Course description
Gender, Sexualities, and Women's Studies 1100 surveys historical marginalization on the basis of gender, the development of feminist thought and action since the late 18th century, and the rise of resistance and liberation movements dedicated to women, gender, and sexualities. Students will be introduced to feminist theories in order to explore the nature of patriarchal societies and the diverse ways in which activism has sought to challenge and redefine gendered experiences around the world. The course will emphasize intersectional and decolonial approaches to gender and feminist movements.
Course content
Course content will include introductions to classic feminist texts alongside both historical and contemporary texts and media that address gender and queer theory, feminist activism, critical race theory, theories of decolonization, and other relevant texts. Students will encounter literary interpretations of feminist ideas such as fiction, autobiography, poetry, drama, and film in the context of these and other themes:
- Introduction to Feminism and Patriarchy
- Theoretical and Cultural Foundations
- 18th- and 19th- Century Ideas and Debates
- Early 20th Century Developments
- Second Wave Theorists and Activists
- 20th Century Literature and Film Theory
- The Third Wave
- Genders and Sexualities
- Post-colonial Feminist Movements and Global Feminisms
Learning activities
The course will employ a number of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some or all of the following:
- Lecture
- Seminar discussion
- Oral presentations
- Small group discussions
- Creative group engagement
- Guest lectures
- Journal reflection
Means of assessment
Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy and will include both formative and summative components. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation must be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
Evaluation will be based on some or all of the following:
- Course Engagement and/or Attendance
- Group Projects and/or Presentations
- Exams/Quizzes
- Research Portfolio
- Reading Responses
- Term Papers or Creative Projects
- Journal Reflection
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, successful students will be able to identify, discuss, and analyse:
- foundational vocabulary and concepts pertaining to gender and feminist theories;
- what is meant by the silencing/oppression of women in patriarchal societies and the psychological and social effects of this oppression (both historically and contemporarily);
- the history of feminist action, including the rise and chronologies of key movements;
- types of feminism and feminist activism;
- concepts central to feminist discourse, such as intersectionality, equity, diversity, heteronormativity, etc;
- the intersections among class, age, race, disability, colonialism, and sexuality;
- the diversity of women’s voices and experiences around the world.
Textbook materials
A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline, which is available to students at the beginning of each semester.
Possible texts include:
- Finalyson, Lorna. An Introduction to Feminism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2016.
- Srinivasan, Amia. The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021.
A Custom Course Reader may be required. Examples of included readings and/or excerpts are:
- Ahmed, Sara. Living a Feminist Life. Durham, ND: Duke University Press, 2017.
- Amin, Qasim. The Liberation of Women, translated by Sarniha Sidhorn Peterson. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2000.
- Combahee River Collective, “A Black Feminist Statement,” in Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought, edited by Beverly Guy-Sheftall. New York: The New Press, 1995).
- Cooper, Anna Julia. A Voice from the South. Xenia, Ohio: The Aldine Printing House, 1892.
- Ivan Coyote, “Dear Lady in the Women’s Washroom” Vancouver: Xtra magazine, 21 Sept 2011. https://xtramagazine.com/power/dear-lady-in-the-womens-washroom-6227
- De Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex. London: Vintage Classics, 2015.
- Gay, Roxane. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body. New York: Harper Collins, 2017.
- hooks, bell. Feminism is for Everybody. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2014.
- hooks, bell. “Understanding Patriarchy” New York:Washington Square Press, 2004.
- Manne, Kate. Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia. New York: Crown, 2024.
- McKissack, Pat, 1944-2017. Sojourner Truth : Ain't I a Woman? New York: Scholastic, 1992.
- Nickel, Sarah and Amanda Fehr, eds. In Good Relation: History, Gender, and Kinship in Indigenous Feminisms. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2020.
- Nussbaum, Martha. Sex and Social Justice. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
- Walker, Rebecca. "Becoming the Third Wave." Ms. Magazine, 1992.
- Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Moral and Political Subjects. Philadelphia, William Gibbons, 1792.
- Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One's Own. New York; London: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1929.