Women's History and Feminist Theory

This course explores both the history of women's experience and feminist interpretations of their historical condition. The course will also emphasize student development of analytical skills through textual analysis and critical thinking; in addition it will aim to familiarize the student with historical method and historiography, emphasizing the construction of historical arguments (thesis, methodology, historiography, evidence, sources, research, and narrative), as well as identifying areas for further research.

Course Requirements:

All students are required to attend lectures and take part in discussions. Exams will require students to synthesize lecture materials as well as readings. Students must also read and assimilate required readings, and be prepared to discuss readings on the schedule given below. Students will submit all assignments on time; late papers will not be accepted without prior arrangement with the professor. Further, no student with more than four unexcused absences will receive a passing grade for the course.

A Note About Academic Integrity: Integrity is fundamental to the academic enterprise. It is violated by acts such as borrowing or purchasing term papers, essays, reports, and other written assignments; using concealed notes or crib sheets during examinations; copying others' work and submitting it as one's own; and misappropriating the knowledge of others. The sources from which one derives one's ideas, statements, terms, and data must be fully and specifically acknowledged in the appropriate form; failure to do so, intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes plagiarism. Violations of academic integrity may result in failure in the course and in disciplinary actions with penalties such as suspension or dismissal from the College.

Contacting the Professor:

My office is in 2N 203, and my office phone is 718-982-2869; I have office hours Mondays 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, and 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, and Wednesdays from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. You may also reach me via email at lavender@postbox.csi.cuny.edu.

Assignments:

Four essays, one on each of four of the five principal readings for the course (A Room of One's Own, The Journal of a Feminist, My First White Friend, Herland, and The Color Purple) (NOTE: Students may submit all five and drop the lowest grade, or they may submit only four total). Due one week after day scheduled for discussion of each book: 15% of Final Grade each.

One essay on the three films (Working Girl, Imitation of Life and Salt of the Earth). Due Monday, April 6: 15% of Final Grade.

Journal writings about each reading, due in class on the day we discuss the book (The questions will be distributed in class): 10% of Final Grade.

Participation (attendance and discussion contribution): 15% of Final Course Grade

Required Texts:

Marlene Le Gates, Making Waves (Copp Clark, 1996).
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own (1929), and selections from Orlando: A Biography (1928)
Elsie Clews Parsons, The Journal of a Feminist (London: Thoemmes, 1994).
Patricia Raybon, My First White Friend: Confessions of Love, Race, and Forgiveness (New York: Penguin, 1996).
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland (New York: Pantheon, 1979).
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wall-Paper (available online).
Alice Walker, The Color Purple (New York: Pocket Books, 1982).

Working Girl (Film to be viewed in class, or at the Audio-Visual Department at the Library)
Salt of the Earth (Film to be viewed in class, or at the Audio-Visual Department at the Library)
Imitation of Life (Film to be viewed in class, or at the Audio-Visual Department at the Library)

There are additional optional materials for this course on the WWW at http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/182links.html

Week One: Introduction
	Monday, February 2	Introduction to the Course
	Wednesday, February 4	Introduction to Women's History and Feminist Theory

Week Two: Women's History
	Monday, February 9	What are Women's Pasts?
	Wednesday, February 11	A Feminist Glossary--Defining Our Terms
	Readings: Nancy Cott, "Feminist Theory and Feminist Movements: The Past Before Us"; Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Week Three: The Construction of Gender
	Monday, February 16	CUNY CLOSED--No Classes
	Wednesday, February 18	The Meanings of Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
	Readings: Phyllis Burke, "Science," from Gender Shock: Exploding the Myths of Male & Female; Woolf, A Room of One's Own; Elsie Clews Parsons, The Journal of a Feminist

Week Four: The Historical Construction of the Female Body
	Monday, February 23	The Scientific Construction of Gender; Discuss Phyllis Burke, "Science," in class
	Wednesday, February 25	Women's Historical Physicalities; Discuss Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper in class.
	Readings: Phyllis Burke, "Science," from Gender Shock: Exploding the Myths of Male & Female; Woolf, A Room of One's Own; Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper; Elsie Clews Parsons, The Journal of a Feminist

Week Five: Virginia Woolf--A Case Study
	Monday, March 2	Virginia Woolf and Feminism; View Woolf documentary in class
	Wednesday, March 4	Discuss A Room of One's Own in class
	Readings: Woolf, A Room of One's Own; Elsie Clews Parsons, The Journal of a Feminist.

Week Six: The Historical Creation of Patriarchy
	Monday, March 9	The Creation of Patriarchy; Discuss Elsie Clews Parsons, The Journal of a Feminist
	Wednesday, March 11	View Working Girl in class
	Readings: Elsie Clews Parsons, The Journal of a Feminist.

Week Seven: Women and Class Identity
	Monday, March 16	Discuss Working Girl in class; Essay on Woolf's A Room of One's Own Due.
	Wednesday, March 18	View Imitation of Life in class.
	Readings: Raybon, My First White Friend; Mary Childers and bell hooks, "A Dialogue About Race and Class"

Week Eight: Women and Race and Class Identities
	Monday, March 23	Discuss Imitation of Life in class.
	Wednesday, March 25	View Salt of the Earth in class
	Readings: Raybon, My First White Friend; Mary Childers and bell hooks, "A Dialogue About Race and Class"

Week Nine: Race, Class, Gender, and Identity in Feminist History
	Monday, March 30	View Salt of the Earth in class
	Wednesday, April 1	Discuss Salt of the Earth in class
	Readings: Raybon, My First White Friend

Week Ten: Women's Communities
	Monday, April 6	Discuss Raybon, My First White Friend; Discuss Childers and hooks, "A Dialogue About Race and Class" in class.
	Wednesday, April 8	NO CLASS MEETING--Classes follow Friday Schedule
	Readings: Gilman, Herland

Week of April 10-18--Spring Break, CSI Closed

Week Eleven: Women Building Communities
	Monday, April 20	Discuss Raybon, My First White Friend; Essay on films due.
	Wednesday, April 22	Discuss Raybon, My First White Friend
	Readings: Readings: Gilman, Herland; Walker, The Color Purple

Week Twelve: Feminism and Utopias
	Monday, April 27	Women's Writing
	Wednesday, April 29	Women and Sociocultural Critique; Essay on Raybon's My First White Friend Due.
	Readings: Gilman, Herland; Walker, The Color Purple

Week Thirteen: Herland and Other "Women's Places"
	Monday, May 4	Discuss Gilman, Herland
	Wednesday, May 6	Second Wave Feminism and Womanism
	Readings: Walker, The Color Purple

Week Fourteen: Womanism and Feminism
	Monday, May 11	Histories Behind The Color Purple; Essay on Gilman's Herland Due.
	Wednesday, May 13	Discuss Walker, The Color Purple

Week Fifteen: The Color Purple
	Monday, May 18	Discuss Walker, The Color Purple
	Wednesday, May 20	Discuss Walker, The Color Purple

Week Sixteen: Finding Our Place
	Monday, 25 May	Summing Up; Essay on Walker's The Color Purple Due, May 27.

Prepared by Professor Catherine Lavender for History 182 (Women's History and Feminist Theory), The Department of History, The College of Staten Island of The City University of New York. Send email to lavender@postbox.csi.cuny.edu
Spring Semester 1998. Last modified: Monday 9 March 1998