Gender Studies 450: Feminist Theories (3-0-0 Face-to-Face)

Fall 2016, Tuesday/Thursday 2:00-3:15 pm, Eddy 115

Instructor Information
Instructor

Email

Office Location & Hours

Hailey Otis

hnotis@colostate.edu

BSB A217, MW 2-3:30 (or by appt)

General Information
Description
This class traces feminist thought, movement, and theory from the roots of American liberal feminism to the current
state of feminist theory in the third wave, particularly as it begins to interrogate masculinities. We must keep in mind
that there are a variety of competing approaches to the study of gender that have emerged out of feminist thought.
These approaches have both used and challenged the traditions of Western philosophy and epistemology in a number of
ways. This leaves us with approaches that can furiously contest each other, work against each other, and deny each
other credibility. Feminist theories define gender, patriarchy, inequality, and injustice in different ways and they
criticize the social structures of power diversely. As we interrogate these different approaches, we must keep two
central questions in mind: First, how has feminist theory been upset, informed, and empowered by the demand that it
pay fuller attention to differences of race, class, sexual orientation, and culture among women (and men)? Second,
how do different theorists understand the relationship between feminist theories and feminist political praxis; how
does, and how can, feminist theory inform and perhaps itself entail feminist change?

Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Demonstrate knowledge of several modes of feminist thought

Demonstrate ability to analyze historical changes in feminist thought and politics through an
understanding of the issues and questions of concern to a variety of feminist thinkers, historical and
contemporary
Evaluate feminist theories with and against each other to understand similarities, differences, and
contests between them
Demonstrate your ability to describe and analyze and evaluate a variety of different theoretical and
political feminist positions

Course Materials
Required Texts

Rosemarie Putnam Tong, Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction 4th ed. (2013)

Selected additional readings will be available on Canvas

Assignments
Weekly Response Papers (30%)

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Each week that we have class, with the exception of the week the midterm is due, students will be responsible for
writing a 2 page (double spaced) response paper where they reflect upon the theories discussed in class. These papers
will be due every week by Friday at 11:59 pm on Canvas. There are two main objectives for these papers: First, they
will allow the instructor to check on where students are at in their understanding of each theory. Second, these papers
will allow students to situate each new development of theory within the larger frameworks of feminism and feminist
theory. Students should keep in mind that these papers can help them prepare for both the midterm and final papers
(therefore proper citations will only serve as a benefit to the student) as well as a sort of study guide for the final
exam.

Midterm Paper (15%)

This paper assignment will be distributed during week 5 of the semester and the final product will be due week 8.
Students will be required to demonstrate a sophisticated understanding and critical thought about the material in the
first half of the course. This paper should be at least 5 pages long and no longer than 7 pages in order to make a
successful argument. Your weekly response papers will be particularly helpful in writing this paper.

Class Presentation (10%)

Students will be required to give a 10 minute presentation on a text that complements the class reading for a particular
week. During the first week of the semester, I will have students browse the syllabus and rank their top three units in
order of interest. I will use those rankings to assign each student a complementary text and date of presentation. On
the day of the your presentation, you will need to present the central thesis of the text, outline its main ideas, and
discuss its relevance to the material we have studied in the course so far, particularly its relevance to the assigned
class readings for that day. If you are absent on this day without a documented excuse, you will receive a zero for the
assignment which cannot be made up. If you have a true emergency and must miss your presentation day, you must
work with the instructor to sign up for another presentation day which will entail a different text that complements
readings for a different day.

Final Paper (25%)

This paper assignment will be distributed during week 11 of the semester and the final product will be due week 15the last week before final exams. Students will be required to make their own evaluations of the material we have
worked with over the course of the entire semester. This paper should be at least 8 pages long and no longer than 10
pages in order to make a successful argument. Your weekly response papers will be particularly helpful in writing this
paper.

Final Exam (20%)

The final exam will be a cumulative, in-class essay exam given during the exam period for this class during finals week.
There will be 3 prompts and students will need to choose 2 to respond to. The final exam will be similar to the final
paper in that it will require students to make their own evaluations of the material we have worked with over the
course of the entire semester. This will be a closed-book, closed-note exam, though I encourage students to use their
weekly response papers as a study guide. The exam must be taken on the assigned final exam date- no exceptions
except for the most severe of documented emergencies.

Grading
Response Papers

30 pts

30%

Midterm Paper

15 pts

15%

Class Presentation

10 pts

10%

Final Paper

25 pts

25%

Final Exam

20 pts

20%

Total

100 pts

100%

Final grades will be allocated based upon the following grading scale:
A= 93-100

A-= 90-92

B+= 87-89

B=83-86

B-=80-82

C+=77-79

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C=73-76

C-= 70-72

D= 60-69

F=59 or below

Rewrite Policy
I have an open rewrite policy in my courses. Until the last day of class, you may rewrite any of your written work until
you are satisfied with your grade. In order to rewrite, you MUST meet with me to discuss your paper and you MUST
turn in your rewrite within 2 weeks of receiving the assignment back from me. Generally, successful rewrites are
SIGNIFICANTLY different than the first draft. Cosmetic improvements, an added sentence here or there, or a simple
rearrangement of your work will usually not significantly improve your grade. In-class exams and papers may not be
rewritten.

Attendance Policy
Regular attendance and participation is required. Because illnesses and emergencies do arise during the course of the
semester, one weeks worth of absences are allowed without penalty (2 unpenalized absences for a Tuesday/Thursday
course). Provided its not a presentation or exam day, no explanation is required for the missed day; however, the
student is responsible for obtaining any lecture material, handouts, or announcements covered in class. These
absences should be reserved for illness, emergencies, family engagements, and participation in university-sponsored
activities. After your unpenalized absences have been used, each unexcused absence will result in a 1.5 points per
absence deduction from your final grade. I require written documentation for excused absences and absences will
only be excused in cases of real emergencies. If you have a documented absence, please speak with me about making
up the absence. What constitutes a real emergency is at my full discretion but generally includes (and is not limited
to): a death of a family member or beloved pet, hospitalization or severe illness (severe enough that you see a doctor).

Late Work Policy

Late work will not be accepted for this class, except in the case of a real emergency. All paper assignments will be
submitted on Canvas by 11:59 on the day they are due, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Academic Honesty
As a Colorado State University student, you have agreed to abide by the Universitys Policy on Academic Integrity as
described in the Universitys General Catalog (http://www.catalog.colostate.edu/ ). All students will be expected to do
and take credit for only their own work. There are many ways in which a student could fail to meet this standard,
including: cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized possession of academic material, falsification, and facilitating others
violation of this policy. The instructor will take reasonable steps to prevent and detect academic dishonesty. Students
found lacking in these areas will face at least one of a variety of academic penalties, including but not limited to
failure of an assignment, failure of the class, or separation from the institution. If students have questions about what
constitutes academic dishonesty, they are encouraged to speak with the instructor prior to taking any such action.

Disability, Access, or Learning Accommodations

The instructor, department, and university are committed to creating an accessible learning environment for all
students. If a student has a disability and requires reasonable classroom accommodations, please speak with the
instructor before/after class or at office hours during the first week of the semester. Students will also need to begin
a conversation with the office of Resources for Disabled Students (RDS) [970-491-6385 V/TDD; 100 General Services
Building; http://rds.colostate.edu/]. This office will provide written documentation specifying needed
accommodations and assist students in having their needs met along with the instructor. Accommodations can only be
granted to a student through proper documentation from RDS. Please note: Failure to register with RDS or to request
accommodations from the instructor will not constitute grounds for retroactive grade changes.

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Course Schedule
Week 1, Tuesday: Introductions
What is "feminism"? "What is feminist"?

PART I: SOME SECOND WAVE FEMINISMS: LIBERAL, RADICAL, MARXIST, PSYCHOANALYTIC

Week 1, Thursday: The "Enlightened" Origins of Liberal Feminisms in the First Wave
Flax, "Women Do Theory" (Canvas)
Tong, "Introduction: The Diversity of Feminist Thinking," 1-9
Tong, "Liberal Feminism," 11-37
Seneca Falls Convention, "Declaration of Sentiments" (Canvas)
Sojourner Truth, "Arn't I a Woman?" (Canvas)
Week 2, Tuesday: Liberal Feminisms in the Second Wave
Tong, "Liberal Feminism" 37-49.
Betty Friedan, "The Problem that Has No Name." (Canvas)
Carole Pateman, "Contracting In." (Canvas)
Week 2, Thursday: Introduction to Radical Feminisms
Tong, "Radical Feminism," 50-92.
Week 3, Tuesday: Sexual Politics and Radical Cultural Feminisms
Catharine MacKinnon, Desire and Power (Canvas)
Adrienne Rich, Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence (Canvas)
Week 3, Thursday: Sexual Politics and Radical Libertarian Feminisms
Gayle Rubin, The Traffic in Women: Notes on the Political Economy of Sex (Canvas)
Dorothy Allison, Public Silence, Private Terror (Canvas)
Week 4, Tuesday: Women as a Class: Marxist/Materialist Feminisms
Tong, "Marxist and Socialist Feminism" 93-125.
Read half of Heidi Hartmann, "The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: Towards a More Progressive
Union." (Canvas)
Week 4, Thursday: Marxist/Materialist Feminisms, continued
Finish Hartmann (Canvas)
Catharine MacKinnon, "Feminism, Marxism, Method and the State." (Canvas)
Week 5, Tuesday: Writing Workshop
MIDTERM ASSIGNMENTS DISTRIBUTED
Week 5, Thursday: Psychoanalytic Feminisms
Tong, "Psychoanalytic and Care-Focused Feminism" 126-143 and 170-172
Sigmund Freud, "Some Psychical Consequences of the Anatomical Distinction between the Sexes." (Canvas)
Juliet Mitchell, Introduction to Psychoanalysis and Feminism. (Canvas)
PART II: DECONSTRUCTING FEMINISM: POST-MODERN/POST-STRUCTURALIST FEMINISMS
Week 6, Tuesday: Existentialist Feminism and the Feminine "Other"

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Simone de Beauvoir, Introduction to The Second Sex. (Canvas)

Tong, Existentialist and Postmodern Feminism, 173-191.
Jacques Lacan, "The Meaning of the Phallus" (Canvas)
Week 6, Thursday: L'Ecriture Feminine: Language and Bodies
Tong, Psychoanalytic and Care-Focused Feminism, 143-151.
Read Lacan again. I'm not kidding.
Week 7, Tuesday: Dualisms, Deconstruction, and Derrida
Henry Staten, "The Difference between Lacan and Derrida" (Canvas)
"Using Deconstruction to Astonish Friends and Confound Enemies" (Canvas)
Christine MacDonald and Jacques Derrida, "Choreographies" (Canvas)
Tong, Existentialist and Postmodern Feminism, 191-195.
Week 7, Thursday: Women's Bodies, Women's Laughs: French Women Writers
Tong, Existentialist and Postmodern Feminism, 196-198
Luce Irigaray, "This Sex Which Is Not One." (Canvas)
Helene Cixous, "Laugh of the Medusa." (Canvas)
Week 8, Tuesday: Feminism and Foucault: Gender, Power, and Knowledge in Postmodernity
Tong, "Existentialist and Postmodern Feminism," 198-210.
Alison Leigh Brown, On Foucault 26-35; 39-45. (Canvas)
Jana Sawicki, "Foucault and Feminism: A Critical Reappraisal." (Canvas)
Week 8, Thursday: Postmodern Review Day; or, What's Going On in This Class Anyway?

MIDTERM PAPER DUE by 11:59 pm

PART III: MULTICULTURAL AND GLOBAL FEMINISMS
Week 9, Tuesday: American Multicultural Feminisms: The Difference that Race Makes; or, a Critique of
"Mainstream" Feminism
Tong, "Women of Color Feminisms," 211-231
Kimberle Crenshaw, "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex" (Canvas)
Week 9, Thursday: American Multicultural Feminisms: Building Identities
Patricia Hill Collins, "The Social Construction of Black Feminist Thought." (Canvas)
Norma Alarcn, "The Theoretical Subject(s) of This Bridge Called My Back and Anglo (Canvas)
American Feminism" Haciendo Caras/Making Face Making Soul, 356-369 (Canvas)
Week 10, Tuesday: American Multicultural Feminisms, Part III
Andrea Smith, Native America Feminism, Sovereignty and Social Change (Canvas)
Devon Abbot Mihesuah, "Feminists, Tribalists, or Activists?" (Canvas)
Week 10, Thursday: Global Feminisms: Critiquing the West
Tong, "Women of Color Feminisms," 231-254.
Chandra Talpade Mohanty, "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses." (Canvas)
Week 11, Tuesday: Global Feminisms II: Feminist and Nationalist Imperialisms and Identities
Cynthia Enloe "Nationalism and Masculinity," 42-46, 61-64 (Canvas)
Norma Alarcn, Caren Kaplan, and Minoo Moallem, "Introduction: Between Woman and Nation," 1-12
(Canvas)
FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT DISTRIBUTED

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Week 11, Thursday: Global Feminisms III: Can the Subaltern Speak?
Gayatri Spivak, "Can the Subaltern Speak?" (Canvas)
Ben Attias, Spivak Outline (Canvas)
Week 12, Tuesday: Comprehensive Review Day; or, What's Going On in this Class, II
Misha Kavka, "Introduction" to Feminist Consequences, pages ix through xviii. (Canvas)
FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENTS DISTRIBUTED
PART IV: THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF FEMINIST THEORY
Week 12, Thursday: Men, Masculinities, and Feminist Theory
Judith Kegan Gardiner, Men, Masculinities, and Feminist Theory (Canvas)
Week 13, Tuesday: A Feminist Masculinity?
Stephen Heath, Male Feminism (Canvas)
Week 13, Thursday: Writing Workshop #2
Fall Break: NO CLASS
Week 15, Tuesday: "Third Wave" Feminisms
Susan Archer Mann, Chapter 7: Third Wave Feminisms (Canvas)
Carisa R. Showden, "What's Political about the New Feminisms?" (Canvas)
Leela Fernandes, Unsettling Third Wave Feminism: Feminist Waves, Intersectionality, and Identity
Politics in Retrospect (Canvas)
Week 15, Thursday: A (Sort Of) Conclusion and Final Review
Tong, Conclusion, 293-297.

FINAL PAPER DUE by 11:59 pm

Week 16: FINALS WEEK- Final Exam

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