PART THREE:
SYLLABI FOR TOPICS COURSES ON GENDER
Laura Miller TOPICS IN THE SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER: GENDER AND INTERACTION
Course Objectives
This course offers instruction in how to measure, analyze, and write about gender and interaction using qualitative methods. We will read and analyze literature reviews on the topic, each of which include a lengthy bibliography for further reading of both qualitative and quantitative studies. Then we will alternate between analyzing published examples of this type of research and assessing the in- progress works of one another. You will receive personalized instruction and assistance with your own research, as well as learn through developing constructive criticism of other people’s work. During the course we will discuss how to write book reviews and journal manuscripts, as well as learn how to assess and respond to reviews of your own work.
Requirements
To enroll, you must submit a paper having at least something to do with gender and interaction for the class to review. Your submission could be conference or course paper; MA, article, or chapter draft; or dissertation or grant proposal. If you revise your paper before it is time your paper to be discussed, you may circulate the more recent version to the class. You are required to revise your paper after the class has reviewed it, to include a letter explaining what feedback you did and did not incorporate and why. This revision is due by the end of finals week at the latest, but you are free to turn it in anytime before then.
On the days that we are scheduled to discuss published works, we will begin with a quiz to ensure that you have adequately prepared for class by completing and thinking about the assigned readings.
On the days that we discuss student papers, you are required to provided typed feedback for your colleagues: bring one copy for them and one copy for me. I will provide examples of reviewer guidelines from several sociological journals to assist you in this task.
Evaluation
Your grade will be determined according to the following:
1. Quizzes and class discussion on published readings: 30% 2. Feedback and class discussion of student papers: 30% 3. Revision of own paper based on class and instructor feedback: 40%
Course Plan
September 25: Introduction
October 2: Educated in Romance: Women, Achievement, and College Culture by Dorothy C. Holland and Margaret A. Eisenhart, University of Chicago Press 1992.
October 9: Literature Reviews
“The Gender System and Interaction,” by Cecilia L. Ridgeway and Lynn Smith-Lovin, Annual Review of Sociology 1999, 25:191-216. “Gender and Sexual Harassment,” by Sandy Welsh, Annual Review of Sociology 1999, 25:169-190. “Sexuality in the Workplace: Organizational Control, Sexual Harassment, and the Pursuit of Pleasure,” by Christine L. Williams, Patti A. Giuffre, and Kirsten Dellinger, Annual Review of Sociology 1999, 25:73-93.
October 16: Doméstica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, University of California Press 2001.
October 23: Student paper: Kristen Schilt’s “’Not Just A Phase’: Examining Riot Grrrl as Political Youth Subculture”
Harold Garfinkel, “The Story of Agnes” in Studies in Ethnomethodology 1967. Mary F. Rogers "They all were passing: Agnes, Garfinkel, and company." Gender & Society 6.2(1992):169-191 Don Zimmerman, “They were all doing gender, but they weren’t all passing: comment on Rogers” Gender & Society 6.2(1992):192-214
October 30: Displaying/Doing/Performing Gender
Erving Goffman, “The Arrangement Between the Sexes,” Theory and Society 4(1977): 301- 331. Candace West and Don Zimmerman, "Doing Gender," Gender & Society 1(1987):125-151. Candace West and Sarah Fenstermaker, “Doing Difference,” Gender & Society v9 n1 (February 1995):8-37. Collins, Maldonado, Takagi, Thorne, Weber, and Winant, “On West and Fenstermaker’s ‘Doing Difference,’” and reply from West and Fenstermaker, Gender & Society v9 n4 (August 1995).
November 6: Student Paper: Alissa Fox, “The Sexual Awakening of a Girl: l’ecriture feminine, subversion and conformity in adolescent fiction.”
Kimberly M. Williams, Learning Limits: College Women, Drugs, and Relationships: The College Drug Tales of 73 Women, Greenwood 2000.
November 13: Sex and Sensibility: Stories of a Lesbian Generation by Arlene Stein, University of California Press 1997
November 21: Gender and more in Academia
Eric Margolis and Mary Romero, “’The Department is Very Male, Very White, Very Old, and Very Conservative: The Functioning of the Hidden Curriculum in Graduate Sociology Departments, Harvard Educational Review v68 n1 (1998): 1-32.
Toni A.H. McNaron, “And What Did You Do Over the Weekend?” From Poisoned Ivy: Lesbian and Gay Academics Confronting Homophobia, Philadelphia: Temple University Press 1997. Elizabeth Grauerholz, “Sexual Harassment in the Academy: The Case of Women Professors,” Pp. 29-50 in Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, edited by Margaret S. Stockdale, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage 1996.
Margaret L. Hunter and Kimbery D. Nettles, “What About the White Women?: Racial Politics in a Women’s Studies Classroom,” Teaching Sociology v. 27 (1999): 385-397. From the Association of American Colleges and Universities: Yolanda T. Moses, “Black Women in Academe” 1989. Sarah Nieves-Squires, “Hispanic Women: Making Their Presence on Campus Less Tenuous” 1991. Shirley Hune, “Asian Pacific American Women in Higher Education” 1998.
bell hooks, “black and female: reflections on graduate school” and “on being black at yale” From Talking Back, Philadelphia: Temple 1989.
From Working-Class Women in the Academy, edited by Michelle M. Tokarczyk and Elizabeth A. Fay, Boston: University of MA Press 1993: bell hooks, “ Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education” Saundra Gardner, “What’s a Nice Working-Class Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?” Donna Langston, “Who Am I Now? The Politics of Class Identity” Elizabeth A. Fay, “Dissent in the Field; or, A New Type of Intellectual?”
November 27: The Men and the Boys by R.W. Connell, University of California Press 2001
December 4: Student paper: Gloria González’s “Latino Couples: Perspectives and Expectations of Marriage”
Micaela Di Leonardo, “The Female World of Cards and Holidays: Women, Families, and the Work of Kinship,” Signs v12 n3 (1987): 440-453. Patricia Zavella, “Mujeres in Factories: Race and Class Perspectives on Women, Work, and Family,” From Gender at the Crossroads of Knowledge, edited by Micaela di Leonardo, University of CA Press 1991. Beatriz Pasquera, “’In the Beginning He Wouldn’t Even Lift a Spoon: The Division of Household Labor.” From Adela de la Torre and Beatriz Pesquera (eds.) Building With Our Hands: New Directions in Chicana Studies, University of California Press 1993. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Michael A. Messner, “Gender Displays and Men’s Power: The ‘New Man’ and the Mexican Immigrant Man,” From Theorizing Masculinities, edited by Harry Brod and Micheael Kaufman, Thousand Oaks: Sage 1994.
Joya Misra GENDER & SOCIAL POLICY: CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON FAMILY, ECONOMY, AND THE STATE
This seminar provides an introduction to gender and social policy. In particular, this course focuses on employment (including “family friendly” policy and childcare), poverty policy (including social welfare policy), policy focused on reproduction (including policies about teen mothers as well as reproductive choice), and women’s activism. It should be clear from the outset that these forms of policy blend into one another – for example, employment policy and poverty policy implicitly and explicitly relate to reproductive policies. Women’s activism has been critical to policy development along all of these dimensions. By using this framework, this course is meant to encourage students to consider the intersections of family, economy, and state from a variety of perspectives.
This course also includes attention to policy outside the United States. By exploring issues of gender and social policy in a variety of contexts, we try to avoid suggestions that gender and gender subordination are universal and non-varying. It is only by understanding the variations between groups of women, between countries and regions, etc. that we can begin to theorize more clearly about gender and policy, and design effective tactics for social change. Therefore, we will work to deconstruct the idea of women as a “stable category of analysis” and work instead, as Chandra Mohanty suggests, analytically to “demonstrate the production of women as socioeconomic political groups within particularly local contexts.”9
As a seminar, this course is based on active involvement of all participants in discussing the topics we cover. You should complete assigned readings before class, and be prepared to take part in class discussion in a respectful and thoughtful manner. (Class Participation: 15% of grade) You will be in charge of leading discussion of the course material for one class session during the semester, either alone or with another student. Organizing the class discussion involves presenting a critical review (at the most, 5 minutes) of the required readings for the week, raising specific questions and issues for the week, and relating the material to previous readings and class discussions. Discussion leaders should meet well in advance of the class session and plan their duties for the session. As a discussion leader, you must provide a list of questions to all students by the Friday before the class session you organize. These questions should help focus the other students as they do the readings, and provide a partial basis for class discussion. (Organizing class discussion: 15% of grade)
You will write two short papers/reviews responding to materials covered in the readings. In these 3- 5 page papers, you will discuss and critically evaluate one of the assigned readings (an article or book) for which you have not led discussion. (Reviews: 15% of grade each) The first is due by March 1, the second by April 12 (although I encourage you to submit these reviews earlier). You will also write a course paper that sociologically examines some aspect of gender and social policy. Final paper topics should be discussed with me and decided by March 1. Rough drafts of the paper are due April 12, no grades will be given these drafts, but 10% will be deducted from the final if a draft is not submitted. The final version of the paper is due May 10. (Final Paper: 40% of grade)
Required Books: Julia S. O’Connor, Ann Shola Orloff, and Sheila Shaver. 1999. States, Markets, Families. New York: Cambridge. Gwendolyn Mink. 1998. Welfare’s End. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
9 Page 64 in Chandra Mohanty’s 1991 “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.” Pp. 51-79 in Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism, edited by Chandra Mohanty, Ann Russo, and Lourdes Torres. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Kristin Luker. 1997. Dubious Conceptions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Nancy Naples. 1998. Grassroots Warriors: Activist Mothering, Community Work, and the War on Poverty. NY: Routledge.
Recommended Books: Esther Ngan-ling Chow and Catherine White Berheide (eds.). 1994. Women, the Family, and Policy: A Global Perspective. Albany: SUNY Press. Nancy Folbre. 1994. Who Pays for the Kids? New York: Routledge, Jane Lewis (ed.). 1997. Lone Mothers in European Welfare State Regimes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Amrita Basu (ed.). 1995. The Challenge of Local Feminisms. Boulder, CO: Westview.
There is also a packet of readings in the Sociology mailroom that you can photocopy. All books are on reserve at the library. For each class session, class discussion leaders should facilitate discussion for all of the required readings (NOT the additional readings, which are listed for you to pursue if only if you are interested).
February 2: Gender & Social Policy -- Theoretical Reflections
Mimi Abramovitz. 1996. “The Gendered Welfare State.” Pp. 83-108 in Under Attack, Fighting Back. New York: Monthly Review Press. Frances Fox Piven. 1990. “Ideology and the State: Women, Power, and the Welfare State.” Pp. 250-264 in L. Gordon’s Women, the State, and Welfare. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. Esther Ngan-ling Chow and Catherine White Berheide. 1994. “Studying Women, Families, and Policies Globally.” Pp. 1-29 in E. N. Chow and C. W. Berheide’s Women, the Family, and Policy: A Global Perspective. Albany: SUNY Press. Julia S. O’Connor, Ann Shola Orloff, and Sheila Shaver. 1999. “Gendering Theories and Comparisons in Welfare States.” Pp. 1-42 in States, Markets, Families. New York: Cambridge University Press. Toni Makkai. 1994. “Social Policy and Gender in Eastern Europe.” Pp. 188-205 in D. Sainsbury’s Gendering Welfare States. London: Sage.
Recommended Readings: Annette Borchorst. 1999. “Feminist Thinking about the Welfare State.” Pp. 99-127 in Revisioning Gender. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Wendy Brown. 1992. “Finding the Man in the State.” Feminist Studies 18(1):7-34. Jet Bussemaker and Kees Van Kersbergen. 1994. “Gender and Welfare States: Some Theoretical Reflections.” Pp. 8-25 in D. Sainsbury’s Gendering Welfare States. London: Sage. Judith Butler and Joan Scott (eds.). 1992. Feminists Theorize the Political. New York: Routledge. Joyce Gelb and Marian Lief Palley. 1996. Women and Public Policies : Reassessing Gender Politics. Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia. Joya Misra and Frances Akins. 1998. “The Welfare State and Women: Structure, Agency, and Diversity.” Social Politics. 5:259-285. Ann Shola Orloff. 1993. “Gender and the Social Rights of Citizenship.” American Sociological Review 58: 303-28. Ann Shola Orloff. 1996. “Gender in the Welfare State.” Annual Review of Sociology. 22: 51-78. Gillian Pascall. 1997. “Social Policy: A Feminist Critique.” Pp. 1-29 in Social Policy: A New Feminist Analysis. London: Routledge. Diane Sainsbury. 1994. “Women’s and Men’s Social Right: Gendering Dimensions of Welfare States.” Pp. 150-169 in D. Sainsbury’s Gendering Welfare States. London: Sage. Virgina Sapiro. 1990. “The Gender Basis of American Social Policy.” Pp. 36-54 in L. Gordon’s Women, the State, and Welfare. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. Fiona Williams. 1995. “Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Class in Welfare States: A Framework for Comparative Analysis.” Social Politics. 2:127-159. Elizabeth Wilson. 1977. Women and the Welfare State. London: Tavistock Publications.
February 9: Gender & Labor Force Participation
Julia S. O’Connor, Ann Shola Orloff, and Sheila Shaver. 1999. “The Labour Market and Social Policy.” Pp. 66-78 in States, Markets, Families. New York: Cambridge University Press. Alan Siaroff. 1994. “Work, Welfare, and Gender Equality: A New Typology.” Pp. 82-100 in D. Sainsbury’s Gendering Welfare States. London: Sage. Ping-Chun Hsiung. 1996. “Taiwan’s Economic Miracle” and “‘Living Rooms as Factories’: Women, the State, and Taiwan’s Economic Development.” Pp. 23-63 in Living Rooms as Factories. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Jean Pyle. 1990. “Export-Led Development and the Underemployment of Women: The Impact of Discriminatory Development Policy in the Republic of Ireland.” Pp. 85-112 in K. Ward’s (ed.)Women Workers and Global Restructuring. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Recommended Readings: Randy Albeda & Chris Tilly. 1997. Glass Ceilings and Bottomless Pits. Boston, MA: South End Press. Rae Lesser Blumberg. 1994. “Women’s Work, Wealth, and Family Survival Strategy.” Pp. 117-141 in E. N. Chow and C. W. Berheide’s Women, the Family, and Policy: A Global Perspective. Albany: SUNY Press. Sue Ellen M. Charlton, Jana Everett, Kathleen Staudt. (eds.). 1989. Women, the State, and Development. Albany: SUNY. M. Margaret Conway, David W. Ahern, and Gertrude A. Steuernagel. 1999. “Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.” Pp. 67-98 Women & Public Policy: A Revolution in Progress. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. Cynthia Deitch, Thomas C. Nowak, and Kay A. Snyder. 1991. “Manufacturing Job Loss Among Blue-Collar Women: As Assessment of Data and Policy.” Pp. 33-65 in M. L. Kendrigan’s Gender Differences: Their Impact on Policy. New York: Greenwood Press. Nancy Fraser. 1994. “After the Family Wage: Gender Equity and the Welfare State.” Political Theory. 22:. 591-618 Hobson, Barbara. 1993. “Feminist Strategies and Gendered Discourses in Welfare States: Married Women’s Right to Work in the US and Sweden.” Pp. 396-429 in S. Koven and S. Michel’s (eds.) Mothers of a New World. NY: Routledge. Irena E. Kotowska. 1995. “Discrimination against Women in the Labor Market in Poland During the Transition to a Market Economy.” Social Politics. 2: 76-90. Sonya Michel. 1993. “The Limits of Maternalism: Policies toward American Wage-Earning Mothers during the Progressive Era.” Pp. 277-320 in S. Koven and S. Michel’s Mothers of a New World: Maternalist Politics and the Origins of Welfare State. New York: Routledge. Ruth Milkman. 1986. “Women's History and the Sears Case.” Feminist Studies 12(2):375-400. Valentine Moghadem. 1999. “Gender and the Global Economy.” Pp. 128-160 in Revisioning Gender. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Gillian Pascall. 1997. “Family, Work, and the State.” Pp. 30-72 in Social Policy: A New Feminist Analysis. London: Routledge. Janneke Plantenga. 1996. “For Women Only? The Rise of Part-time Work in the Netherlands.” Social Politics. 3:57-71. Kathleen Staudt. 1998. “Women’s Work: Central to Economies.” Pp. 100-138 in Policy, Politics, & Gender. West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press. Kathryn Ward (ed.). 1990. Women Workers and Global Restructuring. Ithaca: ILR Press.
February 16: “Family-Friendly” Workplace Policies
Julia S. O’Connor, Ann Shola Orloff, and Sheila Shaver. 1999. “The Labour Market and Social Policy.” Pp. 78-108 in States, Markets, Families. New York: Cambridge University Press. Naomi Gerstel and Katherine McGonagle, 1999. “Job Leaves and the Limits of the Family and Medical Leave Act: The Effects of Gender, Race, and Family.” Work and Occupations. 26: 508- 533.
Joan Acker. 1994. “Women, Families, and Public Policy in Sweden.” Pp. 33-50 in E. N. Chow and C. W. Berheide’s Women, the Family, and Policy: A Global Perspective. Albany: SUNY. Janet Gornick, Marcia Meyers, and Katherin Ross. 1997. “Supporting the Employment of Mothers: Policy Variation Across Fourteen Countries.” Journal of European Social Policy. 7: 45-70. Barbara Bergmann. 1998. “Watch Out for ‘Family Friendly’ Policies.” Dollars & Sense. Jan/Feb, 215: 10-11.
Recommended Readings: Jennifer Glass and Jennifer L. Riley. 1998. “Family Responsive Policies and Employee Retention following Childbirth.” Social Forces. 76:1401-1435. Janet Gornick, Marcia Meyers, and Katherin Ross. 1998. “Public Policies and the Employment of Mothers: A Cross-National Study” Social Science Quarterly. 79: 35-54. Nancy R. Hooyman and Judith Gonyea. 1995. “A Feminist Critique of Family-Related Benefits in the Workplace” and “Gender Justice: Achieving a More Family-Responsive Workplace.” Pp. 210-233 and 291-317 in Feminist Perspectives on Family Care. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Gillian Pascall. 1997. “Caring.” Pp. 73-107 in Social Policy: A New Feminist Analysis. London: Routledge. Sonja Klueck Pearson. 1997. "Policy Innovation in a Cold Climate: The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993." Journal of Family Issues, January, pp. 30-54. Lise Vogel. 1993. Mothers on the Job: Maternity Policy in the U.S. Workplace. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers U Press. Lise Vogel. 1995. “Considering Difference: The Case of the U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.” Social Politics. 2:111-120.
March 1: Child Care Policy
Sonya Michel. 1998. “Childcare and Welfare (Injustice). Feminist Studies. 24: 44-54. Sonya Michel. 1999. “American Child Care in Comparative Perspective.” Pp. 281-297 in Children’s Interests/Mother’s Rights. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Mary Tuominen. 1997. “Exploitation or Opportunity? The Contradictions of Child Care Policy in the Contemporary United States.” Women and Politics. 18(1): 53-80. Lucy Hudson and Susan Latts Vlodaver. 1994. “A Season in the Sun: the Massachusetts Day Care Partnership Project.” Pp. 239-263 in F. H. Jacobs and M. W. Davies’ More Than Kissing Babies. Westport, CT: Auburn House. Chin-Chun Yi. 1994. “Childcare Arrangements of Employment Mothers in Taiwan.” Pp. 235-254 in E. N. Chow and C. W. Berheide’s Women, the Family, and Policy: A Global Perspective. Albany: SUNY Press.
Recommended Readings: Carol Lee Bacchi. 1999. “Child Care Policy: Who Gains?” Pp. 130-147 in Women, Policy, and Politics. London: Sage. Barbara R. Bergmann. 1999. “Making Child Care ‘Affordable’ in the United States.” Social Politics. 6: 245-262. Jet Bussemaker. 1998. “Rationales of Care in Contemporary Welfare States: The Case of Childcare in the Netherlands.” Social Politics. 5: 70-96. M. Margaret Conway, David W. Ahern, and Gertrude A. Steuernagel. 1999. “Women and Childcare.” Pp. 149-175 in Women & Public Policy: A Revolution in Progress. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. Siv Gustaffson. 1994. “Childcare and Types of Welfare States.” Pp. 45-61 in D. Sainsbury’s Gendering Welfare States. London: Sage. Rianne Mahon. 1997. “Child Care in Canada and Sweden: Policy and Politics.” Social Politics. 4: 382-418. Sonya Michel. 1999. Children’s Interests/Mother’s Rights. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Arnlaug Leira. “Caring as a Social Right: Cash for Child Care and Daddy Leave.” Social Politics. 5:362-378.
Ellen Reese. 1996. “Maternalism and Political Mobilization: How California's Postwar Child Care Campaign Was Won.” Gender and Society. 10: 566-89 Lynet Uttal and Mary Tuominen. 1999. “Tenuous Relationships: Exploitation, Emotion, and Racial Ethnic Significance in Paid Child Care Work.” Gender & Society. 13: 758-780.
March 8: Gender and Social Welfare Policy
Nancy Folbre. 1994. “”Northwestern Europe,” “The United States”, “Latin America and the Caribbean,” “Conclusion.” Pp. 132-262 in Who Pays for the Kids? New York: Routledge, Julia S. O’Connor, Ann Shola Orloff, and Sheila Shaver. 1999. “Social Rights Versus Gender Stratification and Gender Power?” Pp. 109-156 in States, Markets, Families. New York: Cambridge University Press. Sheila B. Kamerman. 1995. “Gender Role and Family Structure Changes in the Advanced Industrialized West: Implications for Social Policy.” Pp. 231-256 in K. McFate, R. Lawson, and W. J. Wilson’s Poverty, Inequality, and the Future of Social Policy. NY: Russell Sage.
Recommended Readings: Gisela Bock and Pat Thane (eds.). 1991. Maternity and Gender Policies. New York: Routledge. Seth Koven and Sonya Michel (eds.) 1993. Mothers of a New World. New York: Routledge. Jane Lewis. 1991. “Models of Equality for Women: the Case of State Support for Children in Twentieth-Century Britain.” Pp. 73-92 in G, Bock and P. Thane’s Maternity and Gender Policies. New York: Routledge. Ann-Sofie Ohlander. 1991. “The Invisible Child? The Struggle for a Social Democratic Family Policy in Sweden, 1900-1960s.” Pp. 60-72 in G. Bock and P. Thane’s Maternity and Gender Policies. New York: Routledge. Gillian Pascall. 1997. “Poverty and Social Security.” Pp. 198-233 in Social Policy: A New Feminist Analysis. London: Routledge. Anne-Leis Seip and Hilde Ibsen. 1991. “Family Welfare, Which Policy? Norway’s Road to Child Allowances.” Pp. 40-59 in G. Bock and P. Thane’s Maternity and Gender Policies. New York: Routledge.
March 22: Gender and Social Welfare Policy in the United States
Gwendolyn Mink. 1990. “The Lady and the Tramp: Gender, Race, and the Origins of the American Welfare State.” Pp. 92-122 in L. Gordon’s Women, the State, and Welfare. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. Gwendolyn Mink. 1998. “The Lady and the Tramp (II): Feminist Welfare Politics, Poor Single Mothers, and the Challenge of Welfare Justice.” Feminist Studies. 24: 55-64. Gwendolyn Mink. 1998. Welfare’s End. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Recommended Readings: Mimi Abramovitz. 1988. Regulating the Lives of Women. Boston: South End. Diane Dujon and Ann Withorn. 1996. For Crying Out Loud: Women’s Poverty in the United States. Boston: South End. Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein. 1997. Making Ends Meet : How Single Mothers Survive Welfare and Low-wage Work. New York: Russell Sage. Linda Gordon (ed.) 1990. Women, the State, and Welfare. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. Nancy R. Hooyman and Judith Gonyea. 1995. “A Feminist Critique of America’s Family Policy.” Pp. 163 in 182 in Feminist Perspectives on Family Care. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Alice Kessler-Harris. 1995. “Designing Women and Old Fools: The Construction of the Social Securitty Amendments of 1939.” Pp. 87-106 in L. K. Kerber, A. Kessler-Harris, and K. K. Sklar’s U.S. History as Women's History : New Feminist Essays . Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina. Molly Ladd-Taylor. 1994. Mother-Work: Women, Child Welfare, and the State, 1890-1930. Urbana: U of Illnois Press.
Suzanne Mettler. 1998. Dividing Citizens : Gender and Federalism in New Deal Public Policy. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Gwendolyn Mink, ed. 1999. Whose Welfare? Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Gwendolyn Mink. 1995. The Wages of Motherhood: Inequality in the Welfare State. 1917-1942. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Jill Quadagno. 1990.“Race, Class, and Gender in the U.S. Welfare State: Nixon's Failed Family Assistance Plan.” American Sociological Review 55:11-28. Theda Skocpol. 1992. Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
March 29: Social Welfare Policy for Lone Mothers
Jane Lewis and Barbara Hobson. 1997. “Introduction.” Pp. 1-20 in J. Lewis’ Lone Mothers in European Welfare State Regimes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Ilona Ostner. 1997. “Lone Mothers in Germany Before and After Unification.” Pp. 21-49 in J. Lewis’ Lone Mothers in European Welfare State Regimes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Jane Lewis. 1997. “Lone Mothers: the British Case.” Pp. 50-75 in J. Lewis’ Lone Mothers in European Welfare State Regimes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Barbara Hobson and Mieko Takahashi. 1997. “The Parent-Worker Model: Lone Mothers in Sweden.” Pp. 121-139 in J. Lewis’ Lone Mothers in European Welfare State Regimes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Franca Bimbi. 1997. “Lone Mothers in Italy: A Hidden and Embarrassing Issue in a Familist Welfare Regime.” Pp. 171-202 in J. Lewis’ Lone Mothers in European Welfare State Regimes. London: Jessica Kingsley. Sara McLanahan and Irwin Garfinkel. 1995. “Single-Mother Families and Social Policy: Lessons for the United States from Canada, France, and Sweden.” Pp. 367-383 in K. McFate, R. Lawson, and W. J. Wilson’s Poverty, Inequality, and the Future of Social Policy. NY: Russell Sage.
Recommended Readings: Mimi Abramovitz. 1996. Under Attack, Fighting Back. New York: Monthly Review Press. Lisa Brush. 1997. “Worthy Widows, Welfare Cheats: Proper Womanhood in Expert Needs Talk about Single Mothers in the United States, 1900 to 1988.” Social Politics. 11: 720-746. Simon Duncan and Ros Edwards. 1996. “Lone Mothers and Paid Work: Neighborhoods, Local Labor Markets,and Welfare State Regimes.” Social Politics. 3:193-222. Linda Gordon. 1994. Pitied but Not Entitled. New York: Free Press. Barbara Hobson. 1994. “Solo Mothers, Social Policy Regimes, and the Logics of Gender.” Pp. 170- 187 in Diane Sainsbury’s Gendering Welfare States. London: Sage. Trudie Knijn. 1994. “Fish Without Bikes: Revision of the Dutch Welfare State and Its Consequences for the (In)Deendence of Single Mothers.” Social Politics. 1: 83-105. Nadine Lefaucheur. 1995. “French Policies Toward Lone Parents: Social Categories and Social Policies.” Pp. 257-289 in K. McFate, R. Lawson, and W. J. Wilson’s Poverty, Inequality, and the Future of Social Policy. NY: Russell Sage. Millar, Jane. 1996. “Mothers, Workers, and Wives: Comparing Policy Approaches to Supporting Lone Mothers.” In Good Enough Mothering? Feminist Perspectives on Lone Mothering. London: Routledge. Renee Monson. 1997. “State-ing Sex and Gender: Collecting Information from Mothers and Fathers in Paternity Cases.” Gender & Society. 11: 279-295. Siv Gustaffson. 1995. “Single Mothers in Sweden: Why is Poverty Less Severe?” Pp. 291-325 in K. McFate, R. Lawson, and W. J. Wilson’s Poverty, Inequality, and the Future of Social Policy. New York: Russell Sage. Ruth Rose. 1995. “Lone Parents: The Canadian Experience.” Pp. 327-365 in K. McFate, R. Lawson, and W. J. Wilson’s Poverty, Inequality, and the Future of Social Policy. New York: Russell Sage. Mary L. Shanley. 1997. “Father’s Rights, Mother’s Wrongs? Reflections on Unwed Fathers’ Rights and Sex Equality.” Pp. 95-124 in P. Di Quinzio and I. M. Young’s Feminist Ethics and Social Policy. Bloomington, IN: Indiana U Press.
April 5: Gender, Reproduction, and Policy -- Teen Mothers
Kristin Luker. 1997. Dubious Conceptions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Deborah Rhode. 1993. “Adolescent Pregnancy and Public Policy.” Pp. 301-335 in A. Lawson and D. L. Rhode’s The Politics of Pregnancy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Ann Phoenix. 1993. “The Social Construction of Teenage Motherhood: A Black and White Issue?” Pp. 74-97 in A. Lawson and D. L. Rhode’s The Politics of Pregnancy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Frank Furstenberg. 1998. “When Will Teenage Childbearing Become a Problem? The Implications of Western Experience for Developing Countries.” Studies in Family Planning. 29: 246-253.
Recommended Readings: Elaine Bell Kaplan. 1997. Not Our Kind of Girl: Unraveling the Myths of Black Teenage Motherhood. Berkeley: University of California Press. Annette Lawson and Deborah L. Rhode (eds.). 1993. The Politics of Pregnancy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Sally McIntyre and Sarah Cunningham-Burley. 1993. “Teenage Pregnancy as a Social Problem: A Perspective from the United Kingdom.” Pp. 59-73 in A. Lawson and D. L. Rhode’s The Politics of Pregnancy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Diana M. Pearce. 1993. “ Children Having Children’: Teenage Pregnancy and Public Policy from the Woman’s Perspective.” Pp.46-58 in A. Lawson and D. L. Rhode’s The Politics of Pregnancy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Judith Taylor. 1999. “Case X: Irish Reproductive Policy and European Influence.” Social Politics. 6: 203-229.
April 12: NO CLASS (Work on Final Paper)
April 19: Gender, Reproduction, and Policy -- Reproductive Choice
Julia S. O’Connor, Ann Shola Orloff, and Sheila Shaver. 1999. “Body Rights, Social Rights, and Reproductive Choice.” Pp. 157-185 in States, Markets, Families. New York: Cambridge University Press. Mirjana Morokvasic.1984. “Sexuality and the Control of Procreation.” Pp. 193-209 in K. Young, C. Wolkowitz, and R. McCullagh’s Of Marriage and the Market. Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Esther Ngan-Ling Chow and Kevin Chen. 1994. “The Impact of the One-Child Policy on Women and the Patriarchal Family in the People’s Republic of China.” Pp. 71-98 in E. N. Chow and C. W. Berheide’s Women, the Family, and Policy: A Global Perspective. Albany: SUNY Press. Jane S. Jaquette, and Kathleen A. Staudt.1988. “Politics, Population, and Gender: A Feminist Analysis of US Population Policy in the Third World.” Pp. 214-234 in The Political Interests of Gender: Developing Theory and Research with a Feminist Face edited by K. B. Jones and A. G. Jónasdóttir, eds. Newbury Park: Sage. Jana Everett. 1998. “Indian Feminist Debate the Efficacy of Policy Reform: The Maharashtra Ban on Sex-Determination Tests.” Social Politics. 5:314-337.
Recommended Reading Gisela Bock and Pat Thane (eds.). 1991. Maternity and Gender Policies. New York: Routledge. Gabriele Czarnowski. 1997. “Hereditary and Racial Welfare (Erb- und Rassenpflege): The Politics of Sexuality and Reproduction of Nazi Germany.” Social Politics. 4:114-135. Delia Davin. 1987. “Gender and Population in the People's Republic of China.” Pp. 111-129 in H. Afshar’s Women, State, and Ideology: Studies from Africa and Asia. Albany: State University of New York. Ruth Dixon-Mueller. 1990. “Abortion Policy and Women’s Health in Developing Countries.” International Journal of Health Services. 20: 297-314.
Faye D Ginsburg. 1989. Contested Lives: The Abortion Debate in an American Community. Berkeley: University of California Press. Carole Joffe. 1986. The Regulation of Sexuality. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Alisa Klaus. 1993. “Depopulation and Race Suicide: Maternalism and Pronatalist Ideologies in France and the United States.” Pp. 188-212 in S. Koven and S. Michel’s Mothers of a New World. New York: Routledge. Molly Ladd-Taylor. 1998. “Saving Babies and Sterilizing Mothers: Eugenics and Welfare Politics in the Interwar United States.” Social Politics. 4: 137-155. Petra Liljestrand. 1995. “Legitimate State and Illegitimate Parents: Donor Insemination Politics in Sweden.” Social Politics. 2: 270-304. Kristen Luker. 1984. Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood: The State, Sexuality, and Reproductive Freedom. New York: Longman Eva Maleck-Lewy. 1995. “Between Self-Determination and State Supervision: Women and the Abortion Law in Post-Unification Germany.” Social Politics. 2: 62-75. Rosalind Pollack Petcheskey. 1990. Abortion and Woman's Choice: The State, Sexuality, and Reproductive Freedom. Boston: Northeastern University Press. Carol Smart. 1989. “Law, Power, and Women's Bodies.” Pp. 90-113 in Feminism and the Power of Law. London: Routledge. Rickie Solinger (ed.). 1998. Abortion Wars. Berkeley: University of California Press.
April 26: Gender & Activism: the United States & Europe
Nancy Naples. 1998. Grassroots Warriors : Activist Mothering, Community Work, and the War on Poverty. New York: Routledge. Jane Jenson. 1995. ‘Extending the Boundaries of Citizenship: Women’s Movements of Western Europe. “ Pp. 405-434 in A. Basu’s The Challenge of Local Feminisms. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Recommended Reading: Gisela Bock and Pat Thane (eds.). 1991. Maternity and Gender Policies. New York: Routledge. Ann Bookman and Sandra Morgen (eds.). 1988. Women and the Politics of Empowerment. Philadelphia, Penn.:Temple University Press. Eileen Boris. 1993. “The Power of Motherhood: Black and White Activist Women Redefine the ‘Political’.” Pp. 213-245 in Seth Koven and Sonya Michel’s Mothers of a New World. New York: Routledge. Myra Marx Ferree. 1995. “Patriarchies and Feminisms: The Two Women’s Movements of Post- Unification Germany.” Social Politics. 2:10-24. Barbara Hobson. 1998. Women’s Collective Agency, Power Resources, and Citizenship Rights.In Recasting Citizenship, edited by M. Hanagan and C. Tilly. Boston: Rowen and Littlefield. Joya Misra. 1998. “Mothers or Workers? The Value of Unpaid Labor.” Gender & Society. 12: 376- 399. Julia S. O’Connor, Ann Shola Orloff, and Sheila Shaver. 1999. “Liberalism, Gendered Policy Logics and Mobilisation.” Pp. 185-237 in States, Markets, Families. New York: Cambridge University Press. Birte Siim. 1994. “Engendering Democracy: Social Citizenship and Political Participation for Women in Scandinavia.” Social Politics. 1: 286-305. Dorothy McBride Stetson and Amy G. Mazur. 1995. Comparative State Feminism. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Louise Tilly. 1995. “Paths of Proletarianization: Organization of Production, Sexual Division of Labor, and Women’s Collective Action.” Pp. 127-144 in Barbara Laslett, Johanna Brenner, and Yesim Arat’s Rethinking the Political. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
May 3: Gender & Activism: Global Perspectives
Radha Kumar. 1995. “From Chipko to Sati: The Contemporary Indian Women’s Movement.” Pp. 58-86 in A. Basu’s The Challenge of Local Feminisms. Boulder, CO: Westview. Wilhemina Oduol, Wanjiku Mukabi Kabira. 1995. “The Mother of Warriors and Her Daughters.” Pp. 187-208 in A. Basu’s The Challenge of Local Feminisms. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Cecilia Blondet. 1995. “Out of the Kitchens and Into the Streets: Women’s Activism in Peru.” Pp. 251-275 in A. Basu’s The Challenge of Local Feminisms. Boulder, CO: Westview. Anastasai Posadskaya. 1995. “Democracy without Women is No Democracy.” Pp. 351-373 in A. Basu’s The Challenge of Local Feminisms. Boulder, CO: Westview. Malathi De Alwis. 1998. “Motherhood as a Space of Protest.” Pp. 185-201 in P. Jeffery and A. Basu’s Appropriating Gender. New York: Routledge. Joseph L. Scarpaci. 1993. “Empowerment Strategies of Poor Urban Women Under Chilean Dictatorship.” Pp. 33-50 in M. Turshen and B. Holcomb’s Women’s Lives and Public Policy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Recommended Reading: Afshar, Haleh (ed.) 1998. Women and Empowerment : Illustrations from the Third World. New York: McMillan. Margot Badran. 1994. “Gender Activism: Feminists and Islamists in Egypt.” Pp. 202-227 in Valentine Moghadem’s Identity Politics and Women. Boulder, CO: Westview. Amrita Basu. 1992. Two Faces of Protest : Contrasting Modes of Women's Activism in India. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. M.M. Charrad. 1997. “Policy Shifts: State, Islam, and Gender in Tunisia, 1930s-1990s.” Social Politics. 4:284-319. Jane Jaquette. 1994. “Women’s Movements and the Challenge of Democratic Politics in Latin America.” 1: 335-340. Patricia Jeffery and Amrita Basu (eds.). 1998. Appropriating Gender. New York: Routledge. Karen Kampwirth. 1996. “Confronting Adversity with Experience: the Emergence of Feminism in Nicaragua.” Social Politics. 3: 136-158. Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Ann Russo, and Lourdes Torres (eds.). 1991. Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press. Maxine Molyneux. 1985. “Mobilization Without Emancipation? Women's Interests, the State, and Revolution in Nicaragua.” Feminist Studies 11(2):227-254. Gay Seidman. 1995. “’No Freedom without the Women’: Mobilization and Gender in South Africa,1970-1992.” Pp. 210-239 in Barbara Laslett, Johanna Brenner, and Yesim Arat’s Rethinking the Political. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
May 10: Bringing it All Together: Paper Presentations
In this final class session, all of the participants will have 5 minutes to present (briefly) their papers to the class. Presentations should focus on the major arguments and empirical evidence (if appropriate); other class members will then have the opportunity to ask questions about the paper.
Guidelines for Leading Class Discussion
You will be in charge of leading discussion of the course material for one week of class during the semester, either alone or with another student. You can structure discussion in any number of ways. However there are two elements that all discussion leaders must address: you should aim for equitable participation from class members; and you must provide discussion questions to class members the week in advance (the Friday before the class session you organize).
Many discussion leaders prefer to begin class by reviewing the required reading for the week. This review should raise specific questions and issues for the week, and relate the material to previous readings and class discussions. This is a fine strategy, but your summary should not take more than 5 minutes. Longer summaries take away from discussion of the material. Your job is not to lecture, but to lead discussion about the material. This discussion will lead to a clearer understanding of the readings, or at least a clearer understanding of the complexity of the readings.
The discussion leader must take a strong role, to ensure that the discussion covers the material, and that there is equity and continuity in the discussion. One of the major concerns in leading discussion is to ensure that the environment is secure enough for people to ask questions and become involved. Discussion leaders should be vigilant about maintaining equitable participation. Here are some ideas for how to start and sustain discussion and involve all class members in the discussion (taken from Peter Frederick’s “The Dreaded Discussion”)10:
• Ask students to describe the primary value of the reading, and how it relates to overall course goals. • Ask students to compare this reading to previous readings. • Ask students to state one concrete image or moment from the texts that stands out for each student. Ask if any themes emerge from these images. • Ask students to read aloud a quotation from the reading that they like, or dislike, or that illustrates the main thesis of the reading, or that was simply difficult to make sense of. • Ask each student to raise one or two questions that s/he has about the readings.
I will evaluate discussion-leading using the following form. Leading discussion makes up 15% of your grade. Another 15% of your grade will reflect your participation in class discussion.
10 Peter Frederick. 1981. “The Dreaded Discussion: Ten Ways to Start.” College Teaching. 29(3): 109-114.
Is the class session organized well?
- Relates material to previous course readings 1 2 3 4 5
- Provides internal summaries and transitions 1 2 3 4 5
- Maintains continuity in the discussion 1 2 3 4 5
- Summarizes and distills main points at end of class 1 2 3 4 5
- Paces class session appropriately 1 2 3 4 5
How is the substantive content discussed?
- Presents background information for ideas 1 2 3 4 5
- Explains difficult terms 1 2 3 4 5
- Integrates readings into discussion 1 2 3 4 5
- Helps clarifies material/corrects misunderstandings 1 2 3 4 5
Is the discussion leader credible in her/his role? Does s/he present the material well?
- Appears well-prepared 1 2 3 4 5
- Understands the material 1 2 3 4 5
- Is able to admit insufficient knowledge 1 2 3 4 5
- Speaks audibly and clearly 1 2 3 4 5
- Communicates enthusiasm 1 2 3 4 5
How is the discussion leader’s rapport with the other class members?
- Encourages equitable participation 1 2 3 4 5
- Encourages class members to respond to one another 1 2 3 4 5
- Requires class members’ thought and participation 1 2 3 4 5
- Responds constructively to class members 1 2 3 4 5
- Treats members equitably 1 2 3 4 5
- Recognizes when others are confused 1 2 3 4 5
- Shows respect for others’ viewpoints/criticisms 1 2 3 4 5
- Requires respect between class members 1 2 3 4 5
Guidelines for Reviews
Two short papers responding to materials covered in the readings are required for this course. In these 3-5 page (double-spaced, typed) papers, you will discuss and critically evaluate one of the assigned readings for which you have not led discussion. The first is due March 1, the second April 12. I’d encourage you to turn in these papers at any earlier point during the semester.
You may think of these short papers as critical reviews of the material. Although you can choose either a book, article, or group of articles to focus on in your review, reading book reviews in Contemporary Sociology or Gender and Society may give you an idea of how to organize your review. Two book reviews are attached.
A critical evaluation of the material should consist of a brief summary of the author(s)’ main thesis, a paragraph placing this author within the larger context of the readings we have done, and a critical evaluation of the arguments the author makes. You should evaluate the material in terms of the author’s ability to present well-supported, sound arguments. In my evaluation of these reviews, I will consider whether you convey an understanding of the material you review, whether your argument and critique of the material is systematic and convincing, and your writing style.
Guidelines for Final Papers
The major requirement for this class is the final course paper. In this paper, you should do systematic research on a topic that relates to gender and social policy. You may write a detailed review of a specific literature, or write a research proposal, or engage in original research on this topic. Final paper topics should be discussed with me and submitted by March 1. Rough drafts of the paper are due April 12. No grades will be given these drafts, but 10% will be deducted from the final grade if a draft is not submitted. The final version of the paper is due May 10. The paper should be typed, double-spaced, and between 15-20 pages. The paper makes up 40% of your final grade. Papers are evaluated using the following criteria:
(1) Your introduction should clearly state your topic (in the form a question you answer, a hypothesis you test, or an argument you advance). This introduction should also capture the reader’s interest, and provide a clear explanation for why studying this topic is important.
(2) You must provide a comprehensive review of the relevant literature. This review should place your work in its context in a meaningful way. In addition, this section should indicate that you understand the arguments you utilize, and their place within the field.
(3) If you actually present or propose empirical research on the topic, the methodological adequacy of the paper will be considered. Did you employ the correct methodological techniques? Are you aware of possible shortcomings in your method and analysis, or in the method you propose to use? If you present research findings, are they clear? Do they answer the research question with which you initiated the study?
(4) You should briefly summarize the findings of the paper in the conclusions, pointing out any serious flaws and implications of the research, and suggesting future research based on this work. The conclusion should also restate why this work is important.
(5) Your paper should make a contribution to knowledge in the field. Does it increase our knowledge about gender and social policy, or resolve inconsistencies in the field, or suggest new research directions? If you write an extended literature review for the course paper, you still need to do a review that is original and useful.
(6) Your paper should be written well. A research paper should convey the ideas that you wish to present in a clear and convincing manner. Irrelevant information should be eliminated, and information that is not crucial to the argument should be footnoted. The paper also needs to flow clearly, relating one paragraph to the next, and providing transitions between paragraphs and sections.
(7) Your paper should have gone through several rounds of revision. Revision is the key difference between a “B” and an “A” paper. Two papers can be well conceptualized, theoretically sophisticated, and methodologically well executed, and yet if the first was never revised, it may be noticeably inferior to the second. Try to finish the paper at least a week before it is due. Then spend time revising -- reorganizing your argument, clearing up fuzzy concepts, and fixing spelling and grammatical errors.
Shari L. Dworkin SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER AND SPORT
Course Description
Because sport is often viewed as “separate” from the rest of society, or as an arena of “leisure” or “fun,” it escapes critical inquiry. Yet, sport is a multibillion dollar industry that plays a central role in reproducing relations of inequality/privilege and carries immense cultural, structural, political, and ideological importance nationally and globally. In North American culture, sports is one of the primary institutions through which gender ideologies are produced, contested, and embodied. In this course, we will pay special attention to how gender shapes and is shaped by sport. We will examine the modern history of sport in the United States, highlight how sport and gender are mutually reinforcing, and critically examine sport as a site of gender, race, class, and sexuality inequality. Some specific topics include: violence, injury, Title IX and its impact on women’s and men’s sports team funding, the triad of women’s sports (eating disorders, amenorrhea, and exercise compulsion), media coverage of women and men in sport, the myth of female frailty, bodybuilding, and changes in women’s sports participation and performance. In this course, you will be expected to engage in analytical and critical thinking, challenge taken for granted understandings about the social world, and develop skills to better evaluate popular sources of information about gender and sport. This course will also aid you in developing greater respect and appreciation for a range of debates and theoretical approaches to the study of gender and sport (feminist, postmodern, queer). In addition to class lecture, we will have discussions, large class debates, films, small group exercises, and an occasional guest lecturer.
Required Texts (all available at Huntley): Messner, Michael A., and Don Sabo. (1990). Sport, Men, and the Gender Order: Critical Feminist Perspectives.
Cahn, Susan. (1994). Gender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Women’s Sport.
Heywood, Leslie. (1998). Pretty Good For A Girl: An Athlete’s Story
Ryan, Joan. (2000). Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters.
Messner, Michael A. (1992). Power at Play: Sports and the Problem of Masculinity.
Dowling, Collette. (2000). The Frailty Myth: Women Approaching Physical Equality
Benedict, Jeff (1997). Public Heros, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women. There is no course packet, but there will be definitely be several handouts, some of which include: (Women’s Sports Foundation Title IX Report Card, AAF Gender and Media Study, Dworkin & Wachs,“The Morality/Manhood Paradox: Masculinity, Sport, and the Media,” 3 articles from Olympic Issue from JSSI, Dworkin & Messner, “Just Do What?” from Revisioning Gender, Bartky on “disciplining” fit female bodies)
Resources on Gender and Sport:
I encourage you and challenge you to continually tap into a variety of exciting, wonderful resources on gender and sport, particularly from a sociological and historical perspective. Please use the libraries on campus to examine or order articles from SSJ–The Sociology of Sport Journal, JSH- The Journal of Sport History, JSSI–The Journal of Sport and Social Issues, IRSS-International Review of Sport Sociology. Think about calling or visiting The Amateur Athletic Foundation (AAF) at 2141 West Adams Street in Los Angeles which has an incredible sport library. Or, goto the AAF website at www.afla.com. Two other “must see” resources are the Women’s Sports Foundation -- www.womenssportsfoundation.org, and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota: www.kls.umn.edu/crgws.
Academic Honesty: Violations of academic honesty as defined by the university will not be tolerated and will be referred directly to formal institutional channels. Please review the academic dishonesty policies of the University and see me if you do not understand it.
Course Requirements: Attendance and Participation: Your attendance and participation will be crucial to your success in this course. If you miss more than two classes without an excused absence, your attendance and participation grade will be negatively affected. F’s are assigned for your attendance and participation grade if you have five or more unexcused absences. There is a lot of reading assigned for this course and it is vital that you keep up. It is also vital that you discuss these subjects in class, and that you hear your peers describe, analyze, question, compare, and synthesize readings. Please read the assigned readings before you come to class. It is critical that you spend solid amounts of time on the readings to keep up with the information covered in this course. If you are having difficulty understanding concepts or readings, please do not hesitate to ask questions, e-mail me, stop by my office hours, or set up special office hour or phone time. Do not wait to understand concepts, assignments, etc--ask when you have a question–or shortly thereafter. My availability will not be an issue.
A Note: Please do not buy into the professor-as- mystical myth and allow such a myth to keep you away from vital contact with your professor. Remember that I am accessible and available to you. I want you to know that I am happy to guide, discuss, and develop your intellectual and personal interests as they relate to sport and gender.
Assignments: There will be three papers for the class, a group presentation, and a midterm. Since there are “only” three papers assigned, make sure you spend adequate time doing a rigorous and thorough job.
Paper One-- Book Review and Reaction Paper: Each student must write a book review (approximately 5 pages)–on one of the required reading texts for the course (Heywood, Cahn, and Messner/Sabo books are exempt from review), and one must be a book outside the course (list attached at end of syllabus, or book negotiated in conjunction with the professor). The book review should include a) a basic statement of the thesis of the book b) descriptive coverage of major themes or points c) reactions to the arguments presented d) critical analysis of the argument (How well does the author make their point? What criticisms do you have of the book–whether theoretical, methodological, or otherwise) e) How does the book speak to
other themes you learned about in this course or other courses? Book Review is due on the Friday in which it appears on the syllabus.
Paper Two– Critical Media Analysis of Film: In this 5 page paper, you will critically think through and examine gender ideologies in a feature film that is considered sport media. A list of movie examples is included at the end of the syllabus, but is not meant to be exhastive. You should use ideas from class and readings so as to analyze the gender representations in the film (How are women and men represented? Are women presented as “inferior” and men as “superior?” Are black men considered superior to white men (e.g. white men can’t jump)? Are women sexualized and trivialized or valued for their athletic performances? Are women/men shown in only certain sports? Do the representations and verbal dialogues you see reinforce or challenge hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity? Both? How?) . Emphasize specific examples or incidents of dialogue to make your points. Due Date: After we finish covering gender, sport, media (Friday of Week 10)
Paper Three: Literature Review and Simulated Grant Proposal -- DUE last day of class This should be paper that is approximately 8-10 pages which chooses a social problem of your choice in the area of gender and sport. Use at least 3 outside sources (academic journal articles and books only–no websites, newspaper or magazine articles for these 3 sources, although these can be used as additional sources). What is the social problem? What literature has already been written on this issue? What are the theoretical issues that make up the debates on this aspect of gender inequality in sport? Think of some possible proposed solutions for social change, whether through social policy or otherwise. Who/what organizations might be involved in your proposal for social change? Pretend you are sending this to a formal organization as a request for funding and make a case as to 1) importance of the social problem 2) the need for funding for implementing your policy requests 3) implications of the problem for various social groups 4) implications of the solutions you propose (how might women or men be “helped” or “hurt” by your suggestions? any irony in these?). Make sure you integrate course concepts into your framing of the issue or to make policy suggestions. Paper is due on Friday May 4.
Group Panel Presentations: There will be four student led panel presentations during the course of the semester. Please sign up for one panel presentation topic on an area of interest. A sign-up sheet will be passed around the second week of class. For each panel, you will be asked organize a presentation based on the ideas and debates in the text (you should also use other readings and/or discussion, lecture, film materials from the class). You are encouraged to be creative when you present–for example, you can make up a skit with characters and play these out to represent the debates. You can use film clips, newspaper clippings, etc. You should also be prepared to facilitate a class discussion on the text after presenting the materials. The group presentation should end with 5- 7 solid discussion questions written by the group. Each presentation, including the questions and discussion, should cover the duration of the class. Each group should meet once with the professor before their presentation, and should hand in the discussion questions prior to the day of the presentation. Please note: you will likely have to read course texts and other materials in advance of the date of coverage on the syllabus, so plan ahead.
Evaluation for the course will come from the following:
Paper One: 10%
Paper Two: 15% Paper Three: 20% Midterm and Final: 25% Presentation: 15% Class Participation and Attendance: 15%
Changes to the syllabus: Adjustments may need to be made to the syllabus. Students are responsible for any changes made to the syllabus. If you miss class, make sure no changes were made that day.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
PART ONE: THEORETICAL AND HISTORICAL ORIENTATIONS
Week One: Introduction to Gender and Sport: Wednesday January 17, Friday January 19 Welcome/Overview/Introductions/Syllabus Review How might sociology contribute to an understanding of gender and sport? The Inter-relationship between Sport and Gender Begin Theoretical Perspectives on Power in Sport: Pluralist, Marxist, Hegemony, and Feminist
Readings: Messner & Sabo–Introduction, pps. 1-15, “Towards a Critical Feminist Reappraisal Of Sport, Men, and the Gender Order and Ch 18, Hall, pps 223-239 “How Should We Theorize Gender in the Context of Sport?”
Week Two: Finish Theoretical Perspectives (con’t) Monday January 22, Wednesday January 24, Friday, January 26 Theories and History of Sport and Gender Relations-Masculinity Readings: Messner & Sabo: Ch 1, Whitson, pps 19-30, “Sport in the Social Construction of Masculinity,” Ch 3, Crosset, pps 45-54, “Masculinity, Sexuality, and the Development of Early Modern Sport,” and Ch 4, Kimmel, pps 55-66, “Baseball and the Reconstitution of American Masculinity, 1880-1920.” Messner, Introduction and Chapter 1 in “Power at Play,” pps 1-23
Week Three: Monday January 29, [No Class on Wednesday January 31], Friday February 2 Monday February 5 Modern History of Masculinity and Sport More Masculinity and Sport: Boyhood, Socialization, and Sport Gender and Race/Class, Sport Readings: Messner, Power at Play: Ch 2, “Boyhood: The Promise of Sport, Ch 3, “The Meaning of Success, Ch 6, “Out of the Limelight: Disengagement from the Athletic Career,” and Ch 8, “Sport and Gender Relations: Continuity, Contradiction, and Change.” Messner & Sabo, Ch 8, “Cool Pose: Black Masculinity and Sport,” Handout: Laberge & Albert on adolescence & masculinity, from Men & Masculinites (Special Issue Men & Sport)
Week Four: Wednesday February 7, Friday February 9 Theories and History of Sport and Gender Relations-Femininity The History of Sport and Gender Relations- Femininity Modern History of Sports -Focus on Femininity Equality of Opportunity-VS- Difference Feminism
Readings: Cahn, “Coming On Strong,” Chapters 1, “The New Type of Athletic Girl,” Chapter 2, “Grass-Roots Growth and Sexual Sensation in the Flapper Era”, Chapter 3 “Games of Strife,” Read 1/4 to ½ of Heywood, Pretty Good For a Girl
Week Five: Monday Feb 12, Wednesday Feb 14, Fri Feb 16 Continue History of Sport and Gender Relations-Femininity Film, Discussion of Film: ‘Throw Like a Girl”
Readings: Cahn Chapter 4, Messner & Sabo, Ch 15, “Women of Color,” Heywood, “Pretty Good for a Girl” selected chapters
PART TWO: CONTEMPORARY DEBATES AND ISSUES IN GENDER and SPORT
Week Six: Monday Feb 19, Wed Feb 21, Fri Feb 23
Bodies, Gender, Sport: Introduction History of the Body in Western Culture Making Gendered Bodies in Sport: Dichotomous Difference -vs- a Continuum of Overlapping Bodies/Performances
Reading: Messner, Power at Play: Chapter 4, “The Embodiment of Masculinity,” Dowling–The Frailty Myth: Women Approaching Physical Equality Ch 1, “ The Frailty Myth” 2, “The Incredible Shrinking Woman,” 3, “Getting Them Out of the Doll Corner”, and 6, “Closing the Strength Gap” Handouts: Kane, Sport as a Continuum, Fausto-Sterling pps of information on physiology and gender/strength
Week Seven: Monday Feb 26, Wednesday Feb 28, Friday March 1
Finish Making Gendered Bodies Bodies, Gender, Sport II –Media as Reflecting or Constructing Gender Difference?
Readings: Cahn, Chapter 9 “Women Competing/Gender Contested,” Handouts–Dworkin & Wachs, “Morality/Manhood Paradox,” Duncan & Hasbrook, “Denial of Power in Women’s Televised Sport,” Chisholm, “Defending the Nation,” Jones, Merrell & Jackson, “Pretty-VS-Powerful: Print Media Coverage of U.S. Women’s Olympic Gold Medal Winning Teams,” and Eastman & Billings, “Gender Parity in the Olympics: Hyping Women Athletes, Favoring Men Athletes”
Week Eight: Midterm Monday March 5 In Class Finish Media Studies and Begin Male and Female Bodybuilding Wed March 7, Friday March 9 158
Handout: Amateur Athletic Foundation Media Study
Week Nine: Spring Break- Mon March 12-Fri March 16– ENJOY YOUR TIME OFF!
Week Ten: Monday March 19, Wednesday March 21, Friday March 23
Finish Male and Female Bodybuilding, Begin Looking Good Feeling Lousy Film: Pumping Iron II
Reading: Messner & Sabo: Ch 10, Klein, pp2 127-140, “Little Big Men:Hustling, Gender Narcissism, and Bodybuilding Subculture,” and Handout: Chapter from Lowe’s Women of Steele: Female Bodybuilders and the Struggle for Self-Definition
PAPER TWO DUE HERE
Week Eleven: Mon March 26 Wed March 28 Fri March 30
Lookin’ Good, Feelin’ Lousy: Violence on the Body as Conformity to “Femininity” The Triad of Eating Disorders in Women’s Sport: Amenorrhea, Eating Disorders, Exercise Compulsion, and Men’s/Women’s Sport Injury
Reading: ½ of Little Girls In Pretty Boxes, Ryan and Dowlin, Ch 4, “Endangered Bodies,” pps 113- 150, and Handouts: Bartky, “The Body and the Reproduction, of Femininity,” Duncan, “The Politics of Women’s Body Images and Practices: Foucault, The Panopticon, and Shape Magazine,”Young & White. “Researching Sports Injury: Reconstructing Dangerous Masculinities” from Masculinities, Gender Relations, and Sport
Week Twelve: Mon April 2, Wed April 4, Fri April 6
Sport, Gender, Violence and Injury
Reading: Benedict, Public Heros, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women selected chapters, Handout: Caron, Halteman, Stacy “Athletes and Rape: Is There a Connection?”
Week Thirteen: Mon April 9 Wed April 11 Friday April 13 (uh oh)
Sexuality- The “Missing” Gay Athlete, the “Specter” of Lesbianism, and Queering Mainstream Sport Sexuality- History and Modern Film: Video on Sexuality, Discussion
Readings: Messner & Sabo, Ch 11, “Gay Jocks,” Ch 17, “Addressing Homophobia,” Cahn Chapter 7 “Beauty and the Butch: The “Mannish Athlete and the Lesbian Threat,” Cahn, Chapter 8 “Play it, Don’t Say it,: Lesbian Identity and Community in Women’s Sport,” Handout, Broad, “The Gendered Unapologetic: Queer Resistance in Women’s Sport,” Pronger, (if available “...Endzone..”)
159 Week Fourteen– Mon April 16 Wed April 18 Fri April 20
Title IX-History, Implementation, Enforcement, Assessment
Reading: Women’s Sports Foundation Report Card, Dowling, Ch 5 “Can I Play?” The Struggle to Get Into The Game, pps 151-189, Cahn, Ch 9 “Women Competing/Gender Contested,” Handout: Women’s Sports Foundation Title IX Equity Report Card
Week Fifteen: Monday April 23, Wednesday April 25, Friday April 27
We’ve Come a Long Way- Maybe? Title IX and the Backlash
Reading:Cahn Chapters 10, “You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe” Dowling Ch 7: “Physical Equality: The Final Stage,” and Epilogue
Last Week of Class: Monday April 30, Wednesday May 2, Friday May 4
Where do we go from here? Class Presentation of Final Projects- Paper Due May 4 Final Exam ....due.... Other important works you might want to examine:
Berlage, Gai Ingham (1994). Women in Baseball: The Forgotten History (women playing baseball from 1880's to today)
Birrell, & Cheryl Cole. (1994). Women, Sport, and Culture.
Davis, Laurel. (1997). The Swimsuit Issue and Sport: Hegemonic Masculinity in Sports Illustrated. (critique of the swimsuit issue)
Gregorich, Barbara. (1993). Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball. Harcourt, Brace & Company: San Diego (women playing baseball from 1880's to today)
Griffin, Pat (1998). Strong Women, Deep Closets. Champaign: Human Kinetics. (Homophobia and lesbians in sport)
Hargreaves, Jennifer (1986). Sporting Females: Critical Issues in the History and Sociology of Women’s Sport.
Klein, Alan (1993) Little Big Men. Albany: State University of New York Press. (Men’s body building)
Heywood, Leslie (1998). Body Makers. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. (cultural and feminist analysis of bodybuilding)
Lowe, Maria. (1998). Women of Steel: Female Bodybuilders and the Struggle for Self-Definition. (Analysis of female bodybuilding and bodybuilding industry)
160 McKay, Jim, Messner, Michael A, and Sabo, Don. (2000). Masculinities, Gender Relations, and Sport.
Nelson, Mariah Burton. (1994). The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sports. (Just as it sounds)
Pronger, Brian. (1990). The Arena Of Masculinity: Sports, Homosexuality, and the Meaning of Sex. (ironies and paradoxes of being a gay man in sport)
Possible List of Films For Paper Two
Hoosiers Major League Field of Dreams Eight Men Out The Natural The Bad News Bears The Cutting Edge White Men Can’t Jump Blood Sport Bang the Drum Slowly Happy Gilmour Body and Soul Rocky The Perfect Body Bull Durham Wildcats Brian’s Song Mighty Ducks Caddy Shack Little Giants Chariots of Fire Pumping Iron (men) Slap Shot Lady Bug Raging Bull Cool Runnings Rudy Necessary Roughness Pride of the Yankees The Great Santonio The Longest Yard Young Blood Jerry Maguire American Anthem A League of Their Own September 1972 Breaking Away The Hustler Tin Cup North Dallas Forty Hoop Dreams Days of Thunder The Harder They Fall The Programme
161 Esther N. Chow WOMEN IN THE THIRD WORLD
THE COURSE
Broadly defined, this course examines women and social change in different social, cultural, economic, and political systems of the Third World. In the last half of the twentieth century, the rapid process of globalization has greatly transformed the social organization of many societies (i.e., their social institutions, cultures, and patterns of interpersonal relationships). Third World countries (or those in “the Global South”) such as various parts of Asia except Japan, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East are impacted by these global social forces and hence, should be studied as part of an interdependent world. In view of these changes, four course purposes are:
(1) The course emphasizes the centrality of women in the globalized, regional, and local processes of change by examining different kinds and patterns of change and consequences for the macro-structure and micro-dynamics of varied societies playing out in the everyday life experience of Third World women and men. Gender is both global and local. Gender analyses in this course link the macro- and micro-levels, relating social structure with the human agency of women and the objective social conditions that women face with their subjective experience
(2) The course develops a heightened understanding by stressing the important role which social institutions, ideology, and culture have played historically and presently in creating and perpetuating gender inequality for Third World women (to some extent men as well) in countries of different eras with different political economies. The common denominator of gender order in all societies has been men's dominance and women's subordination. The state, economy, the family, religion, culture, and politics are implicated in Third World women's subordination and disadvantages in a variety of ways. The structural embeddedness of gender inequality is intensified by a legacy of colonialism/neocolonialism, imperialism, nationalism, militarism, armed conflict, economic crisis, the patriarchal control, religious dogma, and traditional cultural practices in specific regional and local contexts.
(3) The course is thus designed to increase students’ abilities to critically analyze the ways in which gender relations and inequality, compounded by race/ethnicity, class/caste, nationality, age, generation, and sexuality, are socially constructed on a world scale. Analyzing Third World women's social realities internationally and cross-culturally leads to an understanding of commonalities as well as differences in their lived experience. Their experience is conditioned by various social structures in which women and men locate, resulting in distinctive patterns of gender relationships in specific regional and local contexts.
(4) The course also deepens students’ critical understanding of the relationships among theory, research and praxis, so that they can apply this understanding to both personal experience and models for social change beyond the extent of this course. Articulating and conceptualizing Third World women's voices enriches and challenges mainstream development theories and practices which tend to marginalize women and Western feminism which tends to define them as "the others." The course arrives at some understanding of the manner in which Third World women adapt to or resist societal transformation and how they negotiate, or conversely fail to negotiate, with the structural realities which have inevitably shaped their lives and experiences. The linking of global women with students’ personal lives and activism will be explored. “Think Globally, Act Locally.” 162
The course is analytically divided into six parts centered on the three substantive themes of United Nations' women conferences of the past two decades--development, equality, and peace--and the twelve critical areas of concerns spelled out in the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The course foci will be Third World women's perspectives on (1) the effects of globalization on gender; (2) gender issues in development, economic production, and paid/unpaid work in formal/informal sectors; (3) family and education, (4) health, reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and human rights; (5) migration, urbanization, and environment; and (6) the state, gender politics, armed conflict, peace, local activism, and international women’s movements. Central to the discussion will be the key concept of empowerment for women and girls economically, socially, educationally, culturally, and politically to promote action for changes toward a more humane, equitable, just world for the benefit of women, men, and children.
This second level General Education course in Curriculum Area III “the International and Intercultural Experience” is linked with three foundation courses: ECON 110G The Global Majority, LIT 150G Third World Literature, and SOCY 110G Views from the Third World. This area of the curriculum is designed to develop an informed understanding of the diversity of the world’s cultures and the critical issues which challenge policy makers in the increasingly interdependent world. Building upon these goals, this second level course emphasizes the importance of strong writing abilities, analytical skills, and the continued use of critical thinking throughout all assignments and class discussions. General Education credit will be given only if the prerequisite Foundation course has been taken for this course.
COURSE FORMAT
The course presents balanced and often opposing viewpoints on complex and sensitive issues. It uses a broad spectrum of reference materials written by and about Third World women to aid students in considering a variety of opinions. To develop students' critical thinking through readings, research activities, and interactive teaching/learning, the main objectives are to enable students: (1) to master basic skills involved in understanding the subject matter, (2) to evaluate sources of information, 3) to distinguish fact from opinion and substance from rhetoric, (4) to identify stereotypes, and 5) to recognize ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. It is hoped that the course materials presented will stimulate students’ critical self-examination, help them to achieve a comparative understanding of global interdependence, and stimulate interest in learning more about cultures, people, and social life in the Third World.
To accomplish these objectives, I will apply what I call DEP approach (Dialogic, Experiential, and Participatory), an interactive and bottom-up ways of teaching and learning in the course. The dialogic approach is a method of communication aiming to bring increased flexibility and sensitivity through dialogue and interaction to group members from diverse backgrounds (of race, ethnicity, class, nationality, tribe, gender, age, sexual orientation, and physical ability), enabling their multiple voices to be heard. This approach requires that both the instructor (as learner as well) and student learners come to class prepared, engage actively in thoughtful discussion, and stimulate critical thinking in an intelligible manner. Hence, this course is organized to include a variety of formats and activities. It consists first of major lectures to introduce substantive topics and relevant concepts and theories. Discussions, formal or informal, will follow to analyze how each topic relates to women and gender relations in specific Third World countries and how major concepts and theoretical ideas of gender analysis apply. Discussion will be conducted to reflect on major issues 163 and themes as they are analyzed and exemplified in the readings; to uncover hidden meanings, underlying assumptions, and implications of major works; to exchange ideas and understanding; and to induce critical and alternative thinking through oral presentations, discussion of questions raised, personal reflection, experience sharing, and constructive criticism. To facilitate this teaching/learning process, we will strive together for a class atmosphere in which every student participates and receives constructive and respectful response from others.
The experiential approach of the course encourages teachers and learners alike to bring their experience, self-discovery, and critical thinking to the dialogic process. In accordance with the feminist pedagogy, we shall emphasize caring, sharing, and mentoring each other on our intellectual journey. Students are expected and encouraged to bring their ideas, questions, and experience to class discussion for this approach values the standpoints of various parties. Remember you are responsible for your own intellectual development.
The participatory approach is a bottom-up way to involve actors, both learners and teacher, in designing, developing, and organizing curriculum at the onset of and throughout the course. I welcome your feedback, either in person or in writing throughout the semester. Thus the course will be as student-directed as possible; students will be responsible for oral presentations and taking leadership roles in class discussion and for engaging in various activities inside and outside of the classroom. Debates, role plays, and other exercises will also require students’ active participation and involvement. Of great importance is the requirement that students confront critically the assigned readings, lectures, guest speakers’ presentations, films, and discussion. Through meaningful and productive discussion, this course aspires to enhance intellectual enlightenment and self-exploration by sensitizing and engaging students in the potentially transformative processes of thinking and being.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1) Class Attendance and Participation (10%): Readings will be assigned on each topic, both in the texts and in the supplementary references placed on reserve in the library. Students are expected to do reading for each class in advance, to engage in personal reflection and critical review of what they have read, to listen attentively, to raise questions and address critical issues, and to integrate concepts and theories into class discussion. This learning process should enhance intellectual and personal understanding as students develop an informed point of view and a critical knowledge base. Students who miss more than 4 classes will have their course grade automatically reduced one level, e.g., from A- to B+ or from B- to C+. In addition to class attendance, you must participate actively in class to ensure earning a full 10% grade of the course.
Extra bonus (5%): This will be given to students who are willing to give a 15-20 minute presentation regarding their experience of living/studying aboard and/or their involvement in project(s) to promote positive change for Third World women and their families/communities. Substantive discussion with visual presentations (e.g., photos, films, charts) should be stressed here. Students who are interested in obtaining this bonus should consult with the instructor by no later than January 31 (Thursday).
2). One Written Assignment (Plan A) or Group Class Presentation (Plan B) (20%): Choose either Plan A or B (see separate handouts). Plan A consists of a profile report on a selected country in the Third World and a case analysis you do to relate this country to major aspects of 164 globalization and other topics covered in the first half of the course. You are to interview one or more persons from that country to incorporate their indigenous experience into your analysis and to write a reflective piece about what you have learned from your readings and writing on this assignment.
Plan B is a group oral presentation in class and a written report. This course includes a cooperative learning aspect in that student participants are expected to assist and further the learning of others in the course as well as themselves. Students who select Plan B must commit to do so by signing up no later than January 24. Since the course time for Plan B is rather limited, logistics require time and effort to plan, schedule, and coordinate. Hence, students may not change plans from B to A after this date. A handout schedule of presentations, when organized, will given to everyone in the course.
3). One Comparative Research Paper (30%): As your culminating assignment, you are to work on a comparative paper on a topic of your choice relating to the course (see handout later). You will have flexibility in terms of the specific countries or organizations you choose and the topic you select to pursue your particular intellectual interest. However, students must choose Third World nations (in either the same or different regions) other than the one on which they report in the Plan A written assignment described above. You are asked to consult with the instructor and/or TA in thoughtful discussion and to obtain an approval before you undertake the research project. The paper is due on April 29, 2002, the last day of the semester.
4) Two Examinations (40%):
a. Mid-Term In-Class Examination (15%): The mid-term examination, which primarily covers the first half of the course, will be held on March 7.
b. Final Examination (25%) has been scheduled for May 2, 8:10-11:00AM. As a general rule, no make-up examination is given, except in case of a serious health or “life- threatening” emergency.
Academic Integrity. Students are expected to adhere to the University's Academic Code of Ethics. “By registering, you have acknowledged your awareness of the Academic Integrity Code, and you are obliged to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the Code. Violation of the Code will not be treated lightly, and disciplinary actions will be taken should such violations occur." For example, cheating, plagiarism, and recycle of your or other's paper are considered violations of the code and have serious consequences for your standing in the course and at the University. All written work should be your own. Be sure to clearly cite the sources of idea, concept, and discussion in your paper. Special attention should be paid to the intellectual property in the public domains such as the Internet and cite specific sources of the electronically generated references.
Written Work Policy: The assignment must be typewritten and double-spaced. Papers will be evaluated according to the following criteria: (1) organization, (2) logic and coherence, (3) clarity and effectiveness of presentation, (4) thoroughness, (5) thoughtfulness, and (6) originality. In informal oral presentation, I evaluate students based on their abilities to show mastery of the subject matter, focused discussion, capability for effective synthesis, good organization, thoughtful analysis, insightful remarks, and originality. Student who is able to demonstrate 165 continued improvements in their work throughout the semester will be valued, especially if their work is a border line case in grading (e.g., between A- and B+).
Grading Standards: Evaluation of a student's performance in this course as a whole will be guided by the following criteria:
A Superior work (written and oral) in fulfillment of all course requirements with constant improvement and superb quality. B very good work in fulfillment of all course requirements with some improvement during the semester. C satisfactory work in fulfillment of all course requirements and little improvement during the semester. D assigned work is not satisfactory or not completed. F unsatisfactory work and failure to meet minimum course goals and requirements.
Late Papers: All written assignments and papers are due on specific dates. If work is handed in one week late, it will be marked down one grade level (e.g, B+ to B) and if it is two weeks late, it will be reduced two grade levels (e.g., B to C+). Work after two weeks will not be accepted. Any student who has problem to hand in their written work on time must consult the instructor, or else no late work will be accepted.
TEXTBOOK AND REFERENCE
Required:
Visvanathan, Nalini, Lynn duggan, Laurie Nisonoff, and Nan Wiegersma, eds. 1997. The Women, Gender & Development Reader. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Zed Books.
Chow, Esther Nan-ling and Catherine White Berheide, eds. Women, The Family, and Policy: A Global Perspective. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1994.
Peterson, V. Spike and Anne Sisson Runyan. 1999. Global Gender Issues. Second edition. Denver, CO: Westview Press.
United Nations. 2000. The world’s Women 2000: Trends and Statistics. New York: United Nations.
Selected Readings (Recommended, Not Required):
Afshar, Haleh. 1999. Women, Globalization and Fragmentation in the Developing World. New York: St. Martin’s, Inc. (UR)
Basu, Amrita, ed. The Challenge of Local Feminism. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, Inc., 1995. (UR)
Bose, Christine E. and Edna Acosta-Belen, eds. 1995. Women In the Latin American Development Process. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. (UR)
166 Chow, Esther Ngan-ling, ed. 2002. Transforming Gender and Development in East Asia. New York: Routledge. (UR)
Leonard, Ann, ed. Seeds 2: Supporting Women's Work Around the World. New York: The Feminist Press, 1995. (UR)
Joseph, Suad and Susan Slyomovics, eds. 2001. Women and Power in the Middle East. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. (UY).
Neft, Naomi and Ann D. Levine. Where Women Stand: An International Report on the Status of Women in 140 Countries, 1997-98. (UR)
IMPORTANT RELEVANT WEB SITES
In the assignment, you should use several references to support your argument and discussion. Append your bibliography to this assignment. If you cite work from the Internet, be sure to indicate the exact reference sources (e.g., web pages and address, newsgroup, etc.) which can be verified.
Also Check the following sources and look into regions and programs in these websites:
World Institute http://www.interaction.org CARE http://www.care.org World Wildlife Fund http://www.wwf.org United Nations http://www.un.org/womenwatch/index.html Women’s Net http://www.igc.org/ Ms. Foundation for Women http://www.ms.foundation.org/girlworld/index.html U.S. State Department http://secretary.state.gov/www/iacw/archives/ http://secretary.state.gov/www/picw/index.html USIA http://www.usia.gov/vitalvoices/ UNICEF http://www.oneworld.org/unicef/press National Organization of Women http://now.org/foundation/global/ Global Survival Network http://www.globalsurvival.net/ CIA, the World Fact-Book 1996 http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/wfb-help/index.htm The U.S. Bureau of the Census, International Demographic Data http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/ipc/www/idbsum.html The White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/ The U.S. Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov The Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov 1995 CIA World Fact book http://www.odci.gov/publicaitons/95fact/index.html The Bureau of Labor Statistics http://stats.bls.gov/ Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/publications.html U.S. AID http://www.info.usaid.gov The World Bank http://www.worldbank.org The Global Health Networks http://www.pitt.edu/ Amnesty International http://www.oneworld.org/amnesty/index.html State of the World’s Children http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/contents.htm 167 Country Studies http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/country.html International Labor Organizations http://ilo.org International Monetary Fund http://www.self-gov.org/freeman/8904ewer.html (Also check the web site of the Human Rights Watch) COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE
Note: (UR) On reserve at AU Library With * Required readings Without * Recommended, but not required readings Visanathan Women, Gender, Development Reader. Peterson-R Peterson and Runyan’s Global Gender Issues text.
Jan. 14 Course Overview and Organization of Class Activity
Jan 17- I. Third World Women in the Globalization Process 24 *Arjun Appadurai, "Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy," in Global Culture, edited by M. Featherstone, pp. 295-310. *Peterson-Runyan, chapter 1, introduction. *Chow, “Globalization, East Asian Development, and Gender: A Historical Overview” pp. 1-17 in Transforming Gender and Development in East Asia. (UR) *Afshar, Haleh and S. Barrientos, Women, Globalization and Fragmentation in the Developing World, Chapter 1, Introduction. (UR) *“About Face,” (Taliban women), Time (special report), December 3, 2001. http: www.time.com Lourdes and Lind, “Engendering International Trade,” in A Commitment to the World’s Women, edited by N. Heyzer, 1995. (UR) (For transnational migration, see below)
Sign Up for Class Presentation by January 24.
Jan 28 II. Gender, Development and Economic Empowerment -Feb. 4 A. Studying Gender and Development: Theoretical Perspectives *Visanathan, pp. 1-13 by (Visvanathan and Charlton); *Part 1, pp. 17-32 (introduction to Part 1 by Visanathan); *Part 1-2 (Irene Tinker) in Visanathan. *Part 1-3 (Beneria and Sen); Part 1-4 (Kate Young); Part 1-5 (Braidotti et al.); *Part 1-8 (Snyder and Tadesse),1-9 (Mohanty); and Part 1-10 (Kandiyoti)--all in Visanathan’s text. *Chow-Berheide, introduction. *Chow, chapter 2.
Feb. 7-11 B. Industrialization, Economic Restructuring & International Division of Labor *Visanathan et al., Introduction to Part 3 (Nisonoff), Whole Part 3 (from #17-21). *Chow, chapters 6 (Gong) and 8 (Leung). (UR). *Tiano, chapter 9 in Chow-Berheide. *Hijab, Nadia, “Women and Work in the Arab World,” in Joseph and Slyomovics, Women and Power in the Middle East, 2001, pp. 41-51. (UR) 168 Blumberg, Rae, C. Rakowski, Irene Tinker, and M. Ontegon, eds., Endgendering Wealth and Well-Being, 1995. Bose, Christine E. and Edna Acosta-Belen, eds. Women in the Latin American Development Process, 1995. (UR) Horton, Susan, ed. Women and Industrialization in Asia. New York: Routledge 1996.
Film: To Be Arranged.
Assignment #1 is due on February 11.
Feb. 14-18 C. Agriculture and Paid/Unpaid Labor in Formal/Informal Sectors *United Nations, chapter 5. *Chow-Berheide, chapters 6 (Berheide and Segal) and 7 (Tinker). *Visanathan, #13 (Koopman), Part 4-#22 (Deere et al.), #23 (Manub) and #31 (Meurs).
III. Social Institutions, Violence, and Human Rights Feb. 21-25 A. Marriage, Household Dynamics and Divorce *Chow-Berheide, Chapter 5 (Blumberg), # 2 (Charrad), and #10 (Yi). *Visanathan et al., Introduction to Part 2 (Duggan), Part 2-11 (Beneria) 2-12 (Wolf), 1-16 (Chant), Part 4-28 (Afshar) and #29 (Hoodfar). *United Nations, chapter 2. (UR) *Doumato, “Women in Saudi Arabia: Between Breadwinner and Domestic Icon?” in Joseph and Slyomovics, Women and Power in the Middle East. (UR)
Film: Small Happiness (or To Be Arranged).
Feb. 28- B. Health, Reproductive Rights, Gender-Based Violence, & Human Rights Mar. 4 *Visanathan et al., Part 2-14 (Sen), 2-15 (Gallin), Part 4-26 (Moreno). *Chow and Chen, chapter 3 in Chow-Berheide (you may read Part 4-24 Dalsimer and Nisonoff in Visanathan, not required reading) *Lederman and Chow, "Gender-Based Violence and International Human Rights: Women Claim Their Humanity." (UR). *United Nations, chapter 3 and pp. 151-162. (UR)
Neft and Levine, “Women’s Health” and “Violence Against Women” in Where Women Stand, 1997. (UR) “Violence Against Women,” by Toni Nelson in Global Issues 97/98 . “Rape as a Weapon of War and Tool of Political Repression” and “Trafficking of Women and Girls into Forced Prostitution and Coerced Marriage” in the Human Rights Watch Global Report on Women’s Human Rights, 1995.
Short Films: “The Rite” and “Let Her Die: Women in India”
Mar. 7 Mid-Term Examination
Mar. 10-17 Spring Break--No Classes. 169
Mar. 18-21 C. Urbanization, Housing, and Migration *Sagot, chapter 8 in Chow-Berheide. *Gilman and Tan, “Where and Why Have All the Women Gone? Women, Marriage, Migration, and Social Mobility in China,” in Chow. (UR) *Anru Lee, “Guests from the Tropics: Labor Practice and Foreign Workers in Taiwan,” in Chow. (UR) Brydon and Chant, eds., Women in the Third World: Gender Issues in Rural and Urban Areas, 1989. Parrenas, Rhacel Salazar, Servants of Globalization: Women, Migration, and Domestic Work, 2001.
Short Film: To be Arranged.
Mar. 25-28 D. Literacy, Education, and Child Rights *United Nations, chapter 4. (UR) *“Educating Girls” and “Female Empowerment Leads to Fewer Births” in Third World 94/95 (handouts). *Dali Tan and Dawei Tan, "Keeping Chinese Girls in School: Effective Strategies from Hubei Province," AAUW report, 1995. (UR) Additional handouts on child labor.
April 1 IV. Human Resources and Environment *Visanathan et al., Part 1-6 (Shiva), 1-7 (Agarwal), and Part 4-25 (Hartmann). *Smyth, Ines, “Women, Industrialization and the Environment in Indonesia,” in Afshar’s Women, Globalization, and Fragmentation in the Developing World, chapter 7. (UR) Also see Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva, Ecofeminism, 1993 and Women’s Feature Service, The Power to Change, 1992--both are published by Zed (New Dehli, India).
V. Gender Politics, Power, the State, and International Women’s Movement April 4-8 A. World Politics and Gendered Division of Power, Violence, Labor & Resources *Peterson-Runyan, chapters 2, 3, and 4. *Chow, chapter 5 (Kim). (UR)
April 11 B. Politics of Resistance, Revolution, and Movements -15 *Peterson-Runyan, chapter 5 *Visanathan et al., Introduction to Part 4 (Wiegersma), Part 4-27 (Aguilar) and 30 (Beneria). *Giacaman, R., I. Jad, and P. Johnson, “For the Common Good? Gender and Social Citzenship in Palestine,” and “Searching for Strategies: The Palestinian Women’ Movement in the New Era,”in Women and Power in the Middle East, edited by Suad Joseph and Susan Slyomovics, 2000, pp. 126-134 and 150-158. (UR) Waylen, Georgina, Gender in Third World Politics, 1996. 170 Jayawardena, Kumari. Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World, 1994. Mohanty, Chandra Talpade et al., Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism, 1991.
April 18-22 C. Local Activism, Empowerment, and Women’s Agency *Peterson-Runyan, chapter 6 *Visanathan et al., Introduction to Part 5 (Wiegersma), Part 5-32 and 33. *Basu, The Challenge of Local Activism, Introduction, pp. 1-22. (UR) *Townsend, Janet, “Empowerment Matters: Understanding Power,” chapter 2, in Women and Power, edited by Townsend et al, 1999. (UR) Alexander, M. J. and C. T. Mohanty, Feminist Genealogies, Colonial Legacies, Democratic Futures, 1997.
April 24 D. UN World Conferences on Women: Shaping the International Agenda for Action and Change *Jahan, “The Elusive Agenda: Maintstreaming Women in Development.”pp. 214- 218 in Seeds 2. (UR) *Chow, E. (1996), "Making Waves, Moving Mountains: Reflections on Beijing '95 and Beyond," Signs, 32, 1 (Autumn): 185-192.
Short Film: The NGO Forum of Beijing 95'
United Nation’s World Conference on Women, Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, 1995. Heyzer, “A Women’s Development Agenda for the 21st Century,” in A Commitment to the World’s Women, United Nations, 1995, pp. 1-19.
Term Paper is due on April 24.
April 29 E. Prospect for Change: From Platform to Action *Dunlop, et al., “Women Redrawing the Map: The World After the Beijing and Cairo Conferences,” in Developing World 98/99. (UR) *The Stanley Foundation, Bringing Beijing Back: Local Actions and Global Strategies. Muscatine, Iowa, 1995. (UR)
April 30- Study days May 1
May 2 Final Examination, 8:30 - 11:00AM.
HAVE A NICE SUMMER!!!!!
171
Jenny Godley
Gender and Feminist Theory: Cross-National Views
Overview: This course will examine gender stratification cross-nationally. We will explore the ways in which gender is defined, understood, and experienced in three different societies: Kenya, Thailand, and the United States. Using personal narratives, we will first seek to understand how culturally bound definitions of gender affect the everyday lives of men and women in both industrialized and less- developed societies. We will then use empirical sociological work, as well as publicly available national-level data, to look for evidence of gender stratification in each country. In the final section of the course, we will examine the ways in which various feminist theorists have tried to account for gender differences. We will assess how well these feminist sociological theories account for observed differences between men and women across the globe. This course will enable you to learn about women’s lives in different societies, while exposing you to the different types of information and theories used by sociologists to examine gender inequality.
Objectives: 1. To introduce you to the sociology of gender. 2. To enable you to read and assess information about women’s lives in four different settings: Kenya, Thailand, the United States, and a country of your own choosing. 3. To expose you to different sources of information used by sociologists to examine gender inequality. 4. To encourage you to think critically about the use of social theory in the analysis of gender across different cultures. 5. To support the development of your oral and written presentation skills within an intellectually challenging environment.
Texts:
1. MacGoye, Marjorie Oludhe. 2000. Coming to Birth. Feminist Press (Women Writing Africa Series).
2. Mills, Mary Beth. 1999. Thai Women In The Global Labor Force: Consuming Desires, Contested Selves. Rutgers University Press.
3. Ndambuki, Berida and Claire C. Robertson. 2000. We Only Come Here to Struggle: Stories from Berida's Life. Indiana University Press.
4. Parker, Gwendolyn M. 1997. Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege. Houghton Mifflin Co.
5. Phongpaichit, Pasuk. 1982. From Peasant Girls to Bangkok Masseuses. International Labor Organization (Women, Work and Development Series, No. 2).
172 6. Risman, Barbara J. 1998. Gender Vertigo: American Families in Transition. Yale University Press.
7. RESERVE READINGS will be available on e-res (information available in class).
You will read ONE of the following books. Please do not purchase these books until we have discussed them in class, and you have decided which to read.
8. McCloskey, Deirdre N. 1999. Crossing: A Memoir. University of Chicago Press.
9. Sittirak, Sinith. 1998. The Daughters of Development: Women and the Changing Environment. Zed Books.
** All of the books are available for purchase at the Haverford Bookstore.
Requirements:
A. Reading: Readings are assigned for each day of class. Please come to class every day having read the materials, prepared to discuss the issues for that class period. Bring any questions or comments you have about the readings with you to share with your classmates.
B. Class Participation (oral and written): You are encouraged to participate as fully as possible in classroom activities. Each class period will include numerous activities such as discussions, debates, presentations, group work and various forms of writing. Please take classroom participation seriously, and respect your peers’ contributions.
C. Book Review: A book review, based on one of the two books listed above as texts 8-9, is due the first week in March (4 March). The review should be 4-6 pages long, typed in 10 or 12 point font, and double-spaced. Guidelines for the book review will be distributed in class.
D. Paper A final paper will be due during the final examination period (8 May for Seniors, 15 May for others).
This paper should be 15-20 pages long, typed in 10 or 12-point font, and double-spaced. For this paper, you will pick a country and analyze an issue of gender inequality in that country. As this paper is worth a significant portion of your final grade (40%), you are encouraged to get started on the paper early, and to meet with me periodically to discuss your progress.
Interim deadlines for the paper are as follows: 18 March One-page Paper Topic Overview due 1 April Reference List due 15 April Outline due
173 E. Presentation You will present the findings from your paper to the class on either the 22, 24, or 29 of April. Your presentation should last about 25 minutes, allowing about 10 minutes for class discussion.
F. Policies: No extra credit work will be given. If you expect to have trouble meeting any of the class deadlines, please make sure to discuss your concerns with me before the deadline. I will not accept late work, except under extreme circumstances.
Grades:
Your final grade will be computed as follow:
- In-Class Participation 25% - Book Review 20% - Final Paper 40% - Country presentation 15%
I do not grade on a curve. I will use the following scale to assign grades for this class:
4.0 / A 93-100 2.3 / C+ 77-79 0.7 / D- 60-62 3.7 / A- 90-92 2.0 / C 73-76 0.3 / F+ 57-59 3.3 / B+ 87-89 1.7 / C- 70-72 0.0 / F 53-56 3.0 / B 83-86 1.3 / D+ 67-69 2.7 / B- 80-82 1.0 / D 63-66
Schedule:
** Please note, this schedule may change as the semester progresses. All changes will be announced in class. **
Monday, 21 Jan. Introduction to the course
Questions: What is expected from the students in this class?
Notes: Hand out and discuss syllabus / materials / requirements
Wednesday, 23 Jan. Introduction to the class
Questions: What do you expect from this class? From the instructor? From your classmates?
Notes: Personal introductions Develop class guidelines
Monday, 28 Jan. Introduction - feminism 174
Questions: What is feminism? What is feminist theory?
Readings: Reserve Readings: hooks, bell. 2000. Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. Read: Introduction, Chpts. 1, 10, 12.
Tong, Rosemarie. 1999. Feminist Thought: A more comprehensive introduction. (Second Edition). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Read: Introduction.
Wednesday, 30 Jan. Introduction - gender
Questions: What is gender? How do sociologists study gender?
Readings: Reserve Reading: Marini, Margaret Mooney. 1990. “Sex and Gender: What do we know?” Sociological Forum. Vol. 5, No. 1. Pp. 95-120.
Monday, 4 Feb. Gender experienced - Kenya
Questions: What are some of the issues facing women in Kenya? Are these issues the same or different from issues facing women in the industrialized world?
Readings: MacGoye, pp. 1-71
Wednesday, 6 Feb. Gender experienced - Kenya
Questions: How have historical changes in Kenya affected women’s lives?
Readings: MacGoye, pp. 72-150 Hand out book review guidelines.
Monday, 11 Feb. Gender experienced - Thailand
Questions: What are some of the historical factors that have contributed to the rise in prostitution in Thailand? Are these factors economic, cultural, or both? 175
Readings: Phongpaichit, pp. 1-49 Choose book to review.
Wednesday, 13 Feb. Gender experienced - Thailand
Questions: How do individual factors in the girls’ lives affect their migration and employment decisions?
Readings: Phongpaichit, pp. 49-76
Monday, 18 Feb. Gender experienced - US
Questions: How does Parker describe her childhood experiences of race, gender, and class?
Readings: Parker, pp. 1-93
Wednesday, 20 Feb. Gender experienced - US
Questions: How do institutionalized sexism and racism affect Parker’s adult life?
Readings: Parker, pp. 94-209
Monday, 25 Feb. Gender - methodology
Questions: What methods are best for studying gender?
Readings: Reserve Reading: Oakley, Ann. 1998. “Gender, Methodology and People’s Ways of Knowing: Some problems with feminism and the paradigm debate in social science.” Sociology. V. 32, i4. Pp. 707-19.
Wednesday, 27 Feb. Gender – multi-cultural feminist theory
Questions: Can we apply multi-cultural feminist theories to the cross-national gender issues we have explored in this class?
Readings: Reserve Reading: Tong, Rosemarie. 1999. Feminist Thought: A more comprehensive introduction. (Second Edition). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Read Chapter 7: Multi-cultural and Global Feminism.
176 (Pp.212-245).
Monday, 4 March Book reviews
Questions: What is your assessment of this book? How does it compare with your classmates’ assessments?
Readings: McCloskey / Sittirak
Notes: Book reviews due Group discussion
Wednesday, 6 March Book reviews
Questions: What can this book contribute to our understanding of gender?
Readings: McCloskey / Sittirak
Notes: Group presentations
Monday, 11 March and Wednesday, 13 March: SPRING BREAK, no class
Monday, 18 March Project discussion
Notes: Final Papers: One-page Paper Topic Overview due. Class discussion of paper topics.
Wednesday, 20 March Gender counted - Kenya
Questions: What can national level statistics tell us about gender in Kenya?
Readings: The World Factbook Read guide to country profiles and entry for Kenya. (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/) (Also available at Magill Library)
Human Development Report Read introduction and explanation of analytical tools (http://www.undp.org/hdro/anatools.htm) Examine HDI, GRDI, GEM for Kenya for 1998 and 1999 (http://www.undp.org/hdro/indicators.html) (Also available at Magill Library)
177
Monday, 25 March Gender studied - Kenya
Questions: How can life histories help us understand gender? How do life histories differ from narratives or biographies?
Readings: Ndambuki and Robertson, Intro – p. 86.
Wednesday, 27 March Kenya integration
Questions: What have we learned about gender in Kenya?
Readings: Ndambuki and Robertson, p. 87-postscript.
Notes: Review MacGoye
Monday, 1 April Gender counted - Thailand
Questions: What can national level statistics tell us about gender in Thailand?
Readings: The World Factbook Read entry for Thailand (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/)
Human Development Report Examine HDI, GRDI, GEM for Thailand for 1998 and 1999 (http://www.undp.org/hdro/indicators.html)
Notes: Final Papers - Reference List due
Wednesday, 3 April Gender studied - Thailand
Questions: How can a case study of one village help us understand the effects of globalization on Thai women?
Readings: Mills, pp. 1-91
Monday, 8 April Thailand integration
178 Questions: What have we learned about gender in Thailand?
Readings: Mills, pp. 92-170
Notes: Review Phongpaichit
Wednesday, 10 April Gender counted - USA
Questions: Which types of national level statistics are most useful when studying industrialized countries? Which types are most useful when studying less-developed countries?
Readings: Human Development Report Examine HDI, GRDI, GEM for USA for 1998 and 1999 (http://www.undp.org/hdro/indicators.html)
World Population Data Sheet Examine statistics for all three countries (http://www.prb.org/pubs/wpds2000/)
Monday, 15 April Gender studied - USA
Questions: How can survey research illuminate our understanding of gender relations in the US?
Readings: Risman, pp. 1-92
Notes: Final Paper: Outline due
Wednesday, 17 April USA integration
Questions: What have we learned about gender in the US?
Readings: Risman, pp. 93-162
Notes: Review Parker
Monday, 22 April Country Reports
Notes: Student presentations (Topics for the day to be announced by presenters.)
179
Wednesday, 24 April Country Reports
Notes: Student presentations (Topics for the day to be announced by presenters.)
Monday, 29 April Country Reports
Notes: Student presentations (Topics for the day to be announced by presenters.)
Wednesday, 1 May Closing
Questions: What have we learned about gender inequality? How can we be more cognizant of gender issues in our everyday lives?
Notes: Course Evaluation
FINAL PAPERS DUE: 8 May (Seniors) 15 May (all others)
180 Bruce Nordstrom-Loeb GENDER IN CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Purposes of the Course:
Gender--how we feel and act and live as a woman or a man--is one of the most important things shaping our lives. The role we are expected to play as a woman or a man (including expectations that we will be heterosexual or homosexual) is profoundly significant in affecting the persons we turn out to be. Gender is an important social category in every culture, even though the gender rules and roles can be quite different from one culture to another.
Understanding gender, then, is a critical task if we want to understand our world and our place in it as women and men. In this course we will be examining the nature and varieties of gender experiences around the world, looking at what it means to be a woman and a man in societies as different from each other as small-scale hunting and gathering cultures, tribal peoples, and large-scale peasant societies. We will also explore gender in modern industrial societies, but our primary attention will be to the rich variety of gender patterns in pre-industrial, "traditional," "Third World" societies and the impact of globalization on those patterns. We will use materials and theories primarily from anthropology but also from sociology, psychology, and economics. Among our readings are several in-depth ethnographies by anthropologists, case studies in some detail about the meaning of gender in particular cultures.
The broadest goal of the course will be to begin to understand what gender is, why it's been so significant to the human experience, why we now believe it is largely a cultural category even though it often appears to be rooted in biology, and how (and why!) gender varies from culture to culture.
Key questions we'll explore include the following:
(1) when women's lives are different from men's in a society, when do we say that their lives are only different, and when do we say that women are unequal or subordinate to men? do women and men have to be the same to be equal, or can they play separate but complementary roles? is androgyny possible, or desirable?
(2) have women usually, or even always, been subordinate to men, or only in some places and times? in what kinds of social conditions do women tend to be more equal to men, and in what kinds less equal--and is that helpful as we think about gender issues in our own society today? are women "better off" in modern societies, or in traditional ones?
(3) in more patriarchal cultures, how is the subordination of women maintained? what role do religion, language, politics, and other factors play? how does being subordinate affect a woman's life, and how she feels about herself? is it always men who hold women back, or do women participate in their own subordination in some ways, even passing it along to their daughters and sons?
(4) how does being dominant or more powerful affect a man's life, and the 181 kind of person he thinks he should be? what "costs" do men pay for their privileges and power in male-dominated societies? what is the "underside" of being male, and what's difficult about being a man in traditional societies? why do men often not feel powerful even when they have more power than women?
(5) what theories for gender patterns can we come up with (can we move beyond description to explanation)? which seem most useful, which most plausible, which most challenging or comforting?
(6) what does a look at the variety of gender experiences in various cultures tell us about menstruation, childbirth, fatherhood, rape, women's and men's work, and so forth? what new insights into such gender issues in U.S. culture do we get by exploring those issues in other cultures?
(7) what is the connection between how heterosexual women's and men's roles and status are defined in a society, on the one hand, and the image and status of gays and lesbians, on the other? what is the connection, in other words, between heterosexuality and homosexuality in any given culture?
(8) what connections are there between gender roles and how people relate to the natural world? to whether they engage in warfare? to social class and the distribution of economic resources?
(9) what does the future hold? is a society possible that is fair and just for both women and men, and what would it look like?
We will be looking at women's and men's lives in a variety of cultures. However, the goal of the course is not just to explore the nature of gender for other people in other cultures, but to gain a greater understanding of the ways our own lives are fundamentally "gendered" by our own culture. We'll be looking at ourselves, but with a new sensitivity gained by our "visits" to cultures very unlike (and yet sometimes like!) our own. We'll be "traveling," but also coming home.
This course counts for several General Education requirements (HBS-E and MCS-G), and for several majors (Sociology/Anthropology, Women's Studies, and ARMS).
Required Textbooks and Readings (all paperback):
Mary Beth Mills, Thai Women in the Global Labor Force: Consuming Desires, Contested Selves (1999)($20) Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, Doméstica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadow of Affluence (2001)($14) Geraldine Brooks, Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women (1995)
182 Elisabeth Bumiller, May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons: A Journey Among the Women of India (1991)($13) Elwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory (1998)($12) Matthew Gutman, The Meaning of Macho: Being a Man in Mexico City (1996)($19) Ann Crittenden, The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World Is Still the Least Valued (January 2002)($15) Yuko Ogasawara, Office Ladies and Salaried Men: Power, Gender, and Work in Japanese Companies (1998) optional: The Minnesota Women's Press will be distributed (free) in class, an excellent newspaper published twice a month with news of women's issues and events
Web sites and resources: you may want to "browse" web sites on women's and gender issues such as those listed below, to supplement what we're reading and discussing in class. Some of the sites are the homepages of women's groups in various countries:
(1) Cultural Survival (http://www.cs.org), an activist anthropology group (click on "Cultural Survival links" for more information)
(2) Institution for Women's Policy Research (www.iwpr.org) (3) INSTRAW (United Nations women's program)(www.un-instraw.org) (4) Amnesty International (www.amnestry.org) (5) Revolutionary Afghan Women's Association: www.rawa.org (6) Feminist Majority Foundation (www.feminist.org) (7) Women's Issues: 3rd World (http://women3rdworld.miningco.com) (8) World Bank Group: Gender Net (www.worldbank.org./gender) (9) Women Watch (U.N. Internet Gateway...)(http://www.un.org/womenwatch/) (10) WEDO (Women's Environment & Development Org)(http://www.wedo.org/) (11) WSSLINKS (Women's and Gender Studies Web Sites) (http://libraries.mit.edu/humanities/WomensStudies/wscd.html) (12) Center for Women and Religion (GTU)(http:www.gtu.edu/Centers/cwr) (13) Femina (http://www.femina.com/)(U.S. focus) (14) Feminist.Com (http://www.feminist.com/pro.htm)(includes a link to pro- feminist men's studies and groups) (15) International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (www.iglhr.org) (16) Women-Related Email Lists Focused Outside the U.S. and Canada (http://research.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/f_intl.html) (17) National Organization for Women (http://www.now.org/) (18) National Organization for Men Against Sexism (www.nomas.org) (19) National Women's Studies Association (http://www.nwsa.org/) (20) Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (http://www.pflag.org/) (21) Rainbow Families [gay/lesbian families] (www.rainbowfamilies.org) (22) Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (www.wilpf.org)
Requirements and Assignments:
183 (1) Take-home essay exams: there will be a mid-term and a final exam over course readings, classroom discussion, and films. These exams will each be worth 30% of your overall course grade. Exams will give you a chance to show that you have understood and can work with the readings and other course resources.
There will also be several pieces of writing:
(2) Group paper: a 12-15 page group project paper (20%), to be shared with the class the last week of the semester (20 minute presentations). Each group of 4-5 people will research (through library resources, personal interviews, or other means) on almost any topic related to the issues in the course, with my approval (a paper proposal will be due before you do too much work on it), but your topic will likely fall into one of three categories:
(1) an in-depth look at gender issues in some particular culture that interests you, either a culture we haven't discussed or some new aspect of gender in a culture we've already touched on. You might look at South Africa, Russia, Norway, Argentina, or other societies; or you might look at small tribal or band cultures within a larger society or country;
(2) a comparison of a particular issue or question in two or more cultures, such as prostitution in Thailand and the U.S.; fatherhood among Swedish, Hopi Indian, and Black American men; gender images in religion in several cultures; menstruation, body-images, "beauty," or other topics in a comparative perspective,; homosexuality in tribal and industrial societies; the women's movement in the U.S., Cuba, and India; whether American men dissatisfied with their expected gender roles can learn useful lessons from men's lives in other cultures; and so on;
(3) a theoretical or philosophical issue, such as what "socialist feminism" or "ecofeminism" is and whether it's a helpful theory; where patriarchy came from in the first place; whether androgyny is possible or good; whether it's possible for a man to be feminist in a patriarchal culture; whether "feminism" means something different in Third World cultures than in the U.S.; and so forth.
You will write your paper with 3-4 other people, and it should be 12-15 pages long. Each person in a group will receive the same grade. You should take care with your writing, and choose a topic you really find interesting. You can use whatever system for footnotes and references you are familiar with as long as you are clear and consistent throughout your paper.
(3) Individual writing: for the remaining 20% of your course grade, you may write either a 20+ page personal journal (20%) or two shorter papers (10% each).
(a) Journal: Your journal is the place to keep track of your reactions to the readings, films, and class discussions. What are you learning about yourself as a woman or a man by examining the lives of women and men in cultures other than your own? Your journal should not just be a summary of what you are reading or hearing, an alternative form of class notes; it should be your response (both feelings and thoughts) to what you're learning. You will hand in your journal for a first reading early in the course and again at the end. Your personal responses will, of course, be neither "wrong" nor "right," so I will read your journal for the depth of thinking you are giving to the issues in the course and the way in which you are trying to relate the course to your own life. You should be making an entry at least once or twice a week; write while your thoughts or feelings are fresh and strong, as you'll have a hard time wondering what it was that moved or angered or 184 puzzled you a week later and your entry won't be as helpful or interesting. You don't have to comment on every class or reading, but you should include reflections on each of the books we read, among other things. Your journal should be at least 20 pages long, and may be either hand-written (only if your writing is readable!) or kept on a computer (you can just run off a final copy at the end of the term).
(b) Shorter Papers: if you don’t keep a journal, you would write two shorter papers (6-8 pages long, double-spaced, typed), each counting 10% of your grade (20% total), an experiential and a film paper:
(1) experiential response paper, responding to your experiences at one of the gender-related events/conferences listed below:
o the "Globalization" conference (February 22-23)(on campus), o the International Women's Day Celebration (Saturday, March 9), o the Peace Prize Forum (March 8-9)(Augustana College in South Dakota), o a minimum of three of the events (performances, films, lectures) for St. Olaf's Women's History Month (March), or o the Midwest Sociological Society meetings (in Chicago, April 4-7; this is an option for Soc/Anthro majors).
This paper involves describing the most important parts of the events for you, connecting what you experienced and learned to our course wherever appropriate, and speculating on how your experiences may have changed you personally if they did. You need to experience three events, which could be three sessions at a single conference, or three different events during Women's History Month, or some combination thereof.
And a
(2) film response paper on three of the following feature films, many of which are in the Rolvaag Library video collection (if they have catalogue numbers) or would be available to rent at video stores. You should watch films you haven't seen before, and pay attention to the role of gender and culture in the film. You may want to pick three related films and compare them, or three unrelated films to get a broader "sampling" of gender patterns in various cultures. In your paper, you should briefly summarize what the film is about, what you learned about gender (both about men and women) from the film, and some assessment of whether you think the film gives a realistic or objective portrayal of gender in that particular culture: "Before Night Falls" (2000)(Cuban)(explores the life of a young gay man growing up before the Cuban revolution, the growing oppression of gays and lesbians under Castro, and his flight to New York City) "Strawberry and Chocolate" (PN1997 F69) (1995)(Cuba)(a popular film about the difficulties of gay life in contemporary Cuba) "Portrait of Teresa" (PN1997 R485 1980)(1980, 100 minutes)(Cuba)(a woman who wants to do more work with her textile workers' union has a husband who wants her to be a more traditional wife) "Midaq Alley" (1994, 140 minutes)(Mexican)(a Mexican adaption of an Egyptian novel, with a focus on a young woman who falls into prostitution)
185 "Yol" (PN1997 Y65)(1983)(Turkish)(the dilemmas faced by minority Kurdish people in Turkey, particularly the unfaithful wife of a man who's been in prison, and who is honor-bound to punish her) "The Silences of the Palace" (PN1997 S2557)(1996, 127 minutes)(Tunisia)(a young girl grows up among the women servants in a prominent Arab household under French rule in the 1950's; explores the connections among social class, gender roles, and colonialism, among other things) "Ramparts of Clay" (PN1997.85 .R35)(1989, 85 minutes)(Tunisia)(a young village woman dreams of another life beyond the walls of her town) "Leila" (Rolvaag: on order)(129 minutes)(Iran)(a young wife cannot seem to have children, and her husband's family encourages him to take a second wife who can) "Gabbeh" (1996, 75 minutes)(Iran)(a "magical realist" tale) "The Circle" (2000, 91 minutes)(Iran)(the lives and issues of Iranian women under a conservative Islamic government) "Kandahar" (2001)(Iran)(an Afghani woman returns to Afghanistan to find her sister during the time of Taliban rule) "Wedding in Galilee" (PN1997 N529)(1989)(Israel/Palestine)(a young Palestinian couple are allowed to have their wedding in a village occupied by Israel only if Israeli soldiers are invited) "Kadosh" (Rolvaag: on order)(1999, 117 minutes)(Israeli)(about an ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple living in Jerusalem, and the impact of the wife's childlessness in a subculture where large families are very important)
"Bhaji on the Beach" (PN1997 B42)(British/South Asian)(the lives of immigrant South Asian women in England today, who are exploring the differences between traditional and western gender roles) "Bandit Queen" (India)(about an abused woman who finds a way to fight back as a bandit/warrior)(based on a real person's life) "Fire" (Indian)(two women fall in love; the first Indian film made about lesbians) "My Favorite Laundrette" (British)(a gay South Asian man in England)
"Billy Elliott" (2000)(British)(a young boy growing up in a coal-mining town realizes he wants to become a dancer, in a traditional male culture that discourages it) "Mansfield Park" (1999) (British)(based on Jane Austen's novel, this film is a wonderful exploration of the intersection of gender roles, social class, colonialism and slavery in middle-class 19th century British society)
"Brassed Off" (1997)(British)(life among male coal miners in England as the government shuts down the mines and threatens their way of life, including community brass bands)
"Picture Bride" (PN1997 P538)(1995)(U.S./Hawaii/Japanese)(the life of a mail- order Japanese bride in early 20th century Hawaii, at a time when various Asian groups were encouraged to come work on the sugar and pineapple 186 plantations) "Daughters of the Dust" (PN1997 D36)(U.S./African-American)(the first American film directed by a Black woman, about a family on the sea islands off the Carolina coast) "Get on the Bus" (PN1997 G48)(1997)(U.S./African-American men)(Spike Lee's film about the issues and experiences of a variety of Black men on their way to the "Million Man March" several years ago) "Waiting to Exhale" (PN1997 W35)(1996)(U.S./African-American women)(four Black women friends find it difficult to meet the men they want; a popular exploration of gender role issues among African Americans) "Mississippi Masala" (PN1997 M5766)(1992)(U.S./South Asian/African American)(a young immigrant woman from India is involved with an American Black man in spite of her family's expectations for a more traditional marriage) "Salt of the Earth" (PN1997 S255)(1954)(U.S./Southwest/Hispanic)(a classic film about Hispanic mineworkers in New Mexico; the men go on strike, and find that unless they are willing to accept their wives in new roles, they cannot win) "Mi Vida Loca" (PN1997 M482)(1994)(U.S./Latina)(a look at the lives of young Latina women in Los Angeles) "Joy Luck Club" (PN1997.85 .J65)(1993, 139 minutes)(U.S.)(a wonderful film about the relationships between four Chinese-born women and their four American-born daughters) "Beyond Rangoon" (1995)(U.S.)(an American woman doctor gets involved in human rights in Burma--a powerful film) “Platoon” (1986)(a very strong portrait of American soldiers in Vietnam and the expectations and experiences men had there) "Go Fish" (PN1997 G6)(1995, 83 minutes)(U.S./young lesbian)(one of the better films about young lesbians, relationships, race, and other issues) "Longtime Companion" (PN1997 L66)(1990, 100 minutes)(U.S./gay/AIDS)(a good film about the impact of AIDS on the gay community in the U.S.) "And the Band Played On" (RA644 .A25 A58 1993)(1993, 140 minutes)(U.S.)(the impact of AIDS in the early years, and the attempt to figure out what the new epidemic is) "Boys Don't Cry" (1999)(a film based on the true story of a young transgender person and the difficulty she/he faces)
"Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" (PN1997 M67)(1984, 150 minutes)(Russian)
"Once Were Warriors" (1995)(New Zealand/Australian)(a powerful film about family life and domestic abuse among today's Maori culture in New Zealand)
"Raise the Red Lantern" (PN1997 R235) (1992)(Chinese)(explores the competition among the wives of a man whose attentions each night are announced by the lighting of a red lantern outside his choice's door)
"Wedding Banquet" (PN1997 W38) (1994, 109 minutes))(Chinese)(a delightful film about gender roles and homosexuality in the Chinese-American community) "Eat Drink Man Woman" (PN1997 Y45) (1998, 124 minutes)(Chinese)(a story about 187 a father and his three daughters; if you like food, you'll love this film!) "Shall We Dance?" (PN1997 S455) (1997, 119 minutes)(Japanese)(a melancholy Japanese and over-worked "salary man" finds new life by taking dance lessons) "A Women's Story" (PN1997 N79) (1992, 95 minutes)(Chinese)(three rural women from a village under the Great Wall go to the city to sell their yarn, and come back changed) "Xiu Xiu" (1999, 100 minutes)(during the Cultural Revolution in China, a young woman is "sent down" to a rural area and finds that the revolution has not changed traditional gender expectations for women as much as one might think)
Exam dates and due-dates for the writing assignments are listed in the schedule below.
Class e-mail alias: please feel free to use our class e-mail "alias" during the semester. It is sociology-261. If you send e-mail to that address, it will go to everyone in the course (including me). This can be very useful when you want to add a comment to class discussion (if you're like me, you sometimes think of your best comments after class is over!), react to or ask a question about a reading you're doing at midnight, find someone to write a term paper with, announce a campus event, or whatever else.
Semester Schedule: Topic Outline and Assignments
Friday, February 8
I. INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE AND GENDER ISSUES
A. what do we hope for and expect from this class? what questions and issues do we each bring? why study gender cross-culturally what do we already know or think about men's and women's lives in other cultures? class exercise: brainstorming about gender examples in several cultures: what are the issues?
II. THINKING ABOUT GENDER IN A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE: Can we understand gender roles in their "local" cultural context, or do the impacts of colonialism, westernization, immigration, modernization, and globalization make our study of gender more complicated than ever?
Monday, February 11:
A. A brief survey
Video: “Rites of Passage: Four Stories of Survival” (1995, 30 minutes) 188 (HQ798 .R68 1995)11 (a UNICEF film about the challenges girls face growing up in Nicaragua, India, Jamaica, and Burkina Faso) 12
Wednesday, February 13
B. Thailand: to understand gender today, why may we need to look at both local cultural traditions and the impacts of globalization? is "development" good for women in traditional societies? Do conventional economic and social development programs "leave women behind" or open up new possibilities for women? What is the experience of Third World women working in the factories of global corporations? What do women, and men, gain and lose?
video: "Behind the Smile" (1993, 44 minutes)(Rolvaag: HD6055.6.T5 B45 1993) reading13: "Economic Development, Modernization, and Women's Lives" (handout)
Friday, February 15
reading: Thai Women in the Global Labor Force: Consuming Desires, Contested Selves (1999)(all chapters except chapter 2, which you can omit; this is about 140 pages of reading)
Monday, February 18
C. Gender and the global sex industry: what does the increasingly global sex industry tell us about how we practice gender? why is it almost always men who buy, and almost always women and children (both male and female) who sell or are sold? video: "Sisters and Daughters Betrayed: The Trafficking of Women and Girls and the Fight to End It" (Rolvaag: HQ411.A4 S57 1995)(1996, 28 min) or "The Women Outside: Korean Women and the U.S. Military" (1996, 53 min) or "Sacrifice" (1998, 48 minutes)(Burmese hill tribes girls working in Thailand as prostitutes) readings: "Child Prostitution Flourishes, in U.S. As Well As Third World" (1997)(handout)
D. Women, men, and migration to industrial societies: how does the
11 If you miss a film shown in class, you can watch it in Rolvaag if it’s part of our video collection (as most are). The call numbers for each film are given after the title. 12 Another film that looks at gender/women's issues across several cultures in Rolvaag is "Postcards from the Future" (1996, 45 minutes)(HQ1236.W65 19966). Kenya, Papua, Brazil, England, Chechnya, Central America, Quebec, Algeria).
13 You should try to read any readings listed for a class day for that day, so you can take part in discussion about it.
189 experience of women (and men) who immigrate to the U.S. reflect the gender roles they bring with them? the American expectations about gender the immigrants run into? race and class as well as gender (how do these intersect or interact)? why does so much of the work women do not get paid? what part of men's work is paid, and what not?
Wednesday, February 20
video: "Who's Counting?" (1995, 50 minutes)(HC79.I5 W384 1995)(first 44 min) (are conventional economics and models of economic development based on gender-biased assumptions about what's "work," and whether activities in the public sphere are more real/valuable than those in the private sphere? how does work look from women's perspectives?)
Friday, February 22: the globalization of domestic work and child-care
readings: Doméstica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence (2001)(Latinas in Los Angeles)(read the Preface, and all chapters except pages 92-108)(why has hiring immigrant women as “domestic” workers increased in this past generation, after a long decline—and what does that say about gender roles and globalization?) "Ethnographic Case Study: A Visa for a Dream" (handout)(Dominicans in New York City) video excerpts: "El Norte," "Bread and Roses" (?)
------February 22-23: Globalization Conference at St. Olaf: this annual conference on globalization issues, sponsored by our Social and Applied Science Faculty, will focus this year on "The Challenge of Affluence." There will be several excellent keynote speakers, as well as breakout sessions. Free! Come to part or all, to continue to explore globalization and its implications. The first keynote is on Friday at 4:00, and the conference concludes after lunch on Saturday. See website for more info: www.stolaf.edu/other/global2002/ ------
III. GENDER IN PEASANT (pre-industrial agricultural/farming) SOCIETIES: the majority of human beings in the world today live in peasant societies, and gender patterns reflect both the traditional cultures in these large agriculturally-based cultures and the impact of western colonialism and globalization on them
A. Key gender issues raised by peasant cultures:
1. why are women usually less powerful than men in peasant societies?
2. in what ways does the development not only of agriculture (about 10,000 years ago) but also of cities and a centralized state affect gender roles in peasant societies?
190 3. how does the separation of women's and men's lives common in many peasant societies affect the lives and the status of each?
4. what are some of the strategies women use to have some control over their lives even in peasant societies that seem very patriarchal?
5. in what ways are unequal gender roles for women and men shaped by the "world religions" that have grown out of peasant societies (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, etc.)?
6. in what ways are women's and men's sexuality shaped and controlled in many peasant societies? why is female circumcision (female genital mutilation) a traditional part of some cultures? physical seclusion for women?
7. did patriarchal agricultural societies replace women-centered farming cultures in Europe and the Middle East? Is there evidence of a "Golden Age" for women in prehistory?
8. how are modern industrial societies in the U.S. and Europe shaped by the cultural legacy of their peasant past?
B. Gender in Middle Eastern and African societies
Monday, February 25
1. Gender in the Muslim Middle East14: sampling of ethnographic studies of gender in the Middle East
readings: “Marriage, Family and Household” (chapter 2 in Between Marriage and the Market: Intimate Politics and Survival in Cairo" (1997) “Fertility and Sexual Politics” (chapter 9 from same ethnography) "Research Study: Honor and Shame: Women in Modern Iraq" (handout) "Ethnographic Case Study: Women of Deh Koh: Lives in an Iranian Village" (handout) "Research Summary: Women in Saudi Arabia" "Ethnographic Case Study: Baladi Women of Cairo: Playing with an Egg and a Stone (1993)
Wednesday, February 27
14 You might like the video "Women and Islam" (1994, 30 min)(BP173.4 .W66 1994), an interview with Prof. Leila Ahmed who argues that Islam itself is more "liberal" about women's roles than has often been practiced. Another film of interest is “A Veiled Revolution,” about the meaning of modesty and wearing the hijab among Muslim women today.
191 reading: Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women (Prologue and chapters 1, 3-4, omit chapter 5) Understanding gender in the Middle East is particularly difficult for westerners, given all the strong stereotypes about women in Muslim cultures in general, and the impact of recent events in Afghanistan in particular and the Taliban’s policies towards women. As you read this book, how does the author’s interpretations compare with those in the ethnographies above? How do you feel about her descriptions? This is part of a larger issue we’re likely to struggle with during this course: should we try to understand and accept the gender roles in cultures different from our own, even if they are not just different but seem unfair or oppressive from our point of view? Or are there universal standards (“human rights,” for example) by which all cultures should be judged? reading: “Muslim Women: Original Teachings Give Them Equality” video excerpts: "The Perfumed Garden" (Rolvaag: BP 190.5 .S4P47 2000)(2000)
------March: Women's History Month events at St. Olaf: this year's theme is women and the arts, and there will be several performances, lectures, and other events of interest. See posters and schedules for details. ------
Friday, March 1 video: “Femmes Aux Yeux Ouverts: Women with Open Eyes” (1994, 52 minutes) (HQ1788 .F45 1994)(we’ll see and discuss the first 28 minutes, on female circumcision/excision, arranged/forced marriage, and AIDS in several West African countries)15 readings: Chapter 2 in Nine Parts of Desire "Northern Ladies" from In the Land of God and Man (1999) on hymen reconstruction to restore virginity (concerns with virginity are not limited to Middle Eastern cultures) “Africa Is Dying” (handout on AIDS in Africa)
Monday, March 4: readings: Nine Parts of Desire: chapters 6-12 plus “Conclusion” “The Veiled Revolution”
15 A film that focuses just on female genital mutilation is "Female Circumcision: Human Rites" (1998, 41 minutes)(Rolvaag: GN484.F36)(female circumcision in Togo, Burkina Faso, and Sudan/Egypt; note that this can be a graphic and difficult film to watch in some places)
192
Wednesday, March 6: proposal for group paper/project due
2. herding cultures of the Middle East
a. "Old Testament" tribal patriarchies
reading: chapter One from The Red Tent (early "Old Testament" tribal life)
b. contemporary Middle Eastern cultures: patriarchal herding cultures in contemporary Afghanistan (why were the Taliban able to establish such restrictive roles for women? what were the costs of such gender policies for men as well as women?) reading: “Behind the Burka: Women Subtly Fought Taliban” website visit: www.rawa.org
Friday, March 8: (some of you may be on your way to the Peace Prize Forum...) video: "Honorable Murder" (1999, 55 minutes)(HQ1726.5.H67 1999)(focuses on Palestinians in Jordan and Bedouins in Saudi Arabia: is the viewpoint of this Swedish film justifiable in its condemnation of "honor killings," or ethnocentric?)16 (this relates back to chapter 2…) reading: “Arab Honor’s Price: A Woman’s Blood” optional article: "Where Have All the Women (and Men) Gone? Reflections on Gender and the Second Palestinian Intifada" (Feminist Review, winter 2001, 21-43)
------Friday March 8-Saturday March 9: Peace Prize Forum (at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota). This is the largest annual gathering of students and faculty from the five historically Norwegian/Lutheran colleges in America who are concerned about social justice and peace issues. Check it out! ------Saturday, March 9: International Women's Day Celebration (at the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota, 9-4, free, including box lunch). This annual program focuses on women's roles, lives, and issues in a variety of cultures around the world, including immigrant women in the U.S. It also looks at themes such as development, sex tourism, AIDS, human rights, and others. It's an excellent event for this course; both women and men are welcome to attend. ------
Monday, March 11:
16 Rolvaag also has a film titled "Women Under Seige" about Palestinian women in a refugee camp in southern Lebanon, made by anthropologist Elizabeth Fernea. It's HQ1728 .W65 (1982, 28 minutes).
193 video: "These Girls Are Missing" (199 , 60 minutes)(LC2412.T48 1990) (in many societies, girls get less education than do boys; this video explores reasons for this in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on the Republic of Guinea in west Africa and Malawi in east Africa)
C. Gender in South Asia: India and Bangladesh
1. India
Wednesday, March 13:
video: "Dadi's Family" (1981, 52 min)((Rolvaag: HQ928 .D33)(we’ll see the first 46 minutes) readings: "Ethnographic Case Study: Frogs in a Well: Indian Women in Purdah (handout) "Ethnographic Case Study: Sita's Daughters: Coming Out of Purdah (handout)
Friday, March 15: discussion: May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons (chapters 1-7, 11-12) (what are some of the important features of traditional gender roles and families in India? In what ways is modernization making gender roles less traditional in some ways, but even more traditional in others?)
Monday, March 18: Bangladesh Journals due for a first reading, if you're keeping one…
video: "Sixteen Decisions" (Rolvaag: HG3290.6.A8 Gt35 2000)(2000, 59 minutes)(an examination of the Grameen Bank's "micro-lending" to women in Bangladesh as a means of empowerment and economic development)
Wednesday, March 20: Take-home Midterm Exam Due!
D. Gender in East Asia: China (we'll look at Japan later in the course...)
video: "Small Happiness" (1987, 57 minutes)(HQ1770.L66 S63) reading: "Duties and Obedience in China" (WFW pp. 131-134) "Gender Roles in China" (handout) research summary: Getting Married in Korea: Of Gender, Morality, and Modernity (1996)
E. Gender in Latin America
Friday, March 22:
194 1. the Caribbean
reading: Breath, Eyes, Memory (all) (when a country is particularly pooor, and particularly militarized, what are some of the effects on gender?)
"My grandmother and I ate in the yard, while Brigitte slept in a blanket in my arms. My grandmother was watching a light move between two distant points on a hill. 'Do you see that light moving yonder'? she asked, pointing to the traveling lantern. 'Do you know why it goes to and fro like that?...It is a baby. A baby is being born. The midwife is taking trips from the shack to the yard where the pot is boiling. Soon we will know whether it is a boy or a girl...If it is a boy, the lantern will be put outside the shack. If there is a man, he will stay awake all night with the new child....If it is a girl, the midwife will cut the child's cord and go home. Only the mother will be left in the darkness to hold her child. There will be no lamps, no candles, no more light.' We waited. The light went out in the house about an hour later. By that time, my grandmother had dozed off. Another little girl had come into the world." "I have heard it compared to a virginity cult, out mothers' obsession with keeping us pure and chaste. My mother always listened to the echo of my urine in the toilet, for if it was too loud it meant that I had been deflowered. I learned very early in life that virgins always took small steps when they walked. They never did acrobatic splits, never rode horses or bicycles. They always covered themselves well and, even if their lives depended on it, never parted with their panties." "Haitian men, they insist that their women are virgins and have their ten fingers. According to Tante Atie, each finger had a purpose. It was the way she had been taught to prepare herself to become a woman. Mothering. Boiling. Loving. Baking. Nursing. Frying. Healing. Washing. Ironing. Scrubbing. It wasn't her fault, she said. Her ten fingers had been named for her even before she was born. Sometimes, she even wished she had six fingers on each hand so she could have two left for herself." from Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory (1994)
------Saturday, March 23--Monday April 1 (Eastern Monday): SPRING BREAK ------
Wednesday, April 3
2. Mexico
reading: The Meanings of Macho: Being a Man in Mexico City (1996) (Introduction and chapters 1-5, 8-9) (what is the reality of men’s lives in Mexico today? Do they live up to the stereotype of “machismo”? packet of recent newspaper articles on gender in Latin America
Friday, April 5: [note: Bruce will be out of town at the Midwest Sociological Society meetings this day]:
3. War, revolution, and gender in Central America
195 video: "Approach of Dawn" (1997, 52 minutes)(Guatemala)(HQ1236.,5.G9 A66)17 readings: excerpt from Life Is Hard "Women's Lives in Contemporary Central America" (handout) "Ethnographic Case Study: The Redivision of Labor: Women and Economic Choice in Four Guatemalan Communities" (handout)
IV. GENDER IN SMALLER TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES: BANDS AND TRIBES
A. Gender in band (hunting and gathering) societies
Monday, April 8:
1. Key gender issues raised by hunting and gathering societies
a. are gender roles (definitions and rules about being and acting male and female, including family roles, sexuality, and homosexuality) determined by biology and evolution (sociobiology), or shaped more by social and cultural influences (social constructionist views)? what do hunting and gathering societies tell us? in what ways are women and men similar, and in what ways are they different--and how can we explain those differences?
Readings: "Blood and Milk: Biocultural Markers in the Lives of Women" (WFW ch 3, pp. 69-95)(given that men and women are biologically different, how do various cultures interpret and shape those differences?) "Lifeboat Ethics: Mother Love and Child Death in Northeast Brazil" (GCCP pp. 36-42)(is mother love a biological given, or something that can be repressed in extreme circumstances?)(handout)
b. how can we tell when women and men are "equal" in a culture--what do we look for? can we decide whether women are equal to men in a culture based on our own cultural standards, or do we have to see women's lives through the eyes of their own culture and experiences? what might be the advantages and disadvantages of each way of seeing?
c. do hunting and gathering cultures have usable lessons for us living in modern industrial societies today? does the fact that hunting and gathering cultures were the original form of human society, and that most people who have lived on earth have been hunter-gatherers, imply that this is how we were "meant" to be and
17 A related video of interest is "Nicaragua: Red to Violet," [Rolvaag: HQ1460.5 .W658 1997 part 9] about women's issues in Nicaragua both as participants in the socialist Sandinista revolution of 1979, and since the elections of 1990 in which the U.S.-backed side returned Nicaragua to a more capitalist oriented society. In the "Women in Latin America" video series.
196 live? Or has the distance we have come from hunting and gathering cultures (for better or worse) mean their experience is irrelevant to the issues we in modern (post) industrial societies face today?
d. are women "better off" in many cultures we often call "primitive" than in modern societies, and men less "macho"? If so, how can we explain that? If women's lives are different from popular stereotypes of early cultures, how can we explain that?
2. Examples from particular hunting and gathering cultures:
Wednesday, April 10: desert and rainforest cultures in Africa: are they relatively gender egalitarian? why? video excerpts: "N'ai: the Story of a !Kung Woman" (1980, 60 min) (DT709 .N34) "Children of the Forest" (1984, 28 minutes)(DT650.B36 D8)
Friday, April 12: why does a culture based on hunting and gathering tend towards egalitarian social relationships? readings: "Gender in Band (Hunting and Gathering) Societies" (handout) "Fathering, Ecology, Equality, Gender and Warfare among the Aka Pygmy" (handout) "Rape Free or Rape Prone?"
B. Gender in tribal societies: lessons in gender diversity
1. Some key gender issues raised by tribal societies:
a. why are patriarchy, patrilineal and patrilocal kinship rules, polygyny, male initiation ceremonies, male warfare, permissable rape of women, wife-beating, and female infanticide often found together in the same societies? how might cultural materialism explain this? what alternative explanations might Marxist perspectives give?
b. is violence against women and girl babies acceptable if it is part of a traditional culture, or is it a violation of universal moral rules or human rights? is violence by men against each other acceptable, or at least more acceptable than men's violence against women?
c. why are women "better off" in tribal cultures that are matrilineal/matrilocal, peaceful, and in which there are important female religious spirits or gods?
d. why is male homosexuality sometimes encouraged in cultures in 197 which men are dominant and "macho," when we in modern Western culture are used to thinking a "real man" couldn't be gay? how have some Native American cultures combined traditional family patterns and the acceptance of homosexuality?
e. how do the definitions and fluidity of gender identities in some tribal societies challenge our usual assumption that, even if gender behavior is variable, at least gender identities as men and women are obvious, fixed, and biologically determined?
f. what ceremonies have some tribal societies used to celebrate young women's "coming of age," the transition between being a girl and a woman? why is menstruation often celebrated? what cultures celebrate young men's coming of age, and how are those rituals different from those for women?
2. Gender in tribal societies I: horticultural societies (New Guinea, Amazonia, others)
Monday, April 15: experiential papers due
Reading: “Gender in Tribal Cultures” (handout)
a. horticultural (gardening) cultures in the Amazon rainforests (Yanomami, Mundurucu, Waorani, Mehinaku) video: "Nomads of the Rain Forest" (1987, 56 minutes)(F3722.1.H83 N65 1987) (the Waorani Indians of Amazon Ecuador, a once-warlike tribe)18 (we’ll see minutes 10-29)
b. horticultural and pig-herding cultures in New Guinea/Melanesia (Sambia, Kawelka, Ganuku, others) video: "The Kawelka of Papua: Ongka's Big Moka" (1974, 52 minutes)(Rolvaag: DU740.42.K3 1994)(we’ll see the first 21 minutes) reading: "Ethnographic Case Study: The High Valley" (handout) "Rites of Manhood: Sambia" (MM, chapter 7, pp. 146-168)
3. Gender in tribal societies II: pastoral/herding societies (east Africa, others)
Wednesday, April 17
18 Rolvaag also has a Spanish-language video you might like, "Ecuador: La Mujer Indigena" (1995, 60 min)(HQ1557 .E298 1995), on similar themes.
198
a. herding cultures of Africa (Masai, Dodoth)
video excerpts: "Masai Women" (1991, 52 minutes)(Rolvaag: DT443.M37)(all!) readings: "A Kenyan Girl's Options: Education or Forced Marriage?" (1998)(h) "Ethnographic Case Study: Warrior Herdsmen" (handout)
4. Gender in tribal societies III: gender diversity in traditional Native American cultures (United States)
Friday, April 19:
a. matrilineal tribes and female puberty rituals: Athapascan speakers of the Southwest: Navajos and Apaches videos: "Seasons of a Navajo" (1986, 60 min)(Rolvaag: E99.N3 S42)(we’ll see minutes 45-54 on the "kinaalda," or girls' puberty ceremony) "Sunrise Dance" (1994, 28 minutes)(Rolvaag: E99.A6 S863 1994) (documentary on the Apache girls' coming of age ceremony)
Monday, April 22
b. multiple genders and cross-gender transitions and identities reading: "Lessons about Gender from Native American Traditions" (handout)
IV. GENDER ROLES IN MODERN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES
Wednesday, April 24: film papers due
A. Origins of, and transitions to, modern gender roles
Friday, April 26
B. What are the key features of women's and men's roles in modern industrial society? What are the rewards and problems of each? brainstorming about how we would describe gender roles in contemporary American culture
video: "Slim Hopes" (1995, 30 minutes)(BF697.5.B63 S64 1995)?
Monday, April 29
reading: The Price of Motherhood (read all except chapters 11 and 12) "The Economic Vulnerability of Women in Modern Industrial Societies" 199 (handout)
Wednesday, May 1: men's issues in industrial societies
video: "Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity" (1999, 85 minutes)(BF692.5.T68 1999)--first 21 minutes?
Friday, May 3: men's roles and the men's movements
video: "Men and Masculinity" (1990, 30 minutes) (HQ1090.3.M44)
Monday, May 6: gay/lesbian culture and movements in modern societies
Wednesday, May 8:
C. Gender in a modern/industrial/capitalist non-Western society: Japan
reading: Office Ladies and Salaried Men: Power, Gender, and Work in Japanese Companies (1998) (pages 1-154)
Week 14 (Friday, May 10 -- Wed May 15) GROUP PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Friday, May 10: project presentations begin
Monday, May 13: all group papers/projects due!
Wednesday, May 15: presentations conclude...last day of class
Second (Final) exam due: Saturday May 18, 2:30-4:30
note: the National N.O.W. (National Organization for Women) Conference will be held June 21- 23 (2002) at the Radisson Hotel in downtown St. Paul. The website for the Minnesota chapter of NOW has more info: [email protected]
200 Kum-Kum Bhavnani WOMEN, STRUGGLE, RESISTANCE IN AFRICA, ASIA, LATIN AMERICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
The aim of this class is to introduce students to key issues that form the focus for women's struggles and resistances in the Third World. The course aims both to inform students about women's situation in the Third World, as well as to ask students to reflect on the relationship between women living in the Northern hemisphere and those in the Third World. The course will draw on readings, videos and novels to form the basis of classroom discussion. Please be sure to do the reading before coming to class.
Reading and Assignments There is one Course Reader available from Paradise Copies, Crafts Avenue, Northampton. (413) 585 0414. I also ask that you read the following novels (available form the Grecourt Bookshop and the Library) during the semester and write a short commentary (3 pages) on each book for the following dates:
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez 21st February Beirut Blues by Hanan Al-Shaykh 14th March Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga 11th April Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat 30th April
In addition to the above: • You are asked to do one map assignment by 14th February • You will be asked to present readings in class during the semester. • You will be asked to write one small group research paper (3 to 4 students) of 20 to 30 pages. The topic for this group research project is to be decided by 28th February 2002.
If you are a student with a disability and would like to discuss special accommodations, please do not hesitate to discuss this the Office of Disability Services at 585 2071 (voice) or TDD 2072.
I hope you enjoy the course and will find it intellectually stimulating.
31st January: Introductory Session In this session we shall discuss what is meant by Third World, what is meant by the category "woman" as well as the role of women's struggles and international organisations in creating these definitions. Video: Beyond Beijing (1996, U.N. Women's Conference: Shirini Heerah and Enrique Beerios, 42 minutes)
7th February: Third World Feminisms Basu, Amrita (1995) “Introduction” in Amrita Basu (ed.) The Challenge of Local Feminisms: Women’s Movement in Global Perspectives Boulder, CO: Westview Press pp. 1–25 Afary, Janet (1997) "The War Against Feminism in the Name of the Almighty: Making Sense of Gender and Muslim Fundamentalism" New Left Review No. 224 July-August pp. 89-110 201 Wichterich, Christa (2000) “Globalization of the Women’s Movements” in The Globalized Woman London and New York: Zed Books pp. 145–169 Video: The Women of Hezbollah 2000 Directed by Maher Abi-Samra: 49 minutes
14th February Revolution and Social Change Randall, M (1992) “Introduction” and “Cuba ...” in Gathering Rage New York: Monthly Review Press pp. 13–23 and 121–153 Gorkin, Michael, Pineda, Marta and Leal, Gloria (2000) "Maria" From Grandmother to Granddaughter: Salvadoran Women's Stories Berkeley: University of California Press pp. 93–112 Haynes, Keen (2000) “El Salvador” in A History of Latin America Boston: Houghton Mifflin pp. 485–501 Video: Maria’s Story 1991 directed by Pamela Cohen and Monona Wali: 59 minutes
21st February Colonialism and Globalisation McMichael, Philip (1996) "Colonialism, Decolonisation and Post-war Decolonisation" in Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press pp. 16–30 Rowbotham, Sheila and Linkogle (2001) (eds.) "Introduction" in Women Resist Globalization: Mobilizing for Livelihood and Rights New York: Zed Books pp. 1–12 Hondagneu-Sotelo, Pierrette (1998) “Women and Migration” in Nelly P. Stromquist (ed.) Women in the Third World: An Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Issues New York and London: Garland Publishing pp. 202–209 Peterson, V. Spike and Runyan, Anne Sisson (1999) “Gendered Divisions of Violence, Labour and Resources” in Gender Global Issues 2nd Edition Boulder, CO: Westview Press pp. 113–62 Rai, Shirin (2002) "Introduction: Mapping Gender and the Political Economy of Development" in Gender and the Political Economy of Development Cambridge, UK: Polity Press pp. 1–10 Turpin, Jennifer and Lois Ann Lorentzen (eds.) 1996) "Introduction" in The Gendered New World Order: Militarism, Development and the Environment London: Routledge pp. 1–11 Video: Africa, Africas 2001 A 3-part video series by Agnes Ndibi, Maji-da Abdi and Regina Fanta Nacro, 2001: 62 min
28th February What is resistance? Ortner, Sherry B. (1995) "Resistance and the Problem of Ethnographic Refusal" Society for Comparative Study of Society and History Vol. 37 No. 1 pp. 173–193 Oldenburg, Veena Talwar (1990) "Lifestyle as Resistance: The Case of the Courtesans of Lucknow, India" in Feminist Studies Vol. 16 No. 2 Summer pp. 259–287 Wieringa, Saskia (1995) "Introduction" in Subversive Women: Women's Movements in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean London: Zed Press pp. 1–22 Klugman, Barbara (1994) “Women in Politics under Apartheid: A Challenge to the New South Africa” in Barbara Nelson and Najma Chowdhury (eds.) Women and Politics Worldwide New Haven and London: Yale University Press pp. 639–660 Video: Nu Shu: A Hidden Language of Women in China 1999 Directed by Yue-Qing Yang: 59 minutes
7th March Development and Social Transformation Schech, Suzanne and Haggis, Jane (2000) “Feminism, Development and Culture” in Culture and Development: A Critical Introduction Oxford: Blackwell Publishers pp. 85–117
202 Momsen, Janet (1991) “Introduction” and “Women and Development Planning” in Women and Development in the Third World London and New York: Routledge pp. 1–6 and 93–106 Franke, Richard, W. and Chasin, Barbara (1994) “The Land of Coconuts”, “Kerala’s Achievements” and “Women and the Kerala Reforms” in Kerala: Radical Reform as Development in an Indian State Oakland, CA: Institute for Food and Development Policy pp. 3-21 and 86-105 Video: Love, Women and Flowers 1988 Directed by Marta Rodriguez and Jorge Silva: 58 minutes
14th March Environment Struggle Dankelman, Irene and Davidson, Joan (1988) “Why Women?”, “Land: Women at the Centre of the Food Crisis” and “The Invisible Water Managers” in Women and Environment in the Third World London, UK: Earthscan Publications pp. 3–41 Buckingham-Hatfield, Susan (2000) "The Gendered Effects of Pollution" in Gender and Environment London and New York: Routledge pp. 56–62 Kurian, Priya (2000) “The Sardar Sarovar Project: History and Politics” in Engendering the Environment? Gender in the World Bank’s Environmental Policies Burlington VT: Ashgate pp. 169– 211 Video: Amazon Sisters 1992 Directed by Anne Marie Sweeney: 60 minutes
21st March SPRING BREAK
28th March Employment and Change Abwunza, Judith M (1997) “Outside Work” in Women’s Voices, Women’s Power: Dialogues of Resistance From East Africa Toronto: Broadview Press pp. 61–81 Camila (1996) “The Only Path is Organised Struggle” in Thomas F. Reed and Karen Brandow (eds.) The Sky Never Changes: Testimonies From the Guatemalan Labour Movement Ithaca, NY: ILR (Cornell University Press) pp. 108–126 Chatterjee, Piya (2000) “A State of Work: Women, Politics and Protest on an Indian Tea Plantation” in Marguerite R. Waller and Jennifer Rycenga (eds.) Frontline Feminisms: Women, War and Resistance London and New York: Garland pp. 419–436 Honig, Emily (1986) “Visions of Change” in Sisters and Strangers: Women in the Shanghai Cotton Mills 1919-1949 Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press pp. 203–49 Chang, Kimberly A. and Ling, L.H M (2000) “Globalization and its Intimate Other: Filipina Domestic Workers in Hong Kong” in Marianne Marchand and Anne Sisson Runyan (eds.) Gender and Global Restructuring: Sightings, Sites and Resistances New York and London: Routledge pp. 27–43 Osirim, Mary J. (1996) “The Dilemmas of Modern Development: Structural Adjustment and Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Zimbabwe” in Jennifer Turpin and Lois Ann Lorentzen (eds.) The Gendered New World Order: Militarism, Development and the Environment London: Routledge pp. 127–145 Video: Made in India 1998 Directed by Patricia Plattner: 52 minutes
4th April Health and Reproduction De Barbierri, Teresa (1993) "Gender and Population Policies: Some Reflections" in Reproductive Health Matters No. 1 May pp. 85–92 Correa, Sonia, in collaboration with Rebecca Reichman (1994) “Introduction: The Population and Development Debate” and “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: The Southern Feminist Approach” in Population and Reproductive Rights London: Zed Press pp. 1–10 and 56–97 Video: Something Like a War1991 Directed by Deepa Dhanraj: 52 minutes 203
11th April Sexuality as Resistance? Giti Thadani (1996) "Westernization" in Sakhiyani: Lesbian Desire in Ancient and Modern India New York: Cassell pp. 87–100 Amy Lind (1997) "Out of the Closet and Into 'la calle': Latin America's Anti-Homosexual Laws" NACLA Report on the Americas Vol. 30 No. 5 pp. 6–10 Ann Ferguson (1991) "Lesbianism, Feminism, and Empowerment in Nicaragua" in Socialist Review Vol. 91 Nos. 3 + 4 pp. 75–97 Video: Forbidden Fruit 2000 Directed by Sue Maluwa Bruce: 30 minutes. Macho 2000 Directed by Lucinda Broadbent:, 26 min
18th April Sex Work: Women's Agency or Woman as Victim? Kempadoo, Kamala (2001) "Women of Colour and the Global Sex Trade: Transnational Feminist Perspectives" in Meridians Vol. 1 No. 2 pp. 28–51 Moon, Katherine H.S. (1998) "Prostitute Bodies and Gendered States in U.S.-Korea Relations' in Elaine H. Kim and Chungmoo Choi (eds.) Dangerous Women: Gender and Korean Nationalism New York: Routledge pp. 141–174 Phillips, Joan L. (1999) “Tourist Oriented Prostitution in Barbados: The Case of the Beach Boy and the White Female Tourist” in Kamala Kempadoo (ed.) Sun, Sex and Gold: Tourism and Sex Work in the Caribbean Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield pp. 183–200 Fernandez, Nadine (1999) "Back to the Future? Women, Race and Tourism in Cuba" in Kamala Kempadoo (ed.) Sun, Sex and Gold: Tourism and Sex Work in the Caribbean Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield pp. 81–89 Haban, Paulette (1995) "Case Study: Mail Order Brides" Video: Remote Sensing 2001 Directed by Ursula Biemann: 53 minutes.
25th April 3rd World and/or 1st World Feminisms Melching, Molly (2001) "What's in a Name? (Re) Contextualising Female Genital Mutilation" in Susan Perry and Celeste Schenk (eds.) Eye to Eye: Women Practicing Development Across Cultures New York: Zed Books pp. 155–170 Nnaemeka, Obioma (2001) "If Female Circumcision Did Not Exist, Western Feminism Would Invent It" in Susan Perry and Celeste Schenk (eds.) Eye to Eye: Women Practicing Development Across Cultures New York: Zed Books pp. 171–189 Weil-Curiel, Linda (2001) "Female Genital Mutilation in France: A Crime Punishable in Law" in Susan Perry and Celeste Schenk (eds.) in Eye to Eye: Women Practicing Development Across Cultures New York: Zed Books pp. 190–197
2nd May Course overview
204 Kum-Kum Bhavnani SEMINAR IN WOMEN, CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT
Development has failed the Third World. This failure, exacerbated by the end of the Cold War and the rise of projects of globalization, has meant that poverty has become increasingly feminized, environmental degradation continues at an alarming pace, and conditions for peace and justice remain elusive. While a number of arguments exist to explain this failure, it is widely accepted that a misplaced emphasis on modernization strategies for over two decades, a lack of attention to women’s contributions, and a disregard for culture have contributed to this failure.
It is also frequently noted that both development/third world studies and feminist studies are in crisis. For development studies, this is partly due to the aftershocks following the collapse of a particular socialist vision in 1989, which then congealed into an apparent global consensus around the inevitability of capitalism and the market. The paradoxes of postmodernism in the social sciences -- which have challenged Enlightenment projects and conventional forms of knowledge production -- have also contributed to the present conjuncture. Many believe that a way out of this impasse lies in a new approach to development studies -- one which re-articulates development to suggest radical alternatives for social change and social transformation in the Third World.
In the case of feminist thought, some have argued that the crisis exists due to the waning of scholarly interest in the role of state, the rise of post-modern influences with the consequent lack of attention to differences of interest amongst women, and the challenges to hegemonic feminisms made by feminists in the third world and “women of colour” in the First World. The way out of this crisis is still fiercely debated but it is evident that women’s agency/resistance is a key element for emerging from the crisis.
This seminar will explore these failures and crises and the end of the crises through a programme of focused readings, videos and discussions. We will schedule video screenings when necessary.
There is one Course Reader available from Paradise Copies, Crafts Avenue, Northampton. We will also discuss how best to read novels for this seminar. I ask that you participate extensively though discussions and through writing the weekly briefs and video evaluations.
I hope you find the course intellectually exciting and academically stimulating.
SESSION 1 Thursday 6th September (KKB in South Africa)
Introduction to the themes: What is development? Class discussion
Video: Love, Women and Flowers (1988) Colombia Marta Rodriguez and Jorge Silva 58 minutes
SESSION 2 Thursday 13th September
205 Women Development and Globalization – what are the issues? Franke, Richard, W. and Chasin, Barbara (1994) “Women and the Kerala Reforms” in Kerala: Radical Reform as Development in an Indian State Oakland, CA: Institute for Food and Development Policy pp. 3-21 and 86-105 Schech, Suzanne and Haggis, Jane (2000) “Thinking About Culture and Development"” and "Bringing Culture and Development Together" in Culture and Development: A Critical Introduction Oxford: Blackwell Publishers pp. 1 - 56 Chang, Kimberly A. and Ling, L.H M (2000). “Globalization and its Intimate other: Filipina Domestic Workers in Hong Kong” in Marianne Marchand and Anne Sisson Runyan (eds.) Gender and Global Restructuring: Sightings, Sites and Resistances New York and London: Routledge pp. 27–43
SESSION 3 Thursday 20th September
Women, Employment and Development Freeman, Carla (2001) "Is Local: Global as Feminine: Masculine? Rethinking the Gender of Globalization" in Signs Volume 26 No. 4 Summer pp. 1007 - 38 Fernandes, Leela (1997) “Introduction” and “Stories of Survival: Location, Difference and the Identities of Women’s Workers” in Producing Workers: The Politics of Gender, Class and Culture in the Calcutta Jute Mills Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press pp 1 – 7 and pp 137 – 158 Renana Jhabvala (1994) "Self-Employed Women's Association: Organising Women by Struggle and Development" in Sheila Rowbotham and Swasti Mitter (eds.) Dignity and Daily Bread: New Forms Of Economic Organizing Among Poor Women In The Third World And The First London: Routledge pp. 114 - 138 Gutierrez, Zaira Escamilla and Mora, Lorena Vargas (1997) “Peasant Women’s Autobiographies: Women’s Double Contribution to the Rural Economy” in Ilse Abshagen Leitinger (ed.) The Costa Rican Women’s Movement: A Reader Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press pp. 89 - 97 Snyder, Margaret C and Tadesse, Mary (1995) "Women on the Move: The Future" in African Women and Development London: Zed press pp. 179 - 193
CASE STUDY OF COLOMBIAN FLOWER INDUSTRY: "To Work or Not To Work?" by Kum- Kum Bhavnani and Molly Talcott (2000)
Video: Women of Zimbabwe (1997) France/Zimbabwe Joanne Burke 26 minutes
SESSION 4 Thursday 27th September
Sustainable Development: an achievable goal? Dankelman, Irene and Davidson, Joan (1988) Women and Environment in the Third World London: Earthscan Publications pp. 1 – 65 Braidotti, Rosi, Charkiewicz, Ewa, Hausler, Sabine and Wieringa, Saskia (1994) “Women, The Environment and Sustainable Development: The Emergence of the Theme and Different Views” in Women, the Environment and Sustainable Development London: Zed Press pp 77 – 106
206 Wacker, Corinne, (1994) “Sustainable Development Through Women’s Groups: A Cultural Approach to Sustainable Development” in Wendy Harcourt (ed.) Feminist Perspectives on Sustainable Development London: Zed Press pp. 128 –142 Seager, Joni (1999) “Patriarchal Vandalism: Militaries and the Environment” in Jael Silliman and Ynestra King (eds.) Dangerous Intersections: Feminist Perspectives on Population, Environment and Development Cambridge, MA: South End Press pp. 163 – 188 LaDuke, Winona (1999) ""Nuclear Waste: Dumping on the Indians" in All Our relations: native Struggles for Land and Life Cambridge, MA: South End Press pp. 97 - 111 Agarwal, Bina (1998) “Environmental Management, Equity and Ecofeminism: Debating India’s Experience” in The Journal of Peasant Studies Vol. 25, No. 4 July pp. 55 – 95
Video: Amazon Sisters (1992) UK Anne Marie Sweeney 60 minutes
SESSION 5 Thursday 4th October
Women, Health and Reproduction Petchesky, Rosalind P. (1997) “Spiraling Discourses of Reproductive and Sexual Rights: A Post-Beijing Assessment of International Feminist Politics” in Cathy J. Cohen, Kathleen B. Jones and Joan C. Tronto (eds.) Women Transforming Politics: An Alternative Reader New York: New York University Press pp. 569 – 587 Bandarage, Asoka (1997) “Introduction” and “Politics of Global Population Control” in Women, Population and Global Crisis: A Political Economic Analysis London: Zed Press pp. 1 – 23 and 63 – 111 Mies, Maria and Vandana Shiva (1993) "People or Population: Towards a New Ecology of Reproduction" in EcoFeminism London: Zed Press pp. 277 - 296 Long, Lynellen, D and Messersmith, Lisa J. (1998) Reconceptualising Risk: A Feminist Analysis of HIV/AIDS” in Nelly P. Stromquist (ed.) Women in the Third World: An Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Issues New York: Garland Publishing Inc. pp. 157 – 164 Staudt, Kathleen (1998) “Population, Overconsumption and Reproductive Health” in Policy, Politics and Gender: Women Gaining Ground Kumarian Press pp. 139 – 158
Video: Something Like a War (1991) India: Deepa Dhanraj, 52 minutes
SESSIONS 6 Thursday 11th October
Feminist nationalism and resistance – a new form of development? Peterson, V. Spike (2000) “Sexing Political Identities/Nationalism as Heterosexism” in Sita Ranchod-Nilsson and Mary Ann Tetreault (eds.) Women, States and Nationalism: At Home in the Nation London: Routledge pp. 54 – 80 Geraldine Heng (1997) "`A Great Way to Fly': Nationalism, the State, and the Varieties of Third- World Feminism" in M. Jacqui Alexander and Chandra Talpade Mohanty (eds.) Feminist Genealogies, Colonial Legacies, Democratic Futures New York: Routledge pp. 30-45 Hamlish, Tamara (2000) “Calligraphy, Gender and Chinese Nationalism” in Tamar Mayer (ed.) Gender Ironies of Nationalism: Sexing the Nation London: Routledge pp. 211 - 235 Mukhta, Parita (2000) :Gender, Community, Nation: The Myth of Innocence” in Susie Jacobs, Ruth Jacobson and Jen Marchbank (eds.) States of Conflict: Gender, Violence and Resistance London: Zed Press pp. 163 – 178
207 Gluck, Sherna Berger (1997) “Shifting Sands: The Feminist-Nationalist Connection in the Palestinian Movement” in Lois West (ed.) Feminist Nationalism London: Routledge pp. 101 – 129
Video: Nu Shu: A Hidden Language of Women in China (19999) China Yue-Qing Yang 59 minutes
SESSION 7 Thursday 18th October
First World or Third World? Discussion of course to date Anderson, Bridget (2000) “Selling the Self: Commodification, Migration and Domestic Work: in Doing the Dirty Work: The Global Politics of Domestic Labour London: Zed Press pp. 108 – 125 Chang, Grace (2000) "Global exchange: The World bank, "Welfare reform" and the Trade in Migrant Women" in Disposable Domestics: Immigrant Women in the Global Economy Cambridge, MA: South End Press pp. 123 - 154 Ng, Vivien (1999) “Coming to Terms with History” in Sharon K. Hom (ed.) Chinese Women Traversing Diaspora: Memoirs, Essays, Poetry New York: Garland Publishing Inc. pp. 149 – 161 Xueping, Zhong (1999) “Multiple Readings and Personal Reconfigurations Against the ‘Nationalist Grain’ “ in Sharon K. Hom (ed.) Chinese Women Traversing Diaspora: Memoirs, Essays, Poetry New York: Garland Publishing Inc. pp. 103 - 125
Video: Performing the Border (1999) Switzerland/Mexico Ursula Bieman 42 minutes
SESSION 8 Thursday 25th October
Mothering as culture Larrier, Renee (1997) “Reconstructing Motherhood: Francophone African Women Autobiographers” in Obioma Nnaemeka (ed.) The Politics of (M)Othering: Womanhood, Identity and Resistance in African Literature London: Routledge: pp. 192 – 204 Bouvard, Marguerite Guzman (1994) “Introduction: The Mothers of the Plaza de la Mayo”, “The Dirty War” and “A New Model in the Struggle for Human Rights” in Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza de la Mayo Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources Inc. pp. 1 – 45 and 219 – 240 Mulinari (2000) “Uno hace cualquier cosa por los hijos: Motherwork and Politics in Sandinista Nicaragua” in Helena Ragone and France Winddance Twine (eds.) Ideologies and Technologies of Motherhood: Race, Class, Sexuality, Nationalism New York: Routledge pp. 233 – 262
Video: Maria’s Story 60 minutes Thursday 1st November OTELIA CROMWELL DAY - NO CLASS
SESSION 9 Thursday 8th November
Sex Work – Victim or Resistance? Jan Jindy Pettman (1997) "Body Politics: International Sex Tourism" in Third World Quarterly Vol. 18 No. 1 pp 93 - 108
208 Priscilla Alexander (1998) “Prostitution: Still a Difficult Issue” in Frederique Delacoste and Priscilla Alexander (eds.) Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry Second Edition San Francisco: Cleis Press pp 184 - 230 Nestle, Joan (1998) Lesbians and Prostitutes: A Historical Sisterhood” in Frederique Delacoste and Priscilla Alexander (eds.) Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry Second Edition San Francisco: Cleis Press pp 247 – 263 Kempadoo, Kamala (1998) “Introduction: Globalizing Sex Workers’ Rights” in Kamala Kempadoo and Jo Doezema (eds.) Global Sex Workers: Rights, Resistance and Redefinition New York: Routledge pp 1 – 28 Phillips, Joan L. (19999) “Tourist Oriented Prostitution in Barbados: The Case of the Beach Boy and the White Female Tourist” in Kamala Kempadoo (ed.) Sun, Sex and Gold: Tourism and Sex Work in the Caribbean Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield pp. 183 – 200
Video: The Shinjuku Boys (1995) England Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams 53 minutes
SESSION 10 Thursday 15th November
Sexualities in Context Robertson, Jennifer (2000) “Dying to Tell: Sexuality and Suicide in Imperial Japan” in Cindy Patton and Benigno Sanchez-Eppler (eds.) Queer Diasporas Durham, NC: Duke University Press pp. 38 – 69 Thadani, Giti (1996) "Westernization" in Sakhiyani: Lesbian Desire in Ancient and Modern India New York: Cassell pp 87 - 100 Lind, Amy (1997) "Out of the Closet and Into 'la calle': Latin America's Anti-Homosexual Laws" NACLA report on the Americas Vol. 30 No. 5 pp 6 – 10 Ferguson, Ann (1991) "Lesbianism, Feminism, and Empowerment in Nicaragua" in Socialist Review Vol. 91 Nos. 3 + 4 pp 75 – 97 Puar, Jasbir Kaur (2001) "Global Circuits: Transnational Sexualities and Trinidad" in Signs Vol 26 No. 4 Summer pp. 1039 - 1066 Video: Black Nations?Queer Nations? Third World Newsreel
NO CLASS 22ND NOVEMBER: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
SESSION 11 Thursday 29th November
Islam and Struggles over Religion Afary, Janet (1997) "The War Against Feminism in the Name of the Almighty: Making Sense of Gender and Muslim Fundamentalism" New Left Review No. 224 July-August pp. 89-110 Karam, Azza M. (2000) “Feminisms and Islamisms in Egypt: Between Globalization and Postmodernism” in Marianne H. Marchand and Anne Sisson Runyan (eds.) Gender and Global Restructuring: Sightings, Sites and Resistances London: Routledge pp. 194 – 208 Abu-Lughod, Lila (1997) “Movie Stars and Islamic Moralism in Egypt” in Roger Lancaster and Micaela di Leonardo (eds.) The Gender and Sexuality Reader New York: Routledge pp. 502 – 512 Amrita Basu (1995) "Feminism Inverted: The Gendered Imagery and Real Women of Hindu Nationalism" in Tanika Sarkar and Urvashi Butualia (eds.) (1995) Women and Right-wing Movements: Indian Experiences London: Zed Books pp. 158 - 180
209 Othman, Norani (1998) “ Islamisation and Modernization in Malaysia: Competing Cultural Reassertions and Women’s Identity in a Changing Society” in Rick Wilford and Robert L. Miller (eds.) Women, Ethnicity and Nationalism: The Politics of Transition London: Routledge pp. 170 – 192 Video: The Hejab in Cairo, Egypt (1995) Egypt Tania Kamal Eldin 25 minutes
SESSIONS 12 and 13 Thursday 6th and 13th December
Development, Human Rights and The State Sen, Gita and Grown, Caren (1987) Development, Crises, and Alternative Visions: Third World Women's Perspectives New York: Monthly Review Press pp 78 - 96 Briceno, Rosa (1998) “Reclaiming Women’s Human Rights” in Nelly P. Stromquist (ed.) Women in the Third World: An Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Issues New York: Garland Publishing Inc. pp. 49 – 58 Matthews, Irene (2000) “Translating, Transgressing/Torture” in Marguerite R. Waller and Jennifer Rycenga (eds.) Frontline Feminisms: Women, War and Resistance New York: Garland Publishing Inc. pp. 85 - 112 Naciri, Rabea (1998) “Engaging the State” The Women’s Movement and Political Discourse in Morocco” in Carol Miller and Shahra Razavi (eds.) Missionaries and Mandarins:Feminist Engagement with development Institutions Intermediate Technology Publications with UN Research Institute for Social Development pp. 87 – 111 Lind, Amy (2000) “Negotiating Boundaries: Women’s Organisations and the Politics of Restructuring in Ecuador” in Marianne H. Marchand and Anne Sisson Runyan (eds.) Gender and Global Restructuring: Sightings, Sites and Resistances London: Routledge pp. 161 – 175 Gualinga, Christina (1997) “Defending the Samay: Grandmother” in Edith Sizoo (ed.) Women’s Lifeworlds London: Routledge pp. 138 – 145 Hensman, Rohini (1996) “The Role of Women in the Resistance to Political Authoritarianism in Latin America and South Asia” in Haleh Afshar (ed.) Women and Politics in the Third World London: New York pp. 48 – 72
ASSIGNMENTS
Your assignments are to write 10 x 3 page critical briefs on topics discussed in the course. Please choose which topics you will write on. Feel free to come and discuss the assignments with me. You are also required to write short (one paragraph is adequate) evaluations of all of the videos. We shall discuss these more during the class.
Chris Bobel WOMEN & ACTIVISM
Course Objectives:
210 In this course, it is my job to help you: 1) Become acquainted with the vast body of literature that describes, theorizes and prescribes women-centered activism and learn to critically engage this material 2) Apply this knowledge and develop your own critiques of existing activist projects, and 3) Construct your own direct action plan around an issue important to you.
Course Requirements: Required Reading available at University Bookstore: Springer, Kimberly (Ed). Still lifting, still climbing: African American Women's Contemporary Activism. New York: NYU Press
Naples, N. (Ed). (1997). Community activism and feminist politics: Organizing across race, class and gender. New York: Routledge
Echols, A & Willis, Ellen. (1990). Daring to be bad. Radical Feminism in America 1967-1975. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota. (NOTE: This book is on reserve at Healey Library if you prefer to access if for free).
Baxter, Sheila. (1997). Still raising hell: Poverty, activism and other true stories. Vancouver, Canada: Gang Publishers
Attendance: Because this course is discussion-intensive, your ON TIME and regular attendance and lively engagement with the course material is expected. Accordingly, your ON TIME attendance will be noted. Students who attend regularly will be rewarded with the “benefit of the doubt” in borderline cases when final grades are calculated. Students will be expected to attend each class and keep up with the weekly reading assignments and to contribute to class discussion as much as they can.
A note on speaking up in class: We are all familiar with common obstacles to productive classroom dialogue: coming to class unprepared and fear of sounding stupid. But, both obstacles are avoidable: the former if each student keeps up with the reading, the latter if we collectively agree to a few ground rules for democratic discussion.
The rules are as follows: no attacks based on individual or group characteristics such as gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, or age; no esoteric terms or reference to materials unless they are known to all (or the speaker is equipped to define/explain their relevance).
Grading: Discussant 15% CyberActivism Analysis 20% International Women's Activism Analysis 25% Direct Action Project (and Presentation) 40% TOTAL 100%
The 4 assignments are described in detail on the attached sheet.
Disability Accommodations:
211 Section 504 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 offer guidelines for curriculum modifications and adaptations for students with documented disabilities. Students may obtain adaptation recommendations from the Lillian Semipro Ross Center, McCormack, Floor 1, room 401, 617.287.7430. If you have a disability and require appropriate accommodation, please notify me by September 11 (the end of add/drop) and seek assistance from the Lillian Semper Ross Center.
Course Outline UNIT I. Introduction Working toward a definition of activism? How does it differ from strategy? Tactics? What is Direct Action? Civil Disobedience? Must activism be public? What is individual-level change? And is it activist, too?
September 4: Course Overview Defining Activism, Defining Women's Activism In-Class Writing Assignment: Personal Activist Profile
September 6: Naples Introduction
UNIT II. History of 2nd wave of US Women’s Movement What can we learn from this rich history? What were some of the obstacles encountered by activists of the women’s movement, both at the public and organizational levels? What were the “blind spots” of the activists (regarding race and class) and the content of the debates regarding sexuality? How have their struggles shaped current activism? What struggles remain today?
September 11: Echols Intro and Ch. 1 Sign up for discussant date
September 13: Echols Ch2 Springer, pp 49-106 September 18: Echols Ch 3, 4 and 5 Assignment Due: In Class Announcements of Web Sites Selected for CyberActivism Analysis Paper
September 20: Echols Ch. 6 and Epilogue
September 25: Assignment Due: CyberActivism Analysis
UNIT III. Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Class and Sexuality in Organizing for Change What happens when activists reckon with multiple oppression as they organize for change? Students will read essays from a variety of sources that describe various activist efforts, their successes, their challenges and the implications of their work.
October 2: Springer 167-240
October 4: Springer 241-296
212 October 9 Springer 297-340 Assignment Due: Direct Action Project Prospectus
October 11 Naples, Ch 2 and Ch. 3
October 16 Naples Ch 4 and Ch 5
October 18 Naples Ch 6 and Ch 7
October 23 Naples Ch 8 and 9
October 25 Baxter pp. 1-40 Assignment Due: In Class Announcements of International Women's Activism Analysis Topic Selection
October 30 Baxter pp. 41-75 Project Presentation Order Number Drawing
November 1 Baxter pp. 76-120
November 6 Baxter pp. 120-146
November 8 Naples Ch 10 Assignment Due: International Women's Activism Analysis
November 13 Naples Ch 11
November 15 Naples Ch 12
November 20 Naples Ch 13 and Ch 14
November 22 THANKSGIVING RECESS
November 27 No Reading Due: CATCH UP ON DISCUSSION DAY Discussion on ‘Making Good Presentations’ UNIT V. Student Projects The final segment of the course turns attention to the direct action projects created and enacted by the students. Class time is spent with each student presenting her/his work and engaging the students in an evaluative discussion.
November 29 Project Presentations (1-4)
December 4 Project Presentations (5-8)
December 6 Project Presentations (9-12)
December 11 Project Presentations (13-16) 213
December 13 Project Presentations (17-20) Whew! Last Class!
Evaluation Statement I. Grading Breakdown Attendance/Participation 10% Discussant 15% CyberActivism Analysis Paper 15% International Women's Activism Analysis Paper 20% Direct Action Project Paper (and Presentation) 40% TOTAL 100%
II. Description of Assignments: • Discussant: You are required to select a class reading and complete two tasks. 1) Prepare a thorough, coherent oral summary of the selected reading that adequately covers the main points of the piece with explicit statement of the author or authors' main argument and present this summary to the class. You will identify the arresting themes that emerge. Your summary will also note how the reading/s converge and diverge with previous readings/discussion. 2) Write and distribute three discussion questions that penetrate the core concepts addressed and stimulate our thinking.
Grade is based on the comprehensiveness of summary (did you cover all the main points? Did you define key concepts?), skill at making relevant connections between readings and success at writing questions that ‘tease out’ salient issues in the reading that advances our understanding of the topic under study.
Value: 15%
• CyberActivism Analysis Paper : Based on the thorough review of 2 web sites which describe a contemporary social issue from an activist perspective, you will write a brief analytic paper (3-5 pages) which discusses how the 2 websites illuminate key issues raised in the course. In brief, your task is to relate your analysis of this relatively new form of activism to the standards of effective activism we have thus far articulated.
You must choose 2 sites that address the same issue (such as domestic violence in the Asian community or pro choice organizing). The paper must include: A brief but clear description of the 2 web sites (please provide a hard copy of all pages). Note both content and style. A description of the sites' goals (either explicitly stated or implied). A description of the strategies employed by the sites to meet these goals. For each site, a critical analysis of what works and what doesn't on the site. How effective are the sites in meeting their goals?
214 Compare/contrast the 2 sites discussing what they have in common, and considered together, what they don't and what these 2 sites might tell us about the state of cyber activism regarding the particular isolated issue.
Value: 15%
• International Women's Activism Analysis Paper: This assignment challenges you to extend beyond the US-based scope of the course and research a contemporary social change project in a locale other than the US. Suggested paper length: 5-7 pages. Students will: 1) Identify a movement (small scale is fine), 2) Describe the issue the activists are addressing and why 3) Describe what tactics they employ and, 4) Provide a critique of their effectiveness, again, using our emergent criteria of effectiveness. Watch your xenophobia here…be tuned into the cultural context in which the activism is embedded. I will look for application of course material here. How is this project similar to others we've read about? How is it different? What are the barriers to change the activists encounter and why, in your learned opinion, do they exist?
BUT WHERE DO I BEGIN? The book, Basu, A. (Ed), (1995). The Challenge of Local Feminisms: Women's Movements in Global Perspective is on reserve at Healey Library. Peruse it for ideas of what's going on in other parts of the world. Also, make a habit of reading the international news section of any national paper (I like the New York Times) and you will discover a plethora of issues to explore for this paper.
THIS IS MORE THAN A "BOOK REPORT"--it is your responsibility to not only report on what's going on in another part of the planet but to offer up an intelligent analysis of that activity based on course material.
Value: 20 %
• Direct Action Project (and Presentation): This project, the penultimate assignment for the course, will require you to research a women's issue of your choosing, identify a coherent agenda to effect change in some measurable way and perform at least one direct action described in your plan and comment on that experience. In addition, your project must incorporate a rationale for why you've selected the series of actions you have. Reflect on the reading and note how the various authors justified the choice they made. Emulate their work. In your 10-12 page paper, I want to know: • What is your issue? • What can you tell me about it? NOTE: This is NOT a research paper on your selected issue (at least not in the traditional sense). I do expect a thorough-enough summary of key elements of your selected issue that helps me understand why this something that must be addressed and why it must be addressed now (a well-written introduction should accomplish this). • What do you hope to accomplish? Be specific. "Achieve world peace" or even "Ensure abortion access for all women" are both dangerously unrealistic. Try: Raise public awareness about X? (If so, how, exactly? With what information?) Initiate Legislative change regarding Y? Raise funds for Z? Stage a boycott regarding Q?
215 • How will you accomplish this goal? Specifically, what series of strategies do you propose to effect some change? • What course material helped you shape your project? Your project must incorporate a RATIONALE for why you chose the particular series of actions you chose. To do this, you must draw on course readings (I suggest you reference at least 3 readings). What lessons did you learn from the activists we studied? What strategies will you use that they tested? Which mistakes will you avoid that they made first? In short, demonstrate that you’ve done the reading. Demonstrate that you understand the reading. And above all, demonstrate that you can apply the reading in the construction of your plan. • What piece of your plan did you enact? And how did it go? What did you learn from this experience? Did your experience reflect other activist projects we studied? Did you encounter similar obstacles? What NEW issues emerged?
You will be expected to present to the class a synopsis of your paper (on a pre-selected date) and entertain questions. The presentation is ungraded but it is required.
Your grade is based NOT on whether or not you “succeeded” at effecting change but on how well you constructed and supported your chosen plan of action. I am looking for clear and well reasoned thinking and writing supported by class material. Did you “think” through the relevant issues in a systemic and comprehensive way? Did you anticipate obstacles and strategize how to avoid them?
On October 9, you will submit a 2 page prospectus which outlines your project (addressed points 1-5 without the comment on your experience, of course). This is ungraded BUT required. I will provide feedback to shepherd you through your process. Your project will be nullified if I haven't approved your prospectus.
Value: 40% Prospectus Due: October 9 Final Project Due: On the date of your presentation (between November 29-December 13)
A Note on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty: Below is the University Policy on Academic Standards and Cheating from UMB Undergraduate University Catalog. For further details, refer to the section on plagiarism.
"The first obligation of students is to pursue conscientiously the academic objective which they have determined for themselves. Students are expected to conform to all regulations of the University, of the College in which they are enrolled, and of the classes in which they are registered. It is further expected that all examinations, texts, written papers or other assignments completed as a part of academic programs are the product of the student's own work and effort.
This means that students may not solicit or use unauthorized material or assistance for their own benefit and may not offer or give such assistance to another student. Every written report or similar class assignment must indicate fully the sources from which the informant used is obtained, and any verbatim quotations or paraphrases must be clearly indicated as such and properly credited to the source from which they were extracted or adapted."
216 Danielle M. Currier WOMEN & VIOLENCE
Course Description There are many different kinds of violence prevalent in our society today. Many of these are perpetrated primarily or only by men against women. This class will be an examination of some of the major kinds of violence expressed specifically against women, mostly those types of violence prevalent in the United States. “International” forms of violence against women will be done in group work.
Major class objectives include recognizing and examining: - The public nature of private violence as a way of examining how private experiences of violence are rooted in social conditions. - The broad cultural beliefs, attitudes, and practices that create and perpetuate a culture of violence against women. - The ways in which systems of oppression – race, social class, sexual orientation – affect the kinds of violence perpetrated against women as well as the responses of both the women themselves and of society to this violence. - The various forms and consequences of violence against women, both on a social and a personal level - Public and private resistance to this violence and the resulting positive action that challenges the culture of violence in which we live.
Required Reading Kettlewell, Caroline (1999). Skin Game: a memoir. St. Martin’s Griffin. Marya Hornbacher (1998). Wasted: a memoir of anorexia and bulimia. Harper Flamingo/Harper Collins. Pierce-Baker, Charlotte (1998). Surviving the Silence: black women’s stories of rape. W.W. Norton.
Reserve Reading These readings are listed on the day they are DUE. Unless otherwise noted, all of these reserve readings are REQUIRED. You are expected to do all the readings for a particular class, even if you are not assigned to present the material to the class. Read them in the order listed.
Many of the readings come from 2 out-of-print books: Women and Violence: the Bloody Footprints and Transforming a Rape Culture. They are both available on order from Amazon, but the waiting time is 3-7 weeks. Feel free to buy them if you find it easier to use books, but don’t rely on getting either of them in time for some of the assignments.
GRADED COMPONENTS 10% 2 Short Commentaries / analyses (pornography, “the accused”) 20% 2 class presentations 25% Journal 35% Group Project (this includes all related assignments, listed below) 10% Class participation
217 COMMENTARIES / ANALYSES
(I) Pornography (due 2/14) As a class, we are going to be discussing pornography. One of the articles you will be reading is a “debate” on whether or not pornography promotes or leads to violence against women.
For this assignment, you are to write a 2-3 page paper responding to this article. There should be two components to this paper: 1 – A brief summary of the two sides of the argument – this should be a simple bulleted list for each. 2 – Either take one side or the other and support it with your own arguments and discussion, or compare the two arguments and their strengths and weaknesses. You will be graded on the way you defend your position, not on the particular side you take.
(II) An analysis/critique of “The Accused” (due 3/14)
We are going to be watching the movie “The Accused”. You are to write a 2-3 page analysis of the movie. This critique should include: A one paragraph summary of the plot and occurrences in the movie. The ways in which you see both institutional and personal sexism at work in this case. The ways in which this movie reflects or relates to the articles you have read on rape and both institutional and personal responses to rape.
CLASS PRESENTATIONS
Each student will sign up for 2-3 classes for which they will prepare the readings. Each article will have 1-3 people and each book will have 4 people who are responsible for preparing the material. You can either work alone or in groups.
Each class period will begin with a 10-20 minute period in which the people responsible for preparing the readings will present questions about or comments on the readings. This presentation is not meant to be a formal, scary presentation. Rather, it is a way for people to share what they have “gotten” from the readings and how they relate to other things we have discussed in the class.
These introductory periods will be the basis for the rest of class discussion. Thus, a simple summary is not enough. You must think critically about the articles/books and present ideas to stimulate discussion.
For each presentation you do, you must hand in a 2-3 page write-up of your major points and any comments or questions that arose for you. These are to be handed in at the end of the class in which you do your presentation. Late papers WILL NOT be accepted. If you cannot do a class you signed up for, give me a week’s notice or you will receive a 0 on that assignment.
JOURNAL
218 Each student is required to keep a weekly journal pertaining to this class, our discussions, and the readings. Journal entries are to be handed in each Thursday, addressing the topics dealt with in the previous two classes, or other things that come up for you surrounding the class. I will NOT GRADE journal entries that are handed in late.
This journal can be typewritten (preferred) or handwritten, but it must be handed in in hard copy. NO EMAILING!!! If you are having problems with your printer, contact me before the assignment is due.
Although you are required to hand in a journal entry each week, you will all also be required to hand in a complete journal at the end of the semester, to be graded as a whole entity. Entries that you did not do during the course of the semester CANNOT be included in this final version. You will be graded on the consistency with which you keep the journal, as well as the critical thinking you apply to the topics and discussions in this class.
This journal is intended to be a confidential outlet in which to express concerns or problems you have with the topics or class discussion itself, comment on the readings and/or the topics we are addressing, or just keep track of your feelings about or progress in this class. It can also be used as a guide for what you want to bring up in class discussion. I will be the only person who reads this journal, unless you choose to share your entries with the rest of the class.
GROUP PROJECT
You will be put into groups of 5-7 people to do in-depth research either on a topic we will not be addressing extensively in class or another topic of your choosing.
The findings from the research you do will be presented to the whole class two times: 1) Once in the middle of the semester when each group will talk about the preliminary topic, setup, and questions of their project – what they hope to find, where they are looking, etc.
2) At the end of the semester when each group will give a presentation about what they discovered about their topic, what they couldn’t find, and where future research on this topic should focus
Although you will not hand in individual “research papers”, you will hand in group-generated progress reports during the course of the semester, as well as a final group write-up of your findings (MAX 10 pages + bibliography). These progress reports are as follows:
(I) Introductory Information (due 2/5) A list of the people in your group The topic your will be researching A list of questions about this topic you will be looking to answer A proposed division of labor among the group members (as individuals or smaller groups)
(II) Update on the progress of the parts and progress of the project (due 2/26) Any changes in what people are looking at Any new questions you are including in the research, any you are taking out 219 A list of where you are looking for information (each group should have at least 3 sources for each person). These can be academic journals, popular publications (newspapers, magazines), or books. (III) Annotated bibliography from the group as a whole (due 3/14) This is a list of the references you are using with a brief summary of what is said in each article, book, etc. These summaries should be 1-4 paragraphs in length. I do not want dust jacket information or the abstracts that come at the beginning of journal articles – I want information that YOU find important in these resources. This should be presented in ONE group document. I do not want several small parts just lumped together. Make it a cohesive and alphabetized list.
(IV) Group Progress Paper and Class Presentation / Preliminary findings (4/4, 4/9) This is when the group as a whole will talk about what you are looking at, what you have found thus far, and what you are having a hard time locating. This is also a time when other class members can give suggestions or information with which they are familiar. {There should be some cohesiveness in what you are all looking at so that the final presentation is a coherent whole.}
(V) Final presentation of research findings (4/30, 5/2) What you DID find What you had a hard time finding What you were unable to find Areas where you think there should be more research on this topic Ideas for further prevention of this type of violence against women
Your final group written report is due on the last day of class.
CLASS PARTICIPATION One of the most important ways you will learn is through interaction with each other. This is also a good way for you to develop and strengthen critical thinking skills. Thus, class participation is a crucial component of this course, both in terms of personal growth and knowledge and in terms of your grades.
I recognize that some people are more reticent that others. I do, however, expect you to speak to me in private or email me if you feel that you will not be able to fulfill this portion of the course.
We are all co-educators in this class. We may challenge, encourage, support, and respectfully disagree with one another. But we may not insult, put down, name call, or rudely interrupt each other.
Guidelines for Class Discussions/Participation: 1) Prepare – do reading assignments and be prepared to contribute to class discussion. 2) Relate discussion to class material – whether you agree or disagree with the readings. 3) Have something unique to say – don’t just repeat what other people have said. 4) DO NOT BE JUDGMENTAL. We all have our own perspectives and opinions and that is ok. 5) Respect and Challenge – it’s good to debate issues or topics. Just be respectful of others.
220 6) Question –question and evaluate taken-for-granted assumptions. Why do you hold the beliefs you do? Why are some harder to give up than others?
1/24 (R) CLASS INTRODUCTION
1/29 (T) TYPES / CAUSES / THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS Reserve readings: Shange. “With No Immediate Cause” Turpin & Kurz. “Introduction: Violence – the Micro/Macro Link” Whitmer The Violence Mythos “Social Learning Theory” “Identification with the Agressor” “Violence and Legitimation” Bart & Moran. “Preface” Ward. “Glossary” Guideline to Critical Thinking
1/31 (R) THEORY / SEXISM Reserve readings: Elias. “A Culture of Violent Solutions” Bart & Moran. “Structural Supports for Violence Against Women.” Fine. “The Politics of Research and Activism” Optional Scutt. “The Personal is Political”
2/5 (T) SEXISM / CULTURE Reserve readings: Caputi. “Sexual Politics of Murder” Ward. “Who Owns Her Body? Challenges to Cultural Relativism” Paper Due: Introductory information from groups
2/7 (R) LANGUAGE Reserve readings: Benedict. “The Language of Rape.” Richardson. “Gender Stereotyping in the English Language”
(optional) Monday, February 11 – “Beneath the Veil” (a CNN production) at the Dodd Center, 4 pm.
2/12 (T) MEDIA / PORNOGRAPHY Reserve readings: Merrill. “Spectatorship and Complicity” Ciriello. “Commodification of Women: Morning, Noon, and Night.” Video: “Dreamworlds”
2/14 (R) PORNO Reserve readings: 221 Steinam. “Erotica vs. Pornography” Russell & Strossen. “Pornography: Is It Harmful to Women?” (optional) Russell, Diana (1980). “Pornography and Violence.” Pp. 218- 238 in Take Back the Night. Paper Due: Analysis of Pornography article
2/19 (T) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Reserve readings: Kurz. “Social Science Perspectives on Wife Abuse” Dworkin. “Living in Terror, Pain” Boria et al. “July 18, 1988”
2/21 (R) DV Video: “Domestic Violence in CT”
2/26 (T) DV Reserve readings: Ferraro. “Cops, Courts, and Women Battering” Videos: 60 Minutes documentaries (LAPD and military domestic violence) Paper due: Update on Group Progress
2/28 (R) DV Guest Speaker: Roxanne Donovan, Psychology Department
3/5 (T) MEN, VIOLENCE, AND RAPE Reserve readings: Miedzian. “How Rape is Encouraged in American Boys.” Whitmer. The Violence Mythos “Isolated Boys Wounded Heroes.” Orton. “Outside In: A Man in the Movement.” Reread Whitmer. “Identification with the Agressor”
3/7 (R) RAPE Reserve readings: Buchwald, Fletcher, & Roth. “Living in a Rape Culture.” Moorti. “The Feminist Subject of Rape.”
3/11 Watch “The Accused” in the library, 7 pm, video theater 2.
3/12 (T) RAPE Reserve readings: Scully & Marolla. “Riding the Bull at Gilley’s” Whitmer. The Violence Mythos “Blaming the Victim” “Rape” Gonzalez & Pierre-Pierre . “Gang Rape.”
222 3/14 (R) RAPE Reserve readings: Donat & White. “Re-Examining the Issue of Nonconsent in Acquaintance Rape.” Reread Merrill. “Spectatorship and Complicity: Who is the ‘Accused’ in Popular Film Depictions of Gender and Violence?” Optional Kahn & Mathie. “Understanding the Unacknowledged Rape Victim.” Paper Due: “The Accused” critique
3/19 – 3/21 SPRING BREAK
3/26 (T) RAPE Reserve readings: Smith. “The Color of Violence Against Women” Moore-Foster. “Up From Brutality: Freeing Black Communities from Sexual Violence.” Hill-Collins. “Sexual Politics of Black Womanhood.” Paper due: Annotated bibliography due from groups
3/28 (R) RAPE Pierce-Baker. Surviving the Silence: black women’s stories of rape.
4/2 (T) RAPE Reserve readings: O’Sullivan. “Fraternities and the Rape Culture.” Martin & Hummer. “Fraternities and Rape on Campus” Sanday. “Pulling Train.”
4/4 (R) PRELIMINARY GROUP PRESENTATIONS
4/9 (T) PRELIM GROUP PRESENTATIONS
4/11 (R) EATING DISORDERS Reserve readings: Gordon (a). “Dimensions of an Epidemic.” Gordon (b). “A Conflicted Female Identity.” Video: “Dying to Be Thin”
4/16 (T) EATING DISORDERS Hornbacher. Wasted: a memoir of anorexia and bulimia. Reserve readings: Hesse-Biber. “Am I Thin Enough Yet?”
4/18 (R) EATING DISORDERS Reserve readings: 223 Hartley. “Letting Ourselves Go: Making Room for the Fat Body in Feminist Scholarship.”
4/23 (T) CUTTING Kettlewell. Skin Game: a memoir.
4/25 (R) CUTTING
4/30 (T) GROUP PRESENTATIONS
5/2 (R) GROUP PRESENTATIONS
5/7 (T) ENDING VIOLENCE Reserve readings: Bart & Moran. “The Politics of Institutional Responses to Violence Against Women.” Miller & Biele. “Twenty Years Later: The Unfinished Revolution.” Fine. “Politics of Research and Activism” Buchwald. “Raising Girls for the 21st Century.” Powell. “I Thought You Didn’t Mind”
Theory / Causes
Bart, Pauline (1993). “Prior Restraint.” P. 4 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Bart, Pauline and Eileen Geil Moran (1993). “Preface.” Pp. xi-xvi in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Bart, Pauline and Eileen Geil Moran (1993). “Structural Supports for Violence Against Women.” Pp. 79-83 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Caputi, Jane (1993). “The Sexual Politics of Murder.” Pp. 5-21 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Elias, Robert (1997). “A Culture of Violent Solutions.” 117-147 in Turpin & Kurtz, eds., The Web of Violence: From Interpersonal to Global. University of Illinois Press.
Scutt, Jocelynn (1996). “The Personal is Political.” Pp. 102-110 in Diane Bell & Renate Klein, eds., Radically Speaking. Melbourne: Spinifex Press
Shange, Ntozake. “With No Immediate Cause.” Pp. 334-336 in Rothenberg, ed., Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, 4th edition.
224 Turpin, Jennifer and Lester R. Kurtz (1997). “Introduction: Violence – The Micro/Macro Link.” Pp. 1-27 in Turpin & Kurtz, eds., The Web of Violence: From Interpersonal to Global. University of Illinois Press, 1997.
Ward, Martha C. (1996). “Who Owns Her Body? Challenges to Cultural Relativism.” Pp. 248-272 in A World Full of Women. New York: Allyn & Bacon.
Ward, Martha C. (1996). “Glossary.” Pp. 273-287 in A World Full of Women. New York: Allyn & Bacon.
Whitmer, Barbara (1997a). “Social Learning Theory.” Pp. 36-43 in Whitmer, The Violence Mythos. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Whitmer, Barbara (1997b). “Identification with the Agressor.” Pp. 50-51 in Whitmer, The Violence Mythos. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Whitmer, Barbara (1997c). “Violence and Legitimation.” Pp. 53-54 in Whitmer, The Violence Mythos. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Language
Benedict, Helen (1993). “The Language of Rape.” Pp. 102-105 in Buchwald et al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis MN: Milkweed Editions.
“Gendered Nature of Language.”
Pornography
Ciriello, Sarah (1993). “Commodification of Women: Morning, Noon, and Night.” Pp. 266-281 in Buchwald et al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Russell, Diane E.H. & Nadine Strossen (1997). “Pornography: Is It Harmful to Women?” Pp. 155- 179 in Mary Roth Walsh, ed. Women, Men, and Gender: Current Debates. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Steinam, Gloria (1993). “Erotica vs. Pornography.” Pp. 29-45 in Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Domestic Violence
Boria, Mary Scott et al. (1993). “July 18, 1988, at a Sexual Assault and “Battered Women’s Center.” Pp. 193-200 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Dworkin, Andrea (1993). “Living in Terror, Pain: Being a Battered Wife.” Pp. 237-239 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
225 Ferraro, Kathleen J. (1993). “Cops, Courts, and Women Battering.” Pp. 165-166 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Kurz, Demie (1993). “Social Science Perspectives on Wife Abuse: Current Debates and Future Directions.” P. 252-269 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Men’s Position in Violence and Rape
Miedzian, Myriam (1993). “How Rape is Encouraged in American Boys: and what we can do to stop it.” Pp. 154-163 in Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Orton, Richard S. (1993). “Outside In: A Man in the Movement.” Pp.238-245 in Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Whitmer, Barbara (1997). “Isolated Boys Wounded Heroes.” Pp. 39-43 in Whitmer, The Violence Mythos. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Rape:
Buchwald, Fletcher, & Roth (1993). “Living in a Rape Culture.” Pp.6-9 in Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Donat, Patricia L.N. and Jacqueline W. White (2000). “Re-Examining the Issue of Nonconsent in Acquaintance Rape.” Pp. 355-376 in Travis & White, eds., Sexuality, Society, and Feminism. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Gonzalez, David and Gary Pierre-Pierre . “Gang Rape.” Rothenberg, editor. Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, 4th edition.
Kahn, Arnold S. and Virginia Androeoli Mathie (2000). “Understanding the Unacknowledged Rape Victim.” Pp. 337-403 in Travis & White, eds., Sexuality, Society, and Feminism. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Martin, Patricia Yancey and Robert A. Hummer (1993). “Fraternities and Rape on Campus.” Pp. 114-131 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Merrill, Lisa (2001). “Spectatorship and Complicity: Who is the ‘Accused’ in Popular Film Depictions of Gender and Violence?” Pp. 91-101 in Untying the Tongue, Linda Longmire and Lisa Merrill, eds. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2001.
Moorti, Sujata (2002). “The Feminist Subject of Rape.” Pp. 39-69 in Color of Rape: Gender and Race in Television’s Public Spheres. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
O’Sullivan, Chris (1993). “Fraternities and the Rape Culture.” Pp. 24-30 in Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions. 226
Powell, Elizabeth (1993). “I Thought You Didn’t Mind.” Pp. 108-117 in Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Sanday, Peggy. “Pulling Train.” Pp. 497-503 in Rothenberg, editor. Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, 4th edition.
Scully, Diana and Josepsh Marolla (1993). “Riding the Bull at Gilley’s: Convicted Rapists Describe the Rewards of Rape.” Pp. 26-46 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Whitmer, Barbara (1997d). “Blaming the Victim / Rape.” Pp. 56-61 in The Violence Mythos. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Intersections of Rape and Color
Hill Collins, Patricia (1993). “The Sexual Politics of Black Womanhood.” Pp. 85-104 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Moore-Foster, W.J. Musa (1993). “Up From Brutality: Freeing Black Communities from Sexual Violence.” Pp. 418-426 Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Pierce-Baker, Charlotte (1998). Surviving the Silence: black women’s stories of rape. W.W. Norton.
Smith, Andrea (2001). “The Color of Violence Against Women.” Pp. 14-15, 22-23 in Color Lines: Race Culture Action, Winter 2000-2001.
Eating disorders:
Gordon, Richard A. (2000a). “Dimensions of an Epidemic.” Pp. 57-93 in Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social Epidemic, 2nd edition. Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishers.
Gordon, Richard A. (2000b). “A Conflicted Female Identity.” Pp. 94-116 in Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social Epidemic, 2nd edition. Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishers.
Hartley, Cecelia (2001). “Letting Ourselves Go: Making Room for the Fat Body in Feminist Scholarship.” Pp. 60-73 in Jana Evans Braziel and Kathleen LeBesco, eds., Bodies Out of Bounds: Fatness and Transgression. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Hesse-Biber, Sharlene. “Am I Thin Enough Yet?” Pp. 490-497 in Rothenberg, editor. Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, 4th edition.
Hornbacher, Marya (1998). Wasted: a memoir of anorexia and bulimia. Harper Flamingo/Harper Collins.
227 Cutting: Kettlewell, Caroline (1999). Skin Game: a memoir. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Changing Violence Against Women
Bart, Pauline and Eileen Geil Moran (1993). “The Politics of Institutional Responses to Violence Against Women.” Pp. 147-154 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Buchwald, Emilie (1993). “Raising Girls for the 21st Century.” Pp. 180-200 in Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Fine, Michelle (1993). “The Politics of Research and Activism: Violence Against Women.” Pp. 278-287 in Bart & Moran, eds., Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Miller, Peggy and Nancy Biele (1993). “Twenty Years Later: The Unfinished Revolution.” Pp. 48- 53 in Buchwald et. al., Transforming a Rape Culture. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
228 Sandra Enos WOMEN, CRIME AND JUSTICE
Objective The objective of this course is to provide an overview of women as a special population in the criminal justice system. We will begin with an examination of theories of crime and criminal justice and explore how well these explain women's participation in crime. We will examine women as offenders and as victims, and as members of professions in the criminal justice field. We will also focus on criminal justice in the state of Rhode Island examining how the system operates, how it compares to other systems and how it can be improved.
Required Texts Renzetti, Claire M. and Lynne Goldstein. 2001 Women, Crime and Criminal Justice. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishers http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/180973.htm Research on Women and Girls in the Justice System: Plenary Papers of the1999 Conference on Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation—Enhancing Policy and Practice Through Research, Volume 3.
Handouts or reports on the web Feuer, Alan. 2000. Help for Mothers in Jail, From Prosecutors. New York Times, November 19.
Locy, Toni. 1999. Like Mother, like daughter. U.S. News and World Report, October 4, 18-21 . http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/171668.htm Monash, Merry, Timothy Buyum and Barbara Koons. 1998. Women Offenders: Programming Needs and Promising Approaches. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice. (on the web)
Toobin, Jeffrey. 2000. Women in Black. The New Yorker. October 30. pp. 48-55
Other materials will be distributed during the course of the semester.
On the web Over the course of the semester, we will be using the web to collect and critique information about women, crime and justice. There are some statistical and research reports that are available on the web. These reports are available in ASCII and Acrobat reader formats. Here is an address that serves as a gateway to many good sources of information. You can find reports here on women in prison, women as victims of violence and other topics. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/welcome.html http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo
Grading Paper A proposal for the paper along with a brief bibliography must be submitted by the fourth week of class. I must approve this. Individual meetings will be arranged to discuss these during the third class. (See details at the end of the syllabus.) 10 points
229 The final version must be submitted by week twelve. This will be downgraded one letter grade for each day it is late. This paper should be between 12-15 pages in length, not including the bibliography. Your research here should be on a topic that is of interest to you. We will discuss this early in the semester. Because our scope of inquiry is broad this semester, you should have little trouble finding a topic that is original and compelling. Group projects may be considered. Papers will be submitted on floppy disks with a hard copy. Floppies will be returned after they are scanned into a special file. The paper must conform to the term paper format and citations established by the Department of Sociology. The final paper must include at least 10 references. These must be professional journals not popular magazines (not Time, Newsweek, etc.) and must not include general reference materials like encyclopedias (Encarta etc.) 20 points
Examinations Mid-term 20 points Final 25 points
Class presentations 5 points These will be scheduled to occur from weeks 6 to 14. Details about this assignment are outlined at the end of the syllabus. Your report will focus on your research paper. Students not attending class or not prepared on the day of their scheduled discussion forfeit the assignment.
Discussion of readings 10 points Over the course of the semester, students will be responsible for leading a discussion of the assigned readings. Leading a discussion means relating the major points of the reading, surfacing questions about the material, and interacting with the class to make certain that the key points are understood and related to key issues we are examining. These will be scheduled early in the semester. This will require that students be familiar with the readings, of course, but also be prepared to present the major points in the text as well as generate a class discussion. A one-age outline is due the day of the presentation. This will be distributed to the entire class. Students not attending class or not prepared on the day of their scheduled discussion forfeit their grade on this assignment.
Research resources 10 points In the course of your research for your paper and proposal, you will identify and review five of the best references you have located. These references will display your knowledge about the resources available to study the topic of women as victims, offenders and workers in the criminal justice system. Resources must include at least one book, one journal article, and one report from the web. These must be noted using the formatting guidelines available in the Sociology Department or other standard citation format such as MLA, APA, Turabian or Chicago Manual of Style. Each citation must include the proper format and a five-sentence description of the material. For example, is this a review of the literature, a statistical analysis, a report about original research, and an article about interesting trends? What are the findings? What are the policy implications? Do not use abstracts provided by the author or by references services. These must be submitted on a floppy disk, as well. Due Week 6. The proper format for this is shown at the end of the syllabus.
Assignments and organization Week 1: The state and study of women in the criminal justice system Study questions: Why focus on women?: similarities and differences between women and men in the criminal justice system. What are the relationships among gender, race and the law? R&G Chapter 1 230
Week 2: Women, men and criminal justice: offenders, victims and workers Study questions: How women are (and are not) different from men with respect to criminal justice? How are these differences related to class and race? Enos (handout); R&G Chapter 2, 4, and 13
Weeks 3 & 4: Sociological and other theories that explain crime and deviance Study questions: How well do theories of crime and delinquency explain crime committed by women and girls? R&G Chapter 3, 8 and 14
Meeting with me on research proposal (Week 3) Proposal due (Week four)
Week 5: Law enforcement and paths to prison Study questions: How do individuals become criminals? What is the impact of the criminal justice system in creating and controlling crime waves? Richie in Research on Women and Girls; Like Mother, Like Daughter; Miller;
Week 6: Women as offenders Study questions: How are women and men processed and managed as offenders? What special conditions do women present in a system that is based on a male model? Has the war on drugs been a war on women, especially women of color? Widom in Research on Women and Girls; Resources paper due R&G Chapter 7 and 15
Week 7: Sentencing structures: the pros and cons of sentencing equity Study questions: How are differences in sentences among populations explained? What are the concepts of justice that are most important to pursue? Raeder and sentencing schemes. Tsenin in Research on Women and Girls; R&G Chapters 5
Mid term break
Week 8 Midterm examination
Week 9: Punishment as a gendered experience Study questions: How do female and male experiences of imprisonment differ? What are the differences in managing male and female inmates? Characteristics of women offenders; R&G 7; 17 Handout-Giallombardo: Help for Mothers in Jail by Alan Feuer.
Week 10: Women as victims and survivors Study questions: What factors are involved in women's victimization? What are the patterns of victimization? R&G 6; R&G Chapter 6, 9 and 16 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/181867.htm Extent, Nature and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence
Week 11: Women as victims and survivors 231 Study questions: What is the place of violence in controlling women? What are responses of the criminal justice and social service systems to women as victims? Madriz handout; R&G Chapter 10, 11, and 12 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/ipv.pdf Intimates Partner Violence
Week 12: Women in the criminal justice professions: Lawyers, judges, law enforcers and guards Study questions: Why is it important for women to work in the field of criminal justice? Do women bring a special perspective or is the issue more one of equity and fairness? R&G 18 Equal Opportunity in Mexico City: Equality Denied: Research paper due
Week 13: Women in the criminal justice professions: Lawyers, judges, law enforcers and guards (continued) Study questions: What are some of the challenges for women working in male-dominated fields? How are women changing professions and how work is done? Women in Black by Jeffrey Toobin; R&G 19
Week 14: Alternatives to criminal justice and criminalization Study questions: What alternatives are there to incarceration for female inmates? What programs are most effective in responding to the challenges women and girls bring to the criminal justice system? What miscarriages of justice should be addressed? Morash, Bynum and Koons
Requirements for the Paper Proposal (10 points)
This 3-4 page paper must include a broad description of your proposed research project along with a listing of the resources you will use to examine the area. These resources should number no fewer than five at this time and must include academic journals and publications. This is not to say that you cannot rely on government publications or resources in the popular press but it is essential if you are to earn a good grade to include reference materials from the library. Formatting should follow the Department of Sociology's guidelines. If you include materials you have located on the web, include the web address along with a description or identification of the source of the information. This means information that is in addition to the name of the home page or web site. What I am looking for here is an identification of the sponsor of the site. This is important so that I can discern the credibility of the information. For instance, if the web site is sponsored by an advocacy organization, information from that site may not be considered as credible as that produced by an independent scholar.
The paper must be typed and handed in on the fourth week of class. Papers are penalized 2 points for each day they are late.
The paper should include five clearly marked sections.
Introduction: What is the focus of the research and why is this an important area to study?
232 Approach: How will you examine the topic? Reviewing literature? Interviews? Observation? Content analysis? Data analysis?
Resources: What resources have you located to study this topic? If you have found no resources to explore the topic to date, this is not an acceptable research topic.
Conclusion: What problems do you anticipate? Why have you chosen this topic and why do you think it will be interesting for you to work in this area?
Bibliography: Use Sociology Department formatting for citations. See directions on citing web- based information.
Class presentations: Weeks 6 - 14 Class presentations based on final papers will be scheduled by students over this time period. Presentations are worth 10 points. (See guidelines below.) If you are presenting early in the semester, your presentation will tell us where you are in your research and include problems you anticipate in the research. These presentations should last between 10 and 15 minutes. You are free to use video/handouts/posters etc. in your presentation. Students presenting on the same day are responsible for coordinating these presentations. Class members will be involved in grading these presentations. On the day of the presentation, students will hand in a one-page outline of their work.
1) The specification of your key research question or the focus of your project and why the topic appeals to you. Additionally, if you have generated some propositions or hypothesis that you are investigating, this should be noted here. 2) Your methodology to learn about the area and what you hope you will learn. 3) The identification of resources you will rely upon. 4) A preliminary analysis of findings to date. In other words, a progress report on your work. 5) Problems you anticipate in the research. 6) A literature review. What does the literature say about the topic?
Research resources
Sample abstract for annotated bibliography
Raeder, Myrna S. 1993. "Gender and Sentencing: Single Moms, Battered Women, and Other Sex- Based Anomalies in the Gender-Free World of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines." Pepperdine Law Review 20:905-990.
In this article, Raeder examines the impact of the implementation of federal sentencing guidelines which she argues have unnecessarily put women offenders at a disadvantage, increasing their rates of incarceration and the length of sentences they must serve. Raeder contends that equity in sentencing is not always just and suggests that the goal of 'gender-free' guidelines cannot be met. While using statistical reports to establish her case, Raeder also suggests that women as offenders present special circumstances to the court due to the responsibilities of child care, the threat and experience of violence in their lives and the role of women as conspirators in crime. Raeder concludes that the current guidelines need to be redesigned with gender issues in mind and that to suggest gender has no
233 impact on sentencing, is to disadvantage women offenders by treating them as if they were serious male offenders. http://www.abanet.
This web site is sponsored by the American Bar Association, a professional association for members of the legal profession in the U.S. This site has links to federal, state and non-profit organizations related to legal education, research and practice. The site also features the work of ABA committees, including sections on family law, substance abuse, women in the legal profession, homelessness, domestic violence and others.
234 Hillary Potter THE FEMALE OFFENDER
COURSE DESCRIPTION This course examines the nature and causes of female criminality, as well as the responses and approaches to female offending by all areas of the criminal justice system. It involves an in-depth analysis of effective methods for correcting and preventing female criminality.
COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of the course, each student will be able to: 1. Discuss the history and basis of female crime. 2. Discuss etiological theories of female crime and the practical implications of these theories. 3. Explain alternative methods of understanding criminal behavior by contrasting the explanations applied to male criminality. 4. Evaluate effective and non-effective correctional and prevention programs for female offenders. 5. Formulate conceivable policies regarding crime and punishment based on female crime rate data.
TEXTS Chesney-Lind, Meda, and Randall G. Shelden (1998). Girls, Delinquency, and Juvenile Justice, Second Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
Pollock, Joycelyn M. (1999). Criminal Women. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson Publishing Co. (Referred to as “Pollock (1)” in the Class Schedule.)
Pollock, Joycelyn M. (2002). Women, Prison, and Crime, Second Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. (Referred to as “Pollock (2)” in the Class Schedule.)
Other required readings have been placed on reserve in the Auraria Library.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING Each student has the possibility of earning a total of 1000 points during the semester. The points are distributed as follows:
Course Work Points Participation 300 Mid-Term Examination 200 Final Examination 200 Research Paper 300 Participation
Participation is a very important component of this class. This includes being prepared for each class session by reading the assigned materials. Each student is also expected to critically review each
235 day’s material and write several questions for class discussion. Random assignments will be made by the instructor for students to co-facilitate the class sessions.
It is widely held in academia that students should spend at least two hours studying outside of class for every hour in class.
Examinations
Each exam will consist of four essay questions worth 50 points each, for a total of 200 points.
Each student is to report to class on the dates of the examinations with an Examination Blue Book (8.5”x7”). Blue Books are available in the Auraria Book Center. Any student who fails to use the appropriate Blue Book will be deducted 15 points on her or his exam.
No makeup exams will be given. It is impossible to make an equivalent exam without placing students at either an advantage or disadvantage.
If a student misses an exam without a legitimate excuse, she or he will receive a grade of zero for that exam.
If a student misses the mid-term exam due to a legitimate excuse, she or he can either choose to receive a grade of zero for that exam or apply the grade of the final exam to the missed exam. If the final exam is not taken due to a legitimate excuse, the score on the mid-term exam can be used as the score for the final exam.
Notification of an absence from an exam before the exam date and time must be made to the instructor via e-mail, telephone, or in person. Notification of an absence after the exam will result in a grade of zero for that exam. The written excuse must be submitted to the instructor within 7 days of the exam date to receive credit. The documentation must contain a telephone number so that the student’s absence can be verified.
Legitimate reasons for missing an examination, and their corresponding documentation, are:
• Illness Note from doctor • Business/Work Note from supervisor • Death in the family Note from a family member • Other On a case by case basis
If a student needs to miss a class due to religious holiday observance, the instructor must be notified in writing during the first two weeks of the semester.
Research Paper
Each student is required to research and write an 8 to 12-page paper on any topic relating to female offenders. The paper must include theory, current trends, and current concerns of female offenders. Be creative and begin to formulate and research possible topics as soon as possible.
236 A paper outline with a preliminary list of sources to be cited (at least five) is required and worth 20 points. The outline is due by Tuesday, February 19, 2002. Five points will be deducted for each day the outline is late, including weekends and holidays. If an outline is not turned in by Thursday, March 21, 2002, an additional 20 points will be deducted from the paper grade. Outlines will be returned to students with instructor approval of the topic and/or recommendations.
If a student wishes to make major changes in her or his paper, an updated outline may be submitted to the instructor by Thursday, April 11, 2002, for instructor approval. Any student who submits a paper that does not “match” the instructor-approved outline will have an additional 20 points deducted from the final grade of her or his paper.
Papers may be turned in to the instructor for review prior to the due date, but must be received no later than Thursday, April 18, 2002, if students wish to have the paper returned with comments and/or recommendations.
All papers are due by Thursday, May 9, 2002. Any paper turned in after this date will have 20 points deducted for each day it’s late, including weekends and holidays.
The paper will be graded on the basis of clarity, completeness, and the student’s analysis of the chosen topic through appropriate references to theories or concepts presented in the required, as well as supplemental, readings.
Please adhere to the following guidelines for scholarly papers (developed from J. Belknap, University of Colorado at Boulder):
1. Papers must be typed with double-spacing, using a 10 or 12 point font. 2. Be sure you include a title for your paper, as well as a title page. 3. Keep to the page limit. The papers that keep to the page limit are usually just as informative and “good” as those that exceed it (and they are often much better than those exceeding the page limit). 4. It doesn’t matter what style you use for the construction of your paper (although this instructor finds the APA easiest), but whatever style you use, be consistent (in terms of references, citations, etc.). 5. Remember when you make a direct quote to include the page number. 6. Direct quotes that are 50 words or more should be double-indented “paragraphs.” 7. Be sure not to string together a series of direct quotes, even if they are from different readings. Put some of these in your own words. 8. Remember, even if you don’t use a direct quote, if you are drawing on ideas of a particular author(s), you need to give her/him/them credit by her/him/them. 9. In cases where you are directly citing something that has quotation marks around a word or words, place the quote inside you double quotation marks in single quotation marks: According to Latessa and Allen, “one emerging example of this new goal is the ‘three- strikes’ policy states have recently adopted” (1999, p. 26). 10. It is unusual to use the authors’ first names or the titles of their books or articles. 11. When using edited books, be sure to cite the author of the chapter, not the editor of the book. 12. Avoid using one author to cite another. At the same time, don’t “lift” what you read about another work when you haven’t read it yourself. In those instances where you feel compelled
237 to do this, it should be something like this: Hall’s (1998) evaluation of Smith’s (1994) work states…” Or: Smith (1994) found that … (as cited by Hall, 1998, p.5). 13. Be sure to place things in their proper context. For instance, if you are discussing the 1920s, 1960s, India, Vietnam, etc., say so. 14. Don’t use the word “feels” to describe what one of the authors said. Use words like “believes,” “claims,” “states,” etc. “Feels” isn’t very scholarly. 15. Avoid over use of a certain word or phrase in a sentence, paragraph, or paper. And example would be using the word “concerning” twice in the same sentence. You could change one “concerning” to “regarding.” Similarly, don’t start a series of sentences with the same wording/phrasing. 16. When referring to the U.S. use the word “U.S.” or “United States,” not “America.” In addition to the fact that many Canadians and Central and South Americans find it offensive (and ethnocentric) that people in the U.S. refer to ourselves as “Americans” and our country as “America,” when it actually includes these other countries, more and more authors are pointing out the necessity of making the distinctions. Some people will refer to North Americans to discuss attitudes, etc., prevalent in the U.S. and Canada. 17. Be sure to use apostrophes where necessary and appropriately. 18. Be sure your paper has an introductory paragraph, telling the reader where the paper is headed. 19. Avoid absolutes. Don’t assume all offenders, probation officers, managers and so on, think or behave the same way. For example, avoid statements like “parole officers live in fear of…” It is more appropriate to write something like: “Some parole officers live in fear of…” 20. Avoid paragraphs over one page in length. 21. Be sure to keep the tense consistent throughout your paper. 22. Do your own work. The paper is not a group project. 23. If you would like to show drafts of your paper to persons outside of this course for feedback on clarity and grammar, that is not only appropriate, but encouraged. 24. Be sure your paper has a concluding paragraph that ties up the issues the paper focuses on.
Grading Scale Grade Total Points A 900-1000 B 800-899 C 700-799 D 600-699 F 000-599
NO CREDIT (NC) POLICY NC indicates that a student has withdrawn or is not able to complete the course work. A student must notify the instructor in writing if she or he is withdrawing from the class. The grade of NC may be given until the midterm, upon request. The student is responsible for completing the required forms and turning them in to the registrar. The following are semester deadlines in regard to NC:
Last day to drop with 100% refund Monday, January 28, 2002 Last day to drop and have class deleted from academic Wednesday, February 6, 2002
238 record, with 50% refund Last day to withdraw and receive an NC without a faculty Monday, February 18, 2002 signature Last day to withdraw and receive an NC with a faculty Friday, April 5, 2002 signature PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR GUIDELINES
Respect. Respect of others is not only expected, but also required. This includes valuing others’ opinions and allowing others to speak without interruption.
Side Conversations. Side conversations make it difficult for others to actively listen and learn.
Sleeping. Falling asleep in class is not considered professional behavior. Students should make the mature decision to either stay awake and alert in class or go elsewhere to get some sleep.
Inattention. Reading other books or materials, or studying for other courses during the class is also not considered professional behavior. Students should pay attention and join in the group discussions, which will assist students with mastering the material.
Cell Phones and Pagers. All communication devices must be turned off, or silenced, upon entering the classroom.
Cheating. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and may lead to suspension or dismissal from the class immediately, along with a failing grade.
ADA ACCOMMODATIONS Students desiring a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act must contact the instructor immediately to discuss their needs. Failure to notify the instructor in a timely manner of the need for a reasonable accommodation may hinder the college’s ability to assist students in successfully completing the course.
CLASS SCHEDULE DATE TOPICS READINGS WRITTEN WORK Tuesday, Jan. 22 Introduction to the course; Student survey (pre-test) Thursday, Jan. 24 Measuring crime; Pollock (1), Chapter criminology of 1 females Tuesday, Jan. 29 Extent of female Chesney-Lind & delinquency Shelden, Chapters 1 & 2 Thursday, Jan. 31 Violent & property Pollock (1), Chapter crime committed by 2 females
239 Tuesday, Feb. 5 Drugs & delinquency Pollock (1), Chapter among females 3; Chesney-Lind & Shelden, Chapter 3 Thursday, Feb. 7 Girls & gangs Chesney-Lind & Shelden, Chapter 4 Tuesday, Feb. 12 Traditional Pollock (1), Chapter criminology 5; Chesney-Lind & Shelden, Chapter 5 Thursday, Feb. 14 Criminology of Pollock (1), Chapter females; feminist 6 criminology; VIDEO: “The Framingham 8: The Women Who fought Back,” 1994, Films for the Humanities & Sciences Tuesday, Feb. 19 Criminology of Pollock (1), Chapter RESEARCH females; feminist 6 PAPER OUTLINE criminology DUE Thursday, Feb. 21 Current theories of Pollock (1), Chapter crime 7
Tuesday, Feb. 26 Biological & Pollock (1), Chapter biosocial 8 explanations of crime Thursday, Feb. 28 Growing up female; Chesney-Lind & VIDEO: “Beyond Shelden, Chapter 6 Killing Us Softly: The Impact of Media Images on Women & Girls,” 2000, Cambridge Documentary Films Tuesday, Mar. 5 Sex differences & Pollock (1), Chapter moral development 9 Thursday, Mar. 7 GUEST SPEAKERS: Residents of The Haven Residential Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center Tuesday, Mar. 12 Mid-semester review Thursday, Mar. 14 MID-TERM EXAMINATION Tuesday, Mar. 19 Processing women & Belknap, Chapter 4 girls in the system; (on reserve); Pollock 240 VIDEO: “American (1), Chapter 4; Pimp,” 1999, The Chesney-Lind & Hughes Brothers Shelden, Chapter 8 Thursday, Mar. 21 Processing women & Belknap, Chapter 4 girls in the system (on reserve); Chesney-Lind & Shelden, Chapter 8 Tuesday, Mar. 26 SPRING BREAK SPRING BREAK SPRING BREAK Thursday, Mar. 28 SPRING BREAK SPRING BREAK SPRING BREAK Tuesday, Apr. 2 History, differences, Pollock (2), Chapters & disparities of 1 & 2 women’s prisons Thursday, Apr. 4 Entering prison & Pollock (2), Chapters adjustment 3 & 4 Tuesday, Apr. 9 Gender-responsive Pollock (2), Chapter programming; 5 GUEST SPEAKER: Noble Wallace, Warden, Denver Women’s Correctional Facility Thursday, Apr. 11 Living in prison Pollock (2), Chapter 6 Tuesday, Apr. 16 Legal issues of Pollock (2), Chapter incarcerated women; 7 GUEST SPEAKER: Christy Donner, Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center Thursday, Apr. 18 Girls in correctional Chesney-Lind & Final day to submit institutions Shelden, Chapters 9 paper for instructor & 10 review (optional) Tuesday, Apr. 23 Working in women Pollock (2), Chapter prisons 8 Thursday, Apr. 25 Women in jails; Pollock (2), Chapter Incarcerated women 9 world-wide GUEST SPEAKER: Flavia Lewis, SISTERS Project in the Denver County Jail Tuesday, Apr. 30 Programs for girls Chesney-Lind & Shelden, Chapter 11 Thursday, May 2 Conclusions & future Pollock (2), Chapter 241 directions of 10 women’s prisons Tuesday, May 7 Semester review: Chesney-Lind & Student survey (post- Shelden, Chapter 12 test) Thursday, May 9 Semester review RESEARCH PAPER DUE FINAL EXAMINATION DATE: 4:00 to 6:00pm, May 14, 2002
242 CJC 405i: The Female Offender Spring 2002 Student Survey (Pre and Post-Test)
Do you agree or disagree with each of the statements listed below? For each statement, discuss the reason(s) for your response.
1. Females are committing more crime today than they were 30 years ago.
2. Females commit as much crime as males.
3. Females commit crimes for the same reasons males do.
4. Female offenders cannot be sex offenders.
5. Law enforcement officers treat female offenders different than male offenders.
6. Females should receive different forms of punishment than males who commit similar offenses.
7. Female prison inmates have similar personal characteristics as male prison inmates.
8. In institutional settings (e.g., prisons), female offenders are not as violent and disruptive as male offenders.
243 The following are just a few examples of class exercises:
Group Assignment: Feminist Criminology Material – Video: “The Framingham 8: The Women Who Fought Back”
The women highlighted in this video had been physically abused by their partners and, as a result, ultimately killed these partners. Apply two or three “traditional” criminological theories to these women.
Might a feminist approach better explain their offenses? How?
Class Assignment: Prostitution Material – Video: “American Pimp”
Discussion topics: • What are the effects of pimping on women and girl prostitutes? • Discuss the objectification and exploitation of women and girl prostitutes • Discuss the abuse perpetrated on women and girl prostitutes by pimps and johns • Are these issues different for women prostitutes in places where prostitution is legal? That is, are legal women prostitutes treated differently? • Do you think any women truly want to be prostitutes?
Group Assignment: Sex discrimination in the criminal justice system Material – Excerpt from Joanne Belknap’s The Invisible Woman: Gender, Crime, and Justice, 2nd Edition (2001, Wadsworth Publishing), Chapter 4, Criminal Justice Processing of Women and Girls
Focus: Belknap’s three hypotheses of sex discrimination in the criminal justice system: (1) equal treatment; (2) chivalry or paternalism; (3) evil woman
Thinking about policing and judicial practices, respond to the following: • Identify some laws that are sexually discriminatory and those that are gender-neutral • Provide examples of each hypothesis in policing and judicial practices • Which hypothesis does prostitution fit into?
244 Dana Britton WOMEN AND CRIME
That women less often are engaged in highway robbery, murder, homicide, and assault is due to the very nature of the feminine constitution. To conceive an assassination, to make ready for it, to put it into execution demands, in a great number of cases, not only physical force, but a certain energy and combination of intellectual functions. In this sort of development women almost always fall short of men (Cesare Lombroso, 1911).
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is an upper-division undergraduate/graduate course dealing with a selected topic within the broad spectrum of criminology: women and crime. We’ll deal with three broad topics over the course of the semester. First, we’ll look at women as offenders, both from an empirical and a theoretical perspective. By and large, mainstream criminological theory has tended to ignore women, or, as the quote above indicates, has seen them as somehow pathological for NOT engaging in the number and variety of crimes men commit. Then, we’ll look at women’s experiences as victims, focusing specifically on violence in the context of intimate relationships. Finally, we’ll look at women’s experiences as workers in the legal/criminal justice system.
At the outset, you should be aware that this course will require a very high level of engagement from you in terms of reading, writing, and discussion; it is no accident that the course is listed at the 600 level. However, if you keep up with the reading, complete assignments on time, and contribute to the discussion, I believe that the course will be a rewarding experience for all of us.
OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to:
1) Help students to fill in the gaps typically left by general criminology courses concerning women=s experiences as offenders, victims, and workers in the legal system.
2) Make students more aware of the influence of gender, race, class, and sexuality in the labeling, processing, and punishment of offenders, and in the social construction of criminality.
3) Give students a greater understanding of the social construction of gender, race, class, and sexuality.
4) Develop your abilities to be critical consumers of popular and academic information about crime, and allow you to apply these abilities in written assignments.
REQUIRED TEXTS
The required texts for this course are:
Girshick, Lori B. 1999. No Safe Haven: Stories of Women in Prison. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
245 Price, Barbara Raffel and Natalie J. Sokoloff. 1995. The Criminal Justice System and Women: Offenders, Victims, and Workers (second edition). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lefkowitz, Bernard. 1998. Our Guys: The Glen Ridge Rape and the Secret Life of the Perfect Suburb. New York: Vintage Books.
Pierce, Jennifer. 1995. Gender Trials: Emotional Lives in Contemporary Law Firms. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Additional readings will be assigned and made available to students at the Arts & Sciences Copy Center. See attached list for citations.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Readings:
Tentative reading assignments are listed below. However, due to length of discussions and other factors beyond my control, this schedule will undoubtedly change. I’m comfortable with that, as you should be - the point in a course like this one (or any course, actually) should be the quality of the learning experience, not the quantity of material consumed. Reading assignments will therefore also be made at the beginning of each class period. You are expected to complete all readings on time and be prepared to discuss them in class. There is a lot of reading in this course, none of which is optional. Needless to say, if you should get behind, it will be incredibly difficult to catch up. It is imperative that you complete these readings PRIOR TO the class session in which they will be discussed. Class attendance is mandatory because lectures will cover material not included in the readings.
Class Participation:
I teach all of my classes in the form of an ongoing dialogue with my students, rather than in a traditional lecture format. For this reason, discussion of the readings and lecture materials in class is both encouraged and expected. In my view, strenuous debate and discussion facilitate the learning process - some of the most important insights are often gleaned in the heat of an argument. If you don't agree with a point that is being made (either in a reading or in a class discussion) speak up and we'll address your issue. The class will be more interesting for all of us if you talk to each other, rather than allow yourselves to become passive recipients of the lecture material.
Ground rules for participation - note well:
In this class, we will discuss both abstract theoretical ideas and concrete, practical information about different social groups and social behaviors. I hope that these materials will challenge you intellectually and personally. Because this class touches on many social sore points, however, you may occasionally feel more threatened than challenged. To limit these difficulties, I have set out the following ground rules, which I would like you all to agree to assume while in this classroom:
1. Acknowledge that prejudice and discrimination based on race, class, sex, age, sexual orientation, and physical differences exist.
2. Acknowledge that all of us have learned misinformation about our own group and about members of other groups, whether we belong to a majority or minority group. 246
3. Agree not to blame ourselves or others for the misinformation we have learned in the past, but accept responsibility for not repeating misinformation after we have learned otherwise.
4. Assume that people--both those we study and those in this class--do the best they can.
5. Never demean, devalue, or in any way "put down" people for their experiences, backgrounds, or statements. This does not mean that you can't disagree, only that you must do so respectfully. I will not tolerate personal attacks of any kind.
6. Acknowledge that much of the material and discussion in this course is designed to challenge taken-for-granted assumptions about gender and sexuality, and that you may initially find some of this material offensive and even threatening. For the purposes of this course, however, students agree to take the arguments and ideas of the authors presented seriously and respectfully. Even if you disagree - ask yourself, could this be true? What would it mean if it were? Don't just use an author's argument as an excuse to "go off" because you've been offended. In fact, if you are offended or threatened, interrogate yourself a bit about that. The authors in this course have been carefully chosen, and their work highlights concerns central to course themes. For the purposes of this course, students are not allowed to simply disregard arguments without interrogating their own. Acknowledge that the readings/discussions are designed to challenge your beliefs and cause you to think about your experiences in new ways, and be prepared to honestly engage in that process.
7. Be aware that there are students in the class who have experienced rape, other forms of sexual assault, marital or courtship violence, or other forms of violent victimization. Your comments in class should be respectful of these experiences and their effects on victims.
8. Because of the particular nature of this class, we will be reading and discussing graphic, explicit and controversial material on gender and sexuality. Four letter words will be used. Films that include material that some would consider explicit or offensive may be shown. If your religious, moral, or psychological sensibilities will be offended by these materials, you are advised not to take this course.
(Thanks to Rose Weitz of Arizona State University for providing the learning contract from which these rules are adapted).
Class visitors:
You may bring a visitor to class, on rare occasion, under two conditions. First, notify me in advance. There will be some class days during which course material may not be suitable for children, for example. Second, visitors must agree to abide by the ground rules set out above. You are responsible for informing any visitor of these conditions. I reserve the right to refuse access to anyone not enrolled in this course. You may not bring visitors along on the prison tour (see below).
Exams: There will be two examinations in this class, a midterm and a final. Both will be in a take-home, essay format, and you will be permitted to use your books and notes. Collaboration on these exams with other students is not permissible, and will result in a grade of 0 for the exam and in the pursuance of formal charges of academic dishonesty. All stipulations of the university policy on plagiarism and the honor system apply to this course. Late exams will be marked down one full letter grade for each week day that they are late. The midterm will be handed out, in class, on 247 October 3rd, it is due, in class, on October 10th. The final will be handed out in class on December 5th. It is due in my office (or my mailbox) by 5:00 P.M. on December 13th. Exam grades will constitute 200 of the 500 points available in this class.
Questions on the Readings:
There are thirteen sets of readings listed below. For ten of these (sets 3, 8 & 12 are required, you may choose seven from among the other ten), you must write a set of three to four questions that your reading has raised for you. What I’m looking for here are questions that integrate material or raise substantive critiques of the articles - not just questions like “What the heck are the authors saying on page 254?”. Each question should raise a specific issue from the article(s) in which you are interested and that has puzzled you in some way, and this should be a question that cannot be directly answered by material we’ve covered in the course (for example, “What are the differences in the kinds of crimes that men and women commit?” would not be a legitimate question). After you’ve described this issue, you may speculate a bit about what you think the answer might be, given what you’ve learned in the course, or your own experience, but in each case, leave us with a question for class discussion. What I want to see is the thought process that emerges in dealing with complex issues for which there are no clear answers. Writing questions like this is not an easy task, but it is a technique that you’ll be able to catch on to as the semester progresses. In general, what I’m looking for in these questions is some sense that you’ve read and engaged with the material - a good set of questions will often take up an entire page, hand-written. It will be impossible, of course, to write a logical set of questions if you don’t understand what you’re reading, and you may find some of these articles to be quite difficult. If you’re struggling, please see me or email me and we’ll talk about it.
Questions will be due, in class, on the day that the relevant material is scheduled for discussion, and I will announce this in advance. Given that the point of the question sets is to provoke discussion, in class, of the assigned material, late question sets will not be accepted. The total number of points possible for all ten sets will be 50.
Exercises:
1) Crime rates assignment - details to be handed out in class. Worth 100 points, may be done individually or in groups. Group assignments to be made on 8/27. Due in class on October 1.
2) Prison visit - We will visit the Topeka Correctional Facility in two groups, on September 19 and 26, from 1-4 pm - further details to be announced in class. Students will be able to see the facility and talk with administrators and inmates. Students are then responsible for writing a brief (3-5 page) report including their perceptions and assessment of the facility in light of course material. This report will be worth 50 points, and details will be handed out in class prior to the visit. The report will be due, in class, on the Friday following the tour (September 26 for Group 1, October 3 for Group 2).
3) Assignments keyed to videos - There will be 4 (more or less) videos shown over the course of the semester. For each of these, there will be a question set that will be distributed in class on the day of the video and turned in during the class session after the video has been shown. All of the completed sets will be worth a total of 100 points.
Final Grade:
As noted above, your grade for the class will be calculated as follows: 248
Midterm Exam 100 points Final Exam 100 points Questions on readings 50 points Crime rate assignment 100 points Video exercises 100 points Prison visit assignment 50 points Total 500 points possible
For the purposes of calculating the final letter grade, a standard scale will be used: 90 - 100% (450-500 points) = A 60 - 69% (300-349 points) = D 80 - 89% (400-449 points) = B 0 - 59% ( <300 points) = F 70 - 79% (350-399 points) = C
POLICIES
Scholastic Dishonesty
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, any effort to seek assistance during an in-class exam from other persons or from books, notes, etc. It is also scholastic dishonesty to submit assignments that are plagiarized or written in collusion with another or to falsify any records connected with this course or any examination. Plagiarism of any sort will not be tolerated and includes quoting or closely paraphrasing a printed source without giving appropriate credit (i.e. Gould, 1981:123). I will give you one warning about this on your assignments. After that, any assignments that appear to plagiarized in any way will be given a grade of 0. Exams that are plagiarized in any way will also be given a grade of 0, and further charges may be pursued at my discretion. It is acceptable to talk with classmates about homework assignments and question sets. Handing in substantially the same assignment constitutes plagiarism, however. It is not acceptable to discuss the take-home essay questions with classmates. Essays that appear to be substantially similar will be given a grade of 0. If you have any doubts at all about what constitutes plagiarism, check with me before you turn in any assignment.
All students, upon registration, agree to be bound by the University Honor Code. This code stipulates that a student has neither given nor received unauthorized aid on any academic work. Students who violate the honor code are subject to university disciplinary procedures, and can receive a grade of XF for a course, which denotes a failing grade due to academic dishonesty.
Borderline Grades, Curves, and Other Grade Inflators:
Grades for this course will not be "curved."
I do not grade on the basis of need. If you need an A in this course, figure out the total number of points necessary to earn an A. Do not come to me and ask me to change your final grade unless a mathematical error has been made. Results of individual exams and assignments may be discussed during office hours.
A grade of "incomplete" will not be assigned except in extraordinary circumstances, and will in no case be given to a student who simply fails to attend class and complete assignments.
249 Extra credit work will not be given in this course.
Assignment and Exam Policies:
See above for policies on late assignments.
Make-up exams will be given only to those who must miss an exam for a University-approved reason. You are expected to notify me if you must miss a scheduled exam. Except in very special cases, exams must be made up in advance or within one week of the exam date.
With the exception of the final, all other graded assignments are to be picked up in class.
Office hours:
As noted above, my office hours are Wednesday, 4:00 to 5:00 and Friday, 1:30-3:30. This is a time when you can drop in to talk about whatever you want - questions you have about the material, how you’re doing in the course, things that you find particularly striking (or irritating) about the course or the readings. Please don’t hesitate to use this time. Ultimately, it’s better for both of us if I know that you’re having trouble early in the semester. I (like most instructors) have little patience for 11th- hour pleas for mercy (e.g., calling me the day before the final is due to tell me that you didn’t understand the first unit and thus cannot possibly turn in your paper). I am also available at other times, either by appointment (call or e-mail me) or on a drop in basis. If I’m in the office (and I usually am, particularly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), feel free to knock; I’ll either see you or set something up so that we can meet at a later time.
Two requests:
If you miss a class, please do not ask me what happened in it or whether you missed anything important. It may surprise you how many students actually ask me these questions. Find someone in the class from whom you can get the notes and learn about other important information. If there=s a handout you didn’t get in a missed class, get it from a classmate.
If you need to give me any materials outside of class and I am not in my office, please leave them in my department mailbox (Waters 204) if at all possible. I hate stepping on assignments that have been slipped under my door.
READING ASSIGNMENTS *
Unit I: Introduction/Women as offenders
A) Introduction - The Sociology of Gender, Why study women and crime?, Liberal feminist theory 8/22: Girshick, Introduction P&S, Intro to part one, pp. 1-9
B) Statistics and research methods in criminology/Patterns of female offending 8/27: Reading set 1: Girshick, Chapter 2 and P&S, Readings 5 (Steffensmeier), 7 (Mann), and 9 (Maher & Curtis)
C) The law and female offenders 9/5-9/12: Reading set 2: Girshick, Chapters 3 - 4 and 250 P&S, Readings 1 (Sokoloff & Price) and 8 (Arnold), additional: MacKinnon Video: Aileen Wournos I & II
D) Female offenders and prison 9/17-9/26: Reading set 3 (questions mandatory): Girshick, Chapters 5 - 9 and P&S, Readings 6 (Chesney-Lind) and 10 (Humphries, et al.), additional: Britton (1999)
E) Representing female offenders 10/1-10/3: Reading set 4: Additional readings: Holmlund, Faith Video: Reform School Girls and other clips
MIDTERM OUT: 10/3, DUE IN CLASS 10/10
Unit II - Women as victims
A) Patterns of victimization and fear of crime 10/8: P&S, Introduction to part two, pp. 181-196. Reading set 5: Additional readings: Madriz
B) General violence against women & Radical feminist theory 10/10-10/15: Reading set 6: P&S 16 (Caputi and Russell) and 19 (Robson), additional: Caputi, Sheffield, Stato
D) Rape 10/17-10/29: Reading set 7: P&S, Readings 11 (Scully), 12 (Matthews), additional: Brownmiller Reading set 8 (questions mandatory): Lefkowitz, Our Guys Video: Dreamworlds 2 Video: Rape in the military
E) Violence against women in families 10/31 - 11/12: Reading set 9: P&S, Readings 13 (Browne), 14 (Rasche), 15 (Ferraro), and 28 (Fine) Video: Defending Our Lives
Unit III: Women as workers in the Legal System
A) Introduction 11/14 : P&S, Introduction to part three, pp. 321-331
B) Women in policing/CO=s 11/19-11/26: Reading set 10: On policing: P&S Reading 23 (Schulz), 24 (S. Martin), 25 (Gomez-Preston & Trescott) Reading set 11: On prison workers/COs: P&S 26 (Belknap), additional: Britton (1997)
C) Women in law 251 11/28-12/5: Reading set 12 (questions mandatory): Pierce, Gender Trials Reading set 13: P&S, Readings 20 (Schafran), 21 (Spohn), and 22 (Anleu)
Final exams will be due on Thursday, December 13th in my mailbox (Waters 204) or in my office (Waters 202B) by 4:00 P.M.
* Please note well: This schedule is exceedingly tentative. Actual reading assignments will therefore always be made at the beginning of each class period.
Citation list for additional articles
1. The law and female offenders MacKinnon, Catharine A. 1987. Difference and dominance: On sex discrimination. Pp. 32-45 in Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
2. Female offenders in prison Britton, Dana M. 1999. Cat fights and gang fights: Preference for work in a male-dominated organization. The Sociological Quarterly 40(3): 455-474.
3. Representing female offenders Holmlund, Christine. 1994. A decade of deadly dolls: Hollywood and the woman killer. Pp. 127-151 in Helen Birch (ed.) Moving Targets: Women, Murder, and Representation. Berkeley: University of California Press. Faith, Karlene. 1993. Going to the movies. Pp. 255-273 in Karlene Faith, Unruly Women: The Politics of Confinement and Resistance. Vancouver: Press Gang Publishers.
4. Fear of crime Madriz, Esther. 1997. Fear of crime as social control. Pp. 42-70 in Esther Madriz, Nothing Bad Happens to Good Girls: Fear of Crime in Women=s Lives. Berkeley: University of California Press.
5. General violence against women Caputi, Jane. 1987. The Age of Sex Crime. Pp. 50-62 and 158-197. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. Sheffield, Carole J. 1993. The invisible intruder: Women=s experiences of obscene phone calls. Pp. 73-78 in Pauline B. Bart and Eileen Geil Moran (eds.), Violence Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Stato, Joanne. 1993. Montreal gynocide. Pp. 132-133 in Bart and Moran, (eds.), op. cit.
6. Rape Brownmiller, Susan. 1975. Rape and war: Vietnam. Pp. 87-118 in Against our will: Men, women, and rape. New York: Bantam Books.
7. Women as prison workers Britton, Dana M. 1997. Gendered organizational logic: Policy and practice in men's and women's Prisons. Gender & Society 11(6):796-818.
252 Kay Trimberger SINGLE WOMEN IN THE U.S.: SOCIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
Course Description: This course will address the following questions: How does society view single women and how has this changed historically? Hoe do single women view themselves? Do ethnicity and race make a difference? What are the differences and similarities between younger and older single women, between lesbian and heterosexual singles, between the childless and single mothers, and between women of different social classes? How have changes in the culture of love and romance, and in the institution of marriage, affected single women? What is the future of singleness in the U.S.?
Required Reading: (On sale in paperback at the campus Bookstore) Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones’s Diary Elizabeth Berg, Until the Real Thing Comes Along Carol Anderson & Susan Stewart, Flying Solo: Single Women in Midlife Xerox Reader of articles listed below: On sale at College Center Copy Shop, 1435 E. Cotati Ave (707) 792-0995 Course Requirements: 1) Class attendance and participation. (30% of grade). Come to class each week having read the assigned reading, ready to ask questions and participate in discussion. Be ready to summarize the articles, ask questions about material you don’t understand, discuss new insights you achieved and material with which you disagree. Your grade will depend on your attendance and on your active participation in class discussion
2) Short oral presentation on either a T.V. show featuring single women or on a panel presentation in class. (10% of grade). See separate sheet for instructions
3) Two short (4-5 page) take-home essay exams on the readings and class discussion (15% of grade for each essay) Dates as follows: Questions for first essay handed out on 3/12 Essay Due on 3/26
Questions for second essay handed out on 4/23 Second Essay Due on 5/14.
4) A short (8 - 10 page) research paper on a topic to be decided with instructor. (30% of grade) See separate page for suggested topics. Students will present a brief oral (10 minute) summary of their research on May 7 or 14 . Final paper due on May 21.
Outline of Topics and Reading Assignments
1/29 - Introduction & Discussion of two short handouts:
Betty Hares, “Singleness” (poem) E. Kay Trimberger, “ Life & the Single Woman” (op-ed)
253 2/5 - Contemporary Cultural Scripts & Lack of Scripts about Single Women Read: Lee Reilly, Women Living Single, intro & chap. 1, 3. Mary Ann Cejka, “A Demon with No Name: Prejudice Against Single Women,” in Single Women: Affirming Our Spiritual Journey. Karen Gail Lewis, “Single Heterosexual Women through the Life Cycle,” in Women in Context. Topic for Oral Report Due
2/12 - Dilemmas of Single Women in their late 20s and in their 30s Read: Bridget Jones Diary Peggy Orenstein, Flux, chaps 1, 4. Jaclyn Geller, Here Comes the Bride: Women, Weddings and the Marriage Mystique, Introduction Reports on T.V. shows on singles
2/19 - The Ideal of a Soul Mate and Singleness Read: Barbara Dafoe Whitehead & David Popenoe, “Who Wants to Marry a Soul Mate?” Rutgers University, National Marriage Project. Ethan Watters, “In My Tribe,” New York Times Magazine, Oct. 14, 2001. Sasha Cagen, “The Quirkyalone,” To-Do-List Magazine, Vol I, #1, 2000. Laura Kipnis, “Against Love: A Treatise on the Tyranny of Two,” New York Times Magazine, Oct. 14, Katryn Ein, “Few Good Men: Why Poor Women Don’t Remarry,” The American Prospect, Vol. 11, issue 4, Jan. 3, 2000. Reports on T.V. shows on singles Topic for Research Paper due
2/26 - Single Women in Historical Perspective Read: Zsuzsa Berend, “ ‘The Best or None!’ Spinsterhood in Nineteenth-Century New England,” Journal of Social History, summer 2000 V. 33, issue 4. Lee Chambers-Schiller, Libery: A Better Husband, chap. 10. Christina Simmons, “Companionate Marriage & the Lesbian Threat,” in Women & Power in American History, Vol. II. Susan Ferguson, “The Old Maid Stereotype in American Film, 1938 - 1965,” in Film & History, Vol. XXI, #4, Dec. 1991.
3/5 - Autonomy, Intimacy, and Sexuality Read: Lee Reilly, Women Living Single, chaps 8, 9. Stephanie Dowrick, Intimacy & Solitude: Balancing Closeness & Independence, chaps. 10 - 13. Christa Donner, “10 Reasons Why Being Single Completely Rocks!” Bust, 18, Summer, 2001. Flying Solo, chap. 13, 14.
Film: Ruby in Paradise
3/12 - Single Lesbians
254 Read: Natalie Schwartzberg, et. al, “Single and Gay: Issues & Opportunities,” in Single in a Married World, chap. 10. Sylvia Cole, “The Elusive Lesbian Date,” In The Family: A Magazine for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals & Their Relations, Vol. 1, #5, Jan. 1990. Melissa Plaut, “Looking for Mrs. Goodbar: Is it Easier to be a Playgirl when You’re a Gay Girl?” Bust, 18, Summer, 2001. JoAnn Loulan, “Celebacy,” in Boson Marriages: Romantic but asexual relationships among contemporary lesbians. Plan for Research Paper Due Questions for first essay handed out
3/19 - Single and African-American, Latina, Asian-American or Iranian-American. Read: Aurora Levins Morales, “Shameless Desire,” in Telling To Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios. Norma Cantu, “A Working-class Bruja’s Fears and Desires,” Ibid. Sandra Cisneros, “Never Marry a Mexican,” in Woman Hollering Creek Susan Ferguson, “Challenging Traditional Marriage: Never Married Chinese American & Japanese American Women,” Gender & Society, Vol. 14, #1 (2000) Andrew Cherlin, “Marriage and Marital Dissolution Among Black Americans,” Journal of Comparative Family Studies, Vol. 29, #1 (Spring, 1998). Judy D. Simmons, “Mars Conjunct Neptune,” in Wile Women Don’t Wear No Blues: Black Women Writers on Love, Men & Sex. Lisa Phillips, “Love, Iranian-American Style,” Bust, 18, Summer, 2001.
Film: Najeeb
3/26 - No class
First Essay Exam Due
4/ 2 - Spring Break
4/9 - Single Mothers Read: Elizabeth Berg, Until the Real Thing Comes Along Women Flying Solo, chap. 16, 17 Rosanna Hertz & Faith Ferguson, “Kinship Strategies & Self-Sufficiency Among Single Mothers by Choice: Post Modern Family Ties,” Qualitative Sociology, Vol. 20, #2 (1997) Jane Bock, “Doing the Right Thing? Single Mothers by Choice and the Struggle for Legitimacy,” Gender & Society, Vol. 14, #1, Feb. 2000. Linda Blum & Theresa Deussen, “Negotiating Independent Motherhood: Working-Class African American Women Talk about Marriage and Motherhood,” Gender & Society, Vol. 10, #2, April 1996.
4/16 - Single and Childless or Childfree Read: Mardy Ireland, “”Childless in the 1990s: The ‘Other’ Woman and Why Now?” in Reconceiving Women.
255 Irena Klepfisz, “Women Without Children; Women Without Families; Women Alone,” in Bearing Life: Women’s Writings on Childlessness. Elissa Raffa, “The Vow,” in Ibid. Carolyn Megan, “Childless by Choice,” Ms., Oct/Nov. 2000. Flying Solo, chap. 15.
4/23 - Issues for Mid-Life and Older Single Women Read: Anderson & Stewart, Flying Solo
Second Essay Questions Handed Out
4/30 - Life Outside the Nuclear Family - Living Alone, Living with Others, Friendship Networks Read: Beverly Stephen, “New Ceremonies for New People,” Ms., Nov. 1984. Vivian Gornick, “Living Alone,” chap. 6 of Approaching Eye Level. Pagen Kennedy, “So Are You Two Together? How do you Explain Sharing your life with a Friend Instead of a Lover?” Ms., June/July 2001. E. Kay Trimberger, “Friendship Networks & Care,” working paper, Center for Working Families, U.C. Berkeley, Spring 2002. Andee Hochman, “Significant Others: Kinship without Categories,” “Pledging Commitment to Friends,” and “Collective Inventions: Dinner Groups to Co- housing Communities,” in Everyday Acts & Small Subversions.
5/7 - Oral Research Reports
5/14 - Oral Research Reports and Summing Up Second Essay Exam Due
5/21 - Research paper Due
256 Denise A. Copelton THE SOCIOLOGY OF WOMEN AND HEALTH
Course Description: This course will explore a variety of issues surrounding the general topic of women and health. Our primary focus will be on the following questions: • How do social values and arrangements such as gender, race, and class affect the production of scientific and medical knowledge? • How is scientific knowledge, once constructed, transmitted to women and others and how does this transmission help to maintain social inequality? • How do social values and arrangements such as gender, race, and class affect the production of health and medical care services? • How is social inequality, especially gender inequality, reproduced in the health care industry in the form of a hierarchy of medical specialties? • Can feminism help to provide an alternative model of health care that is more inclusive for women and others, both as providers and receivers of care?
To help us provide some tentative answers to these questions, we will: review scholarship on the social determinants of health; focus on women's representation in medical research; consider some gender differences in health behaviors; explore the health consequences of gender stratification in both the workplace and the family, as well as the issue of violence against women; review some examples of feminist health care; consider medicalization and its pros and cons; examine the current medical treatment of breast cancer and women's reproductive health.
Required Books: Clorfene-Casten, Liane. 1996. Breast Cancer: Poisons, Profits, and Prevention. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press.
Grant, Nicole. 1992. The Selling of Contraception. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press.
Lorber, Judith. 1997. Gender and the Social Construction of Illness. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Martin, Emily. 1993. The Woman in the Body. Boston: Beacon Press.
Messing, Karen. 1998. One-Eyed Science. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Simonds, Wendy. 1996. Abortion at Work. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
All books are available at the campus bookstore. There are also a substantial number of readings on reserve in the library. These are not “extra” readings, but are part of the core readings for the class.
Course Format: This course will be conducted primarily as a seminar, though I will lecture at times. You are responsible for completing the required reading, preparing comments/questions, participating in class discussion, and leading class discussion on a rotating basis. [More information on leading discussions is provided in a later section of the syllabus.] Most of our time will be spent discussing
257 the material. Thus, class attendance and participation is mandatory and accounts for 20% of your final grade. Please bring the pertinent texts and/or articles to class each day.
Course Requirements: 20% Research Paper 20% Attendance & Participation 30% Midterm Exam 30% Final Exam
Explanation of Course Requirements: Research Paper – All students will complete a research paper on a topic of their choice, which must be approved by the instructor in advance. Topics should relate to women and health and must be sociological in nature. A one-page proposal and bibliography will be due September 23. Final papers are due Dec 2. Because final papers are due the week before classes end, I cannot give extensions for any reason. Please plan ahead accordingly.
Attendance & Participation - Attending class and actively participating are important elements of learning in any course. Because this is a seminar, attendance and participation are even more important to the overall success of the course. Excessive absenteeism, excessive late arrivals and excessive early departures will not be tolerated and students engaging in any of these will find their final grade adjusted accordingly. Attendance will be taken throughout the semester at random intervals, rather than on a daily basis. Should you miss a class or a portion of a class, you are responsible for any and all missed material. Remember that poor attendance will hinder your ability to partake in class participation. Students should read required material prior to the class period for which it has been assigned and be prepared to engage in a scholarly discussion of the material as outlined above.
Midterm and Final Exams - There are two exams, a mid-term and a final. Each exam is essay format. The final exam will concentrate on material from the mid-term on, but will also contain some material from the first half of the course. Therefore, the final exam is cumulative. Every student must take both exams. Make-up exams will be administered for medical reasons or extreme extenuating circumstances only. Make-up exams will be given only with acceptable documentation of the absence. Please do not request special arrangements to alleviate a crowded exam schedule, a heavy workload, or conflicts with employment, extra-curricular activities, or job-hunting. Fairness dictates that such accommodations cannot be made for one without being offered to all. The midterm is scheduled for October 21 during regular class time. The final exam date and time will be announced by the registrar’s office later in the semester.
Disability Statement: I would appreciate hearing from anyone in this class who has a special need which may be the result of a documented disability. I am reasonably sure we can work out whatever arrangement is necessary, be it special seating, testing, or other accommodation. See me after class, or during my office hours, as soon as possible.
Guidelines for Leading Class Discussions: Meet with your discussion partner only after completing all the required reading for your designated class period. Partners should not divide the readings, since this does not promote comprehension of overarching themes, nor does it lead to uncovering points of comparison. Instead, both members of 258 the group should read and prepare questions on the entire set of readings and then meet to discuss these and arrange them in some logical format.
Groups should develop a set of discussion questions based on the readings. An important part of generating quality discussions is first generating quality questions. One of the goals of the course is to master the art of formulating sociological questions. Please refer to the examples provided.
Avoid questions based on recall of the information presented. It is safe to assume that some summary will be necessary at the beginning of each discussion, and therefore basing your questions on summary alone will not significantly add to the level of discussion. Some recall questions are acceptable only as discussion starters or prompts.
Discussion questions should be e-mailed to me by noon on the following days, depending on what day you will be leading discussion.
Discussion on… Questions to me by… prior to discussion day Tuesday Friday Thursday Monday
I will then print the questions and make enough copies for all students in class. These questions will then become the basis for the class discussion.
Please note that it is certainly appropriate to bring in other materials that you feel relate to the readings/topic. Examples include instructional quizzes, articles from the popular media, advertisements, informational pamphlets, etc. I encourage all students to seek out further readings and additional information on related topics and to share this information with the rest of the class. I simply ask that you approach this information (especially info. derived from internet sources and the popular press) with a critical eye.
Please clear it with me in advance if you want to use videos or films. I may or may not allow this, depending on the length and content of the particular video and what it will potentially add to our discussion. Furthermore, we would need to arrange (in advance) to have the appropriate equipment delivered to the classroom.
All students should consider the following questions while reading the assignments:
Summary and Evaluation: • What is the main argument presented? • What is the evidence, if any, garnered to support that argument? • What questions are raised by the argument? • What questions/issues are not addressed? • Is there another way for the argument to be framed that might be more productive for furthering inquiry?
General Themes:
259 • How do the articles/chapters relate to each other? Do they build on a common theme? Do they constitute multiple and/or competing views on the same theme? Are there specific points of comparison in the evidence presented? • How do the readings relate to other areas already explored in the course? • Do the points/arguments presented in the readings apply equally to all groups of women? Does the author discuss issues relevant to women of color, lesbians, the unmarried, the poor, etc.?
Examples:
Glazer, Nona. 1990. “The Home as Workshop: Women as Amateur Nurses and Medical Care Providers.” Gender and Society 4: 479-499.
1. What is a DRG? 2. What has been the effect of DRGs on women within families? Why are women affected more than men within the family? 3. How does the work transfer in health services differentially affect women based on their socioeconomic status? 4. How does the work transfer affect women within the health care occupations? Why are the lowest status workers affected the most? 5. How does the work transfer hinder nurses attempts to professionalize?
Lorber, all of Ch 3 except section on nurses (pp. 38-40)
Martin, Arnold, and Parker, “Gender and Medical Socialization,” pp. 633-649 in Perspectives in Medical Sociology(2nd ed.), edited by Phil Brown.
1. What are some of the major differences in career paths of male/female physicians? In practice styles? How do the authors explain these differences? What theories do they promote in their explanations? 2. How does Martin and Parker’s explanations differ from Lorber’s? Which is the better explanation? 3. How does medical socialization reduce some of the gender differences in career paths and/or practice styles of physicians? 4. How does medical socialization affect patient care? How does gender role socialization affect patient care?
Lorber, pp. 38-40 Section entitled, “Nurses: Doctors’ Handmaidens or Partners?”
Susan Reverby, “A Caring Dilemma: Womanhood and Nursing in Historical Perspective,” pp. 667-683 in Perspectives in Medical Sociology(2nd ed.), edited by Phil Brown.
Sue Fisher, “Is Care a Remedy? The Case of Nurse-Practitioners” pp. 301-329 in Reframing Women’s Health, edited by Alice Dan.
1. How have nurses attempts to professionalize been successful? unsuccessful? 2. Why is “caring” such a problematic concept for the professionalization of nurses? How is “caring” gendered?How is this related to the characteristics of a profession?
260 3. How have the problems of nursing professionalization been shaped by the historical development of nursing? by the historical development of the medical profession? 4. Should nursing be considered a profession? Does it meet the criteria of a profession? 5. How does nursing’s location in the medical hierarchy affect nurses interactions with other health care workers, including but not limited to physicians? with patients? 6. Do Nurse Practitioners (NPs) appear to offer better care than physicians?
Course Outline: Subject to change. Revisions will be announced in class when appropriate. All required books are indicated by author’s last name. [R] Indicates a reserve reading.
Sept 2 General Introduction to the class.
Part I: The Social Construction and Distribution of Health and Illness
Sept 7 Read: Lorber, Ch 1 “Gender and the Social Construction of Illness” Ch 2 “Women Get Sicker, But Men Die Quicker” [R] Martin, Emily. 1996. “The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles,” in Feminism and Science, edited by Evelyn Fox -Keller and Helen Longino. New York: Oxford University Press.
Part II: Health Care Provision
Sept 9 Read: [R] Nancy Fugate Woods, “Women and their Health” pp. 44-76 in Perspectives in Medical Sociology (2nd ed.), edited by Phil Brown. Physicians Read: Lorber, all of Ch 3 except section on nurses (pp. 38-40) [R] Martin, Arnold, and Parker, “Gender and Medical Socialization,” pp. 633-649 in Perspectives in Medical Sociology(2nd ed.), edited by Phil Brown. ALSO in Journal of Health and Social Behavior, (1989) 29:333-43.
Sept 14 Nurses Video clip on nurse practitioners Read: [R] Glazer, Nona. 1990. “The Home as Workshop: Women as Amateur Nurses and Medical Care Providers.” Gender and Society 4: 479-499. Lorber, pp. 38-40 Section entitled, “Nurses: Doctors’ Handmaidens or Partners?” [R] Susan Reverby, “A Caring Dilemma: Womanhood and Nursing in Historical Perspective,” pp. 667-683 in Perspectives in Medical Sociology(2nd ed.), edited by Phil Brown. ALSO in Nursing Research, Jan/Feb 1987, 36(1): 5-11. [R] Sue Fisher, “Is Care a Remedy? The Case of Nurse-Practitioners” pp. 301-329 in Reframing Women’s Health, edited by Alice Dan.
Sept 16 261 The Women’s Health Movement and Feminist Health Care Read: Lorber, Ch 6 “Treating Social Bodies in Social Worlds”
[R] Zimmerman, Mary K. 1987. “The Women’s Health Movement: A Critique of Medical Enterprise and the Position of Women,” in Analyzing Gender edited by Beth B. Hess and Myra Marx-Ferree. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Sept 21 Special Topic: Abortion Read: [R] Pauline Bart. 1981. “Seizing the Means of Reproduction: An Illegal Feminist Abortion Collective” pp. 109-128 in Helen Roberts (ed.) Women, Health and Reproduction, NY: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Video: Jane, An Abortion Collective
Sept 23 Read: Simonds, Introduction Ch 1 “Feminists Working: Health Care Provision and Identity” Ch 2 “Feminist Abortion Practice: Getting Graphic”
Paper proposal and bibliography due. Sept 28 Read: Simonds, Ch 3 “Anti-Feminism Personified: Encounters with the Enemy” Ch 4 “Feminist Workplace?: Examining Contradictions in Institutional Ideology” Video: Casting the First Stone
Sept 30 Read: Simonds, Ch 5 “Purging the Enemy Within: Feminists Approach Racism” Conclusion, “Feminism and (F)utility” [R] Hunt and Joffe. 1994. “Problems and Prospects of Contemporary Abortion Provision,” pp. 163-174 in Reframing Women’s Health, edited by Alice Dan.
Part III: The Medicalization of Women’s Health
Oct 5 Read: [R] Reissman, Catherine Kohler. “Women and Medicalization: A New Perspective.” Pp. 190-212 in Dominant Issues in Medical Sociology (3rd ed.), edited by Howard D. Schwartz. ALSO in Social Policy (1983) 14: 3-18. [R] Kurz, Demie. 1987. “Emergency Department Responses to Battered Women: Resistance to Medicalization,” Social Problems 34(1): 69-81. [R] Warshaw, Carole. 19 “Limitations of the Medical Model in the Care of Battered Women,” pp. 134-146 in Bart and Moran (eds.) Violence Against Women.
Part IV: Occupational Health
Oct 7 Midterm Exam
262 No class Oct 12 – Fall break
Oct 14 The Politics of Scientific Research Read: Messing, Ch 1 “Women Workers and Their Working Conditions” Ch 2 “Is there a Woman’s Occupational Health Problem?” Ch 3 “Are Women Biologically Fit for Jobs? Are Jobs Fit for Women?”
Oct 21 Read: Messing, Ch 4 “Who are Scientists?” Ch 5 “ ‘Rigor’: The Scientific Basis for Funding” Ch 6 “Constructing Scientific Knowledge”
Oct 26 Occupational Health Exercise in class. Read: Messing, Ch 7 “Musculoskeletal Problems” Ch 8 “Office Work and Health” Ch 9 “Emotional Stressors in Women’s Occupations”
Oct 28 Read: Messing, Ch 10 “Reproductive Hazards” Ch 11 “Science and Real Life” Ch 12 “Changing Science for Women Workers”
Part V: Reproductive Health
Nov 2 Menstruation Quiz Read: [R] Koff, Elissa; et al. 1995. “Early Adolescent Girls Understanding of Menstruation.” Women and Health 22(4): 1-19. Martin, Chs 1 & 2
Nov 4 Read: Martin, Chs 3 & 4
Nov 9 Read: Martin, Chs 5-7
Nov 11 Read: Lorber, Ch 4 “If the Situation is Defined as Real…Premenstrual Syndrome and Menopause” Martin, Ch 10 “Menopause, Power, and Heat”
Nov 16 Read: Martin, Chs 8 & 9 [R] Monto, Martin. “The Lingering Presence of Medical Definitions Among Women Committed to Natural Childbirth.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 26(3): 293-316.
263 Nov 18 Read: [R] Rothman, Barbara Katz. “Midwives in Transition: The Structure of a Clinical Revolution.” Pp. 104-113 in Dominant Issues in Medical Sociology (3rd ed.), edited by Howard D. Schwartz. ALSO in (1983) Social Problems 30: 262-270 AND Peter Conrad, the Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness (5th ed.). Martin, Chs 11 & 12
Nov 23 Class will meet - Thanksgiving Recess begins at 4:30 PM Contraception Condom Quiz in class Read: Grant, Introduction Ch 1 “Birth Control and the Health Care System” Ch 2 “The Dalkon Shield Story”
No Class Nov 25 – Thanksgiving Break
Nov 30 Read: Grant, Ch 3 “Race, Class, and Country” Ch 4 “Gender and Sexuality” Video: La Operacion
Dec 2 Final papers due. Read: Grant, Ch 5 “New Products, Old Problems” Ch 6 “Trading Risks” -AND- Epilogue Start reading Casten, Ch 3 “The Risks of Living in the Modern World”
Part VII: Contemporary Health Problems – Breast Cancer
Dec 7 Read: Casten, Ch 4-6
Dec 9 Read: Casten, Ch 7-9
Dec 14 Read: Casten, Ch 10-11
264 Mary Zimmerman WOMEN AND HEALTH CARE
Purpose of This Course
This course offers a sociological and historical perspective on women’s health and health care, focusing predominantly on the United States but with some attention to international and global issues. Students will receive an overview of the health status and major health problems of women with comparisons made among various groups of women and to the health of men. The central idea of the course, however, is to move beyond a description of specific health problems to critically analyze how women’s health problems develop, are perceived, and are responded to both medically and socially in contemporary society. In this context, an important theoretical aspect of the course is the development of a socio-medical perspective on health and, specifically, the analysis of women’s health in relation to women’s lives and how these lived experiences are shaped by culture, social institutions and social policies. A question of particular concern in this course is the extent to which women have agency in relation to their health, or whether women’s health is determined by forces outside individual control.
Learning Objectives
1) Students will learn the basic epidemiologic patterns in women’s health, and will be able to understand the basic variations among diverse groups of women and to understand how patterns in women’s health compare to patterns in the health of men. 2) Students will understand the problems in accurately measuring women’s health status. 3) Students will learn the patterns in women’s use of health care (in the context of gender comparisons) and the factors that encourage and impede women’s access to health care services. 4) Students will study the cultural values, attitudes and behaviors that affect women’s current health and health practices, especially intersecting ideas about beauty, fitness and health. 5) Students will learn about the historical development of activism in relation to women’s health and the women’s health movement. 6) Students will study the social and health care policies of the U.S. as well as other countries in relation to the health and well-being of women. In addition, they will be encouraged to think about these policies in terms of health care reform. 7) Students will learn about specific illnesses and health problems unique to women in various areas of women’s health. For example: mental health (stress, substance abuse, eating disorders, pregnancy/post partum), contraception, abortion, cancer (breast, ObGyn), chronic pain and fatigue, auto-immune illnesses (MS, AIDS), infertility and reproductive technology, aging and disability, menopause, heart disease, osteoporosis, etc.
Required Texts 1. Kathryn Strother Ratcliff. 2002. Women and Health: Power, Technology, Inequality, and Conflict in a Gendered World. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 0-205-30597-0 2. Lesley Doyal. 1995. What Makes Women Sick: Gender and the Political Economy of Health. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2207-2. 3. Naomi Wolf. 1991. The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women. Anchor Books. ISBN 0-385-42397-7 Highly Recommended 265 4. Carol Weisman. 1998. Women’s Health Care: Activist Traditions and Institutional Change. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-5826-7
Reserve Readings – Watson Library Reserve
Evaluation 60% Class Paper (1/3 oral presentation; 2/3 written paper) 25% Article Analysis and Discussion* 15% Class Participation/Comment Papers 100% *Discussion leaders prepare a summary (no more than half a page) of the main points of their selection and five questions designed to generate discussion. These should be e-mailed to Prof. Zimmerman by 9am on the day of presentation. Leaders present their summary and lead the discussion, using their questions.
Students with Disabilities Any student in this course with a disability that may prevent them from fully demonstrating their abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible So we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participating in this course and your graduate school experience.
Class Schedule
Jan 28 Introduction and key concepts in women’s health
Feb 4 Overview of women’s health issues (handouts) Ratcliff, Chapt. 1 - discussion leader: Doyal, Chapt. 1 – discussion leader: The health care system from a gender perspective Zimmerman and Hill, “Health Care as a Gendered System”
11 Science, medicine and women’s health Ratcliff, Chapt. 2-3 – discussion leaders: History of women’s health care Weisman, Women’s Health Care, Chapt. 1-2 (optional)
Caring and care work Video: History of Nursing (comment paper)
25 Beauty, fitness and women’s health Ratcliff, Chapt. 8 – discussion leader: Beauty Myth: Chapts. on work and culture discussion leaders:
266 Mar 4 Beauty – con’d Beauty Myth: Chapts on religion, sex, hunger, violence discussion leaders: Field assignment due: print media
11 Medicine and the social roles of women Ehrenreich and English, “Sexual Politics of Sickness” discussion leader: Selection from Deborah Sullivan, Cosmetic Surgery: The Cutting Edge of Commercial Medicine in America – discussion leader: Video: female circumcision/genital mutilation (comment paper)
25 Sex, sexualities and reproductive health What Makes Women Sick? Chapt. 3-4 discussion leaders: Ratcliff, Chapt. 11-14 discussion leaders:
Apr 1 Women’s work (paid and unpaid) and women’s health What Makes Women Sick? Chapt. 2,6 – discussion leader: Ratcliff, Chapt. 4 discussion leader: Mary K. Zimmerman, “The Impact of Care Work on Mothers in Contrasting Welfare Regimes: U.S. and Finland” (AIDS) Selection from Gena Corea, The Invisible Epidemic discussion leader: Video: forced sex workers (comment paper)
8 Mental health, exploitation and violence against women What Makes Women Sick? Chapt. 7 – discussion leader: Ratcliff, Chapt. 5 – discussion leader: Bonnie Floyd, “Problems in Accurate Medical Diagnosis of Depression in Female Patients” discussion leader: Special presentation:
Apr 15 Women’s health care policy; international comparisons Weisman, Women’s Health Care, Chapt. 4-5 (optional) Mary K. Zimmerman, “Comparative Health Care Systems” Raymond Devries, Cecilia Benoit, Edwin Van Teijlingen, Sirpa Wrede, Birth by Design: Pregnancy, Maternity Care and Midwifery in North America and Europe, Chapt. 1-2 – discussion leaders: Video/slides: Canadian and Scandinavian health care systems (comment paper)
22 Chronic diseases and aging; alternative health care Ratcliff, Chapt. 7, 9-10 – discussion leaders:
267 Paula Lantz and Karen Booth, “The Social Construction of the Breast Cancer Epidemic” discussion leaders: Video: Alternative medicine—harm or cure? (comment paper)
29 Student Presentations
May 6 Student Presentations Papers Due
Class paper guidelines Length: 15-20 pages excluding bibliography Topic: Any women’s health or health care topic, subject to instructor approval
Your paper should include the following: 1) A brief description of the medical nature of the problem, including the prognosis—that is, the likelihood of recovery, the chances of death or disability, etc—and the medical consequences for those affected. If your paper concerns a health issue rather than a specific disease or condition, then you will be expected to discuss the origins of the issue and the various considerations and arguments involved with it. 2) Some indication of the causes and risk factors, if known. 3) Overall rates of frequency for the disease in the U.S. and some discussion of whether there are differences depending on age, race, socio-economic status and gender. You can find some of this information at the National Center for Health Statistics website: www.cdc.gov/nchs/data. 4) Information on whether all women have access to health care for this condition or problem. Each paper should address the issue of gender inequalities in health care. Does gender inequality affect the causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/rehabilitation and research concerning this problem or condition? If you are writing about an issue, then how does gender inequality affect this issue? 5) Your bibliography should go beyond the required and recommended readings for this course. Part of your grade will reflect your efforts to research your topic. At the same time, you will be expected to integrate relevant course readings into your paper.
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