working Together).
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminars.
Class attendance is required.
Assessment method
Assessment
Active participation;
Presentation;
Paper.
Weighing
Active participation/coöperation in class/group, including weekly written assignments (20 %);
Essay, paper (65 %);
Abstract, oral presentation (15 %).
Resit
The resit consits of a paper and counts as 100% of the grade, overwriting all previously graded exam components.
Active class participation (including submitting weekly exercises) is a requirement for taking the resit.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Literature will be made available in class or on Brightspace. There is no need to study any literature beforehand.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudymap is not possible for this course. Students are requested to submit their preferences for the third-year electives by means of an online registration form. They will receive the instruction and online registration form by email (uMail account); in June for courses scheduled in semester 1, and in December for courses scheduled in semester 2. Registration in uSis will be taken care of by the Education Administration Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga.
Remarks
Not applicable.