PHL4750

Deconstruction and feminism

Proposed to be offered next in 1999

Claire Colebrook

8 points
* 2 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton

Objectives On successful completion of the subject students should be able to provide careful and detailed readings of key relevant materials; provide incisive analysis and criticism to these reading materials; be able to use these and other reading materials to develop their own clear and concise arguments, claims, position or view; provide reasons why these arguments, positions or views should be regarded as plausible or accepted as true, or rejected as problematic; be able to read all sorts of material not raised directly in the course but of relevance to it; in particular, to be able to read, analyse and evaluate the writings of and on the work of Jacques Derrida and the debates to which it has given rise.

Synopsis This is an introductory course on the writings of Jacques Derrida and their connections and relevance to issues in contemporary feminist theory. The subject is roughly divided into three parts: in the first, his earliest deconstructive concepts (the trace, writing, dissemination, the sign) are outlined and assessed; in the second, we will focus on those of his texts where he deals with the concept or metaphor, sexual difference), primarily through his readings of Nietzsche, Levinas and feminist issues. In the final section, we will explore the ways in which his work has been utilised and criticised in contemporary feminist and political theory (eg through the work of Gayatri Spivak, Vicki Kirby, Dianne Elam and others).

Assessment Two essays (3000 words each): 100%

Prescribed texts

A collection of readings available from the department

Recommended texts

Derrida J Of grammatology
Derrida J Spurs
Holland N (ed.) Derrida and feminism
Elam D Feminism and deconstruction
Spivak G C In other worlds