Women's Studies
The first semester of this course is an introduction to women’s studies as an academic discipline and a critical analysis of the traditional views of women as individuals, members of families, and societies. The perspective is historical as well as cross-cultural. It will include an examination of the way in which macro institutions, (e.g., educational or work systems) and micro institutions (e.g., ways of conversing) structure gender relations in society, and how gender in turn structures and stratify the social order. From the perspective of personal identity, we will ask how it is that we experience ourselves as female. The social consequences of gender stratification are considered including such substantive topic areas as the division of labor, politics and violence. This course is designed to assist students in gaining insight into the social realities of all women. Students will use these insights to enhance a social critique of the position of women in all societies.
The second semester of this course will explore the history of American women between 1870, the decade following the Civil War, to the present. Particular focus will be given to the period 1945 to the present; in particular, to the women’s movement of the 1960s and 70s, and the dramatic changes in women’s lives that have occurred during the past three decades. Using films, photographs, oral histories, novels, and secondary works by historians, we will study women’s achievements and struggles, their changing social roles, and the ways in which race, class, ethnicity, and region have shaped women’s aspirations and experiences. We will also critically examine ideals of American womanhood and the role of the mass media – television, movies, advertisements, and fashion magazines – in promoting images of the “perfect woman.”
This course is designed to engage many different skills and senses – the visual, verbal and literary, as well as the ability to read critically and write analytically. Though there will be regular lectures and a video presentation, this class is discussion-centered and highly participatory.
The first semester of this course is an introduction to women’s studies as an academic discipline and a critical analysis of the traditional views of women as individuals, members of families, and societies. The perspective is historical as well as cross-cultural. It will include an examination of the way in which macro institutions, (e.g., educational or work systems) and micro institutions (e.g., ways of conversing) structure gender relations in society, and how gender in turn structures and stratify the social order. From the perspective of personal identity, we will ask how it is that we experience ourselves as female. The social consequences of gender stratification are considered including such substantive topic areas as the division of labor, politics and violence. This course is designed to assist students in gaining insight into the social realities of all women. Students will use these insights to enhance a social critique of the position of women in all societies.
The second semester of this course will explore the history of American women between 1870, the decade following the Civil War, to the present. Particular focus will be given to the period 1945 to the present; in particular, to the women’s movement of the 1960s and 70s, and the dramatic changes in women’s lives that have occurred during the past three decades. Using films, photographs, oral histories, novels, and secondary works by historians, we will study women’s achievements and struggles, their changing social roles, and the ways in which race, class, ethnicity, and region have shaped women’s aspirations and experiences. We will also critically examine ideals of American womanhood and the role of the mass media – television, movies, advertisements, and fashion magazines – in promoting images of the “perfect woman.”
This course is designed to engage many different skills and senses – the visual, verbal and literary, as well as the ability to read critically and write analytically. Though there will be regular lectures and a video presentation, this class is discussion-centered and highly participatory.