STS 283 - Feminist Philosophy of Science

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

(Same as PHIL 283 and WMST 283) This course introduces students to a range of historical and contemporary issues in feminist philosophy of science, knowledge, and human nature. Is there an essential difference between women and men? If so, what is the nature of this difference and what are its social and political implications? If not, what explains the apparent differences? Can assumptions about gender and sexuality compromise scientific objectivity? If so, should we rethink the nature of scientific objectivity and knowledge in general? Can social and psychological accounts of how we tend to sort people into distinct categories illuminate how we ought to understand these categories? How do questions about gender and sexuality intersect with questions about race and cross-cultural difference? How are these categories represented in popular scientific media? We will focus in particular on case studies from recent evolutionary biology, psychology, and neuroscience. Mr. Madva.

Prerequisite: one 100-level course in Philosophy.

Two 75-minute periods.