AMS 370 Women Radicals and Reformers Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00-12:15
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AMS 370 Women Radicals and Reformers Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00-12:15 Professor: Julia Mickenberg (she/her/hers) Email: Canvas or [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-5:00 Course Description Concentrating on the twentieth century but beginning with eighteenth and nineteenth- century precedents, this course will trace traditions of women’s radical activism and reform with an eye toward models of civic and social engagement as well as cultural practice. We’ll look at ideas about women’s citizenship from the revolutionary era to the current day, including the struggles for suffrage and equal rights; women’s role in the abolitionist, socialist, anarchist and communist movements; female activism against lynching; the settlement house movement; reproductive rights agitation; labor and welfare rights activism; the peace movement; women’s role in ethnic nationalist movements; women’s liberation, and queer women of color critique, also touching on aesthetic and cultural radicalism, from avant-garde writing to women advocating free speech and free love. In all cases, backlash and the threat of backlash shaped and limited radical and reform movements. We’ll discuss ways movements took on gendered dimensions; the dynamics between individual leadership and communal organization; the impact of race, gender, ethnicity, class, region, and sexuality on individual and collective sensibilities; the interrelations between women and men in various social and cultural movements; and the variety of forms in which women’s and girls’ reformist or radical sentiments have been expressed. The reading load is significant but designed to give students a sense of the range of American women’s radical and reform activism, demonstrating both continuity and change over time. Assignments are designed to give students space to grapple with issues raised in the readings and in class discussions, to offer students the opportunity for independent research on topics of interest to them related to the course, and to build writing and research skills. Students will actively contribute to course content through research and presentations to the class, through sharing their writing, and through informed participation in class discussions. Course Readings: (available from University Co-op and on Canvas) •Kathryn Kish Sklar, ed. Women’s Rights Emerges Within the Anti-Slavery Movement •Ann Petry, The Street •Mary Crow Dog, Lakota Woman •Grace Lee Boggs, The Next American Revolution Additional class readings available online (Potential) Films: Iron-Jawed Angels Salt of the Earth She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry The Woman’s Film Digital collections (for research projects): Gerritsen collection: Women’s History online http://gerritsen.chadwyck.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/home.do Women and social movements http://asp6new.alexanderstreet.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/was2/was2.index.map.aspx Women’s Liberation Movement print culture (Duke): http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/wlmpc/Series/General%20and%20Theoretical Independent Voices http://voices.revealdigital.com/cgi-bin/independentvoices?a=p&p=home&e=-------en-20- -1--txt-txIN---------------1 Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America (Harvard) WGS Librarian Gina Bastone is available as a resource for individual or group consultations. Email: [email protected] ** This syllabus is subject to change; students who miss class are responsible for learning about any changes to the syllabus Class goals: Content goals: •By the end of the course, students should have a basic grounding in the traditions of women’s progressive and radical activism in the United States, a sense of the ways in which these traditions have foreign roots and internationalist dimensions, and a sense of how, if at all, these traditions are gendered female. •By the end of the course, students should be able to articulate ways in which women’s concerns have varied according to historical circumstances, race, religion, ethnicity, class, age, region, and other factors. Skills goals: •Students should hone their ability to conduct primary research; evaluate and analyze sources; and synthesize material in support of an argument •Students should be able to draw connections between different sources, and different kinds of sources. •Students should improve their ability to write in a clear and organized fashion, and marshal evidence to support an argument •Students should hone their presentation skills. •Students should gain skill and confidence in teamwork •Students should gain appreciation for the value of activism, and an understanding of models for initiating activism on behalf of social justice Flags: This course carries the flag for Cultural Diversity in the United States. The purpose of the Cultural Diversity in the United States Flag is for students to explore in depth the shared practices and beliefs of one or more underrepresented cultural groups subject to persistent marginalization. In addition to learning about these diverse groups in relation to their specific contexts, students should engage in an active process of critical reflection. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one underrepresented cultural group in the U.S. This course carries the Independent Inquiry flag. Independent Inquiry courses are designed to engage you in the process of inquiry over the course of a semester, providing you with the opportunity for independent investigation of a question, problem, or project related to your major. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from the independent investigation and presentation of your own work. This course carries the Writing Flag. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or more assignments, and you may be asked to read and discuss your peers’ work. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your written work. Writing Flag classes meet the Core Communications objectives of Critical Thinking, Communication, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility, established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. You are encouraged to take advantage of resources available through the Undergraduate Writing Center: http://uwc.utexas.edu/ Course requirements and procedures: 1.Informed participation in class discussions. You should come to class having done the reading assigned for that day; unless otherwise indicated, bring a copy of the assigned reading to class (readings on Canvas or posted on line can either be printed out or read from an e-reader that allows for annotation—I recommend the program i-annotate). •In-class writing, usually on the assigned reading, will contribute to your class participation grade. -Discussion board: I will periodically assign in-class or out-of-class writing for the Canvas discussion board, but you can also use it to post questions or comments on the reading. 2. Four 2-3 page papers based on the readings. The class will be divided into three groups. Each week, one third of the class will be required submit a short paper drawing connections between that week’s reading assignment and material assigned in the prior two weeks (unless it’s early enough in the semester that two weeks have not yet passed). Do not simply summarize the readings— the point is to critically assess their significance and the issues they raise. That said, the writing need not be especially formal: you are encouraged to react to the texts and to think about how the material affects you personally. Use quotations and examples from the readings to support your points. Unless otherwise noted, papers are due by 9:00 am on Thursdays. In the final week of class you will turn in a portfolio that includes all your short papers, along with a short reflective essay (also 2-3 pages), based on the papers, that considers the ways in which your own thinking and ideas have evolved over the course of the semester 3. Team Presentation: On the first or second day of class you will sign up for brief (5-7 minute) presentations to the class on topics of various weeks’ discussions. Usually in teams, these presentations should be based on original research, but should also draw connections to the common class readings. Presentations should be geared toward providing background that will inspire a richer discussion of the readings. Each presenter should provide me with a bibliography/overview of the material they researched. End with 2-3 questions for discussion that relate to the assigned readings for that week. Unless otherwise specified, be prepared to give your presentation on the Tuesday of your assigned week. Post the subject of your presentation on Canvas (in “presentation” thread under your week’s module) at least one week in advance. You are encouraged to talk with me in advance to discuss possible topics and sources. 5. Final projects (7-10 pages per person) will focus on a historical figure or set of figures’ ideas and actions, a historical phenomenon, or of a set of events. They should contain original research, reference to relevant scholarship, and your subject’s relationship to larger course timelines. 6. Recommended, for extra