Women's Studies 341A
WOMEN IN AMERICAN HISTORY, Precolonization-1890
Fall 2014 Tu/Thurs 9:30-10:45Prof. Susan E. Cayleff
Office hours: Tuesdays 11:00-1:00, and by appointment
Office: AL 321, Phone: 594-5943
The following required books are available at KB Books and Aztec Shops:
Cott
Ehrenreich and English
Rowson
Gates
Cayleff
Alcott
Woloch
No Small Courage: A History of Women in the United States,
2004 edition (available only at Aztec Shops)
For Her Own Good
Charlotte Temple
Classic Slave Narratives
Wash and Be Healed: The Water-Cure Movement and
Little Women
Early American Women: A Documentary History, 1600-1900,
2002 edition (available at Aztec Shops and KB Books)
Course Requirements and Grading:
1. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By taking this course on “Women in American History” you will be able to:
*Situate women’s experiences within specific eras in American history
*Bring a feminist and critical gendered analysis to human experience
*Differentiate amongst the experiences of diverse women as their positions are
effected by race, social class and free, indentured or slave status
*Understand the cultural institutions that determine the material circumstances of
women’s lives (religion, law, medicine and so on…)
*Analyze how cultural and gendered norms and ideals impact diverse women’s lives
(e.g.: patriarchy, heteronormativity, notions of what is normal and abnormal and so
on…)
*Understand ways in which women have resisted and rebelled against these cultural
institutions
*See how women have formed separate institutions, ways of being and communities
within these historical eras
*Advance your critical thinking and writing skills
*Enhance your ability to discern and analyze present-day gendered relations
2. CLASS ETIQUETTE
Please do:
*Arrive on time
*Do all of the readings for that day
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*Turn assignments in on time
*Communicate with the professor or graduate assistant if you must leave early or
know you will miss a class
Please do NOT do any of the following during class:
*Read a newspaper or anything unrelated to this class
**Listen to electronic devices
*Surf the internet: Those using lap tops are required to seat in the front seats in each
row.
*Use text messaging
*Engage in distracting, off-subject conversations with classmates
Results: If you violate these points of etiquette, you will be asked to leave that class
(this begins with the first infraction) and you will not receive attendance credit for
that day. Other infractions will be handled similarly. Repeated infractions may result
in failing the attendance portion of your grade (please recall that 4 absences
constitute an F/”O” grade).
**Please do not “fold up” your materials until the class time has ended.
3. Regarding Plagiarism
http://library.sdsu.edu/guides/tutorial.php?id=28&pid=138
EVERY STUDENT IS REQUIRED TO TAKE THE ON-LINE SDSU PLAGIARISM
TUTORIAL BY THE END OF THE SECOND WEEK OF CLASSES. IF YOU DO NOT DO
SO YOU May Be DROPPED FROM THE CLASS. YOU MUST BRING IN PRINTED
PROOF THAT YOU RECEIVED 100% ON IT. KEEP TAKING IT UNTIL YOU EARN
100%. PLEASE GIVE THIS WRITTEN PROFF TO THE GA. NO EXCEPTIONS, THANK
YOU.
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:
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For written work, copy anything from a book, article or website and add or paste it into your
paper without using quotation marks and/or without providing the full reference for the
quotation, including page number
For written work, summarize / paraphrase in your own words ideas you got from a book,
article, or the web without providing the full reference for the source (including page number
in the humanities)
For an oral presentation, copy anything from a book, article, or website and present it orally
as if it were your own words. You must summarize and paraphrase in your own words, and
bring a list of references in case the professor asks to see it
Use visuals or graphs you got from a book, article, or website without providing the full
reference for the pictures or tables
Recycle a paper you wrote for another class
Turn in the same (or a very similar paper) for two classes
Purchase or otherwise obtain a paper and turn it in as your own work
Copy off of a classmate
Use technology or smuggle in documents to obtain or check information in an exam situation
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In a research paper, it is always better to include too many references than not enough. When in
doubt, always err on the side of caution. If you have too many references it might make your
professor smile; if you don’t have enough you might be suspected of plagiarism.
If you have any question or uncertainty about what is or is not cheating, it is your responsibility to
ask your instructor.
Consequences of cheating and plagiarism
Consequences are at the instructor’s and the Judicial Procedures Office’s discretion. Instructors are
mandated by the CSU system to report the offense to the Judicial Procedures Office. Consequences
may include any of the following:
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failing the assignment
failing the class
warning
probation
suspension
expulsion
For more detailed information, read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers (6th edition, 2003); visit the following website
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml and talk to your professors before turning
in your paper or doing your oral presentation if anything remains unclear.
The University of Indiana has very helpful writing hints for students, including some on how to cite
sources. Please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml for more information.
4.
Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your
responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. (Calpulli Center, Third Floor, Suite
3101). To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability
Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that
accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an
accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Students who need accommodations should contact me after you have spoken with SDS.
5.
Major and Minor in Women's Studies
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Thinking about a Major or Minor in Women's Studies? The program offers exciting courses, is
committed to women's issues and social justice, and is adaptable to your interests and
concerns. Women's Studies is not impacted! For more information contact: Dr. Doreen Mattingly,
mattingl@mail.sdsu.edu, 594-8033. Her office hours are posted in the Women's Studies Office,
AL346.
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Women's Studies Community Events and Meetings
ALL ESSAYS ARE DUE ONE WEEK AFTER THE EVENT. ALL ESSAYS ARE DUE BY
DECEMBER 2ND. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED.
This portion of your grade requires that you attend two meetings or events that highlight issues of
significance for women, and provide a written reflection on each event, which may include (with the
approval of the instructor): departmental colloquia or brown bag lunches, meetings of student
organizations, and/or lectures or events sponsored by other departments or organizations in the
broader San Diego community. This will be worth 10% of the final grade (5% for each event and
reflection). If you are doing this assignment for more than one Women's Studies class per semester,
you must attend different events and write different reflections for each class. Turning in the same
paper for credit in more than one class is considered cheating.
PROMPT: How did attending this event clarify or expand upon insights gained in this class?
You must give three specific examples from the event and use citations from three specific
readings from class (one of the three may be from lecture material, which also be cited with
topic provided on the syllabus, lecture date, etc.). Essays without these specifics will receive a
zero. Alas, no chance of re-writes (“do-overs”).
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7. Religious Holidays: Students who know they will be absent for a religious holiday are asked to
speak to the professor or graduate assistant during the first week of classes and make arrangements
for this. No retroactive accommodations are given, so please plan ahead.
8. ABSENCES
Attendance is taken during each class. Four or more absences equals a Zero for this
portion of your grade. If you are seeking an excused absence, regardless of what it is, it
must be accompanied by written proof (eg: doctor’s note, plane ticket for a death, etc.)
Sorry, no exceptions.
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American Institutions
This course fulfills the American Institutions/G.E. requirement. Students are expected to think
critically about the readings and to come to class prepared to have that knowledge supplemented by
lecture material. On discussion/slide class days, students will be asked to critically analyze a variety
of the ideas, issues and themes that emerge in the readings and lecture material.
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WRITTEN WORK REQUIREMENTS: all dates appear on your syllabus and will be
reiterated by the GA
Exam: on all lecture, reading and visual materials to date. No make-up exam dates will be granted.
Historical novel Essay: One 6-7 page analytic essay on ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THREE
NOVELS. Charlotte Temple or Little Women or Classic Slave Narratives. These essays must use
reading and lecture material with citations (A MINIMUM OF FOUR ARE REQUIRED) along
with your own interpretations.
Annotated Bibliography and Presentation: This is what some students choose to do instead of
participating in a community-service option (described below). If you are doing a communityservice option you DO NOT do an annotated bibliography.
Topic commitment outline due: date on syllabus
Your name
Topic
Era (time frame)
Ethnicity/race/social class/sexual orientation of your topic/subject
3-5 specific questions you will ask of the sources
COMPLETE citations for secondary sources
COMPLETE citations for primary sources
HOW TO WRITE YOUR PROPOSAL: Each student will select a topic that they think would be a
valuable supplement to the extant lecture material in WS341A. You will locate FOUR secondary
(interpretive) and TWO primary sources ("from the era"/first-person accounts) with which you will
frame your argument. Only one secondary and one primary source can be electronic. All others
must be from print. No exceptions. Your proposal should include the era, locale, social class,
race/ethnicity, religion of your subject. Please do not try to cover more than a 30-40 year time span,
although you must cover an individual’s entire life span). State 3-4 questions you will ask of the
material (e.g.: what were the early life influences that affected this woman; what were her
accomplishments; how was she viewed by her contemporaries; what is her legacy; or, questions of
your own creation. If you are researching a thematic topic (e.g.: prostitution, working women,
native-American women, questions you could ask might include: which women participated in this
and why; what was their impact on American society at that time; what obstacles and difficulties did
they face; how did they resist limitations placed upon them; or, questions of your own creation. You
also want to give full bibliographic citations (author, title of source, year and place of publication,
page numbers) of each of your five secondary and 3 primary sources. Please make two separate lists:
secondary sources, then primary sources. This is NOT a standard narrative paper. It is an annotated
bibliography.
During the last few classes, each student will give a 5 minute (only!) presentation with audio-visual
aide(s) about their annotated bibliographic research. It's your turn to be creative: poster boards, brief
videos, role-playing, and so on. Your presentation will be assigned a category (please see the last
weeks on this syllabus). Students who would like to do team research and presentations may do so
once prior arrangements with the professor are made.
Primary Source Analysis: This is a distinct and separate assignment from the annotated
bibliography. ALL students, including those doing a community-service option, must turn in a
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primary source analysis. Your source must fall within the time-frame of our course and it must be
American in focus. No proposals on Joan of Arc or Queen Elizabeth! It cannot be a source we have
read for the class; it is a new source that you have located. This is a two page write up. Bullet point
responses are fine. You can choose any topic on the syllabus, but all are due on or before 11/21.
You can use this primary source as one of the three you are using for your annotated bibliography.
A “primary source” is any document, letter, newspaper article, photo, drawing, object, etc. from a
specific historical moment. It is something by and for the people at that time-a first-hand source
from that time and place. If you are using a visual source, you must use two to equal one source.
Your analysis of it must include your thorough analysis of the following questions.
NOTE: If you cannot give thorough details to these questions, then you do not have a useful
document—please find another one.
WHAT IS THE FULL AND COMPLETE CITATION FOR THE SOURCE?
1. What is the document?
2. What year was it written?
3. Who were the person(s) who made it? What facts about the author(s) of the document help
you to understand the purpose of the document?…to understand the details in the document?
(you may need to do a little research on-line or in another source to answer this please DO
NOT use Wikipedia-it is unreliable. Also, do not use children’s books or encyclopedias.
None of these is an appropriate choice for college-level work). IF YOU CANNOT LOCATE
THE AUTHOR: What facts about the TOPIC give you the background to understand the
purpose and importance of details in the document? If you cannot ascertain this, choose
another document.
4. Related to #3, what was the author’s point of view about women’s role at that time and
place? i.e., what is the gender, race, social class, occupation, political view, religion, or any
other factor that will help you understand what helped create the author’s ideas about
women’s role at that time.
5. What was the original purpose of the document?
6. What are several SPECIFIC DETAILS, or quotations, in the document that support the
author’s purpose?
7. Prepare a paragraph or two explaining how the document relates to the week’s reading- how
it helps you understand the themes found on the syllabus for that week. (Note the week’s
topic and the questions). Use examples from both the assigned readings and your document.
Please use a minimum of three sources from your readings as you analyze your source.
8. This assignment can be in bullet point format.
COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING OPTIONS
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY YOU HAVE. IT IS NOT MANDATORY. IT IS A RARE CHANCE
TO BRIDGE THE ACADEMY AND THE COMMUNITY AND “DO” WOMEN’S STUDIES
WORK AS AN ACTIVIST.
APPLICATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS AT THE START OF WEEK TWO. All options
will be described in detail. You are given the chance to represent Women’s Studies in the
community. You are making a twenty-hour commitment over the course of the semester. If chosen
you are exonerated from the annotated bibliography (but you must take the final and do the primary
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source analysis and the historical novel essay). Other people are counting on you-so please do not
apply if you believe you will be unable to fulfill your commitment.
Preference will be given to Women's Studies majors and minors and History majors. Students must
submit an application in writing (to be distributed in class) stating why this experience would be
beneficial for your education/career path. If selected, you will perform 20 hours of volunteer service
with one of the following groups.
1) Women’s Museum of California and San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame
2) The Hoover High School Young Women's Studies Club (YWSC)
3) Safe Zones on the SDSU Campus (that seeks to make our campus welcoming, supportive and safe
for LGBTQI individuals and their allies)
4) The Women’s Outreach Association (WOA)
Requirements for these options:
FOR HOOVER HIGH YOUNG WOMEN’S STUDIES CLUB: instructions to follow
For the Women’s Museum of California/San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame :
For SafeZones@SDSU Instructions to follow
For the Women’s Outreach Association we will communicate with the group’s leaders who will then
contact you directly. Contact TBA.
FOR WMC, SAFEZONES, and WOA, instructions to
5-A six to seven page reflection paper is due Dec. 10. These are graded by the professor.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES: in structions to follow
For those students NOT doing a community-based service learning option, an end-of-the-semester
Annotated Bibliography is required. A separate posting on Blackboard will provide full and
complete details for its format. Please note: if you are doing this option, you must turn in a Topic
Commitment about your paper. Due dates for oral presentations for Annotated Bibliographies are
assigned over the course of several classes at semester’s end. Model papers from semester’s past will
be circulated so that it is clear this is NOT a traditional “narrative” paper.
The Annotated Bibliography should include:
1. Title
2. Statement of historical era and relevant demographics. Place your topic within its historical
context (do this by noting era, location, and relevant information for that era, etc.).
3. Note which women are included in your study and those who are not. Note how their social class,
race/ethnicity, regional location, religion, different abilities, gender identities and sexualities and so
on help shape their experiences.
4. You will be answering the 3-5 analytic questions you asked on your proposal. These may have
changed somewhat, but they will still serve as the backbone of your paper.
5. Using the four secondary and two primary sources you chose, you will answer your questions.
6. Note: complete bibliographic citations (author, title, source, place of publication, date, page
numbers and any other relevant information that places/contextualizes the sources) are necessary.
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NOTE: You may use the primary source you analyzed and turned in separately. Your six sources
should not “reuse” sources assigned for class reading.Maximum of two electronic sources only.
7. You must state where on the syllabus (amidst all of semester’s materials) your topic would be
inserted and why.
8. Provide content/specific information.
9. Provide your own original analysis. Please note, since the goal is for you do original thinking,
please remember that this research may not repeat material covered in class. You need to bring
original insights to the topic.
GRADING CRITERIA
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Annotated bibliography proposal this is calculated into your final grade for this
project
 Optional essay for extra credit: The Water-Cure Movement
 One primary source analysis
10%
 Final
20%
 Essay based on novel or narratives (one of three choices: Charlotte Temple,
Little Women and Slave Narratives
20%
 Annotated bibliography OR group Community Service Learning Option
 2 community involvement events @ 5% each
 Attendance and discussion participation:
Total points possible:
30%
10%
10%
100%
Extra Credit Opportunities: will be offered throughout the semester, but you must first complete
your two community involvement events. They include: additional assignments noted on the
syllabus, Women's Studies speakers, American Indian pow-wows, activist events on campus and so
on. All extra credit assignments are due one week from the actual event itself. Students may submit
up to three extra credit assignments. To get credit, turn in A MIMUMUM OF 2 typed pages about
insights you gained, some form of “proof” of attendance (e.g.: ticket, pamphlet, etc.). Please write in
response to the following prompt: “How did attending this event clarify or expand upon insights
gained in this class?” Please use at least three specific examples.
WRITING SKILLS: At the professor’s discretion, students will be directed to seek writing
assistance at the Writing Center to help you improve your writing and argumentation skills.
You must provide written proof to the GA that you have followed through and gone to the
Writing Center if so advised.
Historical Novels: It is your responsibility to read ALL of the historical novels, even those you
are not writing on. We will have class discussions about them and your participation in these
discussions are noted and used to help determine your grade.
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Unit One: HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THEORY OF WOMEN'S HISTORY
(Note: NSC = No Small Courage, EAW = Early American Women: A Documentary History)
8/26
Course mechanics: What is "Women's History?" Historiography
Questions:
Why is it important to remember differences among women? What are the different
approaches to women's history? How has women's history challenged traditional history?
8/28
Demographics and the Female Life Cycle
READ:
9/2
“Preface” in both EAW (Woloch) and NSC (Cott).
NSC, pp. 116-131: “Community of Women…”
The Colonial Families and Societies I: Colonists and Laborers
APPLICATIONS for COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ARE HANDED
OUT TODAY AND DUE BACK at end of this class (Sorry, no exceptions)
NSC, Ch. 2 Kamensky, “The Colonial Mosaic” pp.51-75
EAW, Ch. 2, “Well Ordered Families” pp. 25-47
READ:
9/4
American Indians: Women in Colonial Families and Societies II
NSC, Ch. 1 Demos, “Native American Women Confronting Colonization,” pp.3-50
EAW, “Iroquois Women in Government,” pp. 12-14
READ:
9/9
Disorderly Women: Forms of Protest, Anne Hutchinson and the Salem Witchcraft
Hysteria of 1692 I
READ:
NSC, Ch. 2 Kamensky, pp.76-108.
9/11 Disorderly Women II
Continue with readings from 9/10
9/16 Woman as Healer I
READ:
For Her Own Good, pp. 37-75
9/18
Woman as Healer II
Continue with readings from 9/17
9/23
Women, the American Revolution and the Constitution:
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READ:
9/25
Continue reading Charlotte Temple
NSC, Ch. 3 Salmon, “Limits of Independence” pp. 131-161 only
Parents and Children: Morality and Duty
Discussion: Charlotte Temple
READ: Begin reading Little Women
**** Writing prompt available on Bb
9/30
READ:
10/2
The Nineteenth-Century Reorganization of Work and Euro-American Women’s Sphere
(Female Friendships, Domesticity Exalted
NSC, “Women at Work,” pp. 187-195; pp. 220-223 (starting on first full paragraph);
and “Searching for a Vocation,” pp. 261-278
"Scribbling Women": Women Writers Create Culture
****Charlotte Temple essay due today****
Lecture; followed by a discussion of Little Women
If you choose to write about this novel, write your analytic essay using the novel, course readings
and lecture material with citations. Prompt available on Bb.
Begin reading: Gates, Slave Narratives (Read: Linda Brent and Mary Prince)
10/7
READ:
10/9
Politics of Sexuality: Victorian Sexuality; Domestic Feminism, Prostitution
For Her Own Good, pp.76-108
READER, Cott, "Passionlessness,” Article 7
Medical and Social Theories II, Women as Patients: Female "Nerves," Sexual Surgery
and the Cult of Invalidism
****Little Women essay due today****
**** Continue reading Slave Narratives ****
10/9 assignment continued next page…
READ:
For Her Own Good, Ch. 4, "The Sexual Politics of Sickness," pp. 111-154
NSC, pp.120-126 (starting on third paragraph)
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NSC, poem on p. 125
10/14 Women in Slavery and War
***Annotated Bibliography topic commitment is due today****
READ:
NSC, pp. 127-131; 161-173; bottom of p.183-187; 223-228; 289-303
Classic Slave Narratives, Mary Prince and Linda Brent, “Incidents in the Life of a
Slave Girl” (two female slave narratives)
10/16 Discussion of Brent and Prince narratives.
10/21 Women in, and Moving to, the West I
***Topic Commitment proposal due today for final individual annotated bibliographies
(Community Service Learning Participants are exempt from this assignment)
***please follow format articulated earlier in the syllabus******* Please see specific
instructions that appear earlier on this syllabus.
READ:
NSC, “Journeys to New Places,” pp. 252-261
NSC, “Toilers of the Land,” pp. 327-339
10/23 Women in, and Moving to, the West II
****Essay on Slave Narratives due today IF you chose to write on it****
Continue with readings from 10/22
10/28 FILM: "Indians, Outlaws and Angie DeBoe"
10/30 Mexican and Mexican/American Women
READ:
NSC: “Conquerors and Conquered,” pp. 209-214
THE WOMEN'S RIGHTS MOVEMENT(S)
11/4
The Nineteenth-Century Water-Cure Movement: A Case Study in Moral and Social
Reform
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READ:
Cayleff, Wash and Be Healed, Introduction, Conclusion, and two chapters of your
choice
*****OPTIONAL two page essay on the water cure for extra credit*** Prompt on Bb
11/6
READ:
Women's Activism and the Woman's Rights Movement I
READER, Sarah and Angelina Grimke, “Declaration of Sentiments,” Article 6.
NSC, “Prayer and Charity: Creating Publics Roles for Mothers,” pp.173-78; pp. 214220; “Women in Public,” pp. 232-255
.
11/11: No class; Campus Closed
11/13 Women’s Activism and the Woman’s Rights Movement II
***Extra credit essay on the Water Cure is due today***
Activism of Black Club Women
READ:
EAW, “Clubs, Causes, and Reform” pp. 341-354; and “Woman Suffrage/Women’s
Rights,” pp. 355-374.
FILM: “Crusade for Justice: Ida B. Wells”
REWARDS AND BURDENS: MOVING TOWARDS THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
11/18 The Urban Working Woman and the American Conscience: Women Workers and
Protective Labor Legislation
***ALL PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSES ARE DUE THIS DAY***
READ:
NSC, “New Paths to Power, 1890-1920,” pp. 353-412
11/20 Exam on all materials to date: lecture, readings, visuals, films
11/25 Women Enter Nursing
FILM: "Sentimental Women Need Not Apply"
READ:
Reader, Majorie Davies, “Women’s Sphere,” Article 9
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PLEASE PLAN AHEAD: ALL Final Written Work is Due December 10. No exceptions will be
made. If work is turned in late, it is calculated at a 25% deduction for each late day (NOT each
late class meeting).
11/27 NO CLASS/Holiday
12/2 CBSL Presentations
CBSL: Women’s History Museum and Educational Center
CBSL: Young Women’s Studies Club
Students present on Annotated Bibliographies
NOTE: STUDENTS PRESENTING ORALLY ON THEIR ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO TURN THEM IN WHEN THEY PRESENT—
IF THEY ARE COMPLETED. HOWEVER YOU HAVE UNTIL 12/10 TO TURN THEM IN
WHEN ALL FINAL PAPERS ARE DUE.
***NOTE: ALL FINAL ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES ARE DUE 12/10 REGARDLESS
OF YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION DATE***
12/4
CBSL: Safe Zones
Students present on Annotated Bibliographies
12/9
CBSL: Women’s Outreach Association
***All papers are due today***
Students present on Annotated Bibliographies
12/11 CBSL and individual research
ALL WRITTEN WORK IS DUE TODAY.
***We may need to meet during finals week if we have not completed all in-class
presentations***
SUGGESTIONS FOR ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY TOPICS appear on Bb
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