Feminist Theory

Aims:
The module aims to enable students to develop a critical appreciation of different approaches to the theoretisation of feminism; use feminist theory to inform their understanding of existing work in their own disciplines and in an interdisciplinary context; use feminist analyses of gender relations in conducting research.

Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, the student will be able to

• chart, distinguish and evaluate varieties or derivations of feminist thought in the present,
• create dialogues and comparisons between different branches of feminist theorizing, an ability which is important for the application of critical and independent thinking on gender in different professional and political contexts.
• discern how the various shades of feminism are embedded in discipline-specific gender-critical scholarship
• account for the historical emergence and development of feminist thought.
• account for the impact of location on feminist thought
• handle theoretical topics orally and in written form, at a level appropriate for a Master student.
  The student will also acquire perspectives useful for the writing of MA theses.

General knowledge of feminist theory is recommended. (for instance KFL1010 and KFL1020) or similar knowledge.

Right to study at the Master || chr(38) ||acute;s level. For international applicants: For further information about admission requirements and admission procedures for international applicants, please see our website admission to the University of Oslo.

Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.

International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

The course consist of 10 classes of 3 hours of teaching during the autumn semester. The teaching includes lectures and student activities. Participation is mandatory (8 out of 10 classes).

In order to take the exam, students must have completed the following requirements:

• The mandatory participation requirement (at least 6 out of 10 classes)
• One mandatory oral presentation (15 minutes). A written Version (2-3 pages) of the presentation must be submitted in Canvas no later than a week after the presentation is given in class.
• The presentation must be approved by the teacher.

The exam will consist of:

A three-day take-home exam on a given topic. The assignment must have a length of total 4500 words +/- 10%. References and front page in addition.

Marking scale KFL4040

A term paper or equivalent that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.

If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

English.

Language of examination: English

You may request an explanation of your grades, and you may also appeal against your grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals.

Evaluation

Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, periodic evaluation of this course.

*Periodic evaluation of KFL4050 || chr(38) ||ndash; Theorising gender equality, autumn 2012*

Required reading:

Book that has to be purchased

*Walters, Margaret: Feminism: A very short Introduction, 2005. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2005. 141 p. (you can either get it at the library; buy it in the bookshop Akademika, Blindern, or on web: amazon.com and AbeBooks.com

Compendium

The articles in the syllabus are gathered in compendiums which you can buy in the bookshop, in the basement of Akademika/Kopiutsalget, Blindern. Titles with links may be downloaded via your University of Oslo server.

You can buy the compendium in the Kopiutsalget, in the basement of Akademika at Blindern. To access the links, you must be logged in to the University of Oslo's server.

Alcoff, Linda i Hackett Elizabeth and Sally Haslanger (eds.): Theorizing Feminisms: A Reader, 2006. Oxford: Oxford University Press. "The Problem of Speaking for Others", pp. 78-91.

Beauvoir, Simone de: The Second Sex, 2010 (1979). London: Vintage Books. Part II, chapters 4-5, pp. 107-159.

Bebel, August: Women and Socialism, 1910, (1879). "Women in the Future", Chapter XXVIII , 6 pages. link.

Braidotti, Rosi: Metamorphoses: towards a materialist theory of becoming , 2002. Cambridge: Polity. 212-263 (51 pages).

Bennett, Judith: History Matters: Patriarchy and the Challenge of Feminism , 2006. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 20-53.

Butler, Judith: Contigent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of "Postmodernism". In Benhabib, Butler, Cornell and Fraser: Feminist Contentions: A Philosophical Exchange. Thinking Gender, 1995. London, New York: Routledge. Chapter 2 pp. 35-57. 18 pages.

Butler, Judith. For a careful reading: In Benhabib, Butler, Cornell and Fraser: Feminist Contentions: A Philosophical Exchange. Thinking Gender, 1995. London, New York: Routledge . Chapter 6, pp. 127-14, 18 pages.

Butler, Judith: Yale French Studies 72, 1986. "Sex and Gender in Simone de Beauvoir's Second Sex", pp. 35-49. 15 pages. <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/293

If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.