Course Description
The assumptions and procedures of interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences with specific attention to the purposes and processes of generating knowledge about women, gender, and feminism. Investigation and comparison of various qualitative and quantitative approaches, including narratives, ethnographies, and surveys.
Athena Title
FEM RESEARCH METHOD
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in WMST 7020
Prerequisite
WMST 7010 or WMST 8020
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students should be able to explain feminist criticisms of traditional research methods (quantitative and qualitative) and to describe how feminists have attempted to answer these critiques with methodological innovation. Should be able to discuss central premises and concerns of feminist researchers, including issues of subjectivity, insider/outsider perspectives, and the place of race, class, and nation in feminist research. Students will address feminist research methods in the social sciences and humanities, articulating important methodologies and interrogating their epistemological assumptions. Students will be able to apply feminist methodologies to work beyond academia in fields such as film, psychology, and law. Students will conduct a feminist research project on their own.
Topical Outline
I. Introduction: What is feminist research? II. Quantitative and Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences III. Doing Feminist Research: Your Research Projects IV. Feminist Research in the Humanities V. Feminist Methods outside of Academia VI. Methodological Concerns in Practice VII. Presentations
Syllabus