Time Schedule:
Stacy E. Grooters
WOMEN 200
Seattle Campus
Feminist analysis of the construction and enforcement of gender differences and gender inequalities in various contexts. Emphasis on the intersection of race, class, sexuality, and nationality in the lives of women. Topics include feminist theory, motherhood, popular culture, sexual autonomy, racism, and activism in the United States, Asia, Latin America. Offered: AWSpS.
Class description
Welcome to Women Studies! In this field we center the study of womens lives and examine how social, cultural, and political constructions of gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, and nation intersect to shape those lives. This particular course is designed to expose students to the breadth of issues and perspectives, as well as the methods and concepts, that are encompassed by Women Studies as an interdisciplinary academic discipline. Although this course deals primarily with womens experiences in the U.S., we will also touch upon transnational feminist activism and address the impact of a globalized economy on women around the world.
Foundational to this class is the issues of bodies. We all live in bodies. These bodies are, in turn, situated within social structures: they are raced, gendered, classed, etc. The kind of body we occupythe way it looks and its location on the globehas everything to do with the ways in which we act and the ways in which we are acted upon. The central question of this course then is: What does Women Studies and feminism have to do with the bodies we occupy? Central to this work is the development of skills to critically reflect upon how our lives and those of others have been shaped by power inequities. This requires that we not only examine the oppressions we may face, but also recognize our own positions of relative power and the ways in which we uphold oppressive social relations. We will also analyze the role of feminist activism in bringing about social change and consider our own visions for the future.
My goal is that by the end of this course you will: 1. have expanded your abilities to think, read, and write critically, analytically, and personally, 2. have developed your ability to critically engage in constructive and meaningful dialogue with your peers on issues raised by Women Studies scholars and feminists (such as practical problems, community issues, and personal experiences). 3. better understand how feminist activism and feminist scholarship inform each other. 4. be able to examine the cultural construction and maintenance of difference in a range of social, historical, economic, and political contexts as it relates to issues of power. 5. recognize how intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, nation, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, etc. differently shape experiences and access to social, economic, political, and educational opportunities and resources.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
Students will be evaluated based on their regular and engaged class preparation and participation, weekly collaborative journal writing, one class presentation, a series of short critical papers, and a final exam.
