WMNST 360 WOMEN’S SEXUALITY AND THE BODY
SPRING 2016
Section #1: MW 10:00am – 10:50am in SH 109; Friday online
Section #2: MW 12:00pm – 12:50pm in SH 119; Friday online
Dr. Kimala Price
Associate Professor, Women’s Studies
Office: Arts and Letters Building, Room #344
Office Phone: 594-8442
Email: kprice@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours: Monday 9:00am-9:50am and 2:30pm-3:45pm; Wednesday 9:00am-9:50am
Graduate Assistant: Graduate Assistant: Diana Vargas (dee.vargas92@gmail.com)
**The Dept. of Women’s Studies is located in Arts and Letters, Room 346.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
This course examines the social, cultural, political and historical constructions of sexualities and
women’s bodies in our society. Some of the topics covered in this course are: the medicalization of
women’s bodies; body size/fatness; sexual behavior, desire and pleasure; racialized sexuality;
queerness; and sexual negotiation and consent. We will explore these issues through historical
analysis, cultural criticism, film and other media, women’s personal stories, and behavioral research.
We will not only explore these issues through the lens of gender, but also across other points of
difference and oppression, e.g. race/ethnicity, class and age.
In this course, students will:
 Explain how the construction of women’s bodies is closely connected to the construction of
women’s sexualities;
 Define and apply new terminology for understanding the social construction of sexualities
and women’s bodies;
 Explore the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, class and sexuality;
 Analyze how the various mechanisms of power, oppression and resistance impact individual
women’s understandings and expressions of their sexualities and bodies;
 Analyze media representations of women’s bodies and sexuality.
This is a hybrid/blended course. We will meet in person on Mondays and Wednesdays for lectures
and in-class discussion. There will also be a weekly online component to this course. For most
weeks of this course, students will be required to complete activities online, such as writing journal
entries, viewing videos, completing surveys and exploring interactive websites. More details about
these activities are on this syllabus.
GENERAL EDUCATION EXPLORATIONS COURSE
Courses that fulfill the 9-unit requirement for Explorations in General Education take the goals
and skills of GE Foundations courses to a more advanced level. Your three upper division courses
in Explorations will provide greater interdisciplinary, more complex and in-depth theory, deeper
investigation of local problems, and wider awareness of global challenges. More extensive reading,
written analysis involving complex comparisons, well-developed arguments, considerable
bibliography, and use of technology are appropriate in many Explorations courses.
This is an Explorations course in the Humanities and Fine Arts. Completing this course will
help you to do the following in greater depth: 1) analyze written, visual, or performed texts in the
humanities and fine arts with sensitivity to their diverse cultural contexts and historical moments; 2)
describe various aesthetic and other value systems and the ways they are communicated across time
and cultures; 3) identify issues in the humanities that have personal and global relevance; 4)
demonstrate the ability to approach complex problems and ask complex questions drawing upon
knowledge of the humanities.
REQUIRED TEXTS
The Politics of Women’s Bodies: Sexuality, Appearance, and Behavior (4th edition) edited by Rose Weitz
(Oxford University Press 2014). (This textbook is referred to as “PWB” in the rest of the syllabus.)
The Vagina Monologues: 10th Anniversary Edition by Eve Ensler (Villard Books, 2008)
Additional Readings are available electronically on Blackboard. (There are approximately 15
documents on Blackboard.)
All of the textbooks are available for sale at the SDSU Bookstore, and might be available at KB Books
(www.kbbooks.com, 5187 College Ave, San Diego).
GRADING AND ASSIGNMENTS
Class Participation and Attendance* 10%
Online Activities
10%
(journal reflection entries and survey)
Take-Home Midterm Exam #1
25%
Take-Home Midterm Exam #2
25%
Media Analysis Portfolio
30%
Ongoing
Ongoing
February 29
April 11
May 4
ONLINE CLASS ACTIVITIES (10% of final grade)
For most Fridays this semester, students will be required to complete a variety of online activities
which are posted on Blackboard in the folder marked “Online Class Activities.” Many of these
activities are designed to prepare students for class discussion and lecture, others for personal
reflection on specific topics. I will discuss the activities in more detail in class, and post the details
for these activities onto Blackboard. Note that the three journal reflection entries and the
completion of the online survey determine your online activities grade, which is 10% of the final
grade. The journal entries are graded individually. The online survey is anonymous, and is not
graded on content; instead students get points for completing the survey. The entries and survey are
worth 25 points each.
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The schedule of online activities is below:
January 29:
February 5:
February 12:
February 19:
February 26:
March 4:
March 11:
March 18:
March 25:
April 8:
April 15:
April 22:
April 29:
Post Journal Entry #1
View Video (YouTube) "Business of Being Born"
View Video (YouTube) Barbara Walters 20/20 Special "My Secret Self"
View Video (YouTube) "The Vagina Monologues" Performed by Eve Ensler
No Online Class Activity
View Video (YouTube) “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes”
VIEW Video (YouTube) “Killing Us Softly 4” (or Dr. Jean Kilbourne’s TEDTalk)
Take Survey: The Sexual Orientation Questionnaire
View PowerPoint Slides on the History of Sex Research
View Video (Big Think) “Mary Roach Makes Sex Research Discoveries”
View Video (CBS) “Masters & Johnson: They Wrote the Book on Having Sex”
No Online Class Activity
Take Online WebMD Vagina Quiz
Read Online WebMD “Your Guide to the Female Reproductive System”
Post Journal Entry #2
View Heidi Montag Video
Read Material about Heidi Montag
Post Journal Entry #3
BLACKBOARD
I use Blackboard to post announcements, assignments and some of the course readings. Students
should check Blackboard regularly (at least once a week) for class announcements and assignments. I
will announce any new Blackboard postings in class. At some point, I may ask students to post on
Blackboard discussion forums; if so, this will count toward the class participation portion of the final grade.
Optional Credit for Women's Studies Community Events and Meetings
The Women's Studies Department encourages students to explore the connections between theory
and activism by offering students the option to fulfill a percentage of their course requirements
through participation in colloquia, student organizations, and/or community events relevant to
Women's Studies. Students who choose this option will 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/Tijuana communities. This opportunity will be worth about
5% of the final grade. If you are selecting this option for more than one Women's Studies classes
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.
Extra Credit Reflection Papers
Each reflection must be 2-3 double-spaced pages in length. The papers must include the title and date of the event as
well as the name(s) of the sponsor(s) of the event. If the event is a panel discussion, you must list the names of the all of
the panelists. You should describe what happened at the event and give your impression of what went on. Your
impression of the event should go beyond: “It was great/interesting/eye-opening/a waste of time.” You need to state
why it was great or uninformative.
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TAKE-HOME MIDTERM EXAMS (25% EACH)
There will be a midterm and a final exam. Both exams will be take-home assignments. The
guidelines for both exams will be distributed via Blackboard approximately one to two weeks before
their due dates. The due dates of the exams are as follows: Monday, February 29, 2016 for the
first midterm and Monday, April 11, 2016 for the second midterm.
MEDIA ANALYSIS PORTFOLIO (30%)
For this project, students are required to collect and analyze media items related to gender, sexuality
and the body. The portfolio must include three (3) advertisements from newspapers, magazines,
billboards, websites, and/or TV commercials. The ads should be for different products or brands.
For instance, only one ad can be for a fast food restaurant chain or a specific brand of perfume or
cosmetics line. In other words, all of your examples should not just be McDonald’s ads or ads for
Chanel perfume or Maybelline products.
Each item entry in the portfolio must include:
1. A copy of the actual advertisement; and
2. 2-3 paragraphs (between 300-400 words total, typed and double-spaced) that analyzes how
the item illustrates a concept (e.g. objectification and queerness) that has been discussed in
this course. Please explicitly refer to at least one of the course readings in each of your ad
analysis and make sure to identify the ad you are analyzing.
You should use separate pages for the analysis of each item. Do not put portfolio items in a folder
or binder. You should just simply staple all of the items together.
For items that you obtain from a website, please make sure to include the site’s url address. This project is due
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 (the last day of class).
CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION (10%)
Class attendance is a part of your final grade. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each
class. Please come to class ON TIME. Coming to class late can be very disruptive to discussion.
Excessive unexcused absences or tardiness (more than 3) will have a negative impact on your grade.
If you are unable to attend section due to illness, a family emergency, or observance of a religious
holiday, you will be excused only if you provide me with a letter or certificate from Health Services
or your doctor (in case of an illness), or from the Dean of Students office (in case of a family
emergency or religious holiday). In case of foreseeable excused absences (i.e. a religious holiday),
please let me know well in advance (at least 48-hour notice) so that other arrangements can be made
if you miss an exam or an assignment deadline due to the absence. Keep in mind that you are still
responsible for the material covered in section even if you are absent. It is YOUR responsibility to
find out what you missed during your absence.
Participation in class discussion is expected and is a significant part of your final grade.
Your participation grade will be determined by your contributions to class discussions as well as
your active listening of and response to other students’ opinions, not just the verbal articulations on
one’s individual opinions and analyses. Participation will be judged according to quality (i.e.
substance, thoughtfulness, etc.), not necessarily just to quantity. Additionally, students are expected to
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be mindful and respectful of the differences of opinion and perspectives that will emerge in class
discussions. Part of the academic process is learning how to articulate arguments and to disagree (as
well as agree) with other perspectives in an open, non-confrontational manner.
Remember to turn off and stow away cell phones, iPods, iPads, other tablets, etc., at the
beginning of class, and please refrain from checking email and social media accounts, and
surfing the web on laptops, iPads/tablets, and other electronic device. Additionally, do not
do homework for other courses during class time. These can be very disruptive to class flow,
and the use of them in class can be construed as rude and disrespectful to others. All of
these actions are not only rude toward me, but also toward your fellow classmates.
EMAIL COMMUNICATION
As a professor at this university, I receive a lot of email from students (both current and former),
colleagues and other interested parties, which means that I often have to prioritize my responses.
There might be a delay in my response to a request.
The quickness of my responses to email depends upon the level of complexity of the question asked
and the time and day it was received:
1. Although you may think that you are asking a simple question, the answer itself may not be
that simple; it may take me a while to figure out the answer.
2. You should not necessarily expect to receive a response on the same day/night, especially to
email sent after 4pm on any day or over the weekend.
3. You should not send an email with questions about an exam or writing assignment that is
due the next day. By this time, it is too late.
To cut down on email traffic and to not irritate your instructors, you should first consult the course syllabus,
assignment instructions, the PowerPoint lecture slides and any other course-related materials to answer any question
you may have. Many of the questions that I have received from students were easily answered by
simply reading through the syllabus.
COURSE DISCLAIMER
This course will include explicit descriptions of sexual behavior, activities and attitudes, and other
sensitive topics through lectures, films, course readings and class discussions. You need to keep this
in mind as you decide whether to continue with this course or not. Note that working through any
discomfort while enrolled in this course you may have will help you learn about sexuality from a
scholarly perspective.
LATE POLICY
Papers will be not be accepted after one week past the due date. Late assignments will automatically
be lowered one full letter grade; therefore, the highest grade that you can possibly get is a “B.”
Extensions will only be given in extreme situations and if I am approached at least 48 hours before
the assignment deadline.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY (PLAGIARISM)
SDSU defines academic dishonesty as “cheating, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty
that are intended to gain unfair academic advantage (Title V, Section 41301, California Cade of
Regulations, Standards for Student Conduct).” If any student is suspected of plagiarism, cheating or
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other dishonest actions, he or she will receive a zero “0” on the assignment, and the matter may be
brought to the attention of the Center for Student Rights and Responsibility.
Plagiarism is not just turning in an assignment written by someone else. It also includes actions such
as not properly citing the source(s) of ideas and direct quotes, and cutting and pasting significant
portions of text from other sources including the internet. Be aware that ignorance of the policy
does not excuse you from it.
(Please go to the end of the syllabus for more details on plagiarism.)
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately to discuss
specific strategies for accommodation; however, they must have received authorization beforehand.
If you have a disability, but have not contacted Student Disability Services (619-594-6473, Calpulli
Center, Suite 3101), please do so before making an appointment with me.
Students in Economic Crisis
SDSU has an Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT) that helps SDSU undergraduate students
who need immediate support due to an unforeseen financial crisis. This support could include shortterm provision of food, shelter, or other items. In many situations, campus personnel will coordinate
with community social service agencies to support our students in these situations.
If you are in an immediate economic crisis situation, please ecrt@mail.sdsu.edu or call (619) 5941630.
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). Her office hours are posted in the
Women's Studies Office, AL 346.
CALIFORNIA FACULTY ASSOCIATION – POSSIBLE DISRUPTION TO CLASS
The California Faculty Association is in the midst of a difficult contract dispute with management. It
is possible that the faculty union will call a strike or other work stoppage this term. I will inform the
class as soon as possible of any disruption to our class meeting schedule.
CLASS AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
January 20
Introduction
January 25
What is Sexuality?
January 27, February 1 Social Construction of Women’s Bodies and Sexuality
Key terms: social construction of gender, sexuality and bodies; compulsory
heterosexuality; sexual scripts; intersectionality
Rose Weitz, “A History of Women’s Bodies,” pp. 3-12. (PWB)
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Judith Lober, “Believing Is Seeing: Biology as Ideology,” pp. 13-26. (PWB)
Ruth Hubbard, “The Social Construction of Sexuality,” in The Social Construction of Difference
and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality (3rd edition), edited by Tracey E. Ore (McGraw
Hill, 2006). (Blackboard)
ONLINE January 29: POST Journal Entry #1.
February 3, 8, 10 Medicalization and Politicization of Bodies
Key terms: medicalization of bodies, intersexuality, transgender
Sarah Jane Brubaker and Heather E. Dillaway, “Medicalization, Natural Childbirth, and
Birthing,” pp. 49-63. (PWB)
Cheryl Chase, “Affronting Reason,” pp. 67-75. (PWB 3rd ed.) (Blackboard)
E.J. Graff, “M/F Boxes.” The Nation. December 17, 2001, pp. 20-24. (Blackboard)
ONLINE February 5: VIEW Video “The Business of Being Born” (YouTube)
ONLINE February 12: VIEW Video Barbara Walters 20/20 Special "My Secret Self" (YouTube)
February 15, 17, 22 Women’s Personal Narratives/Women’s Lived Experiences
Vagina Monologues, pp. vvvii-xlv (foreword and preface), 3-32, 77-125, 167-185.
“Sarita,” Longing to Tell: Black Women Talk about Sexuality and Intimacy by Tricia Rose (Farrar,
Strauss, Giroux, 2003), pp. 23-49. (Blackboard)
ONLINE February 19: VIEW Video "The Vagina Monologues" Performed by Eve Ensler
(YouTube)
ONLINE February 26: NO ONLINE CLASS ACTIVITY
February 24, 29 Menstruation
Key terms: sexual objectification, bodily alienation
Janet Lee, “Menarche and the (Hetero)sexualization of the Female Body,” pp. 101-119.
(Blackboard)
Vagina Monologues, pp 33-40.
February 29: 1st Take-Home Mid-term Exam Due IN CLASS.
March 2, 7, 9 The Racialized Female Body
Key terms: racialized sexuality, sexualized race, intersectionality, Otherness
Patricia Hill Collins, “‘Get Your Freak On’: Sex, Babies, and Images of Black Femininity, pp.
164-175 (PWB).
Isabel Molina Guzmán and Angharad N. Valdivia, “Brain, Brow, and Booty: Latina Iconicity
in U.S. Popular Culture,” pp. 176-183. (PWB)
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Rhys H. Williams and Gira Vashi, “Hijab and American Muslim Women: Creating the Space
for Autonomous Selves,” pp. 331-345. (PWB)
ONLINE March 4: VIEW Video “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” (YouTube)
ONLINE March 11: VIEW Video “Killing Us Softly 4” (YouTube)
(If the link to the film does not work, watch Dr. Jean Kilbourne’s TEDTalk
on YouTube instead.)
March 14, 16 Doing Media Analysis
Shyron Baumann, “The Moral Underpinning of Beauty: A Meaning-Based
Explanation for Light and Dark Complexions in Advertising,” pp. 258-276. (PWB)
Media Education Foundation, “How to Be a Critical Media Viewer.” (Blackboard)
Media Education Foundation, “Deconstructing an Advertisement.”
(Blackboard)
ONLINE March 18: COMPLETE online survey on sexual orientation.
March 21, 23 Sexual Desire, Attraction and Identity
Key terms: sexual scripts, sexual identity, queerness; sexual fluidity
Deborah L. Tolman, “Daring to Desire: Culture and the Bodies of Adolescent Girls,” pp.
120-142 (PWB).
Michael S. Kimmel and Rebecca Plante, “The Gender of Desire: The Sexual Fantasies of
College Women and Men.” In Sexualities: Identities, Behaviors, and Society, edited by Michael S.
Kimmel and Rebecca F. Plante (Oxford University Press, 2004), pp. 123-136. (Blackboard)
Athena Douris and Diane Anderson-Minshall, “What Happens to a Dyke Deferred? The
Trouble with Hasbians and the Phenomenon of Banishment,” in Bitchfest: Ten Years of
Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine, edited by Lisa Jervis and Andi Zeisler, (Farrar,
Straus and Giroux, 2006). (Blackboard)
ONLINE March 25: VIEW lecture slides on the History of Sexuality Research
VIEW Videos “Masters & Johnson” (CBS Sunday Morning) and “Mary
Roach Makes Sex Research Discoveries” (Big Think).
March 28, 30, April 1 SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS, NO ONLINE ACTIVITY
April 4, 6, 11 Sexual Behavior and Pleasure
Key terms: sexual scripts, social construction of sexuality
Celia Roberts, Susan Kippax, Catherine Waldby and June Crawford, “Faking It: The Story of
‘Ohh!’” Women’s Studies International Forum. 18(5/6) (1996): 523-532. (Blackboard)
Clive M. Davis, Joani Blank, Hung-Yu Lin, and Consuelo Bonillas, “Characteristics of
Vibrator Use Among Women.” Journal of Sex Research. 33(4) (2006): 313-320. (Blackboard)
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Amy L. Gilliland, “Women’s Experiences of Female Ejaculation.” Sexuality & Culture. (2009)
13:121–134. (Blackboard)
Film: Passion & Power: The Technology of Orgasm (2008)
April 11: 2nd Take-Home Mid-term Exam Due IN CLASS.
ONLINE April 8: NO ONLINE CLASS ACTIVITY
ONLINE April 15: TAKE Online WebMD Quiz/READ WebMD Guide
POST Journal Entry #2
April 13, 18 Reproductive and Sexual Health
Jason D. Hans, Martie Gillen and Katrina Akande. “Sex Redefined: The Reclassification of
Oral-Genital Contact.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 42(2) (2010):74–78.
(Blackboard)
Laura Carpenter and Monica J. Caspar, “A Tale of Two Technologies: HPV Vaccination,
Male Circumcision, and Sexual Health,” pp. 143-163. (PWB)
April 20, 25, 27 Body Image
Key terms: objectification, the male gaze, hegemony, resistance, agency, fat studies,
thinness, body image
Patricia Gagne and Deanna McGaughey, “Designing Women: Cultural Hegemony and the
Exercise of Power among Women Who Have Undergone Elective Mammoplasty,” pp. 201222. (PWB)
Samantha Kwan, “Navigating Public Spaces: Gender, Race, and Body Privilege in Everyday
Life,” pp. 241-257. (PWB)
Kate Harding, “How Do You Fuck a Fat Woman?” Yes Means Yes! Visions of Female Sexual
Power & a World without Rape, edited by Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti (Seal Press,
2008), pp. 67-76. (Blackboard)
ONLINE April 22: VIEW Video about Heidi Montag (YouTube)/READ Materials about Heidi
Montag
ONLINE April 29: POST Journal Entry #3
May 2
Navigating and Negotiating Sex
Key terms: compulsive heterosexuality, consent
C.J. Pascoe, “Compulsive Heterosexuality: Masculinity and Dominance,” pp. 346-356 (PWB)
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Rachel Kramer Bussel, “Beyond Yes or No: Consent as Sexual Process,” Yes Means Yes!
Visions of Female Sexual Power & a World without Rape, edited by Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica
Valenti (Seal Press, 2008), pp. 43-52. (Blackboard)
May 4 Closure (Last Day of Class)
Media Analysis Portfolio Project Due.
Cheating and Plagiarism
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 picture or table
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
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
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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.
January 18, 2016
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