Introduction to Women’s Studies
Women’s Studies 201-002
Fall
2001
Liz Cannon
Email: cannon@uwosh.edu
Time and Place: W 6-9, Clow 109 Office: A/C 314
Office Hours: M 9:30 – 11:30 Office Phone: 0892
And by
appointment
Home Phone: 608-270-4440
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Course Description:
This
course will introduce many of the issues that arise when women become the focus
of inquiry. We will discuss how our
society views women, what concerns women as they navigate life in the 21st
century, and what changes women have brought and hope to bring to their daily
lives. In doing so, we will discuss who
is included when we say “women,” and what differences women experience due to
such differences as class, race, and sexuality.
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Required Texts:
Susan
M. Shaw and Janet Lee, Women’s Voices,
Feminist Visions
Toni
Morrison, The Bluest Eye
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Course Requirements:
Midterm—15%
5 Response
Papers—30%
Portfolio
of 8 Assignments—15%
Final Project—15%
Final
Presentation—5%
Final Exam—10%
Participation
(attendance and discussion)—10%
Attendance
is required: you must be here mentally as well as physically. You are allowed one free absence; after
that, absences will lower your participation grade.
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8
Assignments: Letter, Ad, Gender,
Health, Sexuality, Privilege, Work, Violence and Law. Each assignment is worth one point (you will receive .5 or 1 pt
for each assignment you hand in, depending on the effort shown). Grading Scale: 8=A, 7=AB, 6=B, 5=BC, 4=C,
3=CD, 2=D, 1=DF, 0=F. The assignment is
due on the day indicated. If you are
sick or have a response paper due that day, you may hand it in the following
class period. Otherwise, late assignments are not accepted.
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5 Response
Papers:
Group A: Gender, Sexuality, Bluest
Eye, Work, Religion
Group B: Women’s Bodies, Privilege,
Bluest Eye, Violence and Law, Religion
Response
papers are graded on content rather than form, yet you still must write in
complete sentences and paragraphs. I
don’t intend these to be formal papers that you spend time rewriting. I am looking for thoughtful responses to the
questions asked that use quotes from the readings when appropriate. Minimum length: 2 pages.
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Please
do not hesitate to come see me if you have any questions or problems with this
class. My office hours are listed
above, but we can make an appointment if these are not convenient for you. Students with disabilities needing a
reasonable accommodation should inform me as soon as possible.
Calendar
Sept
5 W:
Introduction: What is Women’s
Studies?
Film: Killing Us Softly 3
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I.
Representations of Women in Media
12
W: Reading: Rich, “Claiming an
Education” 18
Chesler, “Letter One: Your Legacy”
21
Henke, Umble,
and Smith, “Construction of the Female Self” 376
Morgan,
“From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos” 380
Shattuc,
“The Oprahification of America” 387
Due: Ad Assignment
Letter
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19 W: Reading: Gould, “X: A
Fabulous Child’s Story” 119
Lorber,
“The Social Construction of Gender” 121
Sapiro,
“The Plurality of Gender-Based Realities” 125
Wong,
“When I was Growing Up” 130
Angier,
“Spiking the Punch” 131
Nelson,
“Boys Will Be Boys and Girls Will Not” 135
Kimmel, “What are Little Boys Made
Of?’ 141
Due: Gender Assignment
RESPONSE
PAPER—Group A
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26
W: Reading: Brumberg, “Breast
Buds and the ‘Training Bra’” 197
Steinem, “If
Men Could Menstruate” 202
Thompson, “A
Way Outa No Way” 205
Chambers, “Dreadlocked” 212
Miya-Jervis, “Hold that Nose” 214
Wendell,
“Feminism, Disability, and Transcendence of the Body” 216
Angelou,
“Phenomenal Woman” 220
Joyce, “My Fat Lover” 203
W. Charisse
Goodman, The Invisible Woman: Confronting
Weight Prejudice in
America Chapter One (hand-out)
Due: RESPONSE PAPER—Group B
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Oct 3
W: Reading: Harvard Women’s Health Watch, “How Far We’ve Come” 238
Watkins and
Whaley, “Gender Role Stressors and Women’s Health” 243
Cool,
“Forgotten Women” 247
Germain,
“Man-made Threats to Women’s Health” 250
MS.,
“Breast Cancer” 251
Sanger, “My
Fight for Birth Control” 255
Due: Health Assignment
RESPONSE
PAPER—Group A
Reading: Schwartz and Rutter, “Sexual Desire and Gender”
158
Wolf,
“Radical Heterosexuality” 166
Ochs,
“Bisexuality, Feminism, Men and Me” 169
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10 W: Film: If These Walls Could
Talk, 2
Reading: Tanenbaum, Slut! Intro and Chpt 1 (hand-out)
Lorde,
“The Power of the Erotic” (hand-out)
Moraga,
“La Guera” 174
Due: Sexuality
Assignment
RESPONSE
PAPER—Group B
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17
W: Reading: Collins, “Toward a New Vision” 57
Frye,
“Oppression” 66
Richardson, “Gender Stereotyping in the English Language” 68
Yamato,
“Something About the Subject Makes It Hard to Name” 86
Pharr,
“Homophobia” 74
McIntosh, “White Privilege and Male Privilege” 78
Langston, “Tired of Playing Monopoly?” 89
Copper,
“Voices: On Becoming Old Women” 94
Wendell,
“The Social Construction of Disability” 97
Due: Privilege
Assignment
RESPONSE
PAPER—Group A
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24 W: Reading: Woolf, “Thinking About Shakespeare’s Sister” 369
Lorde,
“Poetry is Not a Luxury” 371
Morrison, The Bluest Eye, 3-93 (Autumn and Winter)
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31
W: Reading: Morrison, The Bluest
Eye 97-216 (Spring, Summer, Afterward)
Due: RESPONSE PAPER—Groups A and B
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7
W: Midterm
Reading: Gilman, “Women and Economics” 317
Hesse-Biber and Carter, “A Brief History of Working Women” 317
Bravo,
“Go Figure” 331
Morrison et. al., “Breaking the
Glass Ceiling and Hitting the Wall” 334
Ehrenreich, “Maid to Order” 338
Alexander, “Prostitution” 344
Enloe, “The Globetrotting Sneaker” 349
Due: Work Assignment
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14 W: Speaker: The Christine Anne Center
Steinem, “Supremacy Crimes” 409
Boswell
and Spade, “Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture” 411
Johnson,
“Her Toughest Case” 417
Bridges,
“Lisa’s Ritual” 423
Stoltenberg, “Pornography and Freedom” 423
Hughes, “The Internet and the Global
Prostitution Industry” 427
Conway
et. al., “Women and Family Law” 452
Berry,
“The Crime that Had No Name” 463
Albelda and Tilly, “It’s a Family
Affair” 467 (GO TO NEXT PAGE)
Shelton,
“Battered Women” 474
Due: Violence and the Law
Assignment
RESPONSE
PAPER—Group B
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21 W:
THANKSGIVING BREAK
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IX.
Women and Religion
28 W: Reading: Stanton, “Introduction
to The Woman’s Bible 495
Brown,
“Fundamentalism and the Control of Women” 496
Allen,
“Grandmother of the Sun” 501
Hijab,
“Islam, Social Change,” 504
Plaskow, “Standing Again at Sinai” 507
Ostriker, “Everywoman Has Her Own Theology” 511
Starhawk, “Witchcraft and Women’s Culture” 511
Cook-Lynn, “A Visit from Reverend Tileston” 514
Daly,
“After the Death of God the Father” (hand-out)
Due: RESPONSE
PAPER—Groups A and B
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Dec 5 W:
Reading: Ruth, “Feminist
Activism: Historical Context” 24
Hooks,
“Revolutionary Feminism: An Anti-Racist Agenda” 33
Lee,
“Beyond Bean Counting” 36
Hogeland, “Fear of Feminism” 532
Kimmel,
“Real Men Join the Movement” 536
Beijing Declaration, 545
Rosen,
“Epilogue: Beyond Backlash” 552
PRESENTATIONS
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12 W: PRESENTATIONS
Due: Final Exam
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