APPLICATION FOR COURSE APPROVAL FOR
GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Course
Number: WMS 150
Course
Title: Introduction to Women's
Studies
Check
the general education core area for this course:*
__
English Communication
__ Fine
Arts & Literature
__
Foreign Language/Cross-cultural Competence
__
Letters
__
Natural Sciences
X Social
Sciences
__
Mathematical & Quantitative Reasoning
Department(s)
in which course will be taught: Women's Studies Program
Faculty
member(s) responsible for course: Stephen D. Grubman-Black; Donna Hughes
Office: 314
Roosevelt Hall
Office
phone: 4-7066
Will
non-tenure track faculty teach this course?
X Yes
__ No
If yes,
approximately what percentage of sections will be taught by non
tenure-track
faculty?
Approximately
60%
The
integrated skills** that this course will focus on are:
X Examine human differences
X Read complex texts
_ Speak
effectively
__ Use
of artistic activity
__
Use of qualitative data
__ Use
of quantitative data
__ Use
of information technology
X Write effectively
Course
description (as would be found in catalog):
WMS 150
Introduction to Womenıs Studies (3)
Images of women across cultures, the theories and
processes of socialization, historical perspectives, and implications for
social change.
Faculty
member's signature____________________________________________
Chairperson's
signature_______________________________________________
Dean's
signature_____________________________________________________
The
purpose of this application is to assure that the proposed course meets
explicit
goals established for the general education program. These are:
* the ability to think critically
in order to solve problems and question
the nature and
sources of authority
* the ability to use the methods
and materials characteristic of each
knowledge area with
an understanding of the interrelationship among and
the
interconnectedness of the core areas
* a commitment to intellectual
curiosity and lifelong learning
* an openness to new ideas with
the social skills necessary for both
teamwork and
leadership
* the ability to think
independently and be self-directed; to make
informed choices and
take initiative
PART I
This
part consists of six questions designed to highlight fundamental
aspects
of the general education program. Only answer question 5 if it is
relevant
to your course.
1. If
not stated in your syllabus, please indicate the primary learning
objective(s)
of your course.
The
primary learning objective(s) of WMS 150:
·
To
understand the contemporary parameters of Women's Studies as a discipline (i.
e. National Women's Studies Association);
·
To
examine images of women through an international perspective on women's lives and
concerns;
·
To
explore the conditions and circumstances affecting the lives of women with
attention to the global context;
·
To
discover how societal institutions and power structures impact the lives of
women and girls;
·
To
develop an understanding of the concept of gender and identify cultural
assumptions about gender;
·
To
consider the intersection of gender with other social and cultural identities
such as race, ethnicity, class and sexuality.
2. How
does the proposed course meet the goals established for the general
education
program?
* the
ability to think critically in order to solve problems and question the nature
and sources of authority
WMS 150 asks students to examine critically many of the
assumptions about the lives of women and girls. These include but are not limited to, assumptions about what
it means to be gendered or raced; how socioeconomic class functions in society;
sexuality. Students are required
to judge the merits of arguments presented regarding the lives and status of
women.
* the
ability to use the methods and materials characteristic of each knowledge area
with an understanding of the interrelationship among and the interconnectedness of the core areas
WMS 150 provides students with the opportunity to explore
aspects of human behavior through the examination of socio-cultural development
of gender and sexual relationships through feminist theoretical models.
* a commitment to intellectual curiosity
and lifelong learning
WMS 150 allows women and men to reflect upon their
personal experiences as they interact with course materials. Students are
expected to make explicit links between their lives and course readings. Students are challenged to make sense
of their lives in connection with the questions that are being raised in
readings and class discussions.
Students are taught to offer informed opinions. They are expected to demonstrate their
ability to engage in constructive
critical dialog; they learn how to support their observations with evidence
from the text and how to affirm, challenge, and even disagree with each other,
and with instructors, in a way that promotes learning for all students. The desired classroom environment is
both mutually respectful and sharply analytic.
* an
openness to new ideas with the social skills necessary for both teamwork and leadership
Feminist perspectives are often new approaches to social
issues and problems. We use
rhetorical skills in dyads, small group and large group discussions. Students are provided with role-models,
for example, from videotapes, guest speakers and readings.
* the
ability to think independently and be self-directed; to make informed choices
and take initiative
Students work
independently, in small groups, and in whole group
discussion.
They are expected to contribute to discussions in all formats and to
develop appropriate listening skills.
The instructor models reflective listening skills. Students are encouraged to use course
assignments to explore areas of specific interest to them, which allows for
both student autonomy and student responsibility in terms of choices about
their own educational processes and experiences.
3. How
is the course suitable for the general education area you have
requested
it be classified:? Please refer to the criteria for the relevant
division
as described in Appendix A as well as to your course materials
appended
to this form
·
advance the
understanding of human behavior and/or human development
This
course helps students develop and refine their abilities to note the social and
cultural forces at work in their lives and the lives of others-- including
those who are similar to them and those who are different.
·
apply
social science theoretical perspectives and/or social science concepts to
contemporary societal issues in order to expand the knowledge base in the
social sciences
Students
in WMS 150 learn how the lives of girls and women are influenced by social,
political, and economic factors.
Feminist perspectives in the social sciences are examined and evaluated
by the students.
·
provide
assignments or opportunities which involve the interpretation of data and/or
the evaluation of evidence
Students
are referred to various web sites and articles which offer alternative and
additional descriptions and explanations of conditions confronting and
challenging to the lives of girls and women. See Syllabus for specific assignments.
4.
Explain how this course provides opportunities for practice in each of the
integrated skills you have listed on the coversheet.
Read
complex texts: Students are expected to read materials which are often
challenging in terms of vocabulary and in terms of conceptual understanding and
mastery. "Reading" is a
skill students are expected to apply to both print and visual texts, to essays
and articles as well as cultural products such as advertisements, films,
television and other media.
Examples:
·
Critically
evaluate the lyrics of songs representing two different genres, e.g., rap,
blues. Students apply the notion
of "the personal is political" to a more objective analysis of
possible intents and effects of the words, based on class text and discussions.
·
Regular
written reflections about a reading in each section of the text, submitted to
course instructor. Each submission
includes a 50-word summary and a 100-word explanation.
·
Written
responses in which students reflect the implications of the "Top Ten Signs
That You're an ART World Token" (a public service from Guerilla Girls
Conscience of the Artworld).
·
Comparison
between Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) and the
Beijing Conference on the International Rights of Women (1995).
Write
effectively: Students are expected to write frequently throughout the
semester. Assignments include but
are not limited to, responses to discussion questions generated by the
instructor, short reaction papers, personal essays and more formal/traditional
research papers. All writing is
expected to meet college-level standards; students are given the opportunity to
revise working drafts, based on instructor feedback. Students are encouraged to
use the services of the Writing Center
Example:
Students
are given a handout that includes concrete requirements and criteria for
grading. Students must refer to a
Checklist for Writing before submitting written work. Self-assessment is included on each submission. Students are
expected to revise work in order to earn credit for assignment.
Examine
human differences: The Introduction to women's studies course by its very
nature centers on examining human differences. These differences are not limited to gender, but include
race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, (dis)ability, (trans)national identification
and cultural differences on a global scale. The work of the course goes beyond pointing out the
existence of difference, but asks students to consider how notions of
difference are culturally constructed, and with what results.
5. Will
your course sometimes be taught to groups of students larger than
60? If
so, please explain what you will do to insure that each of the integrative
skills will be achieved. Please explain how each integrative skill will be
achieved.
Only
if an individual continuing faculty member so chooses.
The
instructor developing this proposal believes that this course has been
successfully taught in large sections.
Students are provided with ample opportunity to work in small
groups. (See above)
6. If
other instructors (including per course faculty or teaching assistants) teach
the course, what will be done to ensure that the proposed content and skills
will be maintained across sections and instructors? (To be completed by
department chair.)
The
Director of the Women's Studies Program will serve as coordinator, or will
appoint a coordinator, and the
coordinator will provide each
instructor with this document and sample syllabus as a guide for individual
instructors. The coordinator will meet regularly with instructors to assure
that the goals for the course and the opportunities for practicing the skills
are maintained.
PART II
Please
provide documentation of the means by which your course attempts to reach the
goals of the general education program courses described above. Please attach a
syllabus(mandatory) and all relevant course materials (e.g., exams, homework
and laboratory assignments, classroom exercises) that will demonstrate how your
course does this. In addition, please feel free to include any explanation(s)
necessary showing how the course materials are/inked to both the goals of
general education program and specifically to the integrated skills.