RI-SP160 Feminist Political Economy

Feminist Political Economy looks at contemporary capitalism through an intersectional lens of gender, race, and class. It brings into view the crucial but largely hidden and often unpaid work in homes, farms, small businesses, and communities and on the creation of value outside the privileged realms of capitalist production and accumulation. It explores how such labor is regulated and governed, questioning the privileging of profit over caring, and of growth over equity, justice, and sustainability.

This research practicum introduces students to core texts in feminist political economy and enables them to conduct original research in this field. It supports students as they develop and execute an independent research project. Weekly reflections on research progress will strengthen abilities to formulate a topic, develop a feminist methodological approach, apply methods that capture the intersectionally-gendered character of their research topics, collect relevant data, apply appropriate analytical tools, and write a paper. Moreover, students will hone their presentation skills as they introduce their papers in class and provide feedback to each other.

Requirements: 

The class will focus extensively on joint learning. In the first section of the class, we will read and discuss core texts that provide an overview of the breadth of approaches to feminist political economy. Students will be expected to read assigned texts and come prepared for discussion. In the second part of the class the focus will be on acquiring research skills. Students will be expected to familiarize themselves with methodological readings relevant to their research papers, as suggested on the readings lists of the syllabus, as well as identify and read materials pertinent to the chosen topic of their papers (on the syllabus and beyond). There will be a strong focus on participation and peer learning, and there is an expectation that you will actively contribute your own knowledge and insights to the class.

The execution of the research project will require that you take the lead for identifying a unique research topic, familiarize yourself with the literature on the topic, develop a research proposal that is doable in the timespan of a semester, and execute it. This will entail collecting and analysing relevant data, write a research paper, and present the paper to the class. In order to ensure that your project will progress at a steady pace, a number of submissions will be required, including:

The proposed breakdown of your final grade will be as follows:

  • Participation – quality and quantity 20% 

  • Literature review and methodology 30%

  • Presentation 20%

  • Final paper 30%