RLT4110

Ecology, gender and the sacred

Proposed to be offered next in 1999

Constant Mews and Kate Rigby

12 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton

Objectives Students will be expected to acquire and demonstrate an understanding of the interaction of ideas about nature, gender and the sacred, from a historical and literary perspective, with particular attention to contemporary debate about ecofeminism.

Synopsis This subject examines the history of attitudes to nature and the sacred from ancient times to the present, with particular attention to underlying assumptions about gender, through study of a variety of literary texts. It considers in succession mythic narratives about creation and `mother Earth' from traditional cultures (ie Koorie, Celtic, Middle Eastern), Greek philosophical reflection on the cosmos, the impact of Judaeo-Christian monotheism, the rise of mechanistic science, and the development of contemporary theories about ecofeminism, all from a non-essentialist perspective. This subject will seek to take students beyond the level of simple generalisation to more informed awareness of contested understandings about ecology, gender and the sacred. The subject will explore different ways in which cultures have thought duality might be overcome and connectedness achieved.

Assessment Exercise (1000 words): 20%
* Class paper (1000 words) 20%
* Research essay (7000 words): 50%
* Oral presentation: 10%

Prescribed texts

Adams C J (ed.) Ecofeminism and the sacred Continuum, 1993
Hildegard of Bingen Book of divine works Bear, 1987
Jackson K H (ed.) A Celtic miscellany Penguin, 1988
Leeming D and M A A dictionary of creation myths OUP, 1994
Spretnak C States of grace Harper Collins, 1991

Recommended texts

Merchant C The death of nature: Women, ecology and the scientific revolution Harper and Row, 1980
Shiva V and Mies M Ecofeminism Zed, 1993
Collins P God's earth. Religion as if matter really mattered Harper Collins, 1995