Spring 2003
Images of women across
cultures, the theories and processes of socialization, historical perspectives,
and implications for social change. (3 cr., Social Sciences General Education)
MWF, 1:00 to 1:50
pm
White 113
Stephen D. Grubman-Black,
Ph.D.
Professor
Womenıs Studies and
Communication Studies
Roosevelt Hall 314
Open Office Hours: MWF, 3:15 to 4:15 pm
Phone: 874-7066
FAX: 874-4527
Email: shalom@uri.edu
Required Texts.
Chesler, Letters
to a Young Feminist.
Grewal and Kaplan, An
Introduction to Womenıs Studies.
This introductory course presents a number of
opportunities to learn and appreciate a feminist lens to life and the lives of
women and men. The course is
related to the study of human development and behavior and varying social,
economic, cultural and political solutions to societal problems related to
women and girls.
It also serves well to introduce you to the
interdisciplinary field of Womenıs Studies that has been an established and
approved major and minor here at URI since 1980.
Students seek and learn about the influences and
impact of the more restrictive views and policies toward girls and women,
including social institutions, literature, the visual arts, medicine, science,
education and law (to cite a few).
IMPORTANT NOTE TO EACH OF YOU: I am here to help
you reach your potential to learn and to achieve. Regular contact between us is a good idea. This includes regular attendance,
participation, and keeping up with all assignments.
I realize sometimes it may not be so comfortable
interacting in a larger group
setting, such as a classroom, yet there are ways to foster a solid and even
close learning relationship. I am
on campus (Roosevelt 314), practically each day of the week. I have a telephone (874-7066) and an
email (shalom@uri.edu), both of which I
answer on a regular basis. We
might even want to schedule a coffee break or lunch among ourselves, in smaller
groups.
There will be times we can work in smaller
groups during class. We will make
an effort to know each other and each otherıs names.
Further, if you have a documented disability,
please contact me very early in the semester so we may work out reasonable
accommodations to support your success in this course. Also, contact Disability Services for
Students, Office of Student Life, 330 Memorial Union, 874-2098.
Students are encouraged to visit URIıs Writing
Center (4th floor of Roosevelt Hall) at any point this
semester. There, you will work
with an experienced writing tutor.
Each meeting, according to the folks at the Writing Center, you should
expect to work on only one or two issues; you can always return for more. You and your tutor will decide together
what will help you the most for each assignment. For example, you might work together on paragraphing,
sentence clarity, sharpening thesis statements, documenting sources, using
appropriate evidence, or understanding and practicing specific grammatical
concepts. Please keep in mind: URI
Writing Center tutors will not edit or proofread for you; rather, they will
teach you proofreading strategies you can use yourself. Their goal is to help you become a
better writer, and this requires both time and effort on your part.
Appointments are encouraged (call them at
874-4690); you may also drop in and see if a tutor is available.
Attendance is
mandatory. The nature of the course is such that
students' attention and participation on a regular basis are essential to
adequate learning. Only University-sanctioned reasons are considered for
absences, tardiness or lack of participation. For each unexcused absence, 3 points are deducted from
final grade.
This policy becomes effective on Monday, September 8, whether or not you have
added the course late.
We will learn best by
being prepared and participatory.
Full and complete attendance is mandatory, so please plan
accordingly. All assignments are
due on time. A report of ³Incomplete²
will not be submitted in place of a failing grade (which includes missed
assignments, poor attendance, for example). Further, I rely on email correspondence, so (1) be sure that
you have given me your complete, current, and correct email address; (2) make
certain that you acknowledge receipt of all emails from me; and (3) make sure
that you check email on a regular basis (several times per week).
Grading Criteria
100 to 96 points A
95 to 91 points A-
90 to 87 points B+
86 to 83 points B
82 to 80 points B-
79 to 77 points C+
76 to 75 points C
74 to 71 points C-
70 points D
69 to 0 points F
Assignments
Note about readings in the
Grewal and Kaplan textbook: It
makes the best sense for you to read the Introductory Essay for each PART and each of the Reflecting
On The Section even
before you read the specific readings assigned. These will help you read more critically the complex text
presented by the various authors.
Specific Readings from
the Grewal and Kaplan textbook due at the beginning of each week (note page
number indicates the first page of the essay, so read the complete essay). Please bring your textbook to class
each day, so you can refer to it for class discussions.
Week of
September 8
Introductory Essay, page 1
Reading A, page 8
Reading
E, page 28
Reading
C, page 42
Reading
D, page 44
Reading
E, page 48
Viewing 100 Years of
Women
Week of
September 15
Reading C, page 63
Reading E, page 72
Reading
B, page 82
Reading
C, page 85
Reading
D, p. 91
Reading
E, page 98
Viewing Warrior Marks
Week of
September 22
Reading A, page 106
Reading
B, page 110
Reading D, page 118
Reading
A, p. 130
Reading
B, p. 140
Reading
C, p. 145
Week of
September 29
Gendered Identities , p.
159
Reading
B, p. 170
Reading
D, p. 176
Reading
A, p. 180
Reading
B, p. 187
Reading
D, p. 196
Viewing: So Deep A
Violence
Week of October
6
Reading A, p. 202
Reading C, p. 207
Reading
D, p. 214
Reading
E, p. 219
Reading
B, p. 229
Reading
D, p. 240
Viewing: Not For
Ourselves Alone
Listening: ³The Girl in the Red Velvet Dress² and ³Babies² (Ronnie Gilbert).
Week of October
13
Mid-semester Review and
Examination
Week of October
20
Reading C, p. 255
Reading D, p. 257
Reading
F, p. 266
Read
Representations, Cultures , p. 271
Read
Figure III.4, page 289
Viewing: ³Rape is ²
Week of October
27
Reading C, p. 304
Reading D, p. 308
Reading
C, p. 338
Reading
D, p. 361
Viewing: ³After Stonewall²
Week of
November 3
Reading A, p. 366
Reading B, p. 369
Reading
C, p. 376
Reading
D, p. 380
Reading
F, p. 383
Reading
G, p. 386
Reading
A, p. 394
Week of
November 10
Read Gendering
Globalization and Displacement, p. 409
Reading
A, p. 416
Reading
C, p. 427
Reading
E, p. 433
Reading C, p.
445
Reading E, p. 451
Viewing: ³Tough Guise²
Week of
November 17
Reading A, p. 459
Reading C, p. 468
Reading
D, p. 471
Reading
C, p. 490
Reading
D, p. 495
Week of
November 24
Reading A, p. 502
Reading D, p.
514
Reading C, p.
526
Viewing ³After the Montreal Massacre²
Week of
December 1
Read Feminist Futures , p.
531
Reading
A, p. 533
Reading
B, p. 535
Viewing ³Crimes of Honour²
Week of
December 8
Review on last day of class
(December 8)
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION ABOUT ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES
Mid-Term Exam is scheduled for
Wednesday, October 15 and Friday, October 17 during class time. 15 points (15% of final grade)
Final Exam is scheduled for Tuesday,
December 16, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.
15 points (15% of final grade)
Reflective notes for
particular classes
(collected at the end of class).
No make-ups. 15 points
(15% of final grade). You will receive full
credit for these assignments once submissions reflect literate and legible
style. Revisions are to be
expected.
Email
responses to postings
I send through email
10 points (10% of final
grade). This assignment introduces
students to web sites that offer discussions about feminist issues, including
womenıs global concerns related to work, education, employment, reproductive
rights, violence against women, politics, law, the arts and sexual orientation.
Interview a woman who is at least 10
years older than you and discover what she had learned about becoming a woman. 10
points (10% of final grade)
The format will be
described and discussed several weeks before this is attempted and completed.
Small group discussion, followed by individual drafting, of possible interview
questions will be followed by revisions and resubmissions for credit. It is due (hard copy) on Wednesday,
December 3 in class.
Written reflective
responses
to each of Phyllis Cheslerıs 22 Letters (via email to me at shalom@uri.edu) 30 points (30 % of final
grade)
The purpose of this
regularly scheduled assignment is to help you relate as an individual (so, a
short personal response no more than 25 words) and as a student who is reading,
attending, participating and learning through other class readings and class
activities (an informed response no more than 75 words). You need to submit two responses for
each letter per week.
Your responses and
reflections of each of Phyllis Cheslerıs Letters must be written with careful
attention to content, organization, language, and grammar, punctuation, and
spelling. Students may revise and
resubmit, based on instructor's feedback. Failure to meet those standards will
not be acceptable for credit.
Beginning with Friday,
September 12, your responses to two letters (in consecutive order) weekly are
due via email to me. So, by Friday, September 12, you
must submit your reflective response to Letter One (³Your Legacy²) and to
Letter Two (³Thinking Feminist²) to me at shalom@uri.edu. NO LATE OR INCOMPLETE SUBMISSIONS
WILL BE ACCEPTED.
By planning your work, you
can complete this assignment in a timely manner. This means that by (on or before) Friday, September 19, your
reflective response to Letter Three (³My Life as a Girl in America²) and to
Letter Four (³How to Develop a Strong Self in a ³Post²-Feminist Age²) are
due. On each subsequent week, two
more are due until this assignment is completed (November 21). Anticipate your commitments
accordingly, such as holidays and long week-ends, so that I receive responses
by the Friday.
I may assign additional
readings through email posts or in-class written responses, with specific directions.
5 points (5% of final grade)