Philosophy, Gender and Feminism

Teacher(s)

Grandjean Nathalie;

Language

French

Prerequisites

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Main themes

This course studies some of the central issues in the relationship between philosophy and feminist questions, through a selection of topics such as the deconstruction of the history of philosophy from the point of view of gender, feminist perspectives on autonomy, the body and personal identity, feminist epistemology, issues of ethics and political philosophy relating to injustices and inequalities of gender. Without necessarily aiming to be exhaustive, the course will introduce various philosophical approaches to the topic of gender (analytical, continental, Marxist, liberal, pragmatist, postcolonial, ecofeminist, ethics of care, etc.), their points of convergence as well as their disagreements. The course will be based on a selection of texts from authors who have made a significant contribution to these questions, for example : Condorcet and Sophie de Grouchy, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Stuart Mill, Edith Stein, Simone de Beauvoir, Carol Gilligan, Hélène Cixous, Carole Pateman, Claudia Card, Julia Kristeva, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Marilyn Friedman, Martha Nussbaum, Susan Moller Okin, Nancy Fraser, Eva Kittay, Donna Haraway, Iris Marion Young, Anne Phillips, Seyla Benhabib, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Geneviève Fraisse, Judith Butler and Uma Narayan.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	By the end of the course, students will be able to deal with philosophical questions relating to gender and feminism in a way which is both informed and personal. Students will be able to : situate a question and/or an author in the feminist philosophical debates ; distinguish different philosophical approaches to gender and feminist issues, and characterise the views put forward by the authors studied during the course ; distinguish the contribution of a philosophical thought on the kind of contribution of other disciplines (e.g. sociology, history, psychology, political science, geography) ; conceptualise a question relating to gender and to feminist topics and define the philosophical issues ; develop an informed and personal line of argument on a philosophical question relating to gender and feminist topics ; develop thinking on this line of argument, take into account possible or existing objections ; explain with clarity, both orally and in writing,  the treatment of a philosophical question relating to gender and to feminist topics ; use the main research tools necessary to become informed about the issues studied during the course; adopt the accepted standards for quotation of contemporary philosophy.

Content

This course is an introduction to feminist philosophy and gender as a philosophical concept. In general, we will examine how gender and feminism challenge philosophy and how philosophy, in turn, is challenged by gender and feminism.
We will address the plurality of feminist positions by showing that there is no homogeneous way for feminists to contribute to the philosophical debate. We will begin by presenting the different currents of feminist philosophy and the conditions for dialogue between them, before moving on to a feminist and gender-based re-reading of the liberal philosophical tradition, particularly on the issues of violence, political subject/subjectivity, autonomy and consent.

Teaching methods

If the number of students allows (fewer than 40), the course will take the form of a thematic seminar led by active and critical reading by students (in groups) of a selection of books and/or articles, devoted in 2025-26 to political philosophy and the question of consent.
If there are more than 40 students, the course will be taught in a lecture format on the same themes, while encouraging interactivity and debates during the course.

Evaluation methods

If there are fewer than 40 students enrolled in the course: for the first session, learning outcomes will be assessed based on 1) the submission of a written assignment (per group) and an oral presentation of the assignment (per group) (50%) and 2) an oral examination (50%). For the second session: if the student has passed part 1 (group work, written and oral), their mark will be retained and they will only retake the oral examination. If the student has not passed, they will then have to submit an individual piece of work, following the same instructions.
As part of the assessment of this teaching unit, the use of artificial intelligence is prohibited, whether as a language assistant, exploration and ideation tool, or writing tool.
If there are more than 40 students enrolled in the course: written examination in both sessions.

Online resources

Online resources will be posted on Moodle as the course progresses.

Teaching materials

• Textes ajoutés dans Moodle

Faculty or entity

> FIAL