The course aims at a critical perspective on existing systems of thought and the creation of a system of thought compatible with women s experience and knowledge. Students undertake extensive theoretical readings and attend mandatory weekly film screenings. This course examines social psychology and sociological theories and research addressing why women do more housework and child care than men. It pays special attention to the situation of dual-earner families and considers class and ethnic differences on the nature of this inequality and the barriers to full equality at home. A detailed study of development policies and projects, national and international, as they relate to women.
Students engage in individual research on the effect of particular projects on women.
Their challenges range from the historical modification of a presumably unbiased religious system to the outright rejection of a so-called patriarchal establishment. Whatever their approach, feminist theologies offer diverse and incisive tools for understanding how a theological system operates, how transitory cultural assumptions become embedded in ongoing doctrines, and how apparently minor adjustments can have significant ripple effects. Also to be discussed will be Indigenous women from other countries such as Bolivia, Salvador, Australia and New Zealand.