POL303H1S L0101
Women in Western Political Thought
Themes
In this course we will recover a variety of ways that women writers within the western history of political thought conceived of issues of desire, love, sex, gender, and intimate relationships as they relate to core topics in political theory such as wisdom, knowledge, justice, equality, and freedom. The course begins in the Ancient Greek tradition, and then jumps to the late medieval period before moving through the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods in the Italian, English, and French contexts. To help us ground our discussions, the course readings have been placed between two philosophies of love, Plato’s Symposium and bell hook’s All About Love.
Texts
Hooks, bell All About Love; Plato, Symposium; Christine de Pizan The Letter of the God of Love, The Book of the Duke of True Lovers; Moderata Fonte, The Worth of Women: Tullia d’Aragona, Dialogue on the Infinity of Love; Veronica Franco, Poems and Selected Letters; Margret Cavendish, The Convent of Pleasure; Ninon de l’Enclos, Life Letters and Epicurean Philosophy, Mary Astell, Reflections on Marriage.
Format and Requirements
Participation (20%); Essay Proposal (15%); Term Essay (35%); Final Exam (30%)
Prerequisites
PHL265H1 or POL200Y1 or POL200Y5 or POLC70H3 or POLC71H3