For Friday, September 10th

Each week during the semester, probably on Monday or Tuesday, I’ll blog about some important terms, concepts, and issues that will show up in your reading for our next class. I’ll also post that week’s Reading Worksheet at the same time. Because you might never before have encountered and/or might be a bit out of practice reading such complex materials, my hope is that you’ll refer to this blog frequently as you’re preparing for class each week. Read what I post here, click on whatever links I may provide, download the Weekly Reading Worksheet, and just generally pay attention to what’s going on here on this site. For those Harry Potter fans among us, engaging with feminist theories is similar to watching a Quidditch match for the first time: Everyone around you is in a frenzy. They already seem to know all the rules, the players, and the team rivalries. But eventually, if you work at it, you start to figure it all out, and Quidditch becomes not only accessible, but enjoyable. And you might even choose to join a team yourself.

Analogies aside, my goal is to help you succeed in this rather difficult course, and since we only meet once each week, this blog is how I’ll provide information, clues, and questions to get you thinking about what’s most important in our reading.

At this point, I want to remind you again that WMST 3301 is a complex course in feminist theories intended for upper-level students (i.e., those in their third and fourth years). It is an advanced, student-driven seminar that necessitates a preliminary knowledge of the issues and concepts learned in prior Women’s Studies classes. Therefore, all students enrolled in WMST 3301 must have successfully completed at least ONE other Women’s Studies course as a prerequisite. In addition, the heavy reading load in WMST 3301 also requires an intense time commitment as well as sophisticated critical thinking abilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students in their second year of study—even those who have taken Women’s Studies before—wait until they have completed another full year of course work before taking this course, as it is designed for third- and fourth-year students.

This information is not meant to intimidate you or scare you away. On the contrary, I want you to succeed, and staying in the course if you don't meet the prerequisites may adversely affect your situation. If you have any questions about this, or about anything else, please feel free to send me an e-mail at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca

Now, let’s get started:

How to engage with feminist theories
This class is entitled “Feminist Theories,” so the first thing we need to do is think about what those words mean, both individually and collectively. Our materials this week will help you do that if you consider the following questions as you read: What’s theory? What’s feminism? What makes a theory feminist? What kinds of problems are feminist theorists trying to solve? Also take a look at the Weekly Reading Worksheet to get some ideas about the terms and concepts you should be paying attention to as you read. You might also have a look-see at the Feminist Theory Website created by the Center for Digital Discourse and Culture at Virginia Tech University.

One thing that always seems an obstacle for WMST3301 students is a fear of theory. No matter what they’re background, major, or career goals, students seem to think that theory is big, bad, nasty, intimidating, scary, and impossible to comprehend. What is it? Who decides? What does it have to do with anything? Why do we need it? What does it do? Why should we care?

Our materials this week engage with precisely these issues, so be sure to look for answers as you read. One thing to keep in mind, however, is the connection between theory and activism. The relationship between feminist theories and feminist activisms is like the one between the chicken and the egg: It’s hard to figure out which came first. Feminist activists rely on feminist theorists, and vice versa; not only can one quite literally not exist without the other, but the categories often overlap. Feminist theorists are often feminist activists, and feminist activists are often feminist theorists. This is part of what sometimes makes engaging with feminist theories difficult, but it’s also what makes it so exciting.

Having warned you that this course is complex, I now want to assuage your concerns about your ability to successfully read, understand, and then apply the myriad feminist theories we’ll be dealing with this semester. Theory, you will learn, isn’t as scary as you might think. In fact, it is often inspiring and, at its best, can be utilized to affect concrete change(s) in the world. As you read, think about the following questions: What is “theory?” What does it do? What makes a theory feminist? What are some of the issues and concerns taken up by feminist theorists?

In order to begin answering these questions (and others throughout the course), you do need to learn and apply a few strategies as you read. Hopefully, by now, as third- and fourth-year University students, you’ve developed your own ways to read, study, and learn that work for you. However, the process of reading and engaging with feminist theories is likely a bit different than some other stuff you’ve encountered, and requires a different way of reading. We’ll talk a bit about this in class on Friday, but in the meantime, let me offer the following advice as you read this week: For each selection, try to (a) identify the problem the author is concerned with and why, (b) figure out what the author envisions instead, and (c) identify what strategies (if any) the author suggests.

The evolution of feminist thought and activism
One of the most important concepts we’ll be constantly coming back to this semester is the notion that feminist theories are dynamic; they are constantly shifting and morphing and changing as advocates of feminism seek to accomplish their goals for social justice. As you’ll learn from our reading this week, advocates of feminism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had quite different concerns and strategies for accomplishing their goals than do contemporary feminist theorists (see Schneir, and McCann and Kim). As you read this week, pay attention to the “present day” of each selection: Schneir compiled her book and wrote her introduction in 1972, hooks originally wrote her article in 1984, and McCann and Kim wrote their introduction in 2010, as did Douglas. What can you tell about the evolution of feminist thought and activism just by reading these materials? How have the ideas and actions of feminists shifted since the nineteenth century, and why?

While the concerns and strategies of feminists in the U.S. and the U.K. were/have been similar to those in Canada, there are some different "benchmark" events. You might want to learn more about feminism in Canada.

Class on Friday, September 10th
You will have noticed that your preparation for class this week involves reading and thinking through some rather complex concepts that are, as you will learn, at the heart of feminist theories. As I said, starting to engage with feminist theories is like attending a Quidditch match for the first time. Or, if you prefer, it really is like learning a new language. So, be patient with yourself as you read and reread in preparation for class on Friday.

When you arrive, you’ll complete a short questionnaire about the foundational terms and concepts of Women’s Studies. Then we’ll do the normal administrative stuff (go over the syllabus, assignments, expectations, divide into semester-long Working Groups, etc.). That should all take about an hour, so for the remainder of the time, we’ll launch right into some activities and discussion to see if we can start answering some of the questions I’ve posed here and on your Weekly Worksheet.

I’m looking forward to meeting all of you, and, in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca if you have any questions.