WGS 120

Women’s and Gender Studies 120: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies and Feminist Theory

Fall, 2010
MWF, 11:15-12:10, DuPont 202

Professor Ellen Mayock

(Professors usually rotate annually or biannually.)

Course description

According to the Catalog, “This course illustrates the rationale and necessity of women studies and women issues, presents a plurality of feminist perspectives in a dialogic manner, and broadens the views and knowledge of students with regard to various theories that have developed over the past several decades in the area of feminist thought.  Furthermore, the course familiarizes students with some major achievements by women thinkers, artists, performers, writers, scientists, and scholars and the contributions that these achievements have made to knowledge and to our lives in general.  The course is interdisciplinary in approach and methodology, and draws ideas and theories from the various disciplines and areas of artistic and intellectual expression, with a view to present a rich and complex understanding of the issues concerning women and feminism, as well as of the important roles that women have played throughout history, in shaping our world.”

Objectives

This course helps students attain the following goals:

  1. learning to use gender as a tool of analysis
  2. developing a facility with several key concepts (including social construction, structural oppression, and intersectionality) that have been central to Women’s Studies and feminist theory
  3. gaining a basic understanding of a variety of feminist perspectives
  4. increasing knowledge about both the particularity and the diversity of women’s experiences
  5. understanding how Women’s Studies and feminist theory have influenced the production of knowledge in a variety of academic disciplines.

Methodology

  • This class requires active participation in class discussion and presentation of material by individuals and groups.
  • There will be four guest speakers.  For each guest speaker’s visit, students must consider material already covered in the course and how it might relate to the speaker’s topic in order to write three questions that can generate good discussion with the invited speaker.
  • Students are expected to complete reading assignments outside of class, participate actively in class, and complete bi-weekly written assignments (to be submitted every other Monday, beginning on Monday, September 20).  There is a final exam, which builds on the course material and the format of the writing assignments.
  • We will depend upon a sense of mutual respect in order to establish a collaborative learning environment.

Reading List

  • Sheila Ruth:  Issues in Feminism.  An Introduction to Women’s Studies.  Mountain View, CA:  Mayfield, 2001.  Fifth Edition. / available in the Bookstore
  • Arlie Russell Hochschild (with Anne Machung):  The Second Shift.  New York:  Penguin, 2003.  (Originally published in 1989) / available in the Bookstore
  • Other readings, as assigned / posted on Sakai

Recommended reading:

  • bell hooks:  Feminism is for Everybody.  Passionate Politics.  Cambridge, MA:  South End, 2000.  (A brief, coherent summary of the major issues addressed by feminist politics) / Available from www.amazon.com, or the Bookstore can order it for you.

Assignments

  • Students complete bi-weekly writing assignments, which are due in class by 11:15 p.m. every other Monday.  Deadlines are firm.
  • All written work should be typed, double-spaced, in a standard font (Times New Roman) with standard margins.  Assignments should include a title at the top of the first page and should be pledged (in class we will discuss the parameters of the Honor System for each assignment).
  • As assigned, groups of 2-3 students prepare and present reports and discussion questions on complementary materials for the course.  Groups must provide a one-page handout for all students and the professor for all oral presentations.  Presentations will last no longer than 12 (!) minutes.  Therefore, the groups must organize carefully their format, content, handout, and discussion questions and must be prepared to answer questions from the class for an additional 4-5 minutes.

GROUPS FOR THE WHOLE TERM:

GROUP A:   John, Justine, Ryleigh

GROUP B:   Catherine, Hailey, Nate

GROUP C:  Jennie, Liz, Maddy

GROUP D:  Jackie, Kira

GROUP E:  Gillian, Lindsey

  • *PLEASE NOTE:  Students will also work in these groups to research the history, scope, and mission of one feminist academic journal.  During Week 10, the group as a whole will give a 2-3 minute presentation to the class about the journal.  This presentation should provide a lot of information in a short amount of time and should represent true group work.  Each student will also write a 3-4 page paper in which she or he describes and analyzes the content of the journal and the place of feminist scholarship in the discipline it represents.  The paper should incorporate a brief discussion of two exemplary articles published in the journal.  Students should consider choosing journals related to their academic interests (economics, law, psychology, sociology, literary studies, politics, interdisciplinary fields, etc.) and consulting with professors from those fields.  Students need to make sure to choose a legitimate academic journal (targets an academic audience, peer reviews submissions, has an editorial board of scholars).

Final Grade

*Please note:  Each student must plan to attend two campus events related to women’s issues. After attending the event, students should e-mail Prof. Mayock with a 1-2 paragraph critique of the event.

Attendance (includes 2 extra events), preparation, participation 30%
Writing Assignments (5 at 5%; includes “academic journals” assignment) 25%
Oral presentations (includes 2 group presentations of readings and “academic journals” project) 15%
Final Exam 30%