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faculty
Catherine Villanueva Gardner, PhD
Professor
Women's & Gender Studies
Contact
508-999-8253
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Liberal Arts 356
Education
| 1996 | University of Virginia | PhD |
Teaching
Programs
Programs
Teaching
Courses
A critical examination of normative theories of obligation and value. It includes philosophical examination of some moral problems including but not limited to: abortion, euthanasia, death penalty, gender and sexual orientation equality, pornography and censorship, violence, and economic injustice. Numerous ethical theories will be discussed, including but not limited to: Cultural Relativism, Ethical Subjectivism, Ethical Egoism, Divine Command Theory, Utilitarianism, Rights Theories, Kantianism, Social Contract Theory, and Feminist Ethics.
The WGS capstone course is designed to cohere a major student's core curriculum work. While the subject matter may change depending on the interdisciplinary connections, the course will be grounded in feminist scholarship and require a research project that draws upon feminist theories and feminist research methods, along with a public presentation at the end of the semester to the class and Women Studies faculty. This course will be an opportunity for students to integrate their major course knowledge and demonstrate their ability to apply feminist theory and research methods.
Teaching
Online and Continuing Education Courses
The WGS capstone course is designed to cohere a major student's core curriculum work. While the subject matter may change depending on the interdisciplinary connections, the course will be grounded in feminist scholarship and require a research project that draws upon feminist theories and feminist research methods, along with a public presentation at the end of the semester to the class and Women Studies faculty. This course will be an opportunity for students to integrate their major course knowledge and demonstrate their ability to apply feminist theory and research methods.
Research
Research interests
- Ethics
- History of Women Philosophers
- Feminist Theory
- Philosophy and Literature
Professor Catherine Villanueva Gardner specializes in feminist philosophy, especially ethics, epistemology, and the retrieval of forgotten historical women philosophers. This latter retrieval of excluded philosophers from the canon is both an historical project and a social justice project. Gardner is currently working on retrieving neglected or marginalized African-American women philosophers from the nineteenth century, in particular Frances E.W. Harper, who began her activist work in New Bedford, MA. Gardner’s most recent book (PSU Press, 2012) explores whether there is a distinctive feminist approach to the history of philosophy. Gardner has also published two other books in feminist history of philosophy and multiple articles in journals and edited collections.