I teach to a similar range of introductory students. I have actually found that by starting with some myths about feminism (soliciting them from students but making it clear it does not have to be something they actually believe) and listing them on the board. Then I spend some with them time considering each one (e.g. Feminists are angry and humorless, Feminists hate men, Feminists reject motherhood, etc) and what kind of work each particular myth does in the culture. This always leads to broader discussions about oppression, silencing, body shaming, divide and conquer tactics which then leads to concepts and conceptual analysis - as you know a central feature of feminist philosophy.

From there if students want a further history/introduction I suggest the Stanford Encyclopedia online 'Feminist Philosophy' or the Introductory chapters of our text. I do find though that a session of this open discussion leading to general concepts is a good way to get the group thinking and talking. Also the 'Looks Philosophical' tumbler site is another good tool for generating discussion about presumptions and stereotypes versus reality.

Maureen

On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 12:12 PM, Welsh, Talia <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Hello,

I was wondering if any of you have had success providing lower-level feminist theory students with an introductory piece on "what is feminism/feminist theory/philosophy?" and if so, what piece you might recommend.

I teach a wide range of majors in an upper-level Feminist Theory undergraduate course at a state university. My students tend to be motivated but do not necessarily possess any background in philosophy or theory.

Thanks in advance,

Talia

******************************************************
Dr. T.L. Welsh
Associate U.C. Foundation Professor
Department of Philosophy & Religion #2753
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 Mc Callie Ave.
Chattanooga, TN 37403
Tel: 423-425-4318
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
www.utc.edu/Academic/PhilosophyAndReligion/staff/talia-welsh.php

******************************************************

############################
To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the following link: https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1

--
Maureen Linker, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Director, MetroScholars
Department of Literature, Philosophy, & the Arts
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Tel: 313-593-5083
Email: [log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the following link: https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1