JPP343H1S L0101
Women in Western Political Thought
Themes
We will examine various classical theories with respect to the issue of the nature of private and public forms of political power and authority, and the extent to which gender functions as a principle of access or exclusion. The emphasis will be textual. Canonical primary sources will be read in the light of contemporary feminist critiques of these texts. We will continue the chronology of political theories with special emphasis given to texts authored by women. The 19th and 20th centuries are periods of revolutionary change for women in Europe, North America, and in developing countries. As women fight for full rights as political subjects, they also develop a political voice -- as agents, critics, and theoreticians. We will begin with Wollstonecraft, moving through the 1st and 2nd waves of feminist political thought, and ending with an exploration of the main controversies in contemporary feminist political theory. Some of the issues considered are: the definition and paradigms of political science and philosophy; critiques of gender essentialism; political theorizing of the personal and private domains of women's lives; women and reproduction; the nature and role of the family as a political microcosm; and gender socialization in relation to questions of political power. (Given by the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science).
Texts
Plato, Republic; J.J. Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and Emile; J.S. Mill, The Subjection of Women; Tucker, (ed.) The Marx-Engels Reader; and Handout Package.
Format and Requirements
term test, presentation and paper.
Prerequisites
NEW360Y1 / PHL265H1 / POL200Y1