Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

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GSFS 0334

Feminist Epistemologies

Feminist Epistemologies: Knowledge, Ignorance and Social Power
As a philosophical field, epistemology investigates questions of what constitutes knowledge and understanding and how we acquire such goods. Feminist epistemologies seek to answer these questions while giving special attention to how social relations of power shape our practices and possibilities of knowledge and ignorance. In this seminar we will trace the vast development of feminist epistemologies from the 1980s to the present. We will explore both how these feminist approaches have contributed to a shift in the landscape of epistemology generally, and how they have offered crucial tools for feminist and critical race theorists seeking to understand the reality of and experiences of oppression. Topics will include situated knowing, objectivity, trust (and distrust) in testimony, and epistemic injustices due to bias. 3 hrs, sem.
Subject:
Gender Sexuality &Fem. Studies
Department:
PrgGender/Sexuality/Fem. Study
Division:
Interdisciplinary
Requirements Fulfilled:
CMP PHL
Equivalent Courses:
PHIL 0334 *
PHIL 0434
GSFS 0434
SPAN 0334

Sections in Spring 2010, School Abroad Germany (Berlin)