COURSE UNIT TITLE

: WOMEN PHILOSOPHERS IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
KDN 5049 WOMEN PHILOSOPHERS IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY ELECTIVE 3 0 0 6

Offered By

Women's Studies

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ÖZLEM DUVA KAYA

Offered to

Women's Studies

Course Objective

Ecofeminism is a field of study which considers the hierarchical human-nature and male-female relationships in the same context, underlining the parallels between and the simultaneity of their emergence and workings. It also emphasizes the impossibility of annihilating other forms of power relationships without an awareness of these two closely knitted fundamental power relationships. The major common denominator between these two hierarchical forms, which makes them seem unshakable, is that they both rely on supposedly natural differences. The aim of this course is, firstly, to deconstruct and demystify the hierarchical human-nature and male-female relations which present themselves as natural and, secondly, based on the associations between women and nature, to demonstrate with examples the construction of all forms of power relationships, be it class, race or gender, on the basis of these two forms of power relations. After such theoretical foundations, various definitions, branches and fields of Ecofeminism will be introduced along with its relations with other feminisms.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   To reach an understanding about Ecofeminism as a particular branch of Feminism.
2   To understand the interrelations and confluences between Ecofeminism and other areas of thought.
3   To discuss and understand the images and meanings of the Ecofeminist thought in the West and the Orient.
4   To discern the images in which Nature and women are associated in mythical, folkloric and historical narratives and other cultural products.
5   To produce critical and alternative discourses against self-manufacturing processes of hierarchical structures that objectify Nature and women.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Discussion: Is Ecofeminism necessary
2 On the dichotomy between Nature and Culture: Ortner ve Rosaldo articles
3 Merchant, The Death of Nature: Introduction, Nature as Female, Farm, Fen, and Forest
4 Merchant, The Death of Nature: Organic Society and Utopia, The World as an Organism, Nature as Disorder.
5 Merchant, The Death of Nature: Production, Reproduction and the Female, Dominion over Nature, The Mechanical Order Mechanism as Power.
6 Merchant, The Death of Nature: The Management of Nature, Women on Nature, Leibniz and Newton, Epilogue
7 Midterm exam
8 Plumwood: Giriş, Feminizm ve Ekofeminizm , Ikicilik: Sömürgeciliğin Mantığı, Platon ve Ölüm Felsefesi
9 Plumwood: Descartes ve Iktidar Düşü, Mekanizma ve Zihin/Doğa Ikiciliği , Etik ve Araçsallaştırıcı Benlik, Derin Ekoloji ve Farklılığın Inkârı, Egemen Öyküyü Değiştirmek
10 Noel Sturgeon: The Nature of Race: Discourses of Racial Difference in Ecofeminism Warren, (ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature. Candice Bradley: Keeping the Soil in Good Heart: Women Weeders, the Environment, and Ecofeminism Warren, (ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature
11 Catherine Zabinski: Scientific Ecology and Ecological Feminism: The Potential for Dialogue Warren, (ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature Petra Kelly: Women and Power Warren, (ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature.
12 Noel Sturgeon: Movements of Ecofeminism , Ecofeminist Natures and Transnational Environmental Politics , What s in a Name Ecofeminisms as/in Feminist Theory .
13 Robert Allan Sessions: Ecofeminism and Work , Warren, (ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature. Ruthanne Kurth-Schai: Ecofeminism and Children , Warren, (ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature
14 Anette Kolodny: Unearthing Her Story: An Introduction Cheryll Glotfelty and Harold Fromm, (Eds.), The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. Vera L. Norwood: Heroines of Nature: Four women Respond to the American Landscape Cheryll Glotfelty and Harold Fromm, (Eds.), The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology.
15 Susan Griffin: Ecofeminism and Children , Warren, (ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature. Noel Sturgeon: The Nature of Race: Indigenous Women and White Goddesses.
16 Final exam

Recomended or Required Reading

Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution.
---., Earthcare: Women and the Environment.
---, Ed., Major Problems in American Environmental History.
Karen J. Warren, Ed., Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature.
Patrick D. Murphy, Literature, Nature, and Other.
Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva, Ecofeminism.
Noel Sturgeon, Ecofeminist Natures: Race Gender, Feminist Theory and Political Action.
Josephine Donovan, Feminist Theory: Intellectual Traditions
---., A Feminist Caring Ethic fort he Treatment of Animals
Carol J. Adams, Beyond Animal Rights: A Feminist Tradition in the Care of Animals
Cheryll Glotfelty and Harold Fromm, Eds., The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology.
George Sessions (ed.), Deep Ecology fort he 21st Century: Readings on the Philosophy and Practice of the New Environmentalism.
Sherry B. Ortner, Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture
Michelle Zimbalist Rosaldo, Woman, Culture, and Society: A Theoretical Overview

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture, weekly readings, class discussions, student assignments and presentations.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 STT TERM WORK (SEMESTER)
3 FIN FINAL EXAM
4 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE * 0.30 + STT * 0.30 + FIN* 0.40
5 RST RESIT
6 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE * 0.30 + STT * 0.30 + RST* 0.40


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

to be announced

Assessment Criteria

to be announced

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Course Policies and Rules

1. Students are obligated to participate 70% of the lectures
2. All kinds of palagiarism and attept of palagiarism shall be concluded by disciplinary punishment
3. Students supposed to read the materials before lecture and participate the classroom discussions
4. Students are expected to make presentations about the subjects given by the lecturer.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

gokcenils@yahoo.com

Office Hours

to be announced

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 14 3 42
Preparation for midterm exam 1 10 10
Preparation for final exam 1 15 15
Preparing assignments 1 8 8
Preparing presentations 1 6 6
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 14 5 70
Final 1 3 3
Midterm 1 3 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 157

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8
LO.144113332
LO.211111112
LO.322131532
LO.444232141
LO.544545341