Women’s Studies 210

Introduction to Feminist Theory

Spring 1999

 

Dr. Donna M. Hughes
316 Roosevelt Hall
874 2757 (office)
dhughes@uri.edu (e-mail)
Office Hours: Tues., Thurs 1:00 - 2:00 pm

 

Required Texts and Publications:

1. American Feminism-A Contemporary History, Ginette Castro, New York University Press, 1990.
2. Fighting Words-Black Women and the Search for Justice, Patricia Hill Collins, University of Minnesota Press, 1998.
3. Ecofeminism, Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva, Zed Books, 1993.
4. Compelled to Crime-The Gender Entrapment of Battered Black Women, Beth E. Richie, 1996.
5. The Price We Pay-The Case Against Racist Speech, Hate Propaganda and Pornography, Laura Lederer and Richard Delgado (editors), Hill and Wang, 1995.

 

Class Procedures

 

Course Outline and Reading Assignments

 

#1: Jan 19

 

Why We Need Theory

Introduction, American Feminism

#2: Jan 21

 

Consciousness Raising

Chap 1 Power Struggle: A Play in Four Acts, American Feminism

#3: Jan 26

 

No Class

Attend Multiculturalism Lecture, 10 Feb: Lani Guinier

#4: Jan 28

 

No Class

Attend Carlson Lecture, Suzanne Arms

#5: Jan 29

 

Consciousness Raising

Chap 2 The Glory and the Oppression, American Feminism

#6: Feb 2

 

Liberal Feminism

Chap 3 Egalitarian Feminism, American Feminism

Feb 2 Lecture:
#7: Feb 4

 

Radical Feminism

Chap 4 Radicalism, American Feminism

Women’s Liberation Movement

 

#8: Feb 9 Activism in Theory

Chap 8 The Instrument and Philosophy of Action, American Feminism

Chap 9 Guerrilla Warriors for Consciousness-Raising, American Feminism

Chicanas Speak Out

 

Feb 10 Lani Guinier
#9: Feb 11 Feminist Theory in International Perspective

 

 

Introduction, Ecofeminism

Womankind Worldwide

Women Online Worldwide

Feb 16 No Class

Regular Monday classes meet today

 

#10: Feb 18 Development and the Environment

Quiz # 1

Chap 4 The Myth of Catching-up Development, Ecofeminism

Chap 5 The Impoverishment of the Environment-Women and Children Last, Ecofeminism

Chap 6 Who Made Nature the Enemy? Ecofeminism

 

#11: Feb 23 Globalization and Nationalism

Chap 8 Masculinization of the Motherland, Ecofeminism

Chap 9 Women have no Fatherland, Ecofeminism

 

#12: Feb 25 Violence and Exploitation

Chap 10 White Man's Dilemma-His Search for What He Has Destroyed, Ecofeminism

 

#13: Mar 2 Reproductive Technologies

Chap 12 New Reproductive Technologies-Sexist and Racist Implications, Ecofeminism

Chap 13 From the Individual to the Dividual-The Supermarket of 'Reproductive Alternatives,' Ecofeminism

 

#14: Mar 4 Concept of Self-Determination

 

Chap 14 Self-Determination-The End of a Utopia? Ecofeminism

Mar 8 Attend UNIFEM Live videoconference

 

#15 Mar 9 No Class

Attend UNIFEM Live videoconference

 

#16: Mar 11 Decolonization

 

Chap 17 Liberating the Consumer, Ecofeminism

Chap 18 Decolonizing the North, Ecofeminism

 

March 16

March 18

No Classes

Spring Break

#17: Mar 23 Hate

Chap 1 Experiencing Hate, The Price We Pay

A Weapon to Weaken: Pornography in the Workplace

One Man's Dignity

The Case of Cross-Burning

Like a Smack in the Face: Pornography in the Trades

Bible Belt Lesbians Fight Hate

Desecration in Darkness

Indians Are a People, Not Mascots

In the Belly of the Beast: The Selling of Sexuality

The Bargain Basement in the Marketplace of Ideas

Andrea Dworkin Web Site

 

#18: Mar 25 Harm

Chap 3 Conceptualizing Harm, The Price We Pay

Cross-Burning and the Sound of Silence

Silencing Women's Speech

Pornography and Racist Speech as Hate Propaganda

Gay Male Pornography and the Eroticization of Masculine Identity

Hate Groups, African Americans and the First Amendment

Everyday Racism and the Campaign of Hatred

Why the First Amendment Is Being Used to Protect Violence Against Women

Comments on an Outsider on the First Amendment

The Triangular Politics of Pornography

Pornography Happens to Women

 

#19: Mar 30 Politics of Knowledge

 

Introduction-The Politics of Critical Social Theory, Fighting Words

African-American Women Online Archive

 

#20: Apr 1 Voice and Power

Quiz # 2

Learning from the Outsider Within Revisited, Fighting Words

Chap 1 The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same-African-American Women and the Politics of Containment, Fighting Words

Chap 2 Coming to Voice, Coming to Power-Black Feminist Thought as Critical Social Theory, Fighting Words

 

#21: Apr 6 Attend Conference

Chap 2 Reductionism and Regeneration-A Crisis in Science, Ecofeminism

Chap 3 Feminist Research-Science, Violence and Responsibility, Ecofeminism

 

#22: Apr 8 Attend Conference

Diversifying the Culture and Curriculum of Science and Women’s Studies

 

Chap 3 On Race Gender and Science-Black Women as Objects and Agents of Sociological Knowledge, Fighting Words

#23:Apr 13 Postmodernism

Chap 4 What's Going On? Black Feminist Thought and the Politics of Postmodernism, Fighting Words

 

#24: Apr 15 Intersectionality and Standpoint Theory

Chap 6 Some Group Matters: Intersectionality, Situated Standpoints, and Black Feminist Thought, Fighting Words

 

#25: Apr 20 Empowerment of Women

Chap 7 Searching for Sojourner Truth-Toward an Epistemology of Empowerment, Fighting Words

 

#26: Apr 22 Listening to Women's Stories

Chap 1 Introduction, Compelled to Crime

Chap 2 Life Histories: Listening to the Women's Stories, Compelled to Crime

 

#27: Apr 27 Gender-Identity Development

 

Chap 3 Gender-Identity Development, Compelled to Crime

#28: Apr 29 Violence, Race, Class and Gender

Chap 4 Trapped by Violence, Compelled to Crime

Chap 5 Six Paths to Crime, Compelled to Crime

 

#29: May 4 Gender Entrapment

Quiz # 3

Chap 6 The Story of Gender Entrapment, Compelled to Crime

Chap 7 Conclusion, Compelled to Crime

Resources on the Web

Women’s Studies Resources
Women’s Net
Women’s Studies Database

Affirmative Action and Diversity Project
Feminist Theory Web Site
Women’s Human Rights Resources

United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women
Making Face, Making Soul –
A Chicana Feminist Homepage
Chicana Studies Web Page

Diversity Links for Women and Minorities
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Human Rights Campaign

Jewish Women International
Abortion Rights Activist
Women Working Worldwide

Health, Empowerment, Rights and Accountability HERA
The WoRD

Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network RAINN
Support Services for Women in Rhode Island
Always Causing Legal Unrest (ACLU)