WMST2013 Gender, Power and Change: Introducing Feminist Debates

2020

4.5

1 x 2-hour lecture weekly
1 x 1-hour tutorial weekly

1 of WMST1002, WMST2007 has been successfully completed

Associate major: Women's Studies

Bachelor of Art; Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education degrees

This topic presents an introduction to contemporary feminist thought, and provides a basis for Women's Studies topics at upper levels. The topic addresses, as its core themes, feminist debates about the nature of gender, the way that gender shapes relations of power, and the ways that gender relations do and might change. The topic surveys a broad range of debates within and about feminism, illustrating and contextualising feminist thought with reference to a number of contemporary issues and debates about the changing circumstances of gender relations in Australia and globally. Critical thought about various strands of feminist theory will be encouraged. It will enhance students' oral and written communication skills and provide a useful introduction to Women's Studies topics at Second and Third Year level.

The goal of this topic is to provide you with an overview of the basic concepts operating in feminist theory. It further aims to provide a critical guide to a range of contemporary feminist theory. It provides an introduction to and overview of:

• Debates within feminist thought
• The ways feminist theory can explain and/or complicate our understanding of gender relations
• The different visions, aims and strategies of the many strands making up feminism
• Feminism and Women's Studies as a field ofknowledge

After successfully completing this topic you should:

• Be able to distinguish a number of feminist approaches to a range of social problems and issues
• Have developed the skills and confidence to relate readings in feminism to your own experience and to social life more generally
• Be able to critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of competing feminist perspectives on a range of issues
  In the process you should also:
  • Improve your ability to think critically and form independent judgements
  • Improve your written and verbal communication skills
  • Improve your research skills
  • Gain confidence in your ability to analyse issues and ideas