This tutorial will provide a comprehensive introduction to western feminist thought, the multiplicity of feminisms, and the relation between theory and praxis in feminist studies.  We will spend the first portion of the term studying the history of feminist thinking, with readings from The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, Feminist Theory (bell hooks), No Turning Back (Estelle B. Freedman), Feminisms (Herndl and Warhol) and Feminist Thought (Rosemarie Tong).  The primary goals will be to gain a thorough understanding of the evolution of twentieth-century western feminist thought, the differences among feminisms, the interconnections of theory with lived experience, and the nature of equality and inequality.  We will then move on to discuss social perceptions of feminism and feminists along with collections of writing by women protesting their exclusion from what they perceive as the feminist movement.  The second half of the term will develop critical tools for analyzing these perceptions by focusing on class, race, gender, and sexuality, with additional readings from the texts used in part one.  Our primary questions at this point will be:  What does it mean to be a feminist?; What defines a feminist?; and How or when are feminisms exclusionary?  For the final three to four weeks, students will focus more specifically on women s bodies, desire, and other contemporary issues.  Throughout the term, there will be opportunities to view contemporary magazines, watch films, and conduct consciousness-raising discussions and activities on campus.  Students will also take one or more field trips   ideally including a three day tour of Boston bookstores and women s centers   and interview selected elders about their sense of what makes a feminist.  Each student will keep a journal throughout the term, based on responses to the readings and to observations of culture.  Students will also do five short papers (2-4 pages) or projects as a way to share their own thinking and interpretation of feminist theory with the group.  Finally, since feminist thought always includes both theory and praxis, students will continually explore the connections between the feminist scholarship they read and the activism or consciousness they experience.  Evaluation will be based on participation, attendance, all papers and projects, and possibly a peer evaluation.  There will also be deliberate attention to each individual students relationship of theory to praxis and understanding not just of feminist theory but of feminist thinking in relation to their own lives.

Level: Intermediate.  Signature of Instructor required.  Lab fee: $20.