PROGRAM IN GENDER, SEXUALITIES & WOMEN’S STUDIES
INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN’S & GENDER STUDIES: MSU / WMGST 102-04
Semester: Spring2015
Class Meets:Mondays and Thursdays in Dickson Hall, Room 270
Time:2:30 – 3:45pm
Professor: Jill Hersh E-Mail:
Office Phone: (973) 692-7911Office Hours: Monday @ 3:45 or by appointment
Campus Mailbox: Dickson Hall Room 120Course Website:
“One is not born a woman, rather one becomes one.” –Simone DeBeauvoir
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
Course Overview: This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Women’s and Gender Studies and the value of feminist thought in analyzing the institutions and ideologies that shape our gendered lives in contemporary society.
Course Objectives:You will be encouraged to think critically about the social construction of our identities and about how differences and commonalities of gender, race, class, sexuality, age and the nation, etc. shape the political and cultural environment of our multi-faceted lives. We will also explore how you personally experience and analyze the topics covered in this course.
Additionally, we will work together to strengthen students careful reading, writing, speaking and thinking skills while tackling controversial and challenging social issues, theories and concepts pertaining to women’s & men’s lives. The student-led discussions, presentations, readings, films, assignments and lecture are designed to assist you in carefully considering the following:
The cross-disciplinary field of women’s studies as an academic discipline and an activist practice
How femininity & masculinity are shaped and inform the complex identities of individuals
The social construction of gender in social institutions such as the workplace & religion
Cultural discourses surrounding women’s bodies, minds and spirits
Difference and the gendered practices of work, home & family under globalization
Representations of women in visual culture, advertising and mass media
The history of women’s political movement and why feminism still matters in the 21st century
Required Materials: The following textbook is available for purchase at the campus bookstore (The older, fourth Edition of the book is not acceptable as some content is different and the page numbers vary!) Do not buy your textbook on-line as this will delay completion of assignments and impact your grade. A copy of the readings is also on reserve at campus library for your use, so that financial aid delays do not impact your grade.
Kelly, Suzanne et al. (2012). Women: Images and Realities – A Multicultural Anthology. (Fifth Edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill. ISBN # 978-0-07-351231-0. (Previous editions are not recommended as the content and page numbers vary.)
You must bring your textbook to every class! This counts as part of your participation evaluation. Handouts of articles from the instructor occasionally and are available through the reserve desk at the campus library.
MSU E-mail account (forward your non MSU e-mail) and regular Internet access. You are responsible for all materials and correspondence posted at the on-line Blackboard course website at:
Goals & Objectives: We Will:
Work together to foster deep, long-term transformative learning by:
Sustaining engaged students who actively make sense and meanings out of their education with passion & excitement through higher-order skills of analysis and problem-solving
Promote a strong sense of classroom and community in which all students are respected and valued through peer interaction
Fully participating in cooperative & collaborative activities to better understand how knowledge is socially constructed
Challenging our established world views and practice making dynamic, informed choices that require both objective analysis and personal values
In order for you to:
Feel a sense of ownership of this course through recognizing that we all contribute to our collective knowledge
Develop empathy and greater multi-cultural understanding and higher-order critical thinking
Have safe space where students can articulate their personal “lived” experience and level of knowledge
Course Requirements: Reading, Thinking, Talking, Writing
- Attendance is mandatory. I will take roll at each class session. Any absence or lateness for any reason will negatively impact your grade and performance.
- Read the assigned materials and be prepared to contribute to daily class discussions.
- Actively participate in weekly class discussions. Students must come to class prepared to express the readings, engage in dialogue about course content with class and/or ask and respond to instructor & peer questions.
- CompleteWritten Analysis Papers
- Take MidtermsFinal Exam
- Meet Terms of ResearchProject & Presentation
- Create and deliver Current Events show & tell
Grades and Assignments: Your final grade is based on the following percentages: Attendance: 10%, Active Engagement: (Includes Participation, Discussion Points and Group work): 10%, Five Papers @ 10 % each: (50% total), Midterm: 10%, Current Events: 10%, Research Project Presentation & Poster Session: 10%
Communication: I may require one scheduled meeting with each student following the first or second exam to discuss your progress. I also encourage you to speak with me individually at any point in the semester to discuss any course-related or other issues of concern. I will hold regular office hours and am also available by appointment. If you have a physical or learning disability and/or or require any particular accommodations for note/test-taking, etc. please let me know and I will be happy to accommodate. E-mail will be used as one important means of communication between student and professor in this course. You must have access to the MSU web and you are responsible for checking your e-mail regularly for any announcements or documents. You may forward your Kean email to another email address. This is especially important for weather delays and class cancellations.
Attendance & Lateness: Class will always start on time so you are expected to be in your seat and ready to begin. Lateness is disruptive. I recognize that students may need to miss a class because of extraordinary circumstances and/or a legitimate factor such as a medical or family emergency, another school activity, employment responsibility, etc., so each student is allowed 2 full absences, however, any absences or lateness’ may result in a reduction in your participation grade, thus impacting your overall semester grade. Please bear in mind that this policy applies to all absences, regardless of their reason.It is not necessary to provide me with documentation of illness, etc. and such letters do not excuse you from this policy. Certain religious observations and academic events are exempt from the rule. Two late arrivals or early leaving (more than 15 minutes) will count as one full absence. Missed exams cannot be made-up. Any time spend outside of the class while class is meeting will count adversely toward your attendance & participation grade. Note regarding cell phones, blackberries, beepers, laptops, I-pods, headphones and other electronics: All must be powered off and put away at all times. Any time spent text messaging or using these devices while class is meeting is very disruptive and will count adversely toward your attendance/participation grade. Note – If you have a work/school/transportation conflict that prevents you from attending the entire period, please let me know asap so that you may plan accordingly.
Analysis Papers: For every unit’s readings, you will have the opportunity to do some thinking and writing to demonstrate your reading comprehension and begin the process of reflecting on what you have read and perhaps what you have just viewed to be discussed in class. Prompts are provided on the syllabus. Analysis papers must be typed, double-spaced, and formatted correctly in the form of a relatively brief essay. Reading responses and all of your written work should be clear, organized, proofread for content and mechanics. You must reference particular articles, arguments and authors from the text in your responses. The textbook is your primary source. Only use parenthetical citations. They should be structured around an introduction with a thesis statement, (main idea/argument in one or two sentences) and preview of relevant concepts, body of supporting examples from the book or life, and a conclusion, which summarizes your main ideas and integrates it with your individual experience. They must be as long as they need to be to address each part of the prompt and give me substantial evidence you are learning the material and can apply it to various contexts. Sloppy work is unacceptable. Each student must successfully complete all assigned papers. Everyone must do the first one on time.And at least two before the first exam to avoid midterm failure reporting. You are responsible for all material to be read and tested on, even if you do not write the analysis paper.
Grading Scale: A = 90 – 100 Excellent work (Completely and clearly addresses all parts of the questions; identifies, defines and gives examples of central concepts, synthesizes content thematically and makes effective and specific references to relevant articles, authors and arguments and makes tight connections with experience for generally strong description and analyses of issues, themes and/or concepts; No or very minor mechanical errors)
B = 80 – 89 Good Work (Addresses all the questions well; logical organization and writing style; few mechanical errors, makes some connections with text and experience for description of concepts, issues and themes. Thesis, thematic synthesis, description, analysis, references or experiental writing may not be strong or complete.)
C = 70 – 79 Minimally acceptable work (Addresses only part(s) of the question; lacks some clear organization, thesis statement or college-level writing style; some or many mechanical errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar, usage, format, etc.; incomplete description, analysis or connections to relevant concepts, issues and themes; may be too short and not cover enough articles)
R = Revision Needed. (May be off-topic, not fully cover appropriate materials, address prompt, central concepts or include experience. After receiving written/oral feedback from and consultation with the instructor, the student will have an opportunity to rewrite and/or revise the paper for resubmission for a higher grade within one week without penalty.
D = 60 – 69 Revised papers that do not incorporate feedback appropriately & donot meet above criteria. Off-topic or sloppy.
F = 0 – 59 Poor and missing work. (Exceedingly late papers, unrevised “R” papers and papers not submitted, plagiarized or copied papers, missing papers.
Critical AnalysisResearch Presentation
Format: The purpose of this assignment is to develop through an in-depth investigation of women’s studies resources along with your own interpretation and understanding of how feminist activism is creating change today. Your overall project is to address interrelated questions of how your specific topic is connected to the key course concepts including sexism, patriarchy, the personal is political, gender, feminism, intersectionality, etc. Each class member will select a different focus topic from a list or choose an original one of your own. Each individual is responsible for preparing remarks about the focus topic or problem area; these remarks must include references to appropriate readings and may include references to other materials you've collected independently. I can give you suggestions. On your assigned presentation date, you will be responsible for at least 5 minutes total (without input from other class members) to present statements about the various aspects of the topic you’ve prepared. After the initial 10 minutes, you will open the discussion to other class members for active Q & A/feedback. My role during this time should be minimal. I am happy to help facilitate if needed, though the idea is to create a dynamic where students talk directly to one another, rather than simply speaking to me. In sum, the goals areto engage in field research and present to the class your individual thoughts, conclusions and questions on multiple aspects of your topic and generate a substantive class-wide discussion on this topic
Evaluative Criteria: Each discussant must (1). be present for and speak substantially during the course of the discussion and respond appropriately to questions/comments (2). prepare and submit substantive notes about the focus topic under discussion (due on the day of your discussion); 3. demonstrate familiarity with the assigned topic & readings (e.g., and supplementary materials referencing specific texts and their connection to the subject during the presentation).4. engage in a dialogue with the class about key issues.5. critique how feminist activism is creating change. More specific info on topics etc. to follow. Each student will be graded individually for the parts of this project based on evidence I have of his or her commitment and academic rigor. On date due, submit with your name in writing the following:
Written Portion-Content & Format:Title: Topic plus your thesis, Introduction:Explain the phenomenon. Show specifically how and why this form of “gendercide” is a women’s studies issue. Explain the practice in detail. Define the problem. Who? What? Where? When? Why? With what Effects? What have you learned about the world from your research? , Body: Show specifically how it’s connected to at least six central concepts of Women’s Studies. How and why is this practice an example of sexism, privilege, androcentrism, patriarchy, social construction of gender, the personal is political, difference and/or intersectionality, etc.. In what ways does this increase your knowledge? , Conclusion: Show specifically how it’s an example of feminism. Identify and discuss the programs and services of at least one reputable organization working to create change surrounding this phenomenon. Who are They? What are they doing? How are they doing it? With who are they working? Is it effective? What more needs to be done? In what ways can we be involved? How has this process enhanced your understanding of the course content? , Question & Answer: Pose an ethical dilemma for the class and address it. Support your response. , Multimedia:You may use at least one audio-visual aid. May include: video or sound clip, handout(s), i.e. fact sheet, slides, exercise, i.e. game; photos, maps, interview, role play, etc. , Sources: Clear, complete, correct citations for each of the materials used to complete this project.
OralPresentation: On the date due, youwill offer a semi-formal, extemporaneous presentation(note cards fine)to the class that highlights your work on this project. Each presentation should be about 5 minutes in length including comments. Please arrive early to set-up equipment. Your grade will be based on a 10 point scale of the following criteria: attendance & preparedness of individual group members, articulation of specific topic and research questions, creative & logical organizational format of introduction, body and conclusion, credibility and evidence of research support, overall level of managing academic content, ability to make significant connections to course content, critical analysis of issues from a women’s studies / feminist perspective, engagement in class dialog /Q & A, relevance of audio-visual materials, and miscellaneous other.
Current Events: Use any legitimate, traditional (paper) or electronic (TV, internet) source to search & find topics. Find a current news article or study about any interesting aspect of women’s and gender studies and/or feminism (such as health, popular culture, violence, politics, history, etc.) you’ve found from a reputable academic or media outlet like a mainstream newspaper or independent website. Celebrity or tabloid stories from sites like tmz.com are not appropriate. Bring it to class along with an approximately 1 ½ page typedanalysisyou write according to the following format and including: appropriate descriptionand relevance of the story, (including “5 Ws” of journalism: Who? Is it about/for, What? Is is the Context about, Where? Did it take place, When?did it occur, and Why? Is it important for us to know). Tell us the reason(s) why you chose it, what it meansto us and discuss the specifics of how and why it is related to specific course content. Engage with at least one central concept of our course in your explanation. You will sign up for a particular date that corresponds with a concept we are examining that unit. Finally, offer a provocative discussion question(s) for the class to address. Show and tell and facilitatediscussion/Q&A with classmates & instructor . Assessment is based primarily on the qualitative of your data, depth of critical thinking exhibited, relevance of your selection, articulation/explanation of ideas, creativity and strength of connections & examples.
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Late Assignment Policy: All assignments are due in hard copy as indicated on the Course Schedule. Respect the deadline. Unexcused late assignments are not acceptable. Late assignments will be graded down letter grade for each class period they are late. For example, an “A” paper due Week 2 and turned in the next class will earn at most a B. E-mail submissions are not accepted and do not offset late work. If you have a scheduling conflict, see me at least one week in advance of the conflict so that we can make alternative arrangements. If you are not attending class, you may leave a hard copy of your paper in my campus mailbox before start time.