1. Feminist Pedagogy ENGL 2900

2. Definition A feminist approach in composition that focuses on questions of difference and dominance in written language.

3. Focus “emphasize[s] that males and females differ in their developmental processes and in their interactions with others” involves reading texts written by women, and taking care to understand those texts are not simply appropriations of texts written by men

4. History Developed in the 1970s as a part of the civil rights movements of the 1960s. Part of the “second wave” of feminism. Response to the patriarchal and androcentric nature of western culture in which power structures, including the written word, are controlled implicitly and explicitly by men.

5. Practical Application A feminist instructor will take into account the implicit differences between male and female writers and teach appropriately. Feminist instructors try to create a supportive classroom environment and validate student’s experiences from both the male and female perspectives.

6. Practical Application Productive feminist pedagogy should avoid favoring or focusing on an androcentric direction of teaching while avoiding critiquing the androcentric viewpoint.

7. Advantages Encourages a differing perspective from mainstream culture. Encourages broader understanding that improves social cohesion in the classroom. Teaches students to question and evaluate the world around them, especially implicit cultural attitudes they may have taken for granted.

8. Criticism Potential to alienate members of the classroom. Extremely narrow perspective. Discourages respect for tradition.

9. Response to Criticism Was never intended to be the sole pedagogy for the classroom experience. Alienation occurs when the focus is on criticizing perspectives. Proper feminist pedagogy is about broadening experiences and bridging understanding. The female perspective is a part of tradition; it has simply been ignored.