W ST 201: Introduction to Women's Studies
Instructor: Cristina Lucia Stasia
Course Meetings: MWF 10-10:50 am in LC 201A
Office: 1-02 H Assiniboia Hall
Office Hours: Wednesday 4:00-6:00 pm; also by appointment.
E-mail: cristinastasia@mac.com
Course Description
While princess culture encourages girls to wait for their prince, raunch culture encourages girls to go wild. Sarah Palin is declared an icon of the “new feminism” as desperate housewives and equally desperate bachelorettes rule the television screen; women are encouraged to “Say Yes to the Dress!,” but too often that dress costs them their names and careers. Roe v. Wade is in danger of being overturned and at the last Olympics Canada’s female ski jumping team had to go to the supreme court to fight for the right to compete in the 2010 Olympics (they lost).
Although pundits and pop culture declare we are in a postfeminist moment, it is clear that feminism is not only relevant, but necessary to help us understand the complicated and conflicting ideologies surrounding gender, power and privilege.
How did we get here? Why are women and men valued differently? How does gender intersect with race/class/sexuality/ability? Why is feminism such a controversial term? Who gets to decide what it means to be a “woman” and a “man?”
The broad context for this course is an introduction to the central issues in Women’s Studies and feminist scholarship. Recognizing gender as both a social construction and a key organizing category in social formations, we will investigate select topics related to women including sexuality, gendered violence, women’s work, beauty culture and representations of femininity in popular culture.
This course treats feminism as a site of struggle and we will examine its champions and critics in order to understand both its history and its possibility. As critical thinkers, you will engage with theory, historical documents, newspaper articles, opinion pieces and film in order to identify the intersections and disconnections between the theories you read and your everyday lives and experiences.
Course Rationale This course is designed to meet the following goals: to develop an understanding of the history of feminism and feminist movements
to critically analyze various topics from a feminist perspective
to recognize gender as a social construction which intersects with race/class/sexuality/ability
to make connections between feminist theory and feminist practice
to provide a critical and theoretical foundation for more specialized courses in women’s studies to more fully understand the diversity and intricacies of women’s experiences
Required Texts “Women’s Studies A1” Custom Reader
Abbreviated as R in the course calendar Various online sources, including articles, YouTube videos and radio interviews
Abbreviated as O in the course calendar Assessment
Participation 10%
Midterm 15%
Group Project 20%
Argument Paper 25%
Final Exam 30%
Class Participation The format of the course will rely primarily on class discussions of the material from the reading assignments in conjunction with in-class activities. Accordingly, 10% of your course grade will be a participation grade which evaluates your sustained participation each week in class, engagement with the guest speakers, participation during in-class activities and performance on pop quizzes.
Excellent participation (A-/A/A+): Readings are read and annotated; you arrive to class on time and prepared; you speak at least twice per class; you actively ask questions; you are able to answer my questions; you perform at an A level on quizzes; you meet with me about your papers in a timely manner; you hand in assignments on time.
Good participation (B-/B/B+): Readings are read and annotated; you arrive to class on time and prepared; you speak at least once per class; you actively ask questions; you are able to answer my questions; you perform at a B level on quizzes; you meet with me about your papers in a timely manner; you hand in assignments on time.
Fair participation (C-/C/C+): Readings are read; you arrive to class on time and prepared; you contribute to class discussion every week; you perform at a C level on quizzes; you meet with me about your assignments; you hand in assignments on time.
Poor participation (D/F): You do not keep up with the readings; you arrive to class late and/or miss class; you fail quizzes; you hand in assignments late; you do not contact me with questions or meet with me about your assignments.
Grading Scale
Description |
Percentage |
Grade |
Value |
Excellent |
90 - 100 |
A+ |
4.0 |
|
86 - 89 |
A |
4.0 |
|
82 - 85 |
A- |
3.7 |
Good |
78 - 81 |
B+ |
3.3 |
|
74 - 77 |
B |
3.0 |
|
70 - 73 |
B- |
2.7 |
Satisfactory |
66 - 69 |
C+ |
2.3 |
|
62 - 65 |
C |
2.0 |
|
58 - 61 |
C- |
1.7 |
Poor |
54 - 57 |
D+ |
1.3 |
Minimal Pass |
50 - 53 |
D |
1.0 |
Fail |
0 - 49 |
F |
0.0 |
The University of Alberta holds students accountable for the integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with university policies and know that it is their responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources in written work. Serious sanctions can result from academic dishonesty of any sort. All written work must be your own and ignorance is not an acceptable defense in cases of academic dishonesty. Refer to the style manual of your choice to be sure to cite sources properly.
"The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offense. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University." (GFC 29 Sep 2003).
Use of Student Writing
Format of Work Anything handed in must be word-processed, double-spaced, and follow proper MLA format as outlined in the MLA handbook. This includes one inch margins, Times New Roman font in 12 point, proper pagination and a creative and informative title.
Late Work Policy Work is due at the beginning of class on the specified due date. You will be penalized 10% per day for every day that it is late (weekends included).
Back Up Your Work
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of backing up your course notes, research notes, paper drafts and final papers. Computers crash unexpectedly, usually the night before a paper is due. Thumb drives are an inexpensive way to assure that your work is backed up and accessible. Computer crashes do not excuse late work.
Not only does backing up your work on a flash drive/thumb drive/iDisk protect you in case of a computer crash (which is not a valid reason for a late paper), but also should questions about academic honesty arise you will have a paper trail of your research and drafting process.
Access to Past Evaluative Course Material
Students will be provided with representative examination questions in class.
Contacting the Instructor I am available to discuss course material and assignments during my office hours. You can also make an appointment with me if you are unable to attend office hours. For these meetings, come prepared with your questions written down so that we may use our time efficiently. E-mail is the best way to contact me with quick questions or to set up an appointment. For queries of a more detailed nature, it is best to talk to me in person at office hours.
Recording of Lectures Recording is permitted only with the prior written consent of the professor or if recording is part of an approved accommodation plan.
Laptop Policy Laptops are permitted for use in class solely for the purpose of taking notes. If used for any other reason you will lose laptop privileges for the remainder of term. Update your status before coming to class.
Cell Phone Policy If your cell phone rings during class, I will answer it.