POLS 392, Section 02
Feminist Political Theory
Spring 2012, 4 units
(T/R, 3-4:30)
St. Robert’s Hall 358
Dr. Sina Kramer
University Hall, 4135
Office Hours: T/R 1-2:30 or by appt.
Email:
Extension: 82675
Purpose of Class:
The purpose of this course is to 1) familiarize students with the major themes and movements in the history of feminist political thought, 2) to use gender as a lens through which to view political life, and finally 3) to take up gender as an object of inquiry for politics. We will take up such questions as: What are women’s rights within, or distinct from, human rights? Why has the family or the realm of the private as distinct from the public so often been ignored by politics? What might a feminist critique look like? How is woman’s sexual difference taken up under universal political principles, such as liberty or equality, if it is at all? How can we be equal and different? How does who we are as men and women affect what we expect political agency to look like? And who is the “woman” of women’s rights, or of woman’s sexual difference, anyway? How does class, race, sexuality, or trans identities trouble the very category of analysis?
As a course in political theory, our focus will be on the history of and major movements within feminist political theory. However, feminist theory has always developed out of and in close conjunction with feminist practice – as part of the movement challenging the exclusion of women from the space of the political, or as part of activism on concrete issues significant to women’s lives: taking leadership positions in the abolition movement or in the church, advocating for women’s enfranchisement, or education,bearing and raising children, organizing women into unions, building shelters for survivors of sexual or domestic violence, fighting against street violence and police violence against gay, lesbian, trans and queer folks, educating women about their bodies and reproductive health, or working to get more women and girls involved in art, politics, and culture. Feminist theory has developed out of concrete problems, and so we will take up these theories in relation to the histories out of which they came, and think about how they apply to current concrete problems; hopefully this will be an occasion to think about not only the complex ways that our lived experience and our politics are gendered, but also the relationship between theory and practice, between ideas and empirical problems, in general.
As an upper-level course, POLS 392 is part of the political science department’s pilot program to revise its curriculum. Whereas most of your courses are three unit courses, this course carries four units. You should therefore expect to find this course a little more challenging. The pilot program in curricular reform is an attempt to raise the overall academic rigor of our curriculum at Loyola, and to bring the political science curriculum in line with that of other top colleges and universities. In exchange for more intensive classes in the major, political science requires fewer courses than other majors (10 rather than 12) and our goal is that you will have at least two semesters in which you are taking four classes in your junior and senior years.
Student Learning Outcomes
This course has several goals:
- It aims to familiarize students with the major concepts and arguments of feminist political theory.
- It aims to give an appreciation for how political theory in general, and feminist political theory in particular, informs political science.
- It aims to give insight into the particular contributions of women to politics and generate awarenessof the particular needs and concerns of women in politics.
- It aims to support enhanced accountability for intensive reading through student-led discussion and presentation of material.
- It aims to foster the skills of deliberation and argumentation, in thought, presentation, and writing.
- It aims to develop writing skills in general, and skills specific to the task of explication and analysis.
- It aims to develop research skills through an in-depth research experience and methodological training in qualitative research.
- It aims to support these skills through individual mentoring inside and outside of the classroom.
- It aims to develop the skills of listening, of challenging one’s assumptions, and self-reflection.
- Overall, it aims to develop the skills of critical thinking about political life, so as to allow students to grow as persons as well as citizens.
Required Books:
All books are available at the bookstore. You are of course welcome to find them elsewhere. I would prefer you have your own copy, but if that is impossible, you should be able to get all of these at the library or through inter-library loan. Additional readings will be located on the Blackboard site for this course. You must have a physical copy of the reading, whether book or print-out, with you in class every day. Please refer to the reading schedule to see what readings to prepare for each class and where to find them.
Sophocles, Antigone (Hackett): 0872205711
Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Oxford): 019955546X
MacKinnon, Toward a Feminist Theory of the State (Harvard): 0674896467
Pateman, The Sexual Contract (Stanford): 0804714770
Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference (Princeton): 0691152624
Lorde, Sister Outsider (Crossing Press): 1580911862
Assessment:
Attendance: 5%
In-Class Participation: 10%
Annotated Bibliography: 15%
In order to encourage accountability for reading, and as a resource for writing your papers, students will be required to keep an annotated bibliography with entries for each of the assigned readings, including the bibliographic information for each reading as well as a short summary paragraph. I will check on the bibliography when each paper is due, at the midterm and the end of the semester.
Presentation: 20%
Each student will be responsible for leading a discussion by presenting the material for one day. This may be done in groups of two, depending on the number of students in the class. Presentations should last 20-30 minutes, and should consist of an outline of the argument of the reading for that day, a few comments putting the reading in context by relating it to earlier readings, and coming up with three to five discussion questions. I anticipate a student presentation once per week.
Writing:50%
Paper 1 (20%), Paper 2 (Research Paper - 30%)
The first paper will be an explication assignment, and will treat the liberal tradition of feminist thought, the idea of women’s rights or Marxist feminist analysis. It will be due at the mid-term.
The final paper will be an in-depth research paper. It will require the student to take up at least one piece from the final four weeks of the semester, one piece from the previous ten weeks of the semester, and one piece from outside the class. As part of completing this assignment, you must meet with me once to discuss your thesis and your proposed sources after the mid-term. I have begun to put together a list of suggested works to help you get started on your research; I will post this on the website for the class.
Participation: will be evaluated on the basis of two components: attendance and participation in class discussion. As participation counts for so much, and is vital to the process of learning, it is vital that you be here to participate. I will therefore take attendance each day. You may miss three classes without penalty. Continued missed classes will result in a half-letter grade deduction for each class missed beyond three. Being grown folks, the classes you miss are your responsibility and your choice; I require no defense from you for them. If for any reason you must miss a class, please arrange with me beforehand to receive and turn in assignments.
Participation, however, extends beyond merely showing up. I expect the classroom to be a kind of intentional community, where the free and vital exchange of ideas is encouraged; respect for persons is fundamental to that atmosphere. For further guidance in cultivating respect for persons, please refer to the Lion’s Code ( or to Loyola Marymount University’s Community Standards (see for the Student Conduct Code, Section IV. D.). Because thinking requires focus and engagement, both with the text and with your interlocutors, the use of electronic devices, such as computers, phones, smartphones, etc. is not permitted. Most importantly, don’t come to class unprepared. Much of how well you will do in this class will rely on how much effort you put into it. If you don’t read the text, you can’t discuss it, and you won’t be prepared to write a good paper about it. I retain the right, therefore, to give quizzes or assign reading questions as I see fit, depending on the level of engagement with the text.
Writing: There will be no exams in this class, but there will be two papers. I will give you a written question and guide to answering it for each paper about a week before the papers are due by posting them to the Blackboard site for the class; we will go over the paper topic in class. I will also post a couple of guides to writing and argumentation on the website for the class to help you craft your papers. It is up to you if you want to turn in a paper late, but be advised that I will deduct ten percent per day for late papers (late being after the posted time due). YOU MUST TURN IN EVERY PAPER. Failure to do so means failure of the course.
I will accept papers via email on the day and at the time they are due. Please use your LMU student address; using your LMU student email is the best way to ensure your email doesn’t get caught by a spam filter. If you do not receive a reply from me, then you have not turned in your paper.
If you find that you need some help with your writing, please do not hesitate to contact the writing center. They are available to help you to write a paper long before the paper is due or even assigned, and their skills are invaluable.
If you need help thinking through some questions or working on your writing, please visit my office hours or schedule a time to talk with me. If you are in need of other resources to help you to succeed in this course or at LMU more generally, talk to me and we will locate them.
Academic Honesty: Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated under any circumstances in this course. If you do not turn in your own work, I cannot evaluate your work and help you to become a better student. It is your responsibility to make sure that your work meets the standard of academic honesty set forth in the “LMU Honor Code and Process” which appears in the LMU Bulletin 2010-2011 (see If you are in a bind, such that you would resort to plagiarism, let me know and we can try and resolve the problem honestly. I can do a whole lot more to help you before rather than after. If you commit plagiarism, you may receive an F for the course and you will be reported to the Dean.
Gender Neutral & Gender Specific Language and Names and Accents: Academics no longer use the pronoun “he” to apply universally to all persons, nor do we use the term “man,” when we are referring to humanity or people in general. In our writing, when we are making generalizations we should use gender neutral pronouns, that is, sie and hir, s/he, him or her, they/their, etc. When referring to a specific person or group of people, we should use the language and pronouns that they prefer if we know them. Further, we should be attentive to the spelling and accents of author’s names (note for example MaríaLugones and bell hooks). Finally, all authors must be referred to by their entire names, or only their last names, not by their first names, orally and in writing.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Loyola Marymount University is committed to equality in education. Students with special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act who need reasonable modifications, special assistance, or accommodations in this course should promptly direct their request to the Disability Support Services Office. Any student who currently has a documented disability (physical, learning, or psychological) needing academic accommodations should contact the Disability Services Office (Daum Hall Room 224, 310-338-4535) as early in the semester as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please visit additional information.
(Rough) Grading Criteria
Participation:
For an A (100-90): Attends class consistently. Comes prepared and having done the reading. Contributes positively to class discussion. Does not merely state opinions, but instead uses the texts to interrogate one’s own opinions and struggles honestly with the texts. Is curious and engaged.
For a B (89-80): Attends class consistently. Comes prepared and having done the reading. Contributes to class discussion with some regularity. Sometimes unprepared or not participatory.
For a C (79-70): Attends class with some kind of regularity. Often prepared, though unencumbered by reading and thinking.
For a D (69-60): Attends class occasionally, without having prepared, and usually unencumbered by reading and thinking.
For an F (59-0): I have no idea who you are.
Papers:
For an A (100-90): Shows clear familiarity with the text; supports claims with references to the text; answers the questions completely; its claims and argumentative structure moves from point to point effortlessly and elegantly; it has a clear and often original thesis and the argument of the paper supports the thesis; it engages the text with interest. Clearly excellent work.
For a B (89-80): Shows some familiarity with the text but relies mostly on class discussion for that familiarity; presents a plausible interpretation but does not always support or document it with the text; does not always move logically from point to point; good work, but not excellent work.
For a C (79-70): This paper does all that it absolutely needs to in order to prove that the student has the knowledge and skills to pass the class. Shows a passing familiarity with the text, but only passing; the narrative or argument structure shows some signs of intelligibility and rationality; overall, the exam reflects information from class discussion, and not always in coherent argumentative form.
For a D (69-60): Fails to reflect even the most basic information from class discussion, much less the texts; answers questions incompletely or not at all; offers little or no support for claims; answers are disorganized and argumentative or narrative structure is non-existent.
For an F (59-0): Fails to reflect much of anything at all, except perhaps one’s own opinions, whether they relate to the text and to class discussion or not; has no structure; makes no attempt at argument, intelligibility, coherency, etc.
Reading Schedule
Week One: On the Public and the Private: The Practice of Feminist Critique via Sophocles’ Antigone
Tuesday, January 10: Introduction and Sophocles’ Antigone
Thursday, January 12: Sophocles’ Antigone
Week Two: Antigone, cont’d
Tuesday, January 17: de Beauvoir, “Moral Idealism and Political Realism”; Elshtain, “Antigone’s Daughters”
Thursday, January 19: Patricia Mills, “Hegel’s Antigone”; Irigaray, “The Eternal Irony of the Community”; Butler, Antigone’s Claim (selections)
Week Three: History of Feminist Political Thought: Women’s Rights
Tuesday, January 24: Olympe de Gouges, “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Citoyenne”; Wollstonecraft, Vindication of the Rights of Woman(dedicatory letter, introduction and chapters 1-2, p.65-104)
Thursday, January 26: Wollstonecraft, Vindication of the Rights of Woman(chapters 3-4, p.105-149) (opt. chapters 7-8, p.198-220)
Week Four: Women’s Rights, ct’d
Tuesday, January 31: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls convention; Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?” Anna Julia Cooper (TBA)
Thursday, February 2: de Beauvoir, introduction to The Second Sex
Week Five: History of Feminist Political Thought: Women and the Liberal Tradition
Tuesday, February 7: Pateman, The Sexual Contract(introduction and chapters 1-3, p.1-76)
Thursday, February 9: Pateman, The Sexual Contract (chapters 4 and 5, p.77-153) (opt. ch 7)
Week Six: History of Feminist Political Thought: Marxism and Feminism
Tuesday, February 14: Engels, “The Origin of the Family”; Gayle Rubin, “The Traffic in Women”(157-185)
Thursday, February 16: Gayle Rubin, “The Traffic in Women” (185-210)
Week Seven: History of Feminist Political Thought: Marxism and Feminism
Tuesday, February 21: MacKinnon Toward a Feminist Theory of the State (chapters 1-4)ORIrigaray, “Democracy Begins Between Two” (TBA)
Thursday, February 23: MacKinnon, Toward a Feminist Theory of the State(chapters 6 and 8);OR Paper Workshop (TBA)
Friday, February 24: Mid Term Paper Due
Week Eight: Contemporary Movements: Feminist Critiques of Democracy
Tuesday, March 6:Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference(chapters 1 and 2)
Thursday, March 8: Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference(chapters 3 and 4)
Week Nine: Contemporary Movements: Feminist Critiques of Democracy
Tuesday, March 13: Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference(chapters 7 and 8)
Thursday, March 15: Young, Justice and the Politics of Differencereview.
Week Ten: Contemporary Movements: Feminist Critiques of Democracy
Tuesday, March 20: Mouffe, “Feminism, Citizenship, and Radical Democratic Politics”
Thursday, March 22: (NO CLASS – WPSA)
Week Eleven: Contemporary Movements: Feminist Critiques of Democracy
Tuesday, March 27: hooks, Feminist Theory from Margin to Center (“Black Women: Shaping Feminist Theory” and “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression”)
Thursday, March 29: AudreLorde, “Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” and “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” from Sister Outsider
Week Twelve: Contemporary Movements:Epistemology and Politics: Race, Sexuality, and Gender
Tuesday, April 3: Lorde, “The Uses of Anger”
Thursday, April 5: NO CLASS: Easter Break