On the "Nature" of Gender

From Mother Earth to the Big Bad Wolf, nature and animals have long been gendered by western culture--often to the detriment of women and other "Others." Women have been viewed as closer to animality and therefore wilder, deeply embodied, and less "reasonable" than their male counterparts. Although we have begun to shift away from binary notions of gender, has this created a ripple effect across other dualisms such as body/mind and human/animal? This course interrogates our fundamental beliefs about what makes humanity unique. We will explore the philosophical roots of these beliefs; examine the ways in which activists, critical theorists, and scientists have been eroding them; and reflect on how they manifest in everything from the companions we keep to the foods we eat.