This course, Topics in Feminism, will focus on feminist narrative identity theories. We will mainly focus on questions about what has been called the characterization question of identity. What makes me, me? If I have a relational self, what defines who I am? How do I change over time? What constitutes a threat to my identity? Are others responsible for holding me in my identity? We’ll read work from some of the feminist relational identity theorists (Baylis, Schechtman, Lindemann), and will likely cover the books Staying Alive (Schechtman), Holding and Letting Go (Lindemann) and maybe Aftermath (Brison). I’ll supplement these books with individual philosophical papers and perhaps some narratives. It will be a discussion-based class, with required papers rather than exams.

TEXTS: Staying Alive, Marya Schechtman; Holding and Letting Go, Hilde Lindemann; Aftermath, Susan Brison; We should all be feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.