B4813 - Feminist Critiques of Political and Social Thought (1) (LM)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

At the end of the course students will acquire a knowledge of the ways in which women had historically criticized the theoretical justification of their subordination articulated in Western political and social thought. By applying the fundamental tools of feminist and post-colonial theories, the course will provide an historical analysis of political and social concepts – such as authority, freedom, rights, citizenship, society, labor – as the expression of gendered relations of power.

Contenuti

Algorithmic Patriarchy? Feminist critiques of technosocietal relations

The courses is a component of the integrated course (IC) in "Political Theory". Combining a close reading of some of the most recent contributions of feminist political theory to the understanding and critique of the “politics of the algorithm” with the reading and comment of some classic texts of women's political thought in the second half of the twentieth century, the course aims to investigate how the algorithm redefines some key political concepts in the field of tension between masculine domination and women's freedom. Using conceptual history, and providing a political understanding of the technical dimention of algorithmic operations (such as search of keywords on internet, facial recognition, datamining) the course provides students with the tools necessary to highlight the continuities and discontinuities that the algorithm determines in patriarchal social relations and liberation practices starting from the reflection around some key-concepts for feminist political theory: nature (sex / gender, domination / power); identity (codification / politicization); recognition (discrimination / struggle); difference (universal / particular).

Power points and selected writings will be uploaded on virtuale before the beginning of the course. The reading of uploaded material is not compulsory, but is suggested for encouraging the discussion during classes.

— Week 1: Introduction to the course: historical background, leading questions, methodology

1_When women were computers: a hidden history

2_Can we speak of “Algorithmic Patriarchy”?

3_Conceptual history and the feminist critiques of technosocietal relations

— Week 2: Nature (sex / gender, domination / power)

4_The virtual defeat of nature

5_ Sex / gender

6_ Naturalizing technologies? Open questions and discussion

— Week 3: Identity (codification / politicization)

7_Algorithmic identities

8_Identity politics

9_Decoding identities? Open questions and discussion

— Week 4: Recognition (discrimination / struggle)

10_Algorithmic discrimination

11_Struggle for recognition

12_The end of equality? Open questions and discussion

— Week 5: Difference(s) (universal / particular)

13_ Algorithmic universal particularity, correlation and fragmentation

14_Feminists’ partial universality

15_A politics of connections? Open questions and final discussion

Testi/Bibliografia

Bibliography for attending students [students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending].

Attending students should choose one of the following texts for the paper.

Benjamin R., Race after Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2019.

Broussard Meredith, Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World, Cambridge MA, MIT Press, 2018.

Bucher T., If…Then. Algorithmic Power and Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018.

Chun W.H.K., Discriminating Data. Correlation, Neighborhoods, and the New Politics of Recognition, Cambridge (MS) – London, The MIT Press, 2021.

Chun W.H.K., Updating to Remain the Same, Habitual New Media, MIT Press, 2016.

D’Ignazio C. and Klein L.F., Data Feminism, The MIT Press, 2020.

Eubanks V., Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police and Punish the Poor, St Martin’s Press, 2018.

Haraway D., Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. The Reinvention of Nature, Routledge, 1991.

Noble S.U., Algorithms of Oppression. How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, New York, New York University Press, 2018.

O’Neil C., Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, New York, Crown, 2016.

Plant S., Zeroes + Ones. Digital Women and the New Technoculture, Harper Collins, 1998.

Russel L. Glitch Feminism. A Manifesto, London – New York, Verso, 2020.

Wajcman J., Technofeminism, Cambridge-Malden, Polity Press, 2004.

Bibliography for non-attending students [students who attend less than 75% of the lessons are considered non-attending]

Non attending student should choose two texts from the following list

Broussard Meredith, Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World, Cambridge MA, MIT Press, 2018.

Bucher T., If…Then. Algorithmic Power and Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018.

Chun W.H.K., Discriminating Data. Correlation, Neighborhoods, and the New Politics of Recognition, Cambridge (MS) – London, The MIT Press, 2021.

Chun W.H.K., Updating to Remain the Same, Habitual New Media, MIT Press, 2016.

D’Ignazio C. and Klein L.F., Data Feminism, The MIT Press, 2020.

Eubanks V., Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police and Punish the Poor, St Martin’s Press, 2018.

Haraway D., Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. The Reinvention of Nature, Routledge, 1991.

Noble S.U., Algorithms of Oppression. How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, New York, New York University Press, 2018.

O’Neil C., Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, New York, Crown, 2016 [selection].

Plant S., Zeroes + Ones. Digital Women and the New Technoculture, Harper Collins, 1998.

Ruha B., Race after Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2019.

Russel L. Glitch Feminism. A Manifesto, London – New York, Verso, 2020.

Wajcman J., Technofeminism, Cambridge-Malden, Polity Press, 2004.

Metodi didattici

Teaching method will be based on lectures. At the end of each week, the instructor will dedicate a section of the class for questions and open discussion among students, which are strongly encouraged.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

If the course is a component of an Integrated Course (C.I.) in the student's syllabus, the  examination of the two component courses of the C.I. must be taken on a single date and the final grade will be the arithmetic mean of the grades obtained in the two components.

Attending students will write a final paper (minimum 5000 maximum 7000 words, including notes and references) based on the group of texts chosen from the bibliography. The paper should be sent to the teacher one week before the exam via email. The paper will not be discussed during the exam day. The teacher will communicate to the students their grade via email one day before the exam day. All editorial criteria are admitted, under condition of being homogeneous. Students have to write their name, matricula and email, the title of the course and the date of submission on the front page.

Non attending students will have to pass an oral exam based on the texts chosen from the reference list, with questions aimed to verify their knowledge of the themes treated in the program's texts.

In all cases, the assessment will concentrate particularly on the skill displayed by the students in handling the sources and material in the exam bibliography and their ability to find and use information and examples to illustrate and correlate the various themes and problems addressed in the course and discussed during the lectures (in case of attending students). It will be also assessed the capacity of a student to display an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:

— factual knowledge of the subject;

— ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;

— familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and ability to use it effectively.

Evaluation criteria:

Proper language, factual knowledge of the subject and the ability to both expose synthetically and critically speak about the choosen topic or the contents of the chosen texts will lead to a good/excellent final grade

Acceptable language and the ability to resume the contents of the chosen texts will lead to a sufficient/fair grade.

Insufficient linguistic proficiency and fragmentary knowledge of the chosen topic or the contents of the chosen texts will lead to a failure in passing the exam.

 

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months of the academic year (one session per month):

- January, February, March, May, June, July, September, October, November.

Exam sessions are open for all students. 

 

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Power point will be used as a visual guide to lectures. They will be uploaded on virtuale.

 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Paola Rudan