Tennessee Tech University

Class Description:

This course is required for all students pursuing a minor in Women and Gender Studies. However, it is open to all students. You should give serious consideration to obtaining a minor in Women and Gender Studies if you are not already. Go to the website at www2.tntech.edu/wgsm/ for more information or see the faculty coordinator.

This class is team-taught and interdisciplinary. At an intellectual level, what this means is that you will get the benefit of the expertise of five different instructors from five different disciplines, utilizing different methodologies. Questions addressed include: What does it mean to study “gender”? When is it useful to focus on commonalities among women or men, when is it necessary to stress differences? In what ways do gender differences and gendered power relations organize the social world and shape people’s experiences and self-perceptions? We will examine historical constructions of gender, key debates, the academic shift from women’s studies to gender studies, major historical and literary landmarks, gender theory, and cross cultural issues.

Units covered may include:

• histories of the women’s movement
• developments in feminist thought
• the social construction of gender and sexuality
• work and wage issues
• gender roles within the family
• gender and culture
• gender and literature
• gender, law, and politics
• gender and language

Class Objectives:

• To gain knowledge of the field of gender studies from an interdisciplinary approach
• To sharpen awareness of how the field of gender studies can be applied to your own field of study
• To sharpen your critical awareness of how gender operates in institutional and cultural contexts
• To increase your ability to analyze how gender operates within your life
• To provide you with the opportunity to do original research, oral history, or service learning projects within your community

ADA:

Any student who believes he or she will require special consideration to meet the requirements of the course must consult the Office of Disability Services (RUC-11) (372-6119) during the first week of classes and complete an Accommodation Request (AR).

Required Texts:

• Miriam Schneir, Feminism in Our Time: The Essential Writings, World War II to the Present ISBN 0679745084
• Miriam Schneir, Feminism: The Essential Historical Writings ISBN 0679753818
• Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale ISBN 038549081x
• Deborah Tannen, You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation ISBN 0060959622
• M.V. Alfred and R. Swaminathan, Immigrant Women of the Academy: Negotiating Boundaries, Crossing Borders in Higher Education ISBN 1594541523
• Fatima Mernissi, Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood ISBN 0201489376
• Fatima Mernissi, Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society ISBN 0253204232
• Linda Steet, Veils and Daggers: A Century of National Geographic’s Representation of the Arab World ISBN 1566397529
• Leila Ahmed, Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate ISBN 0300055838

Grades and Requirements:

Journals/Small Projects 150 points (6 at 25 points each)

Quizzes 240 points (12 at 20 points each)

Participation 110 points

At the end of the semester,

• 450-500 points A
• 400-449 B
• 350-399 C
• 300-349 D
• Below 300 F

Journals/Small Projects: Each professor will assign you some sort of journal assignment or small project. Journal assignments will entail critiques of and reactions to the assigned reading. You will also need to explain how the readings relate to class lectures and discussions. Small Projects may include film/book/article critiques, 3-5 page research papers, etc… You will complete a separate Journal/Small Project for each professor. (i.e., one for History, one for Literature, etc…)

Assignments need to be typed and stapled together. You must turn them in at the beginning of class on the day they are due. Late assignments will cost you three points for every day they are late.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be given at the beginning of each class period over the assigned readings.

Participation: Your participation grade is based upon attendance, paying attention in class, not being disruptive, and your active involvement in discussions and projects.

Course Policies:

Do not miss class. If you know that you will have to miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact that week’s professor and make arrangements with him/her to make up the work. Considering that a portion of your grade is determined by your participation, it is unwise to miss class unless it is absolutely necessary.

Be prepared. Be prepared when you come to class. Have assignments read and any homework ready to turn in at the beginning of class.

Behave in a professional manner.

• Arrive to class on time. It is disrespectful to your professor and classmates when you arrive late. Your attendance will NOT be noted if you arrive after the professor has taken roll, or if you leave after roll is taken (unless previous arrangements have been made, or an emergency arises).
• We will be discussing all sorts of topics. Please, allow everyone to have a voice and respect their right to say whatever they wish. When someone is talking, pay attention. You might want to respond or at least consider their words.
• It is just plain rude to sleep in class, read, work on other assignments, or talk to your classmates while the rest of us are trying to concentrate. Prepare to be asked to leave.
• Turn off all cell phones and pagers when coming to class. Do not leave them on vibrate mode either. Anyone caught using a cell phone in any way during a quiz will receive a zero (0).

Academic Integrity: Academic honesty is expected of all students in their participation of this course. Any form of academic dishonesty (cheating on quizzes, copying the work of someone else, plagiarism, etc…) will result in your receiving a zero (0) for the work and additional actions may be taken. (Please see the student handbook for a definition of plagiarism.)

Lecture Schedule and Due Dates

• Week 1 (1/22) Introduction
  Meet your teaching team
• Week 2 (1/29) HISTORY
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
• Week 3 (2/5) HISTORY
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
  *Assignment #1 due (History documents/articles)
• Week 4 (2/12) WOMEN AND ISLAM
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
• Week 5 (2/19) WOMEN AND ISLAM
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
  *Assignment #2 due (Wm. and Islam)
• Week 6 (2/26) IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN HIGHER EDUC.
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
• Week 7 (3/12) IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN HIGHER EDUC.
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
  *Assignment #3 due (Immig. Wm. in Higher Ed.)
• Week 8 (3/19) GENDER DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
• Week 9 (3/26) GENDER DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
  *Assignment #4 due (Gender Diff. in Lang.)
• Week 10 (4/2) WOMEN AND LITERATURE
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
• Week 11 (4/9) WOMEN AND LITERATURE
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
  Assignment #5 due (Women and Lit.)
• Week 12 (4/16) Gender and Film
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
• Week 13 (4/23) Gender and Film
  Quiz at beginning of class on assigned readings
  *Assignment #6 due (Gender and Film)
• Week 14 (4/30) “Final” Class Discussion with teaching team
  • Overall themes
  • Merits of course
  • Future implications
  • Evaluations