INTRODUCTION TO FEMINIST THEORIES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

Karen Rosenberg, Women Studies

Mentor: Dr. Judith Howard, Professor, Departments of Sociology and Women Studies;
 Chair, Department of Women Studies

 

PROJECT SUMMARY AND RATIONALE

 “The development of women’s studies demonstrates the truth in the observation that ‘questions are instruments of perception.’  The process of challenging the ‘men’s curriculum’ began with new questions, which led to a search for new sources, new methods, new definitions, and new interpretations.”

                                    --Marilyn Jacoby Boxer, When Women Ask the Questions

What happens when “women ask the questions?”  The answers to this deceptively simple query have guided women’s studies and feminist theory for the past thirty years.  This question and the rich scholarship it has inspired have been fundamentally preoccupied with social justice and ways to ameliorate social inequalities.  Although these commitments have remained constant, our orientation to this question has changed dramatically.  We no longer seek a unified answer when “women ask the questions” and we clearly assert that one doesn’t need to be a woman in order to ask questions from a feminist perspective.  Furthermore, we understand that it is not enough to look at gender in isolation, rather we must examine the ways that other factors such as race, class and sexual orientation intersect with gender in the lives of women and men. 

 These modifications to the original question each represent a major transformation in feminist thought.  At this point in time, we are on the cusp of another major transformation—one which scholar Chandra Mohanty describes as “…the urgency and necessity to rethink feminist praxis and theory within a cross-cultural, international framework.”[1]  The Department of Women Studies, in line with goals for the University at large, has made the challenge of globalizing the curriculum a major goal.  To further this goal, we propose to develop a new introductory-level course on feminist theories, incorporating the cutting edge work of transnational feminist scholars.  Although we have individual courses that do address transnational concerns, we have not yet rethought the very core of Women Studies as a field, and our curriculum in particular, from this vantage point.  Feminist theory is the strategic place to begin, since this establishes the foundation for our scholarly inquiry.

 This Huckabay proposal is to develop a course that will address the need for an introduction to feminist theories that fully incorporates transnational approaches, rather than an approach restricted primarily to US scholarship.  The proposed course, “Introduction to Feminist Theories of Social Inequality,” will address two distinct agendas: first, to present theory from a global framework and second, to develop an introductory course on feminist theories. 

 We are almost at the point of completion of an exhaustive review of the undergraduate curriculum in our department.  One of the key findings—identified by undergraduate majors, graduate students and faculty alike--is that our undergraduate majors lack a solid introduction to feminist theories that will set the terms of their inquiries in their subsequent coursework.  The proposed course will more adequately prepare new majors for upper level Women Studies classes.  It will also serve as an accessible and useful course for non-majors who may take only one or two classes within Women Studies.

 The Women Studies faculty and graduate students also enthusiastically endorse the need for such a course.  Faculty and graduate students share a fundamental commitment to feminist theories and teaching from a feminist perspective.  Many of our faculty and graduate student instructors have found that undergraduates lack a solid background in the terrain of feminist theory, which makes the task of teaching advanced material extremely difficult.  In addition, the collaborative model we propose below will also contribute to the pedagogical repertoire of our graduate students as they enter their academic careers.

 The widespread enthusiasm for this new theory course underscores that this is an important project whose time has come.  As we explain in the next section, we propose a collaborative model that will involve multiple constituencies within Women Studies to participate in course development. 

 
PROJECT METHOD

Since its inception, Women Studies has emphasized the values of collaboration and cooperation.  We believe that the hyper-individualization that characterizes much of academia limits intellectual growth and innovative scholarship.  Contemporary progressive pedagogies emphasize the value of collaboration in teaching.  In keeping with the values and goals of Women Studies, both students and faculty have lamented the lack of innovative collaboration within Women Studies.  Since the introductory theory course has widespread support within the Department, we intend to use this proposal to pilot our collaborative model of course development, which we plan to use as we examine all of our core courses.

 
Undergraduate Advisory Board

Karen will convene a Board of 6-8 undergraduates to serve as a focus group for the project.  She will convene the group at the initial stages of course development to glean information on their evaluations of feminist theory courses they’ve taken and their perceptions of key substantive theoretical and methodological content that would be useful in an introductory course.  Karen will then reconvene the group near the final stages of the project to get feedback on the proposed course materials.  The Women Studies undergraduate majors are extremely committed to the Department, as evidenced by their participation in the curricular review process, and we are confident that they will willingly contribute to this project in significant ways.       

Graduate Student Discussion Group

As mentioned previously, there is a tremendous amount of energy among the graduate students to develop a new introductory theory course.  They are committed to participating in a Graduate Student Discussion Group that will allow them to give feedback and input at all stages of course development.  If awarded the Huckabay, Karen will carry out the primary tasks generated by the Graduate Student Discussion Group. 

Faculty Reviewers

In her role as faculty mentor, Dr. Howard will advise Karen in all stages of the project.  Together, they will seek advice at suitable points from other faculty who have experience in teaching feminist theory and whose work derives from a transnational perspective.  In addition to the core faculty in Women Studies, Karen will conduct a review of the research and teaching interests of the adjunct faculty and request input from them as well. 

The Role of the Huckabay Fellow

We are proposing a collaborative model with a clearly defined role for the Huckabay fellow.  Karen will head all aspects of the project.  As such she will be responsible for doing the necessary research and writing to create the new course.  In addition to the traditional tasks of compiling a literature/syllabus review and closely examining materials under consideration for the course, Karen will be responsible for convening and facilitating the two groups discussed above.  These data will guide her work at all points in the project. 

 

COMPONENTS OF THE COURSE

In line with the collaborative approach outlined above, we want to leave space for the undergraduates and graduate students to give significant input to the content of the course.  However, as a starting point for discussion we propose the following three themes.  These themes are not distinct units; rather, they are co-constitutive.  For example, questions of globalization will inform all three themes; similarly, interrogating the nature and value of theory will infuse the course as a whole.

1) Why Theory?  Many undergraduates are resistant to theory and conceptualize it as the opposite of the “real” or “practical.”  The first task of an introductory course on theory is to help students see what is at stake.  We will begin by helping students see that theory is ubiquitous.  We will discuss the consequences of making theories apparent and the potential for creating meaningful social change.  We will also introduce the concept of feminism and begin to explore what is at stake for women and men in multiple societal contexts in the study of feminist theories.

2) What Happens When Women Ask The Questions?  This query provides a simple, non-threatening entry point for examining various topics in feminist theory.  We will present theory as historical—that is, ideas that arise out of specific contexts.  By linking the production of theory with history, we assert that theory is always contextually grounded and that everyday women and men have the ability to influence the making of new theory.

3) Globalization and Feminist Theories of Social Inequality.  In this unit, we will introduce the work of transnational feminists such as Chandra Mohanty and Jacqui Alexander.  We will explore how the work of self-identified Third World feminists is changing the landscape of feminist theory and providing exciting models for achieving social justice on a global level.  We will examine both the liberatory and oppressive ways that theories on human rights are deployed in various struggles in the US and around the world.

 

EVALUATION

The collaborative approach to the development of this course offers excellent opportunities for evaluation.  As we have already discussed, course materials will be reviewed extensively by undergraduates, graduate students and faculty before the course is taught.  During the quarter when Karen will first teach this class, she will arrange for her work to be evaluated in several different ways.  First, Karen will solicit feedback from the students on a weekly basis.  This brief, anonymous feedback will allow students to comment on the effectiveness of course readings, lectures, in-class exercises and writing assignments.  Second, Dr. Howard will provide ongoing supervision and evaluation.  This will include several in-class observations and regular meetings with Karen.  Third, graduate students will be invited to observe the class and offer feedback.  Fourth, Karen will conduct extensive evaluations with the class members during weeks 5 and 9 of the course.