Courses:

This course is designed as an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Women's and Gender Studies, an academic area of study focused on the ways that sex and gender manifest themselves in social, cultural, and political contexts. The primary goal of this course is to familiarize students with key issues, questions, and debates in Women's Studies scholarship, both historical and contemporary. This semester you will become acquainted with many of the critical questions and concepts feminist scholars have developed as tools for thinking about gendered experience. In addition, we will study the interconnections among systems of oppression (such as sexism, racism, classism, ethnocentrism, homophobia/heterosexism, transphobia, ableism and others). In this course you will learn to "read" and analyze gender, exploring how it impacts our understanding of the world.

Course materials will include "classic" and contemporary women's studies scholarship from a variety of disciplines, as well as personal narratives of gendered lives. Topics covered include women and work, issues of women's health and reproduction, sexuality, families, motherhood, globalization, activism and women's political movements, body image and representation, and socialization. Many of the issues we will discuss are controversial, and it is important to note that there is no such thing as "the" feminist understanding of these topics. Your job is to make use of the analytical tools we are studying to develop a more critically informed perspective on the issues.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to do the following:

• Recognize and understand a variety of methods of studying gender as a social institution.
  
  
• Identify and explain how socially constructed categories of gender, race, class, and sexual identity function together to formulate systems of oppression that shape women's lives.
  
  
• Apply concepts and theories of women's studies to their own individual life experiences.
  
  
• Define and utilize basic terms and concepts central to Women's Studies, including sex, gender, sexuality, feminism, patriarchy, and oppression.

Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies is a HASS-CI subject, which is subject to the following criteria:

Communication intensive subjects in the humanities, arts, and social sciences should require at least 20 pages of writing divided among 3-5 assignments. Of these 3-5 assignments, at least one should be revised and resubmitted. HASS-CI subjects should further offer students substantial opportunity for oral expression, through presentations, student-led discussion, or class participation.

Attendance and participation are critical to your success in this course. Each class session will focus on one or more topics and be accompanied by appropriate readings. Please be sure to read all assignments in advance, come to class on time and be prepared to discuss your reactions and ideas. Failure to attend will adversely affect your grade. Missing more than two weeks of class will cause you to fail the course. Active participation in large and small group discussion is necessary to receive full credit for the attendance and participation component of your grade. Short homework exercises count for part of this grade; you will have the opportunity to submit these 1-2 page exercises on five occasions. Four are required.

Each student must present an analysis of a current event relating to class readings once during the term. Students will work in pairs to research and present an interpretation of a current event article of their choice pertaining to the week's topic. Your task is to make connections between concepts presented in an assigned reading (or readings) and a "real-life" example found in the news. This assignment requires close reading of the news item you choose, presenting your analysis in a coherent way to the rest of the class, along with several follow-up discussion questions. Sign-up for these presentations will begin in the first week of class.

Papers - 3 essays, 5-7 pages each

Each student will be responsible for submitting three papers during the semester. A choice of topics will be given 1-2 weeks in advance of the due date for each essay. These papers should demonstrate understanding of key concepts in the course by framing an argument in response to the essay question and supporting that argument with examples and quotation from relevant articles we have read.

Please note that you are required to schedule your first appointment with the C-I Writing Tutor in advance of the first paper deadline, during the period between sessions 3-7.

Please be sure that all assignments are word-processed, double-spaced documents in 12 point type of a conventional font. Make sure to include page numbers when quoting from source texts. SP.401 assumes abilities in spelling, sentence construction, punctuation, and other basic writing mechanics. For additional practice with these writing skills please visit the Writing Center. If English is your second (or third, fourth) language and you need or would like additional help with English composition, please speak to me right away.

In order to receive a passing grade for this course, all assignments must be completed. Please talk to me in advance if you know you will have to miss class and/or need an extension on an assignment. It is preferable to negotiate an extension rather than be absent on a day a paper is due, as I will not accept late papers without prior notice.

Grading is according to the following guidelines:

• A - denotes work that is of exceptional quality. Exceptional quality is represented by evidence of engagement with information and ideas in course materials and lectures, and from other sources, thoroughness, careful thinking, integration of material across topics, logical reasoning, precise and artful writing.
  
  
• B - denotes work that is above average vis-a-vis your peers' work and the expectations of the assignment.
  
  
• C - denotes work that fulfills the course requirements in every way, but only adequately.
  
  
• D - denotes work that does not adequately fulfill requirements, but still deserves credit.
  
  
• F - denotes work that does not deserve credit. This includes plagiarism, or copying others' work and submitting it as your own. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE! You must always cite your sources; even borrowing someone else's ideas can count as plagiarism if you don't cite the original source.

For more information, see Avoiding Plagiarism

If you ever disagree with or have a question about a grade that you receive on a piece of work, first please read my comments carefully, weigh them against the assignment requirements, and if you are still unsure, make an appointment to discuss it with me. If you would like me to reread and reconsider the paper, or you think an error was made in grading, you may request a re-evaluation in writing within one week after the assignment is returned to you. Your reasons should be specific and supported by references to the grading criteria (above), to the expectations of the assignment, and to specific details from your paper.