Feminist Political Theories

Political Science 265 Professor Jennifer Einspahr

Winter, 2011 Dewing 212G, x7059
T-R 8:30-10:20am einspahr@kzoo.edu
Upjohn Library 305 Office Hours: M1-4; Th2:30-4

Course Description and Goals

In this course, we will engage critically with a variety of feminist theories that have emerged as women
have struggled for social and political change. In the first part of the course we will explore the history and
development of feminist thought, touching briefly on first-wave feminism and then concentrating on second-
wave feminism. What have been some of the issues over which different groups of feminists have diverged,
and what new theoretical dilemmas have begun to emerge? Currently, how do different groups of feminists
conceptualize power, freedom, and equality, and how do they envision the just society? In the second
half of the course, using various feminist theoretical approaches, we will explore such issues as women’s
embodiment and beauty norms, abortion, pornography, violence against women, and the role of the state in
advancing feminist goals.

In working through this subject matter, we will learn to identify and evaluate differing theoretical approaches
to (gendered) political problems; to examine our own hidden assumptions and form conscious, critical
judgments regarding women’s issues; to engage in critical thinking in a collaborative setting; and to perform
critical analysis in the written format.

Course Requirements

This course will be demanding. The readings are quite challenging, and you will complete a number of
writing assignments over the course of the quarter. Moreover, this is not a lecture course—it is expected that
your participation in class will be consistent and thoughtful. Success in this course will require commitment
and dedication on your part. If you are not able to make this commitment, I strongly urge you to reconsider
taking this course at this time.

• Reading, Class Participation, and Presentations (15%)

You are required to thoughtfully read every assignment. When I say that you are required to read, I do not
mean that you should mechanically scan every page, but that you should grapple with the ideas. Make use of
the reading questions, mark up your text and read with a pen and paper, and write down ideas, questions,
quotations, and points of confusion or contention. Read for comprehension rather than completion. This
means that you may need to read a section, think about it, read it again, write about it, discuss it, and then
read it again.

To keep on top of the reading, and to fully digest the material, plan for a sufficient amount of time to
complete the assignment; also, come to office hours or form reading groups with your classmates. Reading
aggressively will assist you in the second requirement: regular attendance, careful preparation, and active
participation. Come prepared for participation by doing the reading, reflecting upon the course
material, and bringing to class issues, questions, and passages for discussion.

In addition, once or twice during the quarter, in pairs or small groups, you will be responsible for presenting
the day’s material to the class and leading class discussion. Detailed instructions will be distributed separately,
and your presentation dates will be decided shortly.
• Short Papers (taken together, 20%)
You will turn in 5 short, critical response papers, each no more than two pages in length. Excluding
Weeks One and Ten, with three additional weeks of your choice excepted, you will turn in a paper every week
on either Tuesday or Thursday (your choice). The papers will address the readings assigned for that day, and
are due at the beginning of class. No late papers will be accepted.

In these short papers, you are to engage critically with the day’s reading material. You must respond to at
least two of the day’s readings. In addition to briefly summarizing what you take to be the main arguments
of the articles, you should work toward identifying points of comparison and tension between the readings
you’re addressing. Additionally, work toward drawing connections between the day’s readings and other
course texts or wider course themes. (Some readings will be very theoretically complex and perhaps the best
you can do is provide a summary and a brief comparison; that’s okay. Do the best you can.)

Whatever you do, these papers are not to be thrown together at the last minute, but should reflect your
thoughtfulness and commitment to the course. All the best papers follow the rules of grammar and
punctuation and are organized well, but in grading the short papers, I will also be looking for evidence that
you are keeping up with and struggling to make sense of the readings; that you are trying to think about this
course as a unified whole rather than as a series of unrelated topics; and that you are (on some level) taking
responsibility for your own education in feminist theory.

• Long Papers (2 @ 20% each)

The two longer papers, each not less than 6 pages in length, provide you with an opportunity to synthesize
course material. The first paper will be due Tuesday, February 1. I will distribute the essay question
approximately one week before the paper is due. The second paper will address one of the topics addressed
in the second half of the course. This paper should begin to answer some set of questions raised in an
earlier response paper or during class discussion, and it should offer a critical analysis and synthesis of the
readings assigned for that issue. You will choose which issue you will address at the beginning of the
term; your paper will be due one week after we have discussed that topic in class. For example, if
you choose to write on the issue of weight preoccupation, your paper will be due on February 15. Use this
flexibility to your advantage by planning ahead! I urge you to pick a due date for yourself that allows you to
address a topic you find interesting at a time that is (relatively) convenient for you.

In terms of evaluation, “A” papers stand out—they are clearly superior in form and content. Papers in
the “A” range demonstrate an ability to write elegant prose and have virtually no typographical errors; they
contain an easily discernible, interesting, original, clearly-stated argument; they are consistent and logical
in content; they make superior use of textual support; they engage the subtleties of difficult arguments
through coherent textual analysis; and their organization lends flow and structure to the paper. “A” papers
demonstrate a clear and imaginative grasp of the material, draw connections between non-obvious points,
and go beyond what has been covered in class.

Papers falling into the “B” range have many of the qualities of an “A” paper, but do not stand out from
the crowd in the same way. They are “average” in the sense that they contain a developed and coherent
argument, and demonstrate an ability to write decent prose. They are organized logically, and while they may
contain some writing errors, they still follow the rules of grammar and punctuation. Additionally, a “B” paper
might be superior in form but not in content, or vice versa.

Papers falling into the “C” range have some serious flaw in either form or content. For example, they might
display significant errors in grammar, punctuation, or organization, impeding your ability to express your
thoughts clearly; or, the central argument might be very difficult or impossible to identify; or the basic claims
of the argument are left unsupported; or the thesis merely summarizes the material. I will rarely assign a
grade lower than a C-. Such a grade indicates that the paper is in some way unacceptable, in which case you
should come see me as soon as possible.
 • Final Exercise (25%)
The final will be a take-home essay, 6-8 pages in length. The topic is open ended, but it should 1) address
a unifying theme of the course 2) synthesize material from throughout the course, 3) address some ongoing
theoretical puzzle 4) address a new and interesting questions that has emerged for you from throughout the
course. Further details will follow.

Course Policies

• Academic Integrity & the Honor System

Kalamazoo College follows an Honor System, and we will follow those guidelines in this class. All work
produced in this course must be your own. The use of sources (ideas, quotations, and paraphrases) must
be properly acknowledged and documented. Any violation of academic integrity will result in the automatic
failure of the assignment in question, and your violation will be reported to the Dean of Students. You will
also be expected to behave with honor. You are an important contributing member of a collective academic
enterprise, and you owe it to yourself, your classmates, and your instructor to conduct yourself accordingly.
We will strive to be curious, open to new ideas, respectful and cooperative, and committed to scholarship.
To review the Kalamazoo College honor system in full, see http://www.kzoo.edu/studev/honorsystem.htm

• Attendance and Timeliness

Attendance does not formally comprise a portion of your final grade. However, in determining your
participation grade, I will take into account your overall contribution to the vitality of the course. Obviously,
if you are absent, you cannot participate. Likewise, I expect that you will arrive on time (and I will make
every effort to do the same). Arriving late is disruptive and disrespectful, and it will adversely affect your
participation grade.

• Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Any student with a disability who needs an accommodation or other assistance in this course should make an
appointment to speak with me as soon as possible.

• Late Assignments & Extensions

You must make arrangements with me ahead of time if you need to turn in an assignment late. No other late
assignments will be accepted. If you are experiencing exceptional circumstances (serious illness or crisis, etc.),
please contact me before the assignment is due. I do not accept papers via email. All of your assignments
must be type-written and STAPLED—seriously.

Required Texts

• Linda Nicholson, The Second Wave

• Lisa Brush, Gender and Governance, optional
• Course Pack, to be purchased at the bookstore. Marked “*” in syllabus.
• Online journal articles/internet sources. Using a college connection, search for the journal title
under “online journals at K,” or look for a url or pdf in your email. Marked “E” in syllabus.
• Handouts, distributed occasionally. Marked “**” in the syllabus.

PART I: FEMINIST THEORIES IN POLITICAL and HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Week One: Introduction and The First Wave

Jan. 2 è Re-read syllabus carefully after class!

Jan. 4 The First Wave and “Liberal” Feminism

* Mary Wollstonecraft, “Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” Introduction; chapters 1-2.

* John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women, Chapter 1, pp. 471-501.
* Carole Pateman, “Feminist Critiques of the Public/Private Dichotomy,” in The Disorder of Women (Stanford:
Stanford University Press, 1989) 118-140.

Week Two: The Second Wave: Early Statements and Marxist Feminism

Jan. 11 Early and Early “Radical” Feminism

Simone deBeauvoir, “Introduction” to the Second Sex, in The Second Wave, 11-18.
Shulamith Firestone, “The Dialectic of Sex,” in The Second Wave, 19-26.
The Combahee River Collective, “A Black Feminist Statement,” in The Second Wave, 63-70.
E “The Redstockings Manifesto”

Jan. 13 Marxist Feminism

* Friederich Engels, “Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State”
Heidi Hartmann, “The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism,” in The Second Wave, 97-122.
Nancy Hartsock, “The Feminist Standpoint,” in The Second Wave, 216-240.
Linda Nicholson, “Feminism and Marx,” in The Second Wave, 131-145. OPTIONAL

Week Three: Oppression, Privilege, and Intersectionality

Jan. 18 Oppression and Privilege

E Marilyn Frye, “Oppression”

E Peggy McIntosh, “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”
* Iris Young, “The Five Faces of Oppression,” from Justice and the Politics of Difference (Princeton: 1990) 39-65.
* bell hooks, “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression,” from Feminism: From Margin to Center
(Cambridge: South End Press, 2000) 18-33.

Jan. 20 Black Feminist Thought and Intersectionality

Patricia Hill Collins, “Defining Black Feminist Thought,” in The Second Wave, 241-259.
* Kimberle Crenshaw, “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex,” Anne Phillips ed., Feminism and
Politics (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998) 314-343.
E Maria Lugones, “Heterosexualism and the Colonial/Modern Gender System,” Hypatia 22:1 (2007) 186-
209.

HHHH
Week Four: Identity and Subjectivity

Jan. 25 Psychoanalytic Feminism/Object Relations Theory

Nancy Chodorow, “The Psychodynamics of the Family,” in The Second Wave, 181-197.
Carol Gilligan, “Woman’s Place in Man’s Life Cycle,” in The Second Wave, 198-215.
* Elizabeth Spelman, “Gender in the context of Race and Class: Notes on Chodorow’s ‘Reproduction of
Mothering,’” from Inessential Woman, (Beacon: 1988) 80-113.

Jan. 27 Postmodern Feminism

Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” in The Second Wave, 300-315.
* Jane Flax, “The End of Innocence,” in Feminists Theorize the Political, 369-384.
E Jane Flax, “Postmodernism and Gender Relations in Feminist Theory,” Signs 12:4 (1987) 621-643.
*Joan Scott, “Gender as a Useful Category of Historical Analysis,” from Gender and the Politics of History
(Columbia University Press: 1999) 28-50. OPTIONAL

PART II: THE POLITICS OF THE BODY to THE BODY POLITIC

Week Five: Embodiment and Sexuality

Feb. 1 Sex/Gender and the Body

* Iris Marion Young, “Breasted Experience,” in Throwing Like a Girl (Indiana, 1990) 189-208.
* Iris Marion Young, “Pregnant Embodiment,” in Throwing Like a Girl, 160-174.
Luce Irigaray, “This Sex Which is Not One,” in The Second Wave, 323-329.
è First long paper due

Feb. 3 The Woman-identified Woman

E Adrienne Rich, “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence,” Signs (Summer 1980), 631-660.
Radicalesbians, “The Woman-Identified Woman,” in The Second Wave, 153-157.
* Cherrie Moraga, “From a Long Line of Vendidas: Chicanas in Feminism,” in Teresa de Lauretis (ed.),
Feminist Studies/Critical Studies, 173-190.
Monique Wittig, “One is Not Born A Woman,” in The Second Wave, 265-271. OPTIONAL

Week Six: Disordered Embodiment

Feb. 8 Weight Preoccupation

* Susan Bordo, “The Body and the Reproduction of Femininity,” Gender/Body/Knowledge (New Brunswick:
Rutgers University Press, 1989) 15-31.
* Susan Bordo, “Hunger as Ideology,” in Unbearable Weight (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993)
99-134.
E Sheila Lintott, “Sublime Hunger: A Consideration of Eating Disorders Beyond Beauty,” Hypatia 18:4
(2003) 65-86.
Feb. 10 Practices of “Beauty” and Relations of Power

E Ann Cahill, “Feminist Pleasure and Feminine Beautification,” Hypatia 18:4 (2003) 42-64.
* Kathryn Pauly Morgan, “Women and the Knife,” Hypatia 6 (1991) 25-53.
* Nancy Hartsock, “Foucault on Power,” Feminism/Postmodernism, Ed. Linda Nicholson (New York:
Routledge, 1990) 157-175.

Week Seven: Reproduction

Feb. 15 Pregnancy

E Rosalind Petchesky, “Fetal Images,” Feminist Studies 13 (1987) 263-292.

E Cynthia Daniels, “Between Fathers and Fetuses: The Social Construction of Male Reproduction and the
Politics of Fetal Harm,” Signs 22 (1997) 579-616.
E Laury Oaks, “Smoke-Filled Wombs and Fragile Fetuses: The Social Politics of Fetal Representation,”
Signs 26:1 (2000) 63-108.

Feb. 17 Abortion and Reproductive Freedom

* Wendy Brown, “Reproductive Freedom and the Right to Privacy: A Paradox for Feminists” in Families,
Politics, and Public Policy, Diamond and Longman, eds. (NY: Longman, 1983) 322-337.
* Sidney Callahan, “Abortion and the Sexual Agenda,” Commonweal, vol. 113 (April 25, 1986) 232-8.
** Dorothy Roberts, “From Norplant to the Contraceptive Vaccine ,” in Killing the Black Body (New York:
Pantheon, 1997).

Week Eight: Sex and Violence

Feb. 22 Pornography and Violence against Women

Catharine MacKinnon, “Sexuality,” in The Second Wave, 158-180.

E Kathy Miriam, “Toward a Phenomenology of Sex-Right,” Hypatia 22:1 (2007) 210-228.
** Lisa Duggan, Nan D. Hunter, and Carole S. Vance, “False Promises: Feminist Anti-pornography
Legislation,” in Sex Wars: Sexual Dissent and Political Culture (New York: Routledge, 1995) 43-63.

Feb. 24 Rape

* Sharon Marcus, “Fighting Bodies, Fighting Words: A Theory and Politics of Rape Prevention,” in Judith
Butler and Joan W. Scott, (eds.), Feminists Theorize the Political (1992) 385-403.
* Camille Paglia, “It’s a Jungle Out There, So Get Used to It!,” Utne Reader (Jan.l/Feb. 1993) 61-65.
E Christine Helliwell, “‘It’s Only a Penis’: Rape, Feminism, and Difference,” Signs 25:3 (2000) 789-816.
E Carine Marorossian, “Toward a New Feminist Theory of Rape,” Signs 27:3 (2002) 743-775. OPTIONAL
Week Nine: Women and the State

Mar. 1 Feminism, Power, and the State

E Catharine MacKinnon, “Marxism, Method and the State: Toward Feminist Jurisprudence,” Signs 8 (1983)
635-658.
E Wendy Brown, “Finding the Man in the State,” Feminist Studies 18: (1992) 8-34.
E Kelly Oliver, “Women: The Secret Weapon of Modern Warfare?” Hypatia 23:2 (2008) 1-16.

Mar. 3 Women and International Human Rights

Readings TBA

Week Ten: Feminist Futures

Mar. 8 A Third Wave?

E Amber Kisner, “Negotiating Spaces For/Through Third-Wave Feminism,” NWSA Journal 16:3 (2004)
124-153.
E R. Claire Snyder, “What is Third-Wave Feminism? A New Directions Essay,” Signs 34:1 (2008) 175-196.
E Ednie Kaeh Garrison, “U.S. Feminism—Grrrl Style! Youth (Sub)Cultures and the Technologies of the
Third Wave,” Feminist Studies 26:1 (2000) 141-170.
E Madelyn Detloff, “Mean Spirits: The Politics of Contempt between Feminist Generations,” Hypatia 12:3
(1997) 76-99. OPTIONAL

Mar. 10 TBA