NHS2050 Gender and Ecology in Asia

Instructors

A/P Chitra Sankaran, Module Chair

Dr Gayatri Thanu Pillai, Research Fellow

Description

Women around the world struggle with the various fallouts from climate crisis. This vulnerable demographic struggles to combat both real and ideological conditions connecting women and Nature. Cognizing this, the field of Ecological feminism [Ecofeminism] has grown rapidly in the past few decades. This introductory module to ecofeminism will combine literary analysis, environmental humanities and feminism. It will extend students’ knowledge of feminism and environmental issues relating to women. Fundamental to the study will be the literary analysis of texts taught in a scaffolded way. The module will examine literary texts by Asian women across South, East and Southeast Asia.

Learning Outcomes

This will be a Level 2000 module. As such, this will serve as an introductory module to ecofeminism – the study of gender and ecology. The module will also gradually and incrementally expose students to diachronic and synchronic explorations of literature and its relationship to the issues surrounding gender and environment. This would involve understanding the historical developments in ecofeminist theory over the past two decades through the study of literary texts by Asian women writers. The students will begin from ground zero. No prior knowledge of either feminism, or ecological criticism, or indeed literary analysis will be assumed to exist. Once they complete this module, they will emerge with the skill-sets necessary to further advance to higher levels in ecofeminism and also gain a fair understanding of literary analysis.

Topics

The Basics: General Introduction to Ecocriticism
Basics (contd.) Differences between Ecofeminism and Deep Ecology
Basics of Ecofeminism
Women and Nature
Women, Animals and Animality
Ecojustice and Gender
Littoral Literatures - An Introduction
Littoral Literatures in Asia