Philosophy Of Race Gender

AY2017/2018 Semester 2

The first half of the module examines the following question: What are race and gender? We begin by examining ?commonsense? (i.e., non-academic) concepts of race and gender that have been influential both historically and into the present day. The shortcomings of the commonsense views of race and gender then provide a segue into an examination of attempts by scholars from a variety of disciplines to provide more adequate definitions of race and gender. One major category of proposals state that race and gender are socially constructed categories. Another major category of proposals says that concepts of race and gender can be grounded in biology, albeit in a different way that the ?commonsense? view claims. Strengths and weaknesses of each of these proposals are examined. The second half of the module builds on the first half by examining the social, political, and ethical dimensions of race and gender. One overarching topic concerns the relationship between race/gender and inequality, as well as arguments for and against proposals such as affirmative action that are intended to remedy racial/gender inequalities. Another major topic is the role that race and gender plays in shaping our social and political institutions, with specific sub-topics including race/gender and political representation as well as the role of race and gender in the criminal justice system. A third topic is the psychology of race and gender, with particular attention to the ways in which stereotypes can (often unconsciously) shape our interactions and expectations. The final topic is intersectionality, a theoretical framework for examining the ways in which race, gender, and other social categories interact to shape individual experiences.