Feminism in the United States

Catalog description

Participants study feminism based on the premise that it is a multi-faceted struggle for women's autonomy and self-determination. The course focuses largely on the United States, birthplace of the first organized women's movement; however, it periodically expands its view beyond the United States for purposes of comparison. Students analyze the development of the feminist movement as well as feminist theory during the 19th and 20th centuries and explore the discourse on gender mediated by race and class, and its impact on women's lives. Using primary and secondary sources, students work toward a historical definition of feminism.