Women's History and Feminist Theory

"Any woman in the world has more in common with any other woman -- regardless of class, race, age, ethnic group, nationality -- than any woman has with any man." -- Sonia Johnson

"I'm an African-American woman, in that order. Now, I realize full well that lots of women see their gender, or see, feel, think their gender first and then their race. It doesn't happen to come to me that way." -- Barbara Emerson

"We have had to acknowledge that we cannot truly know how women who are different from ourselves -- women of other races, ethnicities, religions, classes, sexual orientations -- experience oppression; nor can we know this for women of the past." -- Marlene LeGates

Purpose of the Course:

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. It will examine the question raised by Marlene LeGates in the text: "Is gender a stronger bond than class or race?"

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.

Assignments:

Four essays, one on each of four of the five principal readings for the course (A Room of One's Own, The Yellow Wall-Paper, Mollie's Job, Breadgivers, 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, In Their Time: A History of Feminism in Western Society (New York: Routledge, 2001).
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own (1929), and selections from Orlando: A Biography (1928)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wall-Paper (1899) (available online).
Anzia Yezierska, Breadgivers (1925)
William M. Adler, Mollie's Job (New York: Scribner, 2000).
Alice Walker, The Color Purple (New York: Pocket Books, 1982).
Simone de Beauvoir, "Introduction" to The Second Sex.
Rosalind Delmar, "What Is Feminism?"
Ms. on Feminisms (2001).
Natalie Angier, “Default Line: Is the Female Body a Passive Construct?” from Woman: An Intimate Geography
Mary Childers and bell hooks, "A Dialogue About Race and Class"

Required Films:

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
	Wednesday 3 September	Introduction to the Course

Week Two: Women's History
	Monday 8 September	Women's History and Feminist Theory
	Wednesday 10 September	What are Women's Pasts?
	Readings: LeGates, “Introduction”; Simone de Beauvoir, "Introduction" to The Second Sex; Rosalind Delmar, "What Is Feminism?"

Week Three: The Construction of Gender
	Monday 15 September	A Feminist Glossary – Defining Our Terms
	Wednesday 17 September	The Meanings of Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
	Readings: Rosalind Delmar, "What Is Feminism?"; Ms. on Feminisms; Gilman, The Yellow Wall-Paper

Week Four: The Historical Construction of the Female Body
	Monday 22 September	Women's Historical Physicalities
	Wednesday 24 September	Discuss Gilman, The Yellow Wall-Paper in class.
	Readings: Angier, “Default Line”; Gilman, The Yellow Wall- Paper; Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Week Five: Virginia Woolf--A Case Study
	Monday 29 September	Virginia Woolf and Feminism; View Woolf documentary in class
	Wednesday 1 October	Discuss A Room of One's Own in class
	Readings: Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Week Six: The Historical Creation of Patriarchy
	Monday 6 October	CUNY Closed -- No class.
	Tuesday 7 October	Classes follow Monday schedule -- Discuss A Room of One's Own in class
	Wednesday 8 October	The Creation of Patriarchy
	Readings: Woolf, A Room of One's Own.

Week Seven: Women and Class Identity
	Monday 13 October	CUNY Closed -- No Class
	Wednesday 15 October	View Working Girl in class; Essay on Woolf's A Room of One's Own Due.
	Readings: Mary Childers and bell hooks, "A Dialogue About Race and Class"

Week Eight: Women and Race and Class Identities
	Monday 20 October	Discuss Working Girl in class.
	Wednesday 22 October	View Imitation of Life in class.

Week Nine: Race, Class, Gender, and Identity in Feminist History
	Monday 27 October	Discuss Imitation of Life in class.
	Wednesday 29 October	View Salt of the Earth in class.
	Readings: Childers and hooks, "A Dialogue About Race and Class"

Week Ten: Women's Communities
	Monday 3 November	View Salt of the Earth in class.
	Wednesday 5 November	Discuss Salt of the Earth in class.
	Readings: Childers and hooks, "A Dialogue About Race and Class"

Week Eleven: Women Building Communities
	Monday 10 November	Feminism and Ethnicity; Discuss Childers and hooks, "A Dialogue About Race and Class"
	Wednesday 12 November	Women as Immigrants; Essay on Films Due.
	Readings: Yezierska, The Bread Givers.

Week Twelve: Women as Immigrants
	Monday 17 November	Discuss Yezierska, The Bread Givers
	Wednesday 19 November	Discuss Yezierska, The Bread Givers
	Readings: Yezierska, The Bread Givers; Adler, Mollie’s Job

Week Thirteen: Women and Globalization
	Monday 24 November	Discuss Mollie’s Job
	Wednesday 26 November	Classes follow Friday schedule; No Class Meeting.
	Readings: Adler, Mollie’s Job; Walker, The Color Purple

Week Fourteen: Womanism and Feminism
	Monday 1 December	Discuss Mollie’s Job; Essay on The Bread Givers Due.
	Wednesday 3 December	Discuss Walker, The Color Purple

Week Fifteen: The Color Purple
	Monday 8 December	Discuss Walker, The Color Purple
	Wednesday 10 December	Discuss Walker, The Color Purple; Essay on Mollie’s Job Due.

Week Sixteen: Finding Our Place
	Monday 15 December	Summing Up; Essay on Walker's The Color Purple Due, Wednesday 17 December.

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@mail.csi.cuny.edu
Fall Semester 2003. Last modified: 12/1/2004