PO3FPT: Feminism and Political Theory

Module code: PO3FPT

Module provider: Politics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Maxime Lepoutre, email: m.c.lepoutre@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 13 August 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module explores the contributions of feminism to contemporary political theory. It begins by examining theoretical controversies surrounding the aims and meaning of feminism. It then brings these theoretical insights to bear on a range of pressing issues in feminist politics, such as abortion, surrogacy, pornography, marriage, and the body. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Explain different theoretical approaches to feminism, such as liberal feminism, radical feminism, or black feminism. 
2. Analyse real-world gender-related political problems (such as abortion, surrogacy, pornography) by applying ethical concepts, theories of feminism, and empirical knowledge. 
3. Develop and clearly articulate arguments, written and oral, in defence of their views on this topic. 

Module content

Topics to be addressed will notably include: 

• Theories of Feminism 
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• Marriage and the Family 
• Sexist Language 
• Appearance and the Body 

This content is indicative and may be subject to minor changes. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will involve ten lectures, and ten 1.5 hour seminars. Students will prepare for seminars by doing set readings and reflecting on a number of seminar questions. Each week, one or more students will initiate discussion with a short presentation. 

A further teaching week will be devoted to a workshop on writing policy briefs (the second assessment). 

Study hours

At least 25 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

• Each week, a student will initiate the seminar discussion with a presentation on that week’s topic.  
• Students will be required to submit formative essay introductions so as to receive some feedback on their ideas prior to submission. 

Reassessment

Additional costs