This module engages witrh contemporary femninist thought, steering a course through the literary criticism, history and theory of feminism,. It examines the signifcant debates and key concept of feminist thought through a range of literary, political and philosophical texts and encourages students to develop their own critical understanding of gender and equality issues in the contemporary period. Students are invited to explore the impact of feminism approaches on literary criticism, to understand the critical feminist project in its own terms, and to examine feminism in relation in Marxism, psychoanalysis, sexuality, post-structuralism, neo-liberalism and international feminism.