Great Feminist Discussions/Dissections

January 6, 2016 5:13 AM

I have to give a 45 min lecture in a week, on any subject of my choosing, semi-academic. I'd like to present a feminist discussion/dissection of cultural material (books, movies, songs, even court rulings). I have access to a university catalogue.

This is for an ungraded university course of 15 "excellence" students from various faculties. Most of them are fairly well-read in philosophy, history - liberal arts in general, but not women's and gender studies.

My last lecture was a reading of Pat Parker's poem Womanslaughter through three major theoretical approaches: intersectionality and black feminism, postmodern psychoanalysis and an interesting literary approach to reading women's poetry that I stumbled upon.

I'd like to do something in the same vain this time: present a book/movie/whatever, and then present two different theoretical approaches that can be used to discuss said whatever.

What I'm asking for is ideas, and also resources (academic papers, blogs, podcasts, etc).

posted by alon to Education (4 answers total)

Can you clarify why you're being invited (or required) to give the lecture? That would help me understand what kind of ideas/resources would be useful to you. There's a huge world of feminist readings and approaches out there.
posted by correcaminos at 6:57 AM on January 6, 2016

The Laws of War Women do not make laws, are not in the military, do not own property. Discuss.
posted by effluvia at 7:04 AM on January 6, 2016

Beyoncé:

In 2010, I began teaching a course at Rutgers called “Politicizing Beyoncé.” My students read a survey of black feminist activists across American history, alongside critical analysis of Beyoncé’s music.

Even teaching about Beyoncé can’t save your job if you’re an adjunct professor [WaPo]

Wonder Woman:

“A Harvard professor with impeccable scholarly credentials, Lepore treats her subject seriously, as if she is writing the biography of a feminist pioneer like Margaret Sanger, the founder of the birth control movement — which this book is, to an extent….Through extensive research and a careful reading of the Wonder Woman comic books, she argues convincingly that the story of this character is an indelible chapter in the history of women’s rights.” —Miami Herald

The Secret History of Wonder Woman [Harvard]

posted by Little Dawn at 7:19 AM on January 6, 2016

For court rulings, you might want to take a look at the output of the Feminist Judgments Project in the UK. That book's chapters include both feminist commentary on the original judgment of a court, and then an alternative feminist judgment written by the scholar. Perhaps you could lecture on any one of the cases that you find interesting - the collection cuts across a range of different areas of law - and bring your own theoretical insights to bear? The book includes a faintly skeptical introduction by Baroness Hale, the only woman in the UK Supreme Court, and could also be compared to Nicola Lacey's book about gendered aspects of legal reasoning, Unspeakable Subjects.
posted by Aravis76 at 9:11 AM on January 6, 2016