WOST 20003 1

Introduction to Women’s Studies: Sex,

Gender, and the Disciplines Texas Christian University
Instructor: Dr. Amanda Irvin WOST 20003, section 055
Email: a.irvin@tcu.edu Office: Sid Rich 501G Phone: (817) 257-5293
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-5:00PM and by appointment Fall 2013; 3 credit hours
Instructor: Ms. Larisa Schumann Asaeli, M.A. Class Meeting in SCHAR 3003
Email: l.asaeli@tcu.edu Office: SCHAR 3018B Phone: (817) 257-6216
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00-2:00PM and by appointment Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2:00-3:20PM
Course Description:
What is Women’s Studies? What, for that matter, is a woman? How do cultural belief systems, unexamined assumptions,
and societal institutions affect the way we answer these questions? This course will serve as an interdisciplinary
introduction to Women’s Studies, focusing on major issues, theories, and selected disciplinary applications, unified around
the theme and idea of gender. Students will recover and understand the lived experiences of women by studying concepts
of gender difference through attending lectures, participating in discussions, and completing assignments. Course readings
will facilitate discussion and understanding of differences in age, class, sexual diversity, race, and ethnicity. We invite you
into a dialogue with these theorists and scholars in that hopes that we, as an intellectual community, may come to a
greater understanding of the world around us.

Course Overview and Outcomes:

This course, like all courses at TCU, has outcomes explaining what students should achieve by
the end of the semester. By the end of WOST 20003, students should demonstrate an ability to
analyze diversity within (or) across cultures (TCU Core Curriculum Cultural Awareness Learning
Outcome #2).

Knowledge Gained:
• Identify historical/contemporary contributions made by women
• Re-learn history through a gendered lens and understand current feminist thought in
US and International contexts
• Articulate the connections and dynamics between feminist theories and practices
• Analyze the intersectionality of gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, and nationality
• Communicate effectively about the need for social transformation
• Demonstrate effective civic engagement

Research and Methodology:

• Interpret information from a wide range of materials, including scholarly, archival, qualitative, quantitative and
trend
• Merge personal knowledge and experiences with feminist theories and activism, the content of women’s studies,
and other courses to formulate sound, research-supported arguments
• Critically examine the issues presented in women’s studies from the global and the local, the universal, and the
particular

This course fulfills a requirement for the Women’s Studies minor. For more information, please visit:
http://www.womenstudies.tcu.edu/.

Required Texts:
Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 6th Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2013.
(ISBN: 978-0073512341)
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Pantheon, 2004. (ISBN: 978-0375714573)
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Required Materials:
Access to the Internet
An active TCU email account

Course Requirements:
Participation: We all know that there is much more to being part of a class than simple presence in the classroom. The
success of this class is completely dependent on your engaged and lively participation in it. Please come to class prepared:
read the assigned readings and be ready for class discussions. All students are recognized as viable sources of information
and are encouraged to share their knowledge with their academic community. Failure to participate in class will adversely
affect your grade; high-quality participation may enhance your grade. Strong participation includes not only speaking out
and volunteering ideas for class discussion, but posing thoughtful ideas and questions grounded in and connected with
course readings. Be ready to refer to specific paragraphs in our discussions.

Service Learning Activism Project and Portfolio (20%): Since community and social activism play an important role in the
evolution of feminism and women’s experiences, we will spend a significant part of this class being activists! We’ll partner
with Fort Worth’s YWCA. In addition to the work you will perform for this organization, you will share your experiences with
classmates and the TCU community and engage in critical reflection about your work’s connection to gender analysis and
theory.

Your grade for this project will be determined by your attendance at the YWCA visit (9/12), participation in the project on
the scheduled date, and submission of a Service-Learning portfolio, which includes:

• Group member responsibility contract (group)

• Reflection on scholarship discussing women and poverty in America
• Analysis of the YWCA website
• Response to visit and tour of the YWCA
• Summary of research on life skills courses
• Life skills course lesson plan proposal (group)
• Response to life skills course facilitation
• Final Reflection Paper (approx. 5 pages)
• Group self-evaluation

We understand that your Service Learning Activism Project may initially seem like an unconventional assignment. For
planning purposes, then, we suggest you dedicate all the care and concern you would to a 15-20-page research paper. Your
work in the community will be challenging, but it will also be rewarding, educational, and inspirational. (More details are
forthcoming.)

Outside Event Attendance (15%): Because Women’s Studies is an academic field that extends outside of the classroom, we
will require you to attend four outside events having to do with gender during the course of the semester. You may
choose from among the listed options, or find an event on your own (be sure get our approval as to whether it is
appropriate for the assignment). We will also share additional possibilities as we learn about them.

As an alternative, you may watch a film/documentary on a topic related to women’s studies from the list of DVDs or
database options that we give you. Your choice should be at least 90 minutes in length, and no more than two of your
outside event papers may be films/documentaries from the list we give you. You may not write on a film/documentary that
was required as homework for class or watched in class.

After attending each event or viewing a film/documentary, you will write a 500-word response paper about it. Your paper
should 1) describe the event you attended or film/documentary you viewed and 2) your responses to it in relation to our
course content.
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For part 2, use the following questions to guide you:
o What did you learn that you did not know? What surprised you?
o How did the event or film/documentary expand, counter, or make you rethink ideas or issues we’ve discussed or
read about in class?

You will submit these response papers to the dropbox (in Pearson LearningStudio). Each paper will be graded on a 10-point
scale and according to the following criteria:

• 9-10 pts. An excellent response. Describes the event or film/documentary clearly, and reflects in an insightful way
on the link between the event or film/documentary and our class context. Is written in clear and sophisticated
prose. Makes an original point that enhances our understanding of the issues at stake in the event or
film/documentary. Connects the event to specific class readings. At least 500 words long.
• 8 pts. A good response. Describes the event or film/documentary, and reflects on the link between the event or
film/documentary and our class context. Is written in clear prose. Makes a point that enhances our understanding
of the issues at stake in the event or film/documentary. Connects the event or film/documentary to specific class
readings. In other words, accomplishes all of the things a 9-10 point response accomplishes but differs in degree:
the focus might require further narrowing, the point further refining, more evidence and analysis might need to be
undertaken. Or perhaps the point is less original or helpful in considering issues at stake. At least 500 words long.
• 7 pts. An average response. Displays evidence that the writer has attended an event or viewed a film/documentary
and thought about it. Makes a point, but needs to focus more narrowly or present more evidence. May not connect
the event or film/documentary to specific class readings. While grammatically correct, the writing style might need
to be polished. Doesn’t make an original contribution, but does make an adequate one. Doesn’t show the rigor of
thought of 8-10 point answers. At least 500 words long.
• 6 pts. A below average response. Does not display evidence that the reader has attended an event or viewed a
film/documentary. Does not offer reflection. Does not make a relevant or clear point. Rambles, is off-topic, does
not contribute any new or useful understanding of the issues at stake. At least 500 words long.
• 0-5 pts. Does not meet the basic requirements of the assignment.

Please note: There is no set due date for each response paper, so you will need to be responsible for completing them in a
timely manner.

Facebook Community: Gender in Contemporary Culture and News (8%): Throughout this course, we will encourage you to
make connections between what we study in the classroom and the world around us. We will use Facebook as a way to
explore and comment on the ways our class topics are represented in current news and popular culture.

First, you’ll join our class Facebook group, “TCU WOST 20003.055.”

• Posts: Every other week, you will post a link to an article, video, image or other item that connects to our class
readings for that particular week. Your post should include a content-rich paragraph describing why you were
interested in your link and what connections you see between the item and our class content that week. These
postings are due by Sunday at 11:59 PM.

• Responses: In the weeks when you are not posting a link, you will be responsible for commenting on at least one
other post by a classmate. Your comment should be substantive; that is, it should be a paragraph in length and
should engage with the content of the link in a meaningful way. Your post should show that you read and/or
looked at the link and thought about its relationship to the topic we are studying. Responses are due by Sunday at
11:59 PM.

We will divide the class into two groups. Group A will post a link in weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14. Group B will post a link
in weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. You will post a response in your “off” weeks.
 WOST 20003 4
Note: Remember that your posts should be respectful. Our Facebook group will be an extension of our classroom
dialogue, and you should interact with the courtesy and openness that we enact in all of our class discussions. Any
responses that we deem inappropriate will be removed and not graded.

Posts and responses will be graded on a completion scale. If you do the assignment satisfactorily, you will receive full
credit. If you do not, you will receive no credit. To receive full credit, you must thoughtfully engage with each other and
the current news or pop culture items posted by the deadline.

Cultural Analysis Threaded Discussions (10%): On three (3) occasions during the semester, you are required to post to the
Pearson Learning Studio threaded discussion board on the course readings that week. Please note: there are five (5) due
dates for these postings listed on the syllabus. You may choose the three dates on which you post from among these five.
Your postings should not merely summarize the topic. Instead, you should aim to:

• Respond to a discussion prompt by presenting an argument with a focused point. Your points should be well
organized and clearly articulated.
• Discuss your topic’s relation to feminism and Women’s Studies.
• Synthesize your chosen topic with other class readings and course themes; you might, for example, compare and
contrast texts and evaluate theoretical concepts used in the readings.

While you are welcome to write in the first-person (use “I” or “me”) you should only include personal stories when they can
be connected to the readings and contribute to the argument you are making. Be sure that you use supporting evidence
(quotes, with page numbers) from the texts.

Your postings must:

• Present your response to the readings assigned in a thoughtful and clear manner, using textual evidence to
support your points.
• Respond directly to another student’s post, unless, of course, you’re the first person posting that week. (For
example, you might write, “Leilani’s analysis of X really opened my eyes to something I had noticed before. As I
was reading her ideas, it made me think of Y.”)
• End by posing a question. Your question should be analytic in nature (that is, it should not be answerable with
a “yes” or “no” or with summary of a reading; it should require critical thinking to answer).
• Be least 250 words long (going over this length is fine).

Your responses will be graded on a 10-point scale and evaluated based on the following criteria:
• 9-10 pts. An excellent contribution to the on-line discussion. Has a focused point to make and uses examples
from the readings to prove that point. Is written in clear and sophisticated prose. Makes an original point that
enhances our understanding of the issues at stake in the assigned readings. At least 250 words long, responds
directly to another student, and ends with an analytic question.
• 8 pts. A good contribution. Has a focused point to make and uses examples from the readings to prove that
point. Written in clear prose. In other words, will accomplish all of the things a 9-10 point response
accomplishes but differs in degree; the focus might require further narrowing, the point further refining, more
textual evidence and analysis might need to be undertaken. Or perhaps the point is less original or helpful in
considering issues at stake in the assigned readings. At least 250 words long, responds directly to another
student, and ends with an interpretive question.
• 7 pts. An average contribution. Displays evidence that the writer has read the readings and thought about it.
Makes a point and attempts to support it, but needs to focus more narrowly or present more evidence. While
grammatically correct, the writing style might need to be polished. Doesn’t make an original contribution to the
discussion, but does make an adequate one. Doesn’t show the rigor of thought or attention to the readings of
8-10 point answers. At least 250 words long, responds directly to another student, and ends with an
interpretive question.
• 6 pts. A below average contribution. Does not display evidence that the reader has carefully read the readings.
Does not offer evidence or analysis. Does not make a relevant or clear point about the readings. Rambles, is off-
 WOST 20003 5
topic, does not contribute any new or useful understanding of the issues at stake in the course. At least 250
words long, responds directly to another student, and ends with an interpretive question.
• 0-5 pts. Does not meet the basic requirements of the assignment or does not complete.

Reading Quizzes (10%): Every reading assignment should be completed by the specified date, and you should be prepared
to discuss the readings in a critical and productive fashion. In an effort to keep you on your toes, there will be
unannounced reading quizzes, slightly reminiscent of the “pop-quiz.” Since these reading quizzes are unannounced, we
urge you to read each text actively, take notes, and practice any other active reading habits you find useful. We will take a
practice quiz together before you take one for credit. You cannot make up a quiz if you happen to be absent, except in the
case of an official university excused absence. If you have an official university excused absence, your next quiz will count
double to replace the missed score.

Lead Respondent (10%): This assignment asks you to take an active leadership role in the academic community by
generating and facilitating the first 10 minutes of class discussion. In the second week of class, each student will sign up for
a specified day of class. On that day will be responsible for leading a 10-minute discussion at the beginning of class. While
you should be intimately familiar with ALL the readings, major themes, and ideas, you should focus on ONLY ONE aspect of
your chosen text so as to fully discuss it in 10 minutes.

Your 10 minutes should demonstrate both an interesting reading of the material and an effort to engage the class in
discussion. You MUST email us at least 24 hours before your stint as lead respondent; simply to let us know what material
you plan to cover. Be advised that outside research and handouts for your classmates are not required to act as a Lead
Respondent, but you are welcome to explore the possibility of each. (See assignment sheet for more details)

Midterm Exam (12%): At mid-term you will take an in-class exam comprised of matching and short answer questions. It will
be closed book. We will discuss this further as the date approaches.

Final Exam (15%): On the last day of class, you will be given a take home essay exam question. A 1000-word essay will be
due to Dropbox during the final exam period. We will discuss this further as the date approaches.

Course Policies and Procedures:

Grading: It is important to remember that simply fulfilling
the minimum requirements of the course warrants an average grade (as in C), not an
exemplary grade (as in A). Actively participating and completing assignments on time
is not something that earns “extra credit” or an automatic A; it’s expected by you
being in the course. A higher grade will be based on the distinctive quality and
development of your work, on your ability to support your analyses and engage with
the material, and your willingness to explore new subjects and ideas.

Below is a thumbnail breakdown of how we view letter grades:

A—excellent overall
B—good with some excellent aspects
C—adequate
D—mostly adequate with some unacceptable aspects
F—unacceptable overall
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Below is a breakdown of assignments in this course and their respective point values. Overall grades will be calculated as a
percentage of the above point total:

Assignment Frequency Total Point Value

Service Learning Activism Project (20%) 100
Reading Quizzes (10%) 8 quizzes x 5 points each 40
Outside Event Attendance (15%) 4 events x 10 points each 40
Cultural Analysis Threaded Discussion (10%) 3 postings x 10 points each 30
Lead Respondent (10%) 100
Midterm Exam (12%) 100
Final Exam (15%) 100
Facebook Assignment (8%) 100
610

Also, please note that we grade using the plus/minus system. If you are a student grandfathered out of that system, we
may assign you a plus/minus grade for consistency among all students, but the university will remove the plus or minus for
your transcript and GPA.

Grading Scale
87-89 B+ 77-79 C+ 67-69 D+ 0-59 Fail
93-100% A 83-86 B 73-76 C 64-66 D
90-92 A- 80-82 B- 70-73 C- 60-63 D-
This is the TCU-approved grading scale and is non-negotiable.

Short writing assignments will be evaluated within one week. Essays will take longer (one-two weeks). Your patience with
the evaluation process is very much appreciated.

Email: Email is by far the best way to reach us. If you have a question or concern, let's talk: send an email. But please, help
us to help you. Follow the following email guidelines:
• Be clear: Emails to us should have a clear, specific subject line related to the topic of that particular email and
should contain your name and the course title.
• Be reasonable: We check email frequently and am very responsive to students, but we sometimes get a chuckle
from student emails sent at 2:00 AM requesting something by 8:00 AM. We will strive to respond to your emails
within 24 hours.
• You may contact either one of us; we will CC the other in our reply.

Attendance: You are allowed a total of three absences, excused or unexcused, during the semester. Absences in excess of
this number will result in a lowered course grade (half a letter grade for every additional absence). Note: the attendance
policy extends to service learning site visits and project dates. Students representing TCU in a university-mandated activity
that requires missing class should provide official documentation of schedules and turn in work in advance. Six unexcused
absences (25% of the course meetings) constitute grounds for failure of the course.

Late Work: We do not accept late work, and in-class assignments cannot be made up if you are absent unless a) the
student has an official university absence and b) the instructor has agreed to late submission in advance of the due date.
We are unwavering in these guidelines, but we are also not unreasonable. If you find you are unable to submit work and are
falling behind, please contact us immediately. Silence is rarely the best way to handle academic issues. An open line of
communication with us, as your instructors, is one of the best ways to ensure your success in this course.

Technology Policy: What do you consider acceptable, learner-centered use of technology (cell phone, laptops, etc.) in the
classroom? We’ll create this policy together.
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Non-Sexist Language and Classroom Atmosphere: Thanks to the feminist revolution, generalized pronouns and other
biased references are no longer acceptable in any class. You may not use “he” or “him” or “man” to refer to both men and
women. “Mankind” can be replaced by “humans” or “humankind,” and “he” can be “she or he.” See this link for further
information: “Stereotypes and Biased Language” http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/608/05/

We envision our classroom as a place where we can share our ideas, thoughts, and questions without fear of being made
fun of or embarrassed. Our classroom interaction will be based on respect for all of the writers and readers we encounter
this semester.

Office Hours: During the hours posted above, we will be in our offices and available to talk with you about any questions,
comments, or concerns you have about the course. Please stop by and see us during these hours—that time is yours. We
do not use office hours to do other, “real” work. Meeting with you is our real work, and we look forward to seeing you. If
the hours don’t work for you, make an appointment with us using Doodle.

TCU Center for Writing: The William L. Adams Center for Writing is an academic service available to all TCU students.
Writing specialists and peer tutors are available for one-on-one tutorials from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday in Reed Hall, Suite 419. Students can also visit the Center for Writing annex in the Information Commons area of the
library Sunday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Online tutorials are also available. To make an appointment
for either location or to use the online tutorial service, please visit the Center for Writing web site at
http://www.wrt.tcu.edu/.

Policies and Procedures for Students with Disabilities: TCU complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. The University shall provide reasonable
accommodations for each eligible student who a) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life
activity, b) has a record or history of such an impairment, or c) is regarded as having such an impairment. Eligible students
should contact the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are
seeking accommodations. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional
documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities.

Academic Dishonesty: Presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own are serious offenses that can result in
penalties as severe as dismissal from the university. It may be particularly tempting in a writing course to simply cut and
paste material from the Internet into your essays. Don't be tempted; the penalties are severe. If you are caught plagiarizing
in this course, you will fail the assignment in question. You may also fail the course. We urge any of you who don't
understand what plagiarism is or how to avoid it to contact us immediately and/or read TCU's academic misconduct policy,
found here: http://www.catalog.tcu.edu/2011-2012/undergraduate/1411.htm

The following examples apply specifically to academic misconduct in TCU courses:

Plagiarism: The appropriation, theft, purchase, or obtaining by any means another's work, and the unacknowledged
submission or incorporation of that work as one's own offered for credit. Appropriation includes the quoting or
paraphrasing of another's work without giving credit therefore.

Collusion: The unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit.

Fabrication and falsification: Unauthorized alteration or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
Falsification involves altering information for use in any academic exercise. Fabrication involves inventing or counterfeiting
information for use in any academic exercise.

Multiple Submission: The submission by the same individual of substantial portions of the same academic work (including
oral reports) for credit more than once in the same or another class without authorization.

Complicity in academic misconduct: Helping another to commit an act of academic misconduct.

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Sanctions imposed for cases of academic misconduct range from zero credit for the assignment to expulsion from the
University. This policy applies to quizzes, threaded discussions, and drafts as well as final papers.

"Sometimes we are blessed with being able to choose

the time, and the arena, and the manner of our revolution,
... but more usually
we must do battle where we are standing."
--Audre Lorde

WOST 20003
Fall 2013, Schedule
WLMP: Women’s Lives, Multicultural Perspectives
PLS: Pearson LearningStudio (document sharing)

Note: This schedule is subject to change.

You are responsible for bringing ALL readings to class, whether in hard copy or electronic format.

Week 1: Introduction to Women’s Studies

T 8/20 Introduction to Class

R 8/22 What is feminism? What is Women’s Studies?

Watch: Ruby the Feminist on Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls at the Party:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJqTAVJB_x8
Watch Courtney Martin’s TED Talk, Reinventing Feminism:
http://www.ted.com/talks/courtney_martin_reinventing_feminism.html
Watch Tavi Gevinson’s TED Talk, A Teen Just Trying to Figure it Out:
http://www.ted.com/talks/tavi_gevinson_a_teen_just_trying_to_figure_it_out.html
Read “Untangling the F-Word” in WLMP, pages 3-17
Read “Let’s Get Real about Feminism,” PLS

Week 2: Past, Present, and Future: Waves of Feminist Action

T 8/27 His-tory? Her-story? Origins of Feminism in the United States
Read “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls” in WLMP, pages 24-27
[1st Wave] Watch “One Woman, One Vote” online on American History in Video (TCU Database)
[2nd Wave] Watch “Part One: Awakening,” Makers: Women Who Make America:
http://video.pbs.org/video/2336932877/
Review course schedule to select 2-3 potential Lead Respondent dates

R 8/29 3rd Wave

Jervis, “Goodbye to Feminism’s Generational Divide,” PLS
Read Valenti, “You’re a Feminist. Deal,” PLS
Read Freedman, “Race and the Politics of Identity in U.S. Feminism,” PLS
Hurdis, “Heartbroken: Women of Color Feminism and the Third Wave,” PLS
Read McIntosh, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” PLS
Watch the Brave New Voices “Intersectionality” presentation/poetry slam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcdONSoq7EQ
Sign up for Lead Respondent presentations (in class)
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S 9/1 Group A posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group B response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 3: Social Locations and Service-Learning

T 9/3 Social Locations
Read “Identities and Social Locations” in WLMP, pages 101-115
Read “Oppression,” PLS
Read Lorber, “The Social Construction of Gender” in WLMP, pages 64-68
Read Johnson, “Patriarchy: The System” in WLMP, pages 68-77
Read TWO of the following:
“Black Feminist Thought” in WLMP, p. 77
“The Brown Girl’s Guide to Labels” in WLMP [Indian American perspective], p. 46
“Genealogies of Community…” in WLMP [Indian American perspective], p. 82
“Perspectives of Native American Women Writers” in WLMP, p. 115
“Jews in the US” in WLMP, p. 131
“In Search of Other Others” in WLMP [Asian American perspective], p. 145
“Once Upon a Quinceanera” in WLMP [Latina perspective], p. 151
“Decolonizing Culture” in WLMP [Arab American perspective], p. 158
Threaded Discussion posting #1 due

R 9/5 Introduction to Service-Learning

Explore and read the content of the TCU Service Learning website:
http://www.involved.tcu.edu/servicelearning.asp
Read Trigg and Balliet, “Learning Across Boundaries,” PLS
Read: Brubiski and Semaan, “Activist Learning vs. Service Learning in a Women’s Studies Classroom” online:
http://www.okcir.com/Articles%20VII%203/Bubriski%20and%20Semaan-FM.pdf

S 9/8 Group B posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group A response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 4: Woman and Poverty and Social Activism

T 9/10 ADDITIONAL READINGS TBA
Read Allison, “A Question of Class” in WLMP, pages 123-130
Review “The Straight Facts on Women and Poverty in the US” online:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2008/10/08/5103/the-straight-facts-on-women-
in-poverty/
Prepare for our visit by exploring the YWCA website:
http://www.ywcafortworth.com/web/
Read each of the links to familiarize yourself with its programs.
S-L Portfolio Component: Write a 2-page analysis of the YWCA website. Consider the following
questions: What goals/objectives does this page meet? How detailed is the information? What
opinions (if any) are expressed by the sponsoring organization? Who is the imagined audience for
the website? Does the visual layout/design support the goals/objectives of the website?

R 9/12 Site visit to YWCA during class

S-L Portfolio Component: Write a 2-page response paper to your YWCA site visit. You might
consider the following questions: Describe the site. How do its elements support or convey the
YWCA’s mission? What impression of the organization did you receive by visiting the site? How
does that impression accord with your expectations before visiting? What did you learn from the
people working at the site that was new or surprising to you?
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S 9/15 Group A posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group B response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 5: Service-Learning Group Work

T 9/17 Service-Learning Discussion and Group Work
Draft Group Contract in class (included in S-L Portfolio)
Work on Lesson Plan Proposal in class (included in S-L Portfolio)
S-L Portfolio Component: Write a 2-page reflective paper that synthesizes and presents
your responses to the information you have learned about women and poverty. You
might consider the following questions: To what extent and how does poverty affect
women? How may the causes and effects of poverty on women be different than from
men? What solutions to address the problem exist? What surprised you about what you
learned? Do you have personal experiences that affect your response to this material?
*W 9/18: Visiting Green Chair discussion of images of African American Women; Reed 223 at 2:00PM

R 9/19 Life-Skills Class Planning

Work on Lesson Plan Proposal (included in S-L Portfolio)

*R 9/19: Wallace-Sanders public lecture “Boundaries, Borders and Barriers: Charting the Future of
American and African American Studies;” Kelly Center B and C from 5:00-6:00PM

S 9/22 Group B posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group A response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 6: Our Bodies, Ourselves

T 9/24 Women’s Sexuality
Read “Women’s Sexuality” in WLMP, pages 173-183
Read Levy, “Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture” in WLMP, pages 195-198
Read Serano, “Why Nice Guys Finish Last” in WLMP, pages 189-195
Read Somerson, “On the Complications of Negotiating Dyke Femininity” in WLMP, pages 198-204
Read Kahn, “The All American Queer Pakistani Girl” in WLMP, pages 204-208

R 9/26 Women’s Bodies, Women’s Health

Read “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Health” in WLMP, pages 209-227
Read Riley, “The Black Beauty Myth” in WLMP, pages 227-232
Read Chernik, “The Body Politic” in WLMP, pages 575-579
Watch Killing Us Softly 4 (excerpt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlmho_RovY
Threaded Discussion posting #2 due
GROUP #1 LIFE SKILLS CLASS

S 9/29 Group A posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group B response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 7: Midterm Exam and Miss Representation

T 10/1 Midterm Exam

R 10/3 Screening of Miss Representation

GROUP #2 LIFE SKILLS CLASS

S 10/6 Group B posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group A response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM
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Week 8
T 10/8 Violence Against Women
Read “Violence Against Women” in WLMP, pages 259-274
Read Grove, “Engaging Men Against Violence” in WLMP, pages 284-290
Read Kim, “Alternative Interventions to Violence” in WLMP, pages 290-297
Watch Jackson Katz’s TED Talk, Violence and Silence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KTvSfeCRxe8
Threaded Discussion posting #3 due

R 10/10 Women in the World

Read “Making a Home, Making a Living” in WLMP, pages 307-322
Read Crittenden, “The Mommy Tax” in WLMP, pages 342-350
Read Slaughter, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” in The Atlantic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-cant-have-it-all/309020/
Read AAUW Report, “Graduating to a Pay Gap” online:
http://www.aauw.org/files/2013/03/Graduating-to-a-Pay-Gap-The-Earnings-of-Women-and-Men-One-
Year-after-College-Graduation-Executive-Summary-and-Recommendations.pdf
Watch Sandberg’s TED Talk, Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders:
http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html
GROUP #3 LIFE SKILLS CLASS

*R 10/10: A Colloquy with the Editors of A Feminist Reader; Palko 130 at 7:00PM

S 10/13 Group A posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group B response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 9: Living in the Globalizing World

T 10/15 Living in a Global World
Read “Living in a Globalizing World” in WLMP, pages 363-382
Watch Clinton’s speech at Fourth World Conference on Women online:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm
Read Anzaldua, “The Homeland” in WLMP, pages 383-389
Read Grewal, “Traveling Barbie” in PLS
Read DuCille, “Black Barbie and the Deep Play of Difference” online:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~mseth2/com417s12/readings/ducille.pdf
GROUP #4 LIFE SKILLS CLASS

R 10/17 An Iranian Girlhood in a Time of War

Read “Women and the Military, War, and Peace” in WLMP, pages 465-481
Read Satrapi, Persepolis, 1-71 (including introduction)

*R 10/17: Open Q&A session with WOST Green Chair, Inderpal Grewal; BEA 107 from 12:30-1:45PM

*R 10/17: Public lecture by WOST Green Chair, Inderpal Grewal; BLUU Auditorium from 5:00-6:15PM

S 10/20 Group B posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group A response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 10: Muslim Women and the Veil

T 10/22 Fall Break

R 10/24 Read Satrapi, Persepolis, pages 71 - end

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Read Abu-Lughod, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” in WLMP, pages 89-98
Read Zahedi, “Contested Meaning of the Veil and Political Ideologies of Iranian Regimes,” PLS

S 10/27 No Facebook Postings or Responses due

Week 11
T 10/29 Women and Crime
Read “Women, Crime, and Criminalization” in WLMP, pages 417-424
Read Law, “Barriers to Basic Care” in WLMP, pages 439-446
Read Sudbury, “Women of Color, Globalization, and the Politics of Incarceration” in WLMP, pages 452-465
Read “An In-Depth Look at How ‘Orange is the New Black’ Compares to Real Life” online:
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/an-in-depth-look-at-how-orange-is-the-new-black-compares-to-real-life

R 10/31 Women and the Environment

Read “Women and the Environment” in WLMP, pages 503-515
Read Loyd-Paige, “Thinking and Eating at the Same Time” in WLMP, pages 532-536
Read Allen and Sachs, “Women and Food Chain” in WLMP, pages 536-546
Service-Learning Portfolios due
Threaded Discussion posting #4 due

S 11/3 Group B posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group A response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 12: Girls and Girlhood

T 11/5 Read Martin’s Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters (excerpt), PLS
Watch Ensler’s “Embrace Your Inner Girl” TED Talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/eve_ensler_embrace_your_inner_girl.html
Explore “The Girl Effect” website: http://www.girleffect.org/
Read “Feminism and Flawed Women in Lena Dunham’s Girls” online:
http://msmagazine.com/blog/2012/04/14/flawed-women-and-feminism-in-lena-dunhams-girls/

R 11/7 Screening of Girl Rising

S 11/10 Group A posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group B response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 13: Creating Change and Beyond Intro to Women’s Studies

T 11/12 Creating Change
Read “Creating Change” in WLMP, pages 561-575
Read Yep, “The Power of Collective Expression” in WLMP, pages 579

R 11/14 Beyond Intro to Women’s Studies

Read Stewart, “Transform the World: What Can You Do with a Degree in Women’s Studies?” PLS
Read Hogeland’s “Fear of Feminism” online:
http://www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/learn/resources/fear-feminism-why-young-women-get-willies
Threaded Discussion posting #5 due

S 11/17 Group B posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group A response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 14: Student Selected Material

T 11/19 Readings TBA with your input
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*W 11/20: Ugena Whitlock visit to Introduction to Women’s Studies class; Location TBD from 1:00-2:00PM

R 11/21 Readings TBA with your input

*R 11/21: Ugena Whitlock Public Lecture; Location TBD from 5:00-6:30PM

S 11/24 Group A posting to Facebook group due by 11:59PM; Group B response to Facebook postings due by
11:59PM

Week 15: Service-Learning and Sharing

T 11/26 Sharing Service-Learning Projects

R 11/28 Thanksgiving Break

S 12/1 No Facebook Postings or Responses due

Week 16: It’s Only the Beginning…

T 12/3 Distribution of take-home final exam

Final Exam: Thursday, 12/12 from 3:00-5:30PM