Schedule

Last updated: Wed, Nov 6, 2024

Date Module Readings Due Dates
2024-08-27 Introduction Course overview
 Please complete the “Getting to Know You” survey on D2L by noon the day before our first day of class (or as soon as possible if you are joining late)
2024-08-29 Part I: Sex – Pregnancy The politics of pregnancy
2024-09-03 Part I: Sex – Pregnancy The law of pregnancy
2024-09-05 Part I: Sex – Pregnancy Pregnancy & gender
  • Catharine A. MacKinnon, Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law (1987), chaps. 2, 8
2024-09-10 Part I: Sex – Pregnancy Pregnancy as a social position?
2024-09-12 Part I: Sex – Sexuality The biological analysis of sex
  • Susan Brownmiller, Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape (1975), pp. 11–30
If you are honors student who would like to complete an honors contract with me, please meet with me by this day
2024-09-17 Part I: Sex – Sexuality The political analysis of sex
  • MacKinnon, Feminism Unmodified, chaps. 3, 6–7
2024-09-19 Part I: Sex – Sexuality The political analysis reconsidered I
2024-09-24 Part I: Sex – Sexuality The political analysis reconsidered II
 Objection-reply essay I assigned
2024-09-26 Part I: Sex – The Sex Wars The Barnard Conference & Women against Pornography (WAP)
  • MacKinnon, Feminism Unmodified, chaps. 12–13
2024-10-01 Part I: Sex – The Sex Wars Feminism & pornography reconsidered?
2024-10-03 Part I: Sex – The Sex Wars The lesbian sadomasochism controversy
  • Patrick Califia, Public Sex: The Culture of Radical Sex (1994), pp. 165–74 (“Feminism and Sadomasochism”), 175–82 (“Genderbending”), and 183–89 (“Gay Men, Lesbians, and Sex”)
  • In-class screening: BloodSisters: Leather, Dykes and Sadomasochism (1995), directed by Michelle Handelman, 69 min
2024-10-08 Part I: Sex – The Sex Wars Feminism & BDSM reconciled?
2024-10-10 Part II: Gender – The Beauvoirian Revolution Woman as the Second Sex
  • Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex (1949), pp. xviii–xx (“Translator's Note”), 3–17 (“Introduction”), 21–26, 44–48 (“Biological Data”), 71–75 (“History,” chap. 1)
2024-10-12 Part II: Gender – The Beauvoirian Revolution Objection-reply essay I due Extended: Objection-reply essay I due to D2L by 11:59pm
2024-10-15 Part II: Gender – The Beauvoirian Revolution Becoming woman
  • Beauvoir, The Second Sex, vol. 2, chaps. 2 (“The Girl”) and 3 (“Sexual Initiation”) – please skim these two chapters, especially the long block quotes, but think about why they are written this way
2024-10-17 Part II: Gender – The Beauvoirian Revolution Unbecoming woman?
  • Beauvoir, The Second Sex, vol. 2, chap. 10 (“Woman’s Situation and Character”)
 You must have completed at least one shorty by this day
2024-10-19 Part II: Gender – The Beauvoirian Revolution Midterm version of course lexicon due Midterm version of course lexicon due to D2L by 11:59pm
2024-10-22 Part II: Gender – Gendering Sex The medical construction of sex
2024-10-24 Part II: Gender – Gendering Sex The scientific construction of sex
2024-10-29 Part II: Gender – Gendering Sex The political construction of sex
2024-10-31 Part II: Gender – Sexing Gender “Trapped in the wrong body”
2024-11-05 Part II: Gender – Sexing Gender Election day (no class)
2024-11-07 Part II: Gender – Sexing Gender Trapped in the wrong theory?
 Objection-reply essay II assigned
2024-11-12 Part III: Love – Eros “Happy ever after”?
  • Carrie Jenkins, Sad Love: Romance and the Search for Meaning (2022), chap. 2
2024-11-14 Part III: Love – Eros Love at the drinking party I
  • Plato, Symposium, up to 201c (start of Socrates’ speech)
2024-11-19 Part III: Love – Eros Love at the drinking party II
  • Plato, Symposium, 201d to the end
2024-11-21 Part III: Love – Eros Writing day (no class) – Ding out of town for conference talk
2024-11-23 Part III: Love – Eros Objection-reply essay II due Objection-reply essay II due to D2L by 11:59pm
2024-11-26 Part III: Love – Relationships Love under patriarchy
  • Beauvoir, The Second Sex, vol. 2, chaps. 4 (“The Lesbian”) and 12 (“The Woman in Love”)
2024-11-28 Part III: Love – Relationships University recess (no class)
2024-12-03 Part III: Love – Relationships Same-sex marriage
 Extended: If you’d like to pursue your own final project idea, please meet with me by this day
2024-12-05 Part III: Love – Relationships Polyamory
2024-12-10 Conclusion Futures?
 Last chance for shorties!
2024-12-11 Conclusion Student Course Surveys due Student Course Surveys close at 11:59pm
2024-12-12 Conclusion Reading day (no class)
2024-12-14 Conclusion Final version of course lexicon due Final version of course lexicon due to D2L by 11:59pm
2024-12-17 Conclusion Final project due Final project due to D2L by 11:59pm