How Do You Know? An Introduction to Feminist Epistemologies
In what ways does one’s gender affect how and what we observe about the world around us—and the authority that attaches to those observations? Feminist epistemologies, in their many varieties, all start from the assumption that no claim to knowledge is made in a vacuum. Every knower, the argument goes, is situated within an entire complex of relations, both with the world at large and with fellow knowers. One’s standpoint—in which gender but also race and class and ability all coincide—thus demands an accounting when it comes to evaluating all the world’s knowledge. Taking this situatedness seriously in every domain—from the philosophy of science to metaphysics, from ethics and aesthetics to sociology and political theory—shifts what we are able to know and opens new and multiple ways of knowing. How do these human and social differences produce different modes and forms of knowledge? And what effects do different modes and forms of knowledge have on extant epistemological standards? What kinds of knowledge get validated and universalized, and why—even as others are relegated beyond rigorous consideration?
In this course, we will explore a variety of practices and approaches to feminist epistemology, from the philosophy of science to the philosophy of race. What elements and principles do they share in common, and where do they diverge? And how can we assess the effects these epistemologies have produced? Readings will include the work of Lorraine Code, Patricia Hill Collins, Kristie Dotson, Sandra Harding, Maria Lugones, Uma Narayan, Nancy Tuana, and others.
Course Schedule
Sunday, 2:00-5:00pm ETSeptember 14 — October 05, 2025
4 weeks
$335.00
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