Feminist
Ethics
PHI 4632-001/012
Instructor: Kevin Aho, M.A.
Office: FAO 236
Phone: (813) 974-5545
kaho@helios.acomp.usf.edu
Office Hours: Mon 1-3 or by appointment
The history of Western culture (from the advent of Greek philosophy, to the emergence of Christian faith, to the rise of industrial capitalism, to today’s information age) has largely been a developmental expression of one voice, that of white men. Our social norms, our political institutions, and even our psychological self-interpretation have been conditioned by this patriarchal legacy. In this course we will attempt to critically dismantle this tradition in an effort to hear and understand those who have been silenced. One of the goals of this class is to shatter certain cultural conventions that we, for the most part, take for granted because they have become so historically embedded in our everyday lives. This involves rethinking the way we “ought” to treat others, critically re-interpreting certain socio-sexual taboos such as male intimacy, homosexuality, prostitution, and pornography, and deconstructing the socially conditioned way that we interpret ourselves as “masculine” or “feminine.”
The objectives of this course are threefold: First, we will examine the historical foundations of the rise of patriarchal culture in the West. Second, we will address the emergence of psychological and social problems that emerge from a life-world based on an exclusively patriarchal worldview. Third, we will discuss the possibility of an alternative to patriarchal ethics (which are largely based on individual obedience to rationally constructed principles) by introducing a feminist ethics (based on caring and empathy for other people).
1) Justice and Care: Essential Readings in Feminist Ethics, edited by Virginia Held, (Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, 1995)
2) Moral Dilemmas of Feminism: by Laurie Schrage, (Routledge, New York, 1994)
3) Rethinking Masculinity: Philosophical Explorations in Light of Feminism: edited by Larry May, Robert Strikwerda, and Patrick D. Hopkins, (Rowman and Littlefield, New York, 1996)
4) Reserve readings that are made available at the USF library.
1) Three in-class, essay style exams constituting 60% of the final grade.
2) One paper of approximately 6-8 pages constituting 30% of the final grade.
I. Historical Background of
Patriarchal Culture
8/26, Syllabus, General Business.
8/28, Historical Background of Western Culture, Greek Reason, read Robin May Schott, “Philosophical Origins of Ascetic Philosophy: Platonic Views of Women and Eros,” on reserve.
9/4, Historical Background cont., Christian Faith, read “Genesis” books 1-3, on reserve.
9/9, Historical Background cont., Modern Capitalism, read Robin May Schott, “Reification and Asceticism,” on reserve
9/11, Critical Discussion of the Historical Background
II. Social and Psychological
Problems of Patriarchal Culture
9/16, Men and Violence, read “The Enduring Appeals of Battle,” J. Glenn Grey in Rethinking Patriarchy, pp. 45-62
9/18, Men and Violence cont. read “Masculinity and Violence, “Victor Seidler in Rethinking Masculinity, pp. 63-78
9/23, Homosexuality, read “Male Friendship and Intimacy,” Robert A. Stirkwerda and Larry May in Rethinking Masculinity, pp. 79-94
9/25, Homosexuality, read “Gender Treachery: Homophobia, Masculinity, and Threatened Identities, by Patrick D. Hopkins in Rethinking Masculinity, pp. 95-118
9/28, Exam 1
10/2, Pornography and Sexuality, read “Erogenous Zones and Ambiguity: Sexuality and the Bodies of Women and Men,” by Laurence Thomas in Rethinking Masculinity, pp. 255-276
10/7, Pornography and Sexuality, read “Pornography and Alienation of Male Sexuality,” by Harry Brod in Rethinking Masculinity, pp. 237-253
10/9, Pornography and Sexuality, read “The Politics of
Orgasm,” by Susan Lydon, on reserve
10/14, Abortion, read “Abortion and
the ‘Feminine Voice’” by Celia Wolfe-Devine, on reserve
10/16, Abortion, read “Fetal Ideologies and Maternal Desires: A Post-Enlightenment Account of Abortion,” by Laurie Schrage in Moral Dilemmas of Feminism, pp. 55-78
10/21, Prostitution and Sexuality, read “Comparing Prostitutions,” by Laurie Schrage in Moral Dilemmas of Feminism, pp. 99-120
10/23, Prostitution and Sexuality, read “Exotic and Erotic Exotica: Sex Commerce in Some Contemporary Urban Centers,” by Laurie Schrage in Moral Dilemmas of Feminism, pp. 120-162
10/28, Adultery and the Family, read “Interpreting Adultery,” by Laurie Schrage in Moral Dilemmas of Feminism, pp. 31-55
10/30, Adultery and the Family, read
“Existential Ethics and Why It’s Immoral to be a Housewife,” by Donald L. Hatcher,
on reserve
11/4, Adultery and the Family, read
“Feminists Against the Family,” by Jean Bethke Elshtain, on reserve
11/6, Exam 2
III. Sexual Difference and the
Possibility of an Ethics Based on Care
11/11,Sexual and Biological Difference, read “Sex and Social Roles: How to Deal with the Data,” by Patrick Grim in Rethinking Masculinity, pp. 3-20
11/13, Sexual and Biological Difference, read “Biology, Mere and Otherwise,” by Mary Midgley and Judith Hughes, on reserve
11/18, Sexual and Biological Difference,
read “Sex and Gender,” by Rober Scruton, on
reserve
11/20, Sexual and Biological
Difference, read “The Primacy of Gender Attribution,” by Suzanne Kessler and
Wendy McKenna, on reserve
11/25, Care Ethics, read “Moral Orientation and Development,” by Carol Gilligan in Justice and Care, pp. 31-46
11/27, Care Ethics, read “Beyond Caring: The De-Moralization of Gender,” by Marilyn Friedman in Justice and Care, pp. 61-78
12/2, Care Ethics, read “Women and Caring: What Can Feminists Learn About Morality from Caring?” by Joan C. Tronto in Justice and Care, pp. 101-116
12/5, Review Session
12/10, Exam 3, Final Paper Due