Women’s Studies 201-02: Introduction to Women’s Studies
Keene State College
Spring 2006
Professor: S. Ali Tucker Lichtenstein
Office: Parker 202
Office Hours: MW 1:30-1:50pm
TH 11:30-11:50am
and by appointment
email: (preferred method of communication)
v-mail: 8-4176 (off-campus: 603-358-8888, 4176)
What does it mean to be a woman—to be female? How do other factors such as race, class, religion, education, sexual orientation, physical attributes, place (geography), and time (history) influence the experience of being female? Where do our ideas about gender come from? Who asks these questions? Who answers them? Does everyone’s answer count equally? As you read, think, talk, and write about the experience of being female—in myriad contexts—you will examine how societies are organized and how you, individually and collectively, participate in and challenge gendered definitions of your lives.
In this course, you will examine issues from many perspectives in an interdisciplinary approach. You’ll ask critical questions about the daily social, economic, and political realities that some women take for granted, and you will learn to make connections between personal and political realities, as well as develop an understanding of common and different experiences of women around the region, the country, and the globe. This is a cooperative, not a competitive, classroom. This fall you will meet as an academic community working together to read, think, discuss, and write about women and women’s lives.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
· To become familiar with the basic concepts in the field of women’s studies.
· To become familiar with feminism in practice in its various manifestations such as political activism, cultural and intellectual production, professional leadership.
· To recognize and understand the social construction of identities based on gender, race, sexual orientation, class, nationality, etc.
· To gain insight into the politics of knowledge production, particularly with regard to knowledge about contentious categories like race, gender, class, sexuality, nationality, etc.
· To develop critical thinking skills that can be applied both inside and outside the women’s studies classroom.
· To explore patriarchy, its history and its consequences.
· To understand how gender interacts with other determinants of power, including race, class, sexuality, and age.
· To apply a feminist perspective to an analysis of personal experience and current events.
Five key concepts will be discussed and analyzed during this course:
· 1. The Social Construction of Identity
o The Social Construction of Gender and Sexuality
o The Social Construction of Race
o Institutions: Education
o Institutions: Science and Medicine
o Institutions: The Media and Representation
· 2. Oppression
o The Concept of Oppression
o Silence and Invisibility
o Violence: Rape/Abuse
o Violence: Constructing and Controlling Bodies
· 3. Privilege
o The Concept of Privilege
o Lack of Privilege
o Globalization and First World Consumer Culture
o Cultural Appropriation
· 4. Difference
o The Concept of Difference
o The Marketing of Difference
· 5. Intersectionality
Class Assumptions and Guidelines
A positive atmosphere for open discussion is important to learning and understanding, even though significant learning is often uncomfortable as thinking patterns are challenged with new knowledge and paradigms. Together we can make this class a safe, respectful space for thinking and learning, both which are likely to include risk and challenge to think beyond what may be familiar ideologies. The issues we will be discussing in this course are important precisely because they are personally and politically charged. I request that we all recognize the following guideline:
1. Acknowledge that systems of discrimination exist in many forms (sexism, racism,
heterosexism, classism, ageism, anti-Semitism, ableism, etc.).
2. Acknowledge that we have all learned to view and understand the world
within these systems of discrimination. As a result we have all been taught
misinformation about our own groups as well as members of other groups. This is
true for members of dominant groups (e.g. white, male, heterosexual, middle-
and upper-class, able-bodied, Christian, etc) as well as fopr members of
subordinate groups (e.g. people of color, women, poor and working class, GLBT,
disabled, Jewish, etc.).
3. Please try to remember that experience and background influences and shapes
what we perceive as “fact” and be aware of your own history and perspective
as you read and participate in discussions (listening as well as speaking)
Assignments In addition to weekly lectures, activities, and discussions, various assignments have been designed to help you clarify points in the lectures and discussions, critically evaluate readings, and prepare for exams. This is a highly interactive course.
Reading and Responses There will be an important reading assignment for most classes. In addition to careful reading of the assigned text, you need to be prepared to write a “notes and critical response” for the reading. This is NOT a summary of the reading, but rather a brief notation of the main points and theories in the reading combined with your own questions and insights about the reading. Please be prepared to share your response, including ideas and questions, with the class. Further directions will be given in class.
Local/National/International News—Women’s studies, like other academic disciplines, is a lens or way of looking at society in all its complexities and contradictions. Each week you will read local, national, and international news (including credible WEB sources) and clip or print relevant news about women and women’s issues. Note: This will not be a huge project each week, but rather an interesting assigned exercise to familiarize you with sources and issues on several levels. More instructions will be given in class. Note: Students report that they initially thought this might be “boring or hard” but they found it to be “interesting and fun.”
Project—Scholarly paper; creative project and presentation. Further directions will be discussed in class and posted on Blackboard under “assignments.”
Attendance and Participation
Your presence in class and your active participation are crucial for you as an individual scholar and for the group as an academic community. You must be here to discuss readings and responses, to receive and start work on assignments, to get feedback from me and from your peers, to participate in discussions, and to share your work with the group. You cannot simply learn all the material at home or get notes from someone: you must be here. If you expect to pass this course you must make a commitment to attend and participate in every class.
In terms of your grade, you are allowed three absences (10% of this course!) to use for sports, emergency, family plans, funerals, or illness; one absence will not count against you. A fourth absence (or lateness in excess of twice) affects your final grade by lowering your participation grade by one letter grade, and a fifth absence (or excess lateness) lowers the grade by a full letter once again. According to Keene State College policy, missing more than three weeks of class for any reason—in this case, more than sis absences or excess lateness(equal in this course to about 1/3 or 30% of the course!), fails you for the course.
Evaluation
Your grade in this class is a course grade based on all your assignments and in-class work,
including participation in large and small group discussions, as well as your
understanding of women’s studies (women’s lives and concerns; personal and social
issues) as evidenced in discussions, exams, and your written work.
Participation and Minor Assignments 20%
This includes coming to class regularly. Remember, missing more than three classes will hurt your grade. This category also includes: your class journal; making regular and valuable contributions to class sessions and group work: regular posting on Blackboard when required; using class time productively on a regular basis; being prepared for class (having read necessary articles/readings and having assignments); being on time; handing in work on time.
Midterm—20%
News Project/Paper—10%
Significant Woman -10%
Project and Paper—20%
Final—20%
Grading Scale
Grades at KSC are recorded as A (4.0), AB (3.5), B (3.0), BC (2.5), C (2.0), CD (1.5) and D (1.0) and F (0.0). You may find the following scale helpful for understanding your numerical grades on exams and other assignments:
A Above 93 Distinguished work, excellent thinking and analysis
A/B 88-92
B 83-87 High quality thinking, above average work
B/C 78-82
C 73-77 Typical, standard quality work
C/D 68-72 Below C-level work
D 60-67 Far below C-level work
All assignments must be typed in 12 point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. I reserve the right to not accept assignments that fail to meet these basic formatting requirements. Be sure to backup all of the work you save to a computer. Assignments that are late for any reason (including computer crashes or printing/email/virus problems, etc.) will be downgraded accordingly.
If you disagree with any grade you receive, first reread my comments carefully and compare them with the assignment requirements. If you are still unsure, make an appointment to discuss your grade with me. If you would like me to reread and reconsider a paper or exam, or you think an error was made in grading, you may request a re-evaluation within one week after the assignment is returned to you. Your reasons should be specific and supported by references to the expectations of the assignment and to specific details from your paper.
College Policy on Disabilities
Students with disabilities who may need classroom accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment with Jane Warner or Jessica Bigaj in the Office of Disability Services (x2353). Please discuss this with me so that we can collaborate with the Office of Disability Services to provide the appropriate accommodations and supports to assist you in meeting the goals of the course.
Academic Honesty
All students will be held strictly accountable for adhering to Keene State College’s policies regarding academic integrity (see the 2005-2006 KSC Catalog, pages 168-171). Academic dishonesty, whether intentional or not, will result in an “F” and a formal charge will be filed with the appropriate Dean.
Weather
In the case of snow or other bad weather I will post a notice on Bb if class is to be canceled. You may also call my voice mailbox (358-888, 4176) where I will also leave a message as to whether class will be held that day or not. If class is cancelled due to snow or illness on a date when an assignment is due, it will be accepted at the next scheduled class meeting.
TIME: Important Note About Attendance and Assignments
In order to create the best learning environment and supportive community, every student is expected to arrive on time for each class, fully prepared having done any reading and with required written work. When students are late and/or unprepared, the entire group is diminished. Because unexpected emergencies sometimes arrive, you are allowed two late arrivals (no more than 15 minutes) that will not affect your grade. After two late arrivals, each subsequent late arrival will negatively impact your grade by counting as a ½ absence. This means that two late arrivals (after the first two) will lower your participation grade by a full grade.
Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late work compromises the individual student’s learning experience in the class and diminishes their ability to participate fully with the group. The policy for late assignments is somewhat similar to the late policy. I understand that sometimes unanticipated events prevent timely completion of your assignment, so you are allowed to turn in two assignments late (at the next class) without penalty. Once two assignments have been turned in late (by the next class), late work be accepted but penalized by lowering the grade one full letter or category, therefore, please save your two “late work passes” for inevitable emergencies.
Required Books:
World Full of Women, 4th edition, Martha Ward (KSC $38.75 used)
To Be Real, Ed. (KSC $12.75 used)
The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World, Joni Seager (KSC $15.00 used)
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (KSC $10.50 used)
A bound, lined, standard size composition-style notebook
Handouts/excerpts (distributed in class):
Sister Outsider, Audre Lorde
Thinking Class, Joanna Kadi
bell hooks, Dorothy Allison, Virginia Woolf, others
It will be very important that you bring a paper copy of the readings to class everyday, including books, handouts, and/or readings available digitally on Blackboard, as class discussions will require us to refer to the texts.
Notes About Important Campus Academic Services:
I. The Writing Center is designed to assist students with all phases of writing from brainstorming a project to the actual completion and editing of final drafts. The Writing Center welcomes students at any time, but appointments are recommended. In addition to tutoring sessions, the Center also serves as a resource for handouts and current information about writing, documentation, and skills work.
II. The ASPIRE program is located in the Elliot Center. It provides assistance for many students, including students with low incomes, first generation students (parents have not graduated from college), students with learning differences, and other students.
Reading Schedule Overview
Weeks One, Two, Three, Four: World Full of Women and V-Day/Vagina Monologues
Week Five: Newspaper Handouts; Film; Significant Women
Week Six: Bell Jar; Film
Week Seven: Listen Up
Week Eight: Listen Up; Midterm
Week Nine: SPRING BREAK
Week Ten: Listen Up
Weeks Eleven, Twelve: PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Weeks Thirteen, Fourteen: Handouts
Week Fifteen: Wrap Up
Week Sixteen: Final Exam
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