"I choose to re-appropriate the term feminism, to focus on the fact that to be feminist in any authentic sense of the term is to want for all people, female and male, liberation from sexist role patterns, domination, and oppression." – Bell Hooks
This course will introduce students to key ideas, issues and theories in the interdisciplinary field of women’s studies. We will look at the influence of history on the present-day conditions of women and girls to show how their lives have been shaped by forces such as religion, capitalism, colonialism and imperialism. Key sociological concepts and feminist theories will be introduced to equip students with a framework with which to analyze gender inequality in various aspects of our cultural environment including the media, education, work, and the family. This course does not look at gender in isolation, but focuses on the intersectionality of gender with other inseparable aspects of identity such as sexual difference, race, culture, and socioeconomic status. We will critically explore the ongoing controversies, myths and stereotypes surrounding both women’s studies and what some have called the f-word (feminism) addressing anti-feminist attitudes and backlash that persist in our society.
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