Feminist Theory

Women's Studies 390 Spring 2008

Dr. Margaret Hostetler    email: hostetle@uwosh.edu
Meeting Times: TR 11:30-1:00    Room: N. Halsey 266            
Office: Radford 221    Office Phone: 424-7281    
Office Hours: M&W 1-2, Tues. 2-3, and by appointment    
English Dept. website: www.english.uwosh.edu    
Class syllabus webpage: www.english.uwosh.edu/hostetler/WS390.html

Links to Assignments:

Response paper #1: due Feb. 21         
Response paper #2: due Feb. 26         
Response paper #3: due March 11
Campus event response paper #4: due one week after event
Presentations
Paper on gender and language: due March 20
Gender diary and Gender diary analysis
Analysis of Push: due May 8
Final exam study guide

Required Texts
Wendy K. Kolmar and Frances Bartkowski, Feminist Theory: A Reader
Sapphire, Push
Articles on electronic reserve at the library from Deborah Cameron, The Feminist Critique of Languge and Judith Lorber, Gender Inequality: Feminist Theories and Politics and Lia Litosseliti, Gender and Language (selections listed by title in reading schedule below)

Course Description: This course will be an introduction to feminist theory, that is, writings that investigate from various perspectives the conditions of women’s lives and the issue of gender asymmetry. Although both the terms “feminist” and “theory” have several negative conotations (bra-burning activist/ hard-to-read, irrelevant texts), we will find that writings on women’s issues are relevant, written from incredibly diverse perspectives, and complex in forcing us to question our own positions; you will find yourself amazingly interested in something you never thought of before and you will be enriched by this course. In a single semester we cannot hope to address all of the multiple feminist theories, but we will sample important writings from the history of feminist thought and examine several themes that link writings across time and emphasize the diversity and intersections of women’s issues.  

Course Goals
The Value of a Liberal Arts Education
This class also contributes to your liberal arts education. The liberal arts, which originated in Greece, were also the foundation of education in medieval Europe. These arts were originally grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, harmony or music (really algebra), and astronomy (really calculus). It was assumed in Plato’s academy and in the medieval university that before one could go on to any specific study such as philosophy, law, or theology, one had to understand some basics of mathematics and language and analytical thought. Although a liberal arts curriculum today includes a wide range of general education courses, the main idea, stated best by Isocrates (a 4th century BC orator), is still to make students eumathesteroi (better learners).1 Academic communities today define better learners as those who can understand complex, unfamiliar material quickly and respond to it in clear, well-reasoned writing; those who can apply their learning to diverse situations; those who can think analytically as well as creatively; and those who can act ethically and self-reflectively. This course serves these goals by asking you to be critical thinkers and close readers, to consider women's issues from a variety of perspectives, to interrogate complex cultural ideals as they change over time, to express your views in clear persuasive writing, to treat your sources ethically, and to apply your experiences analyzing gender issues to your other academic work and to your lives.

1. Information on history of the liberal arts taken from David Mulroy's The War Against Grammar (Heinemann, 2003)
Assignments and Grade Breakdown:

Gender diary 10%
Analysis of Gender diary 10%
Paper on Push    15%
Paper on Gender and Language 15%
Weekly response papers and quizzes 20%
Presentations/participation 15%
Final 15%

Note on Grading: All assignments will be given a grade based on a 100 point scale. I divide that scale as follows: 93-100 A/ 92-89 AB/88-83 B/ 82-79 BC/ 78-73 C/ 72-69 CD/ 68-60 D/ 59- F. Any assignments weighted together will be averaged (quizzes for instance). Be aware also that an A grade reflects superior mastery of the material and is reserved for assignments that demonstrate complex thought and argument, synthesis of independent research, and careful and precise writing. Despite grade inflation, a C grade reflects quite adequate understanding of the material and should not be viewed as a terrible grade.

Gender Diary: After mid-semester, you all will keep a diary for one 24-48 hour period recording everything you do that marks you as a particular gender. You can include things you see others doing that mark their gender too as well as things that others do that seem to assign you gender. If you can’t decide if a particular situation or event is marking gender, please include it too and discuss why it seems confusing. If you find yourself resisting any of the cultural markers of gender or even seeing a lack of gendering in particular situations, you should definitely note these too. The purpose of this assignment is to make concrete and personal the notion that gender identity is not fixed, essential or totalizing, that we are all agents in these complex social processes, and that critical reflection on such body politics can get us thinking about feminist theory in more local contexts.

Written Work: You will write three formal essays in this course (on Push, on a topic dealing the gender and language, and on your gender diary). Each formal essay will be explained in a separate assignment sheet. You may also be asked to write shorter response papers to the various readings (these will be announced in class and appear as links on the top of this page).

Format of all papers:
See the checklists for all papers .

Note Taking: Please take careful and detailed notes of your reading. At least twice during the semester, I will ask you to turn in your notebook or make copies of your reading notes and turn these in. These will be graded as part of your participation grade.

Presentations: Everyone in the class will make at least two informal presentations. Each of you will sign up to lead discussion of one of the readings. For each reading that is presented, someone else will sign up to present questions about that reading or a response to the reading. Specific expectations for this exercise will be given on a separate sheet.

Participation in Discussion
Participation in class discussion is vital to your success in this course. Simply showing up and listening is not enough. It is also not enough just to talk a lot. Your contributions to class discussion should show that you have read the material and have thought about it and that you are actively trying to make meaningful connections between readings, lectures, and discussions. Your comments, questions and presentations need to show that you are putting the maximum effort into understanding the material. An “A” in participation will be given to those whose comments consistently show a concern for understanding the readings and applying them as well as an increasing knowledge of the general debates of feminist theory.

Attendance/Late work policy:
If you have a family or medical emergency, please get in touch with me as soon as possible so we can come to some arrangement about making up work. I do accept late work, but it will be penalized by a grade for each day late (an A paper a day late will be an AB, etc.). Attendance is mandatory, and any unexcused absences will count against your participation grade. If you have more than 3 unexcused absences, your participation grade will be reduced to an F (50 points).

Plagiarism: When you put your name on your papers, you are saying that all the words and ideas in that paper are yours unless you specifically cite your sources. You need to acknowledge when you are using the ideas or words of others. Link to Library site on source citation.
Reading Schedule

The readings listed for the week should be read prior to that week—in other words—be ready to discuss the reading on the day for which it is scheduled. This schedule may be altered during the course of the semester. Readings may be added or deleted. These changes will be announced in class. Take careful notes on each reading; occasionally I will ask you to turn in copies of your reading notes.

FT=Feminist Theory: A Reader by Kolmar and Bartkowski
ER=electronic reserve article
Everything listed before the "/" is for the Tues. everything listed after is for Thursday

Week 1 (Feb 5, 7) Introduction to the course/ Presentation by Dr. Christie Launius, candidate for the Director of Women's Studies AND FT Part I What is feminist theory? Reading number 3 ("Not by Degrees")

Week 2 (Feb 12, 14) FT Part I What is feminist theory? Reading numbered 1-7 (excepting #3)/ Lexicon FT pp 42-60

Week 3 (Feb 19, 21) FT Part II readings numbered 9-18/ FT Part II readings no. 19-30 Presentation on no. 30 Margaret Sanger (John and Hannah) Response paper #1 due

Week 4 (Feb 26, 28) FT no. 57 Language and Woman's Place (Presentation Monica and Sarah), ER: Litosseliti, "The Shift to Discourse" Response paper #2 due/ ER Litosseliti, "Gender and Language in the Media," FT no. 61 Laura Mulvey (Presentation Lisa and Tammy)

Week 5 (Mar 4, 6) ER: Deborah Cameron’s “Lost in Translation: Non-Sexist Language,” (Presentation Katie and Angela) / Pamela Fishman’s “Conversational Insecurity,” Kate Clark’s “The Linguistics of Blame: Representations of Women in the Sun’s Reporting of Crimes of Sexual Violence”(Presentation Luke and Monica)

Week 6 (Mar 11, 13) FT no. 87 Catharine MacKinnon (Presentation Hannah and Jessica P.) Response paper #3 due / FT no. 98 Judith Halberstam (Presentation Jessica S. and Amanda)

Week 7 (Mar 18, 20) ER: Liberal Feminism, “Integrating Family and Work in the 21st Century”/ Social Construction Feminism, “Seeing and Doing Gender at Work” and “Gender Lessons for Adults”(Presentation Laura and Melanie) ( Paper on gender and language due Mar. 20)

Week 8 (Mar 25, 27) Spring break

Week 9 (April 1, 3) FT no. 89 (Butler) (Keep Gender Diary for 24-48 hours) / FT nos. 96 and 84

Week 10 (Apr 8, 10) FT no. 97 Uma Narayan (Presentation Sarah and Chris), FT no. 80 Gloria Anzaldua (Presentation Angela and John) / FT no. 58 Fatima Mernissi (Presentation Amanda and Melanie)and discussion of gender diary

Week 11 (Apr 15, 17) FT no. 100 (Presentation Catherine and Melissa), FT no. 91 Angela Davis (Presentation Tammy and Jessica S.) / FT no. 76 Donna Haraway (Presentation Chris and Luke) (Gender Diary due April 17)

Week 12 (Apr 22, 24) FT no. 64 (Presentation Melissa and Catherine), FT no. 85 bell hooks (Presentation Laura and Lisa) / FT no. 69 Audre Lorde (Presentation Jessica P. and Katie) (Analysis of Gender Diary due April 24)

Week 13 (Apr 29, May 1) Push/ review FT no. 4

Week 14 (May 6, 8) Finish Push and essay "The Failure of Feminism" (Paper on Push due May 8)

Week 15 (May 13, 15) Final Exam