Feminist Aesthetics and Performance Philosophy

A theoretical and practical investigation of art and performance from feminist and performance philosophical perspectives, focusing on the topics of perception, experience, thinking, embodiment, and the practice of everyday life. The course will introduce students to theories and methods from feminist aesthetics and the emerging field of performance philosophy. We will study feminist critiques of aesthetic categories (Battersby, Cixous, Grosz, Korsmeyer, Piper, Scheman, Ziarek) and feminist practices of art and performance. We will combine our theoretical work with practical explorations in the studio. No prior experience with art or performance-making required.