PHIL/WGST 275.001 – Moral and Philosophical Issues of Gender in Society

Instructor: Ava Geenen. This course meets TR 8:00 – 9:15 a.m. in PE 3018.

This course serves as an introduction to the ways in which the methods and tools of philosophy may be fruitfully employed to engage with, and carefully respond to, questions and issues concerning the meaning and place of gender in society.

We will start with the question “what is gender?” and look at how concepts of gender have historically been employed in philosophy. We will then move on to examine how systems of power and oppression relate to gender, and how gendered norms and institutions influence what we expect of ourselves and others and what we come to value. Topics will include (but are not limited to) adaptive preferences, gender and labor, reproductive rights, and sexuality.