Santa Monica College
Course Outline For
Women’s Studies 20
Course Title:
Women, Feminisms, and Social Movements:
A Global Approach
Date Submitted:
Updated:
May 2007
I.
Units:
3
IGETC Area:
CSU GE Area:
Transfer:
4
D4
UC, CSU
Catalog Description:
Prerequisite: None
Skills Advisory: Eligibility for English 1
This course introduces and utilizes feminist theories to examine salient issues that women confront
around the world and the variant movements of resistance and social change spurred by these
issues. The course includes an examination of both historical and contemporary women’s activism
around the globe, including feminist movements that focus on political, economic, cultural, and
environmental change, as well as an assessment of the impact of globalization on women’s lives.
Particular attention may be given to Third World women, poor women, women of color, immigrant
women, incarcerated women, women and war, women with disabilities, and queer people.
II.
Required Text and References:
Because scholarly work is continually being updated, no specific text is in permanent use in this
course. Moreover, the content of this course lends itself to the use of anthologies and periodical
texts (which may include electronic media) of a scholarly nature. It is essential, however, that any
text used be both appropriate and approachable for lower-division students, as well as grounded in
or supplemented by a strong theoretical framework.
Suggested Texts Include:
 Burn, Shawn M., Women Across Cultures: A Global Perspective, McGraw Hill, 2005
 Eschle, Catherine, Global Democracy, Social Movements, And Feminism, Westview Press, 2001
 Grewal, Inderpal, An Introduction to Women's Studies: Gender in a Transnational World, McGraw
Hill, 2006
 Hannam, June, Feminism, Longman, 2006
 Kirk, Gwyn and Okazawa-Rey, Margo, Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives, McGraw Hill,
2007
 Kourany, J, Sterba, J., and Tong, R., Feminist Philosophies: Problems, Theories, and
Applications, Prentice Hall, 1999
 Littig, Beate, Feminist Perspectives on Environment and Society, Prentice Hall, 2001
 Weir, Sara and Faulkner, Constance, Voices of a New Generation: A Feminist Anthology,
Longman, 2004
III.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
A. Identify the underlying characteristics of feminist analysis and feminist social movements.
Santa Monica College
Women’s Studies 20: Women, Feminisms, and Social Movements: A Global Approach
Page 2 of 2
B. Distinguish a feminist perspective and social movement from other perspectives and social
movements.
C. Distinguish between anecdotal evidence and systematic analysis.
D. Compare and contrast historical and contemporary examples of women’s activism.
E. Recognize the impact of globalization on the lives of women around the world.
F. Utilize feminist theories in order to place the students’ experiences in the larger social context.
G. Propose informed solutions to social issues confronting women’s lives.
IV.
Methods of Presentation:
A combination of lecture and discussion, collaborative learning, and/or service-learning/experiential
learning may be employed. Films, guest lectures, and field trips may also be used. Questions and
discussions are strongly encouraged to facilitate a greater understanding and intellectual analysis of
the subject matter.
V.
Course Content:
Percentage
of Term
6.25%
12.5%
6.25%
12.5%
12.5%
18.75%
6.25%
6.25%
12.5%
6.25%
VI.
Topic
Introduction to the course and feminist approaches
Understanding feminist theories
Applying feminist theories to action
Issues confronting women in the US
Issues confronting women around the globe
Women on the margin and social justice
Women, war, and resistance
Intersectionality
Feminist movements in the US
Movements of resistance
Methods of Evaluation:
(Actual percentages will vary from instructor to instructor
but approximate values are shown.)
Evaluation of a student’s performance is accomplished through a possible combination
of summaries and responses to assigned readings, multiple choice quizzes and tests, essay
examinations, written analysis of texts, research papers, class participation, and group and
individual projects. Below is one possible scheme:
Reading Responses and/or Quizzes
Midterm: Essay Exam
Group Projects/Presentations
Class Participation
Final: Essay Exam
25%
20%
20%
10%
25%
While each instructor is responsible for her/his own assessment of student performance, it is
strongly encouraged that the method of evaluation involves varied skills which account for students’
diverse learning and abilities to demonstrate knowledge.