Race and Gender: Philosophical Issues (PHIL30052)

Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

You’re viewing the 2024 Handbook:
Or view archived Handbooks
You’re currently viewing the 2024 version of this subject

Overview

Availability
Semester 1
FeesLook up fees

This subject explores race and gender and their interconnection. Is race a biological category, a socially constructed category, or a pernicious fiction? Currently humans are divided into hierarchies along race and gender lines, but what would a just future look like: one in which race and gender have become history, or one in which your race or gender no longer marks you out for unequal treatment? Historically and currently, all settler-colonial countries racialize their First Nation peoples. Anti-racist movements, such as Black Lives Matter, aim to undo this structural racism, but would doing that be enough to fully address the justice claims of First Nation peoples? 

As well as exploring these fundamental questions about the social categories of race and gender, the subject also uses tools from philosophy of language and epistemology to explore application areas, including when if ever it is morally permissible to vandalize monuments, whether pornography subordinates and silences women, what hate speech is and what our response to it should be, and what white ignorance is and how to combat it.

Intended learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this subject should:

  • Gain a sound general comprehension of the major recent advances in our philosophical understanding of social categories such as gender and race
  • Understand and apply techniques from critical social theory to the evaluation of social practices
  • Increase in ability to analyse and critique arguments
  • Be able to think and write rigorously, imaginatively and coherently on issues relating to race and gender
  • Be able to apply philosophical theorizing about race and gender to questions of social policy
  • Be able to work individually and in groups to generate and evaluate arguments.

Last updated: 9 April 2025

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 9 April 2025

Assessment

DescriptionTimingPercentage

A written assignment

  • 2000 words
Mid semester50%

A take-home examination

  • 2000 words
During the examination period50%
Hurdle requirement: 1. Attendance hurdle requirement: This subject has a minimum requirement of 80% attendance at tutorials, seminars, or workshops. There is an expectation that students attend lectures. Throughout the teaching periodN/A
Hurdle requirement: 2. Late Penalty and Assessment hurdle requirement: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at five per cent (5%) of the possible marks available for the assessment task per day or part thereof. All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass the subject. Each submitted assessment must be complete, constitute a genuine attempt to address the requirements of the task and will not be accepted after 20 University business days from the original assessment due date without written approval. Throughout the semesterN/A

Last updated: 9 April 2025

Dates & times

  • Semester 1
    Principal coordinatorKaren Jones
    Mode of deliveryOn Campus (Parkville)
    Contact hours35 hours: 2 x 1 hour lectures each week and 1 x 1 hour tutorial in weeks 2-12
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Teaching period26 February 2024 to 26 May 2024
    Last self-enrol date 8 March 2024
    Census date 3 April 2024
    Last date to withdraw without fail 3 May 2024
    Assessment period ends21 June 2024

    Semester 1 contact information

    Email: jonek@unimelb.edu.au

     

Time commitment details

170 hours

What do these dates mean

Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:

  • Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
  • And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
       -  Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
     

    Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.

Additional delivery details

Students enrolling in this subject should have completed at least one prior philosophy subject.

Last updated: 9 April 2025

Further information

Last updated: 9 April 2025