Undergraduate Course: Gender and Beauty (PHIL10237)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course covers feminist philosophical debates about beauty and appearance, paying particular attention to how they play out in popular culture, digital media, and everyday experiences. |
| Course description |
Beauty is a double-edged sword in feminist philosophy. Practices and ideals of beauty are used to police gender norms that are objectifying and alienating. But seeing oneself as beautiful remains a form of resistance in a society that upholds impossible beauty standards. In this course, we will look at several philosophical debates surrounding beauty and gender and at how they play out in popular culture, digital media and everyday experiences. We will critically examine fashion photoshoots, magazine articles, Youtube videos, and TikTok accounts, alongside contemporary and historical philosophical texts. Themes may include: modelling and objectification; cosmetic surgery and choice; pleasure and fashion; masculinity and body-building; race and representation; and body-positivity and fatphobia; responsibility and beauty harms.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Midterm Essay (35%) 1500 words
Final Essay Proposal (5%) 1 page
Essay (50%) 2500 words
Digital Media Commentary (10%) 500 words
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| Feedback |
Specific guidance will be given in advance of each assignment. Instructor feedback on essay proposal and digital media commentary will provide formative opportunities ahead of final essay. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Effectively present close and critical analysis of historical and contemporary texts covered in the course.
- Present and defend their own reasoned ideas about debates about beauty and gender in feminist philosophy.
- Demonstrate their capacity to articulate arguments succinctly and clearly in a written format.
- Critically evaluate views on gender and beauty in popular culture and digital media
- Participate more meaningfully in larger societal conversations related to gender and beauty.
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Reading List
Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. 1949.
Butler, George and Robert Fiore. Pumping Iron. 1977.
Davis, Kathy. Reshaping the Female Body. 1995.
Febos, Melissa, The Feminist Case for Breast Reduction. The New York Times. 2022.
Hooks, bell. Black Looks. 1992
Marinella, Lucrezia. The Nobility and Excellence of Women and the Defects and Vices of Men. 1600.
Why is South Korea Facing a Beauty Backlash? Sky News. 2019.
Widdows, Heather. Perfect Me. 2018
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Mindsets: Enquiry and lifelong learning; Outlook and engagement.
Skills: Personal and intellectual autonomy; Communication. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Filipa Melo Lopes
Tel: (0131 6)50 3958
Email: Filipa.MeloLopes@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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