The course focuses on what Isabelle Graw calls "the better half": the practices of female artists. It takes as its starting point the second wave of feminism, the movements that emerged in the 1960s in the United States and Western Europe, as well as artworks that have a more or less direct connection to these movements. It also examines artistic practices from other parts of the world, such as Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
The course provides theoretical references both on the question of gender construction and on feminism. It raises the question of how far Western feminist theories can be applied to artworks from other regions of the world and what theories the artworks themselves generate.
The main method used is a close examination of artworks. The focus lies on the specific way artworks produce thought and forms of knowledge, without ever being mere illustrations of pre-existing programs. Students have the opportunity to develop a reflection on, or rather, with the artworks presented, through working in small groups during the sessions.