SCY3380

Women, Psychiatry and Madness

(ART)

Jan van Bommel

12 points + 3 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton Campus + Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in Sociology or the permission of the head of school + Prohibitions: SYM4370

Synopsis: We will begin with a socio-historical analysis of the institutionalisation of madness and its current practice of de-institutionalisation. We will then critically assess sociological, medical and feminist theories of femininity, psychiatry and madness. We will examine various interpretations of psychoanalysis and female subjectivity (Freudian, Lacanian, French feminist).

Assessment: Two essays (3500 words each): 75% + one class test (2 hours): 25%