History 52 surveys the experiences and contributions of women in the United States from the Colonial Period to the Present.
We will pay particular attention to society's changing image of women and women's changing concept of themselves. In order to understand the events and significance of women in history, we will examine issues of public and private female roles in work, education, sexuality, culture and politics. We will discuss the "famous" and the "ordinary" women who made contributions to economic life and to the institutions of family, church and state. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding the dimensions of American women- regional, class, ethnic and racial.
This course is taught from the perspective that women in America are “unequal sisters.” Though they share common experiences in life cycles, societal expectations, roles, and restrictions, women’s life experiences differ between and within their ethnic, racial, class, and sexual groups.
 Identify major figures in American Women’s History drawing on diverse examples from the 17 th century to present, and demonstrating knowledge of their contributions to social, cultural, economic, political and legal change in the United States.
 Evaluate major issues in American Women’s History and the tactics women have used to combat legal limitations, prejudice, and gender stereotypes in order to participate in American life and shape American values.
 Develop critical thinking skills by learning how to analyze, evaluate, and interpret the historical evidence of primary sources.
 Raise our collective consciousness about "isms"- sexism, racism, classism and homophobia.
 Understand how the “personal” becomes “political.”
 Finally, TO HAVE A GREAT TIME!
This course will consist of lectures, discussions, and a few films. Each day we will begin with current events/women in the news – locally and globally – followed by lecture and class discussions.
Your participation is VITAL! In order to understand and engage in the study of history, we must talk to one another about what we learn.
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 Text: Ellen DuBois and Lynn Dumenil, Through Women's Eyes: An American History 3rd. ed., Bedford St. Martin's,
2012
 Additional Readings: Sent to you via email through the semester; follow syllabus carefully for when these appear.
Weekly Quizzes/Small Group Discussions/Current Event Papers: To truly understand history, you have to engage the material in different ways: reading assigned texts, asking questions, having meaningful discussions.
Before class each week you are to read the assigned pages and the discussion questions from the Syllabus.
The quizzes/group discussions will go like this:
 Quizzes: Will be based on readings from either the book or handouts. They will be short, creative ways of thinking about the reading material. The quizzes will be graded on a credit/no-credit basis.
 Small Group Discussions: These will be based on a variety of topics, primarily Paul Boyer’s book and questions from the syllabus. Credit will be based on your active participation.
 Current Event Papers: Three times a semester you will write a 2-page essay about a news article from a daily news source that you feel is relevant to the study of U.S. women.
 Either print the article, or attach it to an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. A cover page is not necessary
 Answer the following questions in 2-3 pages: o What is the article about? o How does the article specifically link to U.S. women’s history? o What is your general opinion about the article?
Check the syllabus for due dates. See handout for more on the Current Event assignments
We will have two exams, both take home:
-The first is October 14 th - due back in class on October 21st.
-The second is December 9th- due back on the last day of class, December 16th.
The exams will focus on information from lectures, discussions, and both books. You will write one essay from a choice of up to 4 essays. The essay should be about 6-7 pages, NOT including end notes and bibliography. The exam should be typed [10pt or 12pt] font, double-spaced, and spell-checked. No fancy covers - just staple the pages together. Handouts on how to write the exam will be sent via email.
Out and About: Searching for Women’s History in Los Angeles- In a group or as an individual, you can attend an event in or around Los Angeles, that is relevant to the study/history of women. I will let you know what I hear about in/around LA but where you go is up to you. Consider museums, plays, cultural events, conferences, author readings, etc –
I will talk further about this. The extra credit will be equivalent to 1 quiz. Either as an individual or group, submit a 2-page summary of your findings. Check out www.eyespyla.com
and search “women” to see if you can find something there.
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This course meets the requirements for the General Studies AA Degree, Area of Emphasis: Women’s Studies
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This course was identified as a GE Path course leading to an OPTIONAL minor in Civic Engagement at CSUN. There are five paths a student may take (Aesthetics and Culture, Health and Wellness, Global Studies, Social Justice, and
Sustainability) and this course fulfills the Social Justice Path. Please inquire with your instructor if you are interested in additional courses offered at Pierce to fulfill this Path. To apply to this program, please register at: http://faculty.piercecollege.edu/gepaths/
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See “Grading” below.
To earn an "A" you:
Earned 2 “A”s or an "A" and a "B+" on both exams
Participated in and contributed to the weekly groups class discussions
Earned a grade of credit for all quizzes/written assignments/group discussions
Submitted all 3 Current Event papers
Did not miss more than one class.
To earn a "B" you:
Earned 2 "B+s" or a "B+" and a "B" on both exams
Participated in the weekly class discussions
Earned a grade of credit for all but 2 written assignments/group
Submitted 3 Current Event papers
Did not miss more than 2 classes
To earn a "C" you:
Earned a "C+" and/or "C" on both exams
Occasionally participated in class discussions
Missed more than 3 written assignments/quizzes
Only submitted 1 or 2 current event papers
Missed 3 or more classes
To earn a "D" of "F", (rare, but not impossible), you:
Did not turn in your assigned work
Missed taking more than ½ of the quizzes
Did not participate in class discussion
Your performance on the exams was below college level
 Plagiarism: Copying information word for word from the Textbooks or the Internet without proper citation is dishonest and will not be tolerated. If I find that you are engaging in this practice, you will not receive points for your current events or exams. If I find that you have plagiarized more than once, I will report you to the Academic Dean and your transgression will haunt you forever! Also: Students are expected to behave as an adult (starting with respectful and punctual) to the professor and students, or they will be subject to disciplinary actions (BR 9803).
 Late work: Will be accepted if there's an medical/family emergency (please provide documentation. If you are going to be absent and want your late work given full consideration (no more than 2 times!), you must contact me in advance either by email or a phone call. In addition, you will be required to turn in an assignment when you return to class. Please do not ask to be the exception. Instead, mark your calendars with the due dates, read the syllabus in advance of every class session, and understand that the only changes made to the syllabus will be at the discretion of the professor.
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 Tardiness or Absence: All students should be familiar with the Attendance Regulations printed in both the
College Catalog and the Schedule of Classes. o Class will begin on time, every time. o Tardiness is not cool and disrupts the flow. o I will take roll every week; habitual lateness will affect the outcome of your grade. o Students are expected to remain for the entire class period. o I would appreciate if you can possibly avoid walking in front of me when you do enter the classroom. o Last day to drop a class online without a recorded grade of “W” is September 13th. Last day to drop a class online with a recorded grade of “W” is November 22nd. Do not rely upon me to drop you. If you stop attending, and don’t drop, you will see a final grade of “F” on your transcript.
 Accommodations: If you need any accommodations for a disability, please contact the Pierce College Office for
Special Services at 818.719.6430.
 Office Hours: I’m available for office hours before class at Freudian Sip; please email if you want to schedule.
 A few more things: I am here to help you. I will go to great lengths for anyone who wants to do well in this class,
but it is your responsibility to let me know you need help. If racist, sexist, or heterosexist remarks make their way into our discussions, you can count on me to intervene! I am approachable on any subject and you have my permission to ask me any question. Everyone can pass this class!! (except, of course, if you stop showing up or don’t do any work).
Inclusive Language: What is it? It is speaking and writing in non-sexist, non-gendered, non-racist terms. In addition, we tend to use racial descriptions when describing an encounter with someone from a race other than their own (e.g., "I was talking to a black woman the other day…" as if her race has anything to do with the conversation). We are also inclined to signify that a woman is engaged in a particular work activity (the words hostess, actress, or suffragette) when the root word itself does not describe one gender or another. Another one.. women calling women “guys” – as in “hey you guys…” (see handouts). Other examples abound and we can discuss these through the semester.
Play the “I Spy Sexism” Game: To get the most out of this class, I encourage you to become ultra alert about your surroundings. To that end, I challenge you to play the “I spy sexism” game. As you watch TV, look at ads in magazines, talk to your friends… shift your thinking about what you see and hear. How are women and girls depicted, as opposed to men and boys. What type of language is being used? What are females “doing” in print/TV ads? Are men as obsessed with clean floors and laundry stains as women seem to be? What's passing through your Face Book stream. By reporting to the class on your perceptions of sexism, you can help to make us all aware of our social, political, corporate environments and we can aid each other in finding ways to deal with/combat/change the status quo.
Feminism Is…: We will have a section on the blackboard called, “Feminism Is…” For the first couple of weeks I will write my own interpretation/definition of the term but after that, I encourage you all to come into class with your own ideas and add to what will be a growing list of the meaning of the words “feminist” and “feminism.”
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September 2: Introduction: Why do we study women's history?
Assignment/Discussion: a) Review syllabus b) Group exercises (Qs about/for the class/instructor; “What does it mean to be female in the U.S.?” )
September 9: Chapter 1 "America in the World to 1650"
Discussion: Who are the women that inhabit North America in this early period? How are they "discovered," and how do they arrive? What do the Visual Sources (p. 37) suggest about the lives of Native Indian women? Read "Documents" (p. 47)
How did African women resist being captured into slavery?
September 16: Chapter 2 "Colonial Worlds" (1607-1750)
Discussion: Carving out a life in North America was frightening, exhilarating, dangerous, and always unknown. How women responded to their environment had largely to do with religion, ethnicity, and skin color. "Documents" (p. 89) provides evidence of advice, poetry, letters, legal recordings, and newspaper ads of how some women managed everyday life. What do these documents tell you about how women managed their affairs?
Also read PDF: “Guide to Consciousness Raising” (Ms. 1973)
September 23: Chapter 3 "Mothers and Daughters of the Revolution" (1750-1800)
Discussion: Focus tonight is on politics, citizenship, and defining the public and private spheres. Define “political” (as applied to the Revolutionary era? To today?). What are the roles and responsibilities of citizenship? In what ways did women engage in Revolutionary politics and war (given they had no citizenship rights)? How did women choose sides? How important was religion and how did a women's religious conversion impact their role in the public sphere? "Documents" (p.
168) show us what one slave women thought about enslavement, and evidence for the education of White women under the guise of "Republican Motherhood" (p. 173).
 CURRENT EVENT #1 DUE
Also read PDF: “Click! The Housewife’s Moment of Truth” (Ms. 1972)
September 30: Chapter 4 "Pedestal, Loom, Auction Block" (1800-1860)
Discussion: This is a period when we see 3 very distinct ways of "being female." Middle class white women's lives are very different from the girls who work in the factories, or on their backs. Slave women are further marginalized, living in fear for themselves, their children and husbands. "Documents" (p. 220) shows us two views of being female (prostitute & slave).
"Visual Sources" (p. 233 and 241) depict women in various classes and stations in life. What do the photos tell us about everyday life based on class, race, ethnicity?
October 7: Chapter 5 "Shifting Boundaries: Expansion, Reform, & Civil War "(1840-1865)
Discussion: So much to consider during this 25-year span. Cultural clashes between whites moving west and occupying
Indian land, leading to major shifts in family life for both cultures. Slavery and women's rights are also making headlines. But when civil war erupts all bets are off. Through all of this how does the phrase “the personal is political” take on new meaning?
What are the issues women seem to care most about? "Documents" (p. 287) provide us with clues about how one women experienced life in/around the mines in California, while Elizabeth Cady Stanton writes subversively about women's attire and intelligence (p. 293). "Visual Sources" (p. 300) give us representations of women in war.
Also read Textbook: (A-1) "Declaration of Sentiments,” and PDF
“It’s not a Myth, It’s Math” (Ms. 2014)
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October 14: Chapter 6 "Reconstructing Women's Lives North and South" (1865-1900)
Discussion: At the end of the Civil War, the South is in disarray, while the North is experiencing a resurgence in political activism. The women's movement is divided, freed slaves are trying to find their way, and a woman has the nerve to run for
President of the U.S.! "Documents" (p. 353) introduces us to a woman wanted by the law, and the females who work in the factories (p. 358). "Visual Sources" (p. 364 & 374) provide representations of college women and the "New Woman" in her leisure.
 CURRENT EVENT #2 DUE
 HANDOUT EXAM #1
Also read PDF: “Sexist Advertising Then and Now” (Ms. 2010)
October 21: Chapter 7 "Women in an Expanding Nation: Consolidation of the West, Mass Immigration, and the Crisis of the 1890s" (1862-1910)
Discussion: Tonight we focus on movement: the movement of white "settlers" to the land once inhabited by Native Indians, and the movement of people from old country to their new lives in the U.S. Women blur the lines between personal and political as they seek a fair wage, the vote, and the ability to use college degrees for the higher good of the community, and another war erupts. "Documents" (p. 422) introduces us to Zitkala-Sa and her process to "Americanize," and Jane Addams (p.
426) on the importance of charity. "Visual Sources" (p. 434) gives texture to immigrant lives and weird depictions of Native
Indians through the eyes of Whites.
 RETURN EXAM #1
Also read Textbook: "Muller v. Oregon" (A-8)
October 28: Chapter 8 “Power and Politics: Women and the Progressive Era (1900-1920)
Discussion: An amazing period of women's history. We see how women fought to fix horrible working conditions, change society with their newly earned college degrees, provide the less fortunate with birth control information, lobby Congress to change laws for female workers, become even more political, take on the roles and responsibilities of yet another war, and finally the culmination of the 72-year fight for women's right to vote! Feminist and sexologists are also making themselves known. Wow! "Visual Sources" (p. 493 & 501) give us representative photos of women marching for equality, and posters to entice women to the war effort. "Documents" (p. 506) analyzes women's roles in the home, and Black women's political activism with the NAACP (p. 514).
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November 4: Chapter 9 "Women in Prosperity, Depression, and War" (1920-1945)
Discussion: It's a tumultuous time for the "new-style" feminists to emerge. How do they compare to women of the "first wave?" Why do you suppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) did not pass? This is a time when women are the target for consumerism and selling their sexuality. But trouble is just ahead when the worst economic depression hits the US (and the world!), and is immediately followed by another global war. How do women's lives and gender roles change during these years? "Documents" (p. 560) show us what was on the minds of young women. Women’s words about the Great Depression are found on p. 566. "Visual Sources" provide images of women in the 1920s workplace (p. 573) and life during the Depression
(p. 580).
Film: “With Babies and Banners”
Also read PDF: “Class Act, Glass Ceiling” (Ms. 2011)
November 11:
No Class! Veteran’s Day Holiday
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November 18: : Chapter 10 "Beyond the Feminine Mystique" (1945-1965)
Discussion: It's post-war America and there's a strong desire to "return to normal" for middle-class White families in the north and west as the Cold War enters the American home, while a Movement emerges for working and middle-class Black families in the south. Activism is in the air and Black women will take the lead! Women march for peace, for the environment, and as always, for equal rights. "Visual Sources" (p. 635) take us in the living room, around/on TV! "Documents" (p. 651) question whether or not women should work outside the home, but also give light to the amazing accounts of Civil Rights women marching for rights well outside the home (p. 656).
Also read Textbook: "Brown v. Topeka Kansas Board of Education" and "Griswold v. Connecticut" (A-10)
November 25:
Movie Night!
 Fly Girls
 Radical Harmonies
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December 2: Chapter 11 "Modern Feminism and American Society" (1965-1980)
Discussion: Let it all hang out! Make love, not war! Women's Liberation! Black Power! Yes... it's 15 years of radicalism, protests, marching for equality, consciousness raising, lesbian rights, the rights of women in education and on the playing field, the right to reproductive choice. It's about feminism, diversity, and politics. "Visual Sources" (p. 709) provide images of women's fights in the workplace and advertising. "Documents" include the voices of radical lesbians, a discussion about women's orgasm, and a famous essay on the politics of housework.
Also read Textbook: "Loving v. Virginia" (A-11) and "Roe v. Wade" (A-13)
December 9: Chapter 12, "US Women in a Global Age" (1980-2015) & End of Course Discussion: Next Steps
Discussion: Activists of the earlier period are faced with a severe backlash in the '80s and '90s and feminism seems all but dead in the water. The ERA goes down in flames, reproductive rights are threatened, and poverty becomes gendered. On the upside, a "3rd wave" feminism will emerge in the "Year of the Woman" (just 1 year?) and brilliant and educated women take to the airwaves, and lesbians can marry! "Documents" (p. 779) bring us the words of Clinton, Palin, and Obama, and "Visual
Sources" (p. 789) provide evidence of US women in international contexts.
It was great learning all of that... but now what?
We began this class 4+ centuries ago and we now stand in the second decade of a new century. From everything you have learned, read, studied, discussed, it's your turn to teach me where you think we go from here by answering these questions:
1) How would you define feminist?
2) Are you a feminist? Why or why not?
3) What are women concerned with today?
4) How you would describe how women are depicted in today's media?
4) What do your foresee as women's future?
 CURRENT EVENT # 3 DUE
 HANDOUT EXAM #2
Also read PDF: “Birth of Pussy Riot” (Ms. 2014)
December 16: (If you made it this far, give yourself a HIGH 5!)
** RETURN SECOND EXAM
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RETURN SECOND EXAM --TO THE CLASSROOM -- NO LATER THAN 8:30 PM.
During final exam week, classes begin later than usual. We will not be meeting as a class this evening but I will be in the classroom at 7:30 (our scheduled exam time) and you can drop-off your papers between 7:30 and 8:30 PM. I will turn in final grades within a week. If you want your exam returned with comments, provide a self-addressed stamped envelope.
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