Hacking does a good job of thoroughly analyzing the concept of social constructionism. He says that some benefits that occur through use of the idea are a feeling of "liberation" (pg 2) and a "raising of consciousness" (pg 6).
He addresses gender and says, "undoubtedly the most influential social construction doctrines have had to do with gender" (pg 7). He also briefly goes over the development of the idea that "gender" is socially constructed. Initially, to early feminists, the idea of "gender" was simply an add on to physiology, but later the idea was developed further by Judith Butler who argued that we each have the ability to interpret our bodies in our own way and determine what "sex" means to us personally. "Sex" is not a physiological given that occurs before human thought and it is just as socially constructed as "gender."
Hacking also talks about the debate between "essentialist" and "constructionist" views about race. It is a debate between the question of whether race has a deep, inevitable, essential connection with our being (our essence), or whether "race" doesn't penetrate that far into who we are and is instead simply a social construction humans use (pgs 16-17).
Questions:
If "race" and "gender" are simply social constructions, what are others ways to define who we are that don't fall under the constructionist heading?
What is the difference between gender and sex? (I'm still a bit confused)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Possible Straw Man
I can't help but feel that Rorty is constructing a straw man on this one, at least if he is attempting to refute Fraser. Perhaps Butler emphasizes a more extreme concept of recognition that asks all people to attempt to understand and appreciate the many facets of all other cultures, but surely what Fraser is asking in her rejoinder is not unreasonable. She advocates a much more limited model of recognition, that she calls "the status model."(24)
I'm unsure of Butler's views on recognittion, but even granting that she may take the more extreme position it seems like too much to say that "recognition" only entails the recognition of differences, as can be inferred from Rorty on page 10, "recognition of culture or of 'cultural differences,'" and elsewhere throughout the reading. Recognition of culture in the extreme would mean to me recognition of both similarities and differences. Perhaps even finding new similarities through honest reflection of what was once thought as differences. And perhaps not, but you at least learn accept that some people do subscribe to these practices. However, if Rorty's descriptions here are representative of someone's views, please let me know. I consider him a pretty on the ball philosopher, I do not want to assume right away that he has done nothing more than tear down a straw man and would be very grateful to hear otherwise.
I'm unsure of Butler's views on recognittion, but even granting that she may take the more extreme position it seems like too much to say that "recognition" only entails the recognition of differences, as can be inferred from Rorty on page 10, "recognition of culture or of 'cultural differences,'" and elsewhere throughout the reading. Recognition of culture in the extreme would mean to me recognition of both similarities and differences. Perhaps even finding new similarities through honest reflection of what was once thought as differences. And perhaps not, but you at least learn accept that some people do subscribe to these practices. However, if Rorty's descriptions here are representative of someone's views, please let me know. I consider him a pretty on the ball philosopher, I do not want to assume right away that he has done nothing more than tear down a straw man and would be very grateful to hear otherwise.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Welcome to PHIL 153
Welcome to the webpage for PHIL 153 Philosophy of Race and Gender (Politics and Metaphysics) for students in this course at the University of California, Santa Cruz in Fall Quarter of 2008.
As the quarter progresses we will use this webpage as a course blog to facilitate offline discussion.
All crucial information pertaining to this course (i.e., the syllabus) is available here including:
--Prof. Koopman
As the quarter progresses we will use this webpage as a course blog to facilitate offline discussion.
All crucial information pertaining to this course (i.e., the syllabus) is available here including:
- A Course Description
- A Working Program and Reading Schedule (with list of all required readings)
- A Description of Assignments due for this course.
--Prof. Koopman
Syllabus: Assignments
1. Participation (30%).
You are expected to attend class and contribute to discussions (10%). You are also expected to turn in a small number of short response papers (10%) as assigned in class and to contribute to the course blog (10%) on a regular basis with questions, comments, and links to relevant material. Every student must post to the blog at least three times over the course of the quarter. I will solicit volunteers but any student can post at any time.
2. Research Paper (4-5 pages) & Research Bibliography – first draft/version (20%).
You will write a short research paper of 4-5 pages due in class and by email on Monday November 17. This paper should stand on its own, but the plan is that this paper will be a first version of the final research paper that you will turn it at the end of the quarter. This first version of your research paper should offer a standalone argument in 4-5 pages. You must also include with this paper one additional page with a bibliography of three items (articles or chapters) not included in the assigned class readings. The bibliography should contain both a citation of these items (in any standard format) and a brief one-paragraph abstract summarizing each.
3. Final Research Paper (7-9 pages) – second draft/version (50%).
I will give you at least one page of typed feedback on the shorter paper. The longer research paper of 7-9 pages will develop the argument you offered in the shorter argumentative paper in light of this feedback. You will be expected to improve and expand the first shorter version of your paper. This paper will be due in class (as a hardcopy) and by email (as a standard file) during our final class session on Friday December 5.
You are expected to attend class and contribute to discussions (10%). You are also expected to turn in a small number of short response papers (10%) as assigned in class and to contribute to the course blog (10%) on a regular basis with questions, comments, and links to relevant material. Every student must post to the blog at least three times over the course of the quarter. I will solicit volunteers but any student can post at any time.
2. Research Paper (4-5 pages) & Research Bibliography – first draft/version (20%).
You will write a short research paper of 4-5 pages due in class and by email on Monday November 17. This paper should stand on its own, but the plan is that this paper will be a first version of the final research paper that you will turn it at the end of the quarter. This first version of your research paper should offer a standalone argument in 4-5 pages. You must also include with this paper one additional page with a bibliography of three items (articles or chapters) not included in the assigned class readings. The bibliography should contain both a citation of these items (in any standard format) and a brief one-paragraph abstract summarizing each.
3. Final Research Paper (7-9 pages) – second draft/version (50%).
I will give you at least one page of typed feedback on the shorter paper. The longer research paper of 7-9 pages will develop the argument you offered in the shorter argumentative paper in light of this feedback. You will be expected to improve and expand the first shorter version of your paper. This paper will be due in class (as a hardcopy) and by email (as a standard file) during our final class session on Friday December 5.
Syllabus: Readings/Schedule
Working Schedule:
Introduction – Race and Gender through Politics and Metaphysics
Sep 26 Course Introduction and Administration
Sep 29 Race, Gender, and The Politics of Recognition:
Richard Rorty, “Is ‘Cultural Recognition’ a Useful Concept for Leftist Politics?”
Nancy Fraser, “Why Overcoming Prejudice is Not Enough”
Oct 1 Race, Gender and the Metaphysics of Constructionism:
Ian Hacking, Social Construction of What?, Ch.1 (1-34), Ch.4 (100-124)
Oct 3 Race and Gender through Politics and Metaphysics:
[no reading today but a short 1 page response paper to intro material due today Oct 3]
Gender – Performance
Oct 6 Judith Butler, Gender Trouble, Preface and Ch. 1 (vii-xii, 1-34)
Oct 8 Judith Butler, Gender Trouble, Ch. 2 (35-78, esp. 72ff.)
Oct 10 Judith Butler, Gender Trouble, Ch. 3 (79-141, esp. 128ff.)
Gender – Eliminativism
Oct 13 Sally Haslanger, “Gender & Race: (What) Are They? (What) Do We Want Them to Be?”
Anne Fausto-Sterling, “The Five Sexes Revisited”
*see also Fausto-Sterling, “The Five Sexes”
Oct 15 Sally Haslanger, “Social Knowledge, Social Structure, and Ideology Critique”
Oct 17 [no class meeting but a short 1 page response paper due in class on Mon Oct 20]
Race – Introduction: “Where are all the philosophers of race?”
Oct 20 Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, Ch. 1
*see also James, “Race” on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy online at
Oct 22 Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, Ch. 2 and Ch. 3 (up to pg. 84)
Oct 24 Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, Ch. 3 (pp.84-120)
Race – Eliminativism
Oct 27 Anthony Appiah, “Race, Culture, Identity” (pp. 53-7, 98-111, 135-6).
Anthony Appiah, “Would that still be me?: Gender, ‘Race’, Ethnicity” (pp.493-9)
*see also Appiah, “The Uncompleted Argument: DuBois and the Illusion of Race”
*see also Appiah, “Politics and Who We Are” on bloggingheads.tv online
*see also Haslanger, “Future Genders? Future Races?”
*see also Hollinger, Post-Ethnic America
*see also Zack, Philosophy of Science and Race
Oct 29 Anthony Appiah, The Ethics of Identity, Preface and Ch. 1 (pp.ix-xvii, 1-27)
Oct 31 Anthony Appiah, The Ethics of Identity, Ch. 2 (pp. 36-61)
* see also Mishima short story, “Patriotism”
Nov 3 Anthony Appiah, The Ethics of Identity, Ch. 3 (pp. 62-71, 99-113)
Nov 5 Anthony Appiah, The Ethics of Identity, Ch. 4 (pp.114-154)
Nov 7 Guest Lecturer Jake Metcalf on Sciences of Race
Nov 10 Further Work on and Responses to Appiah including (all on eRes):
Race – Historicism & Reformism
Nov 12 Cornel West, “Race and Modernity” (pp.55-86)
*see also Hacking, “Why Race Still Matters”
*see also Frederickson, Racism: A Short History
Nov 14 Cornel West, Race Matters, Introduction and Chapters 1-2
Nov 17 Cornel West, Race Matters, Chs. 3-4
*see also West, “The Dilemma of the Black Intellectual”
[FIRST VERSION OF RESEARCH PAPER DUE IN CLASS & BY EMAIL MONDAY NOV 17]
Nov 19 Cornel West, Race Matters, Chs. 5-8
Nov 21 James Baldwin, “Down at the Cross” in The Fire Next Time (parts I and II)
Gender and Race – Intersections & Intensifications
Nov 24 bell hooks, Feminist Theory, prefaces, pp.x-xviii
bell hooks, Feminist Theory, “Black Women: Shaping Feminist Theory”, pp.1-17
bell hooks, Feminist Theory, “Feminism: Movement to End Sexist Oppression”, pp.18-33
Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, pp.63-9
* see also Hill Collins, Black Feminist Thought
* see also Thomas, “Sexism and Racism: Some Conceptual Differences”
* see also Wasserstrom, “Racism and Sexism”
* see also Zack (ed.), Race/Sex: Their Sameness, Difference, and Interplay
Nov 26 bell hooks, Yearning, “Liberation Scenes: Speak This Yearning”, pp.1-14
bell hooks, Yearning, “Reflections on Race and Sex”, pp.57-64
Nov 28 [no class due to the Thanksgiving holiday break]
Dec 1 Linda Alcoff, Visible Identities, “Introduction” (pp.5-11) & Ch. 4 (pp.84-125)
* see also Ellen K. Feder, Family Bonds: Genealogies of Race and Gender
Dec 3 Linda Alcoff, Vis Idnt, Ch. 4 (pp. 125-9), Ch. 6 (151-9, 164-76), & Ch. 7 (179-85-194-204)
Dec 5 [FINAL RESEARCH PAPERS DUE IN CLASS & BY EMAIL TODAY]
* readings denoted by an asterisk in smaller type are highly recommended optional readings
Readings
Required Books (available at Literary Guillotine in Downtown Santa Cruz):
Required Articles and/or Chapters (find online on eRes or w/ library databases):
Introduction – Race and Gender through Politics and Metaphysics
Sep 26 Course Introduction and Administration
Sep 29 Race, Gender, and The Politics of Recognition:
Richard Rorty, “Is ‘Cultural Recognition’ a Useful Concept for Leftist Politics?”
Nancy Fraser, “Why Overcoming Prejudice is Not Enough”
Oct 1 Race, Gender and the Metaphysics of Constructionism:
Ian Hacking, Social Construction of What?, Ch.1 (1-34), Ch.4 (100-124)
Oct 3 Race and Gender through Politics and Metaphysics:
[no reading today but a short 1 page response paper to intro material due today Oct 3]
Gender – Performance
Oct 6 Judith Butler, Gender Trouble, Preface and Ch. 1 (vii-xii, 1-34)
Oct 8 Judith Butler, Gender Trouble, Ch. 2 (35-78, esp. 72ff.)
Oct 10 Judith Butler, Gender Trouble, Ch. 3 (79-141, esp. 128ff.)
Gender – Eliminativism
Oct 13 Sally Haslanger, “Gender & Race: (What) Are They? (What) Do We Want Them to Be?”
Anne Fausto-Sterling, “The Five Sexes Revisited”
*see also Fausto-Sterling, “The Five Sexes”
Oct 15 Sally Haslanger, “Social Knowledge, Social Structure, and Ideology Critique”
Oct 17 [no class meeting but a short 1 page response paper due in class on Mon Oct 20]
Race – Introduction: “Where are all the philosophers of race?”
Oct 20 Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, Ch. 1
*see also James, “Race” on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy online at
Oct 22 Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, Ch. 2 and Ch. 3 (up to pg. 84)
Oct 24 Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, Ch. 3 (pp.84-120)
Race – Eliminativism
Oct 27 Anthony Appiah, “Race, Culture, Identity” (pp. 53-7, 98-111, 135-6).
Anthony Appiah, “Would that still be me?: Gender, ‘Race’, Ethnicity” (pp.493-9)
*see also Appiah, “The Uncompleted Argument: DuBois and the Illusion of Race”
*see also Appiah, “Politics and Who We Are” on bloggingheads.tv online
*see also Haslanger, “Future Genders? Future Races?”
*see also Hollinger, Post-Ethnic America
*see also Zack, Philosophy of Science and Race
Oct 29 Anthony Appiah, The Ethics of Identity, Preface and Ch. 1 (pp.ix-xvii, 1-27)
Oct 31 Anthony Appiah, The Ethics of Identity, Ch. 2 (pp. 36-61)
* see also Mishima short story, “Patriotism”
Nov 3 Anthony Appiah, The Ethics of Identity, Ch. 3 (pp. 62-71, 99-113)
Nov 5 Anthony Appiah, The Ethics of Identity, Ch. 4 (pp.114-154)
Nov 7 Guest Lecturer Jake Metcalf on Sciences of Race
Nov 10 Further Work on and Responses to Appiah including (all on eRes):
Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, Ch. 4 (pp.125-142) - Ron Sundstrom, “'Racial' Nominalism”
George Yancy, “Elevators, Social Spaces, and Racism” - Appiah, Ethics of Identity (pp.155-165, 192-99)
Nov 12 Cornel West, “Race and Modernity” (pp.55-86)
*see also Hacking, “Why Race Still Matters”
*see also Frederickson, Racism: A Short History
Nov 14 Cornel West, Race Matters, Introduction and Chapters 1-2
Nov 17 Cornel West, Race Matters, Chs. 3-4
*see also West, “The Dilemma of the Black Intellectual”
Nov 21 James Baldwin, “Down at the Cross” in The Fire Next Time (parts I and II)
Gender and Race – Intersections & Intensifications
Nov 24 bell hooks, Feminist Theory, prefaces, pp.x-xviii
bell hooks, Feminist Theory, “Black Women: Shaping Feminist Theory”, pp.1-17
bell hooks, Feminist Theory, “Feminism: Movement to End Sexist Oppression”, pp.18-33
Paul Taylor, Race: A Philosophical Introduction, pp.63-9
* see also Hill Collins, Black Feminist Thought
* see also Thomas, “Sexism and Racism: Some Conceptual Differences”
* see also Wasserstrom, “Racism and Sexism”
* see also Zack (ed.), Race/Sex: Their Sameness, Difference, and Interplay
Nov 26 bell hooks, Yearning, “Liberation Scenes: Speak This Yearning”, pp.1-14
bell hooks, Yearning, “Reflections on Race and Sex”, pp.57-64
Nov 28 [no class due to the Thanksgiving holiday break]
Dec 1 Linda Alcoff, Visible Identities, “Introduction” (pp.5-11) & Ch. 4 (pp.84-125)
* see also Ellen K. Feder, Family Bonds: Genealogies of Race and Gender
Dec 3 Linda Alcoff, Vis Idnt, Ch. 4 (pp. 125-9), Ch. 6 (151-9, 164-76), & Ch. 7 (179-85-194-204)
Dec 5 [FINAL RESEARCH PAPERS DUE IN CLASS & BY EMAIL TODAY]
* readings denoted by an asterisk in smaller type are highly recommended optional readings
Readings
Required Books (available at Literary Guillotine in Downtown Santa Cruz):
Appiah, Kwame Anthony. 2005. The Ethics of Identity. Princeton: Princeton University, 2005. Baldwin, James. 1963. The Fire Next Time. Any edition will do. Butler, Judith. 1990. Gender Trouble. New York: Routledge, 1990. Taylor, Paul. 2004. Race: A Philosophical Introduction. Cambridge: Polity, 2004. West, Cornel. 1993. Race Matters. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993.
Required Articles and/or Chapters (find online on eRes or w/ library databases):
Alcoff, Linda. 2006. Visible Identities. Oxford: Oxford University, 2006. Appiah, K. Anthony. 1990. “But would that still be me? Notes on gender, ‘race,’ ethnicity as sources of identity” in The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. LXXXVII, No. 10 (October 1990): 493-499. Appiah, K. Anthony. 1996. “Race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood Connections” in Tanner Lectures on Human Values. Available online at ‘Tanner Center for Human Values’ website and on eRes. Fausto-Sterling, Anne. 2000. “The five sexes, revisited” in Sciences (New York) 40 (4): 18–23. Fraser, Nancy. 2000. “Why Overcoming Prejudice is Not Enough: A Rejoinder to Richard Rorty” in Critical Horizons v1n1, Feb. 2000: 21-28. Hacking, Ian. 1999. The Social Construction of What? Cambridge: Harvard University, 1999. Haslanger, Sally. 2007. “Social Knowledge, Social Structure, and Ideology Critique” in Philosophical Issues 17, 2007: 70-91. Haslanger, Sally. 2000. “Gender and Race: (What) Are They? (What) Do We Want Them To Be?” in Nous 34, no. 1, 2000: 31-55. hooks, bell. 1984. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. Cambridge: South End Press, 2000. hooks, bell. 1990. Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics. Cambridge: South End Press, 1990. Rorty, Richard. 2000. “Is ‘Cultural Recognition’ a Useful Concept for Leftist Politics?” in Critical Horizons v1n1, Feb. 2000: 7-20. West, Cornel. 1982. “Race and Modernity” in The Cornel West Reader. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 1999. Yancy, George. 2008. “Elevators, Social Spaces, and Racism: A Philosophical Analysis” in Philosophy and Social Criticism, Vol. 34, No. 8, Oct., 2008: 843-876.
Syllabus: Course Description
“Philosophy of Race and Gender: Politics and Metaphysics”
UCSC PHIL 153 Fall 2008
Mo, We, Fr 2:00p-3:10p in Soc Sci Bldg 2 Room 075
Instructor: Colin Koopman (cwkoopman@gmail.com)
Office Hours: Cowell Annex A101, Mon & Fri 12:30p-1:30p
Course Website and Blog: http://ucscphil153.blogspot.com/
Course Objective:
This course will focus on race and gender through two sets of questions. The first set of questions concerns our political and moral attitudes about race, gender, racism, and sexism. Should race and/or gender be an explicit part of our theories of justice and of morality? What would it require to take race and gender seriously in the concepts that inform our views about justice, right, and good? What would it take to practically and institutionally achieve a justice and an ethics concerning themselves with race and gender? Another set of questions that we will focus on concerns many of the thorny ontological and metaphysical questions implicated by these moral and political issues. An adequate reply to the moral and political challenges we face concerning race and gender will inevitably draw conceptual, epistemological, and metaphysical issues into our discussions. Of particular importance will be debates concerning whether race and gender are realities or constructions (or something else). Are race and gender natural? Or are race and gender constructed features of our socio-cultural environment? If constructed, how are race and gender constructed and how might they be reconstructed? Both sets of questions (political and metaphysical) are crucial for our central focus: race and gender and their place in our contemporary cultural landscape.
A Note on the Readings and Methods of the Course:
Like most philosophy courses, the method of this course is centered on texts. We will educate ourselves by reading. Toward this, we will so far as is possible devote ourselves to reading books (as well as a few scholarly journal articles and watching a few online lectures in class). This is a good habit to practice in a world that puts a premium on attention. Philosophy is about thinking (reasoning) and looking (investigating)—it is also about doing these things through reading and writing. Now is your best opportunity to learn the habits, and therefore the rewards, of spending time with books, getting to know an author, and working with their writings for awhile.
UCSC PHIL 153 Fall 2008
Mo, We, Fr 2:00p-3:10p in Soc Sci Bldg 2 Room 075
Instructor: Colin Koopman (cwkoopman@gmail.com)
Office Hours: Cowell Annex A101, Mon & Fri 12:30p-1:30p
Course Website and Blog: http://ucscphil153.blogspot.com/
Course Objective:
This course will focus on race and gender through two sets of questions. The first set of questions concerns our political and moral attitudes about race, gender, racism, and sexism. Should race and/or gender be an explicit part of our theories of justice and of morality? What would it require to take race and gender seriously in the concepts that inform our views about justice, right, and good? What would it take to practically and institutionally achieve a justice and an ethics concerning themselves with race and gender? Another set of questions that we will focus on concerns many of the thorny ontological and metaphysical questions implicated by these moral and political issues. An adequate reply to the moral and political challenges we face concerning race and gender will inevitably draw conceptual, epistemological, and metaphysical issues into our discussions. Of particular importance will be debates concerning whether race and gender are realities or constructions (or something else). Are race and gender natural? Or are race and gender constructed features of our socio-cultural environment? If constructed, how are race and gender constructed and how might they be reconstructed? Both sets of questions (political and metaphysical) are crucial for our central focus: race and gender and their place in our contemporary cultural landscape.
A Note on the Readings and Methods of the Course:
Like most philosophy courses, the method of this course is centered on texts. We will educate ourselves by reading. Toward this, we will so far as is possible devote ourselves to reading books (as well as a few scholarly journal articles and watching a few online lectures in class). This is a good habit to practice in a world that puts a premium on attention. Philosophy is about thinking (reasoning) and looking (investigating)—it is also about doing these things through reading and writing. Now is your best opportunity to learn the habits, and therefore the rewards, of spending time with books, getting to know an author, and working with their writings for awhile.
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