Portland State – University Studies Program
By Discover The Networks
December 2007
University Studies Overview and Justification
Freshman Inquiry
Freshman Inquiry Sample Theme
Sophomore Inquiry and Upper Division Clusters
Cluster Sample Theme
Cluster Syllabi
Syllabus for the Course: Southwestern Borderlands
Syllabus for the Course: Introduction to Conflict Resolution
Syllabus for the Course: Feminist Philosophy
Syllabus for the Course: Minorities
Another Syllabus for the Course: Minorities
Syllabus for the Course: U.S. in Comparative Perspective
Syllabus for the Course: Race, Class, Gender & Sexuality in the US
Syllabus for the Course: Introduction to Women's Studies
Syllabus for the Course: American Studies: American Pluralism
Other University Studies Cluster Courses of Note
Senior Capstone
Senior Capstone Sample Courses
University Studies Overview and Justification
University Studies: The Secret Behind Our Students' Success
Our innovative, award-winning general education program teaches you how to learn.
University Studies provides students with integrated, connected learning experiences that lay the
foundation for lifelong intellectual development. Extending through all four years, the program
teaches you how to think critically, communicate effectively, and gain a broad awareness of the
human experience to instill a deep sense of responsibility to yourself, your peers and your
community.
University Studies has won national acclaim and received many awards since its inception.
Universities in Oregon and across the country have modeled their programs after ours, and
foundations such as W. K. Kellogg and the Pew Charitable Trusts have recognized the work of
our University Studies faculty and administrative leaders.
General Education at PSU
Almost every institution of higher learning requires students to complete some kind of general
education program in addition to their major field of study. Portland State University's nationally
recognized approach to education is based on an extensive review of current research. Strong
evidence shows that tightly structured clusters of courses with an interdisciplinary thematic
approach help to create a more effective general education program. Using mentored inquiry
sections, extending the program throughout the four years, and integrating carefully articulated
goals further increase the programs effectiveness. The University Studies general education
program is designed to provide those environmental factors and learning opportunities that are
known to enhance learning, satisfaction, and retention for all students.
PSU's four-year general education program is required of all students, with the exception of
those enrolled in Liberal Studies or the Honors Program. University Studies begins with
Freshman Inquiry, a year-long course introducing students to different modes of inquiry and
providing them with the tools to succeed in advanced studies and their majors. At the sophomore
level, students choose three different Sophomore Inquiry courses, each which leads into a
thematically linked, interdisciplinary cluster of courses at the upper-division level. Students
transferring to Portland State are usually required to take a Transfer Transition course to orient
them to PSU and build a foundation around the four University Studies goals, as introduced in
Freshman Inquiry and developed throughout the general education program. Finally, all students
are required to complete a Capstone course which consists of teams of students from different
majors working together to complete a project addressing a real problem in the Portland
metropolitan community.
For an in-depth examination of Portland State University's general education reform model,
download "A Model for Comprehensive Reform in General Education: Portland State
University."
http://www.pdx.edu/unst/about.html
Freshman Inquiry
Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) forms the foundation for the University Studies program. This yearlong sequence of courses introduces students to Portland State's general education goals and to
the opportunities available in university life. FRINQ courses are interactive and theme-based,
with each theme exploring topics and issues using an interdisciplinary approach to show how
they can be understood from different perspectives.
Freshman Inquiry Sample Theme
THE CONSTRUCTED SELF: ME, US, AND THEM
(UNST 101, 102, 103)
This interdisciplinary year-long course is designed to examine the ways in which we as
individuals, as human beings and as social/cultural groups, create and communicate a sense of
identity. Each quarter we will examine a different aspect of “The Constructed Self.”
The first quarter we will interrogate the various factors that go into the development of
individual identity in this American culture such as gender, race, and class. During the winter
quarter we will explore what it means to be human, particularly the scientific narratives that have
been posited to account for our humanness. In the spring we will examine the interface between
“us” and “them” as it is played out in national identity, and in national and international
conflicts.
Through reading fiction, viewing films and television programs, reading case studies, and doing
field research we will explore the many complex “faces” of identity.
Drawing on artwork, books, media and original projects you will have a wide range of outlets
through which to experience and articulate your own questions and ideas, as well as those of
others, as we examine individual and collective identities.
Co-requisite: Mentored Inquiry.
Fall: The Constructed Self: Me, Us and Them, will explore the ways in which we, as individuals,
as human beings and as social/ cultural groups, create and communicate a sense of identity.
Certain factors of individual identity such as gender, ethnicity, race, and social class will be
studied in fall term in order to understand how they connect to the construction of “me” and how
our understanding of identity is not static but rather transformational. But “me” cannot exist
without “us.”
Winter: In the winter term, we will explore how humans have come to understand what it means
to be human through spirituality, language and culture and how the impact of evolutionary
theory, western science and technology have shaped our current (and will shape our future)
understanding of ourselves. The social and national identities which have emerged from this
process inform the concept of “us” and “the other” which will be examined in the spring.
Spring: The cultural dimension of Us and Them will be explored both domestically and
internationally. First, we will examine how the American immigrant has experienced what it
means to be the other while assimilating into American society. Secondly, the contribution of
psychological and situational factors in creating enmification in the US/Them dynamic will be
explored and applied in relation to a selected group. We will focus on contemporary international
conflict (that might include environmental disagreements over land use practices, ethnic
violence, and national and international clashes over power and self-determination) as well as the
possible processes for conflict resolution, which will be discussed.
Co-requisite: Mentored Inquiry.
KEY CONCEPTS AND IDEAS OR LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Understand some basic theories of self development, including Mead, Erikson and Freud.
• Articulate key theories in the social construction of identity (Berger & Cooley/Mead) and be
able to apply them to our own personal experiences.
• Be able to delineate the differences in social power based on such individual statuses as race,
ethnicity, nationality, class, and gender within American society.
• Define your own construction of identity in one salient status.
• Explore the possibility of identity transformation through examining The Autobiography of
Malcolm X and Campbell’s Hero’s Journey as well as our own lives. Winter:
• Analyze Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a framework to consider the questions raised
concerning the nature and limits of “humanness.”
• Articulate the various ways in which humans have attempted to define themselves through
spiritual paths utilizing Joseph Campbell’s The Many Masks of God.
• Understanding scientific method versus revelatory knowledge with a specific emphasis on
evolutionary theory.
• Examining language and symbolic thought, e.g., Chomsky, Lenneberg, Pinker, Krashen,
Skinner.
• Explore the ethical and social dilemmas associated with future applications of technology, such
as genetic engineering, robotics and cloning. Spring:
• Investigate the concept of culture generally and American culture specifically as it relates to the
understanding of 4 ourselves and our labeling of “the Other.”
• Explore the dynamics of American immigration and specific immigrant groups’ experiences as
they relate to theories of assimilation.
• Understand how historically various national cultures have legitimized treatment of “the Other”
through the process of enmification.
• Examine the role mass media plays in creating and perpetuating perceptions of other
national/cultural groups.
• Apply conflict resolution models to current domestic and/or international clashes and explore
our social and ethical responsibility towards these conflicts.
http://www.pdx.edu/unst/frinq_constructedself.html
Sophomore Inquiry and Upper Division Clusters
Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) and Upper Division Cluster courses are interrelated, with an
individual SINQ being the gateway to each Cluster. (See Program Map.) For students who began
University Studies at the freshman or sophomore level, all Upper Division Cluster courses must
be selected from a Cluster that links directly to one of the student's SINQ courses. For all
students (including transfer students not required to take SINQ), University Studies credit will be
given only for Cluster courses taken from the same Cluster.
Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ)
Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) courses are gateway classes that introduce students to the concepts,
questions, methods, and other content that are to be further explored in the Upper Division
Cluster (described below). In these courses, students continue to build on the skills developed in
Freshman Inquiry and offer an opportunity for students to explore topics of interest that are
different from, yet complementary to, the students' majors.
A wide variety of SINQ courses are offered each term, focusing on a variety of different subject
areas. All SINQ courses are offered at least once and many are offered several times per year.
All students who began University Studies with Freshman Inquiry are required to take three
SINQ courses. Transfer students are required to take one, two, or three courses depending on the
number of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University.
SINQ courses are usually small, with about 35 students per class. Faculty-led sessions meet
twice weekly and are augmented once per week by mentored inquiry sessions led by student
graduate mentors.
Once SINQ courses have been completed, students choose classes from among the Upper
Division Cluster offerings that correspond to the SINQ the student found of most interest. These
courses do not need to be taken in any specific order.
Upper Division Clusters
Upper Division Clusters are comprised of courses from a variety of disciplines. The courses call
upon the skills and knowledge students have developed in their lower division University Studies
courses, FRINQ and SINQ. By this time in their academic careers, students are expected to be
increasingly proficient in writing, research, discussion, computer and inquiry skills. In Upper
Division Cluster courses, students gain a rich, in-depth study of the thematic lines of inquiry
introduced in SINQ. Additionally, through their choice of Cluster courses in this part of the
University Studies program, students can design an individualized plan of study based on the
theme they found most interesting in their Sophomore Inquiry courses, and what will best
support their overall academic goals.
Students will select three (3) classes from the same Upper Division Cluster to complete this
portion of the University Studies requirement. Not all courses are offered each term or each year.
The course planning guide in the back of the Schedule of Classes indicates which cluster courses
will be offered each term. Cluster courses are identified with a "U" in the Schedule of Classes
and are usually 4 credits; however, some courses are 3 credits.
http://www.pdx.edu/unst/sinq.html
Cluster Sample Theme
Women's Studies Cluster
The field of Women's Studies originated as an interdisciplinary effort to uncover women's
experience past and present. Today, the field focuses on gender as a category of analysis and
explores the impact of gender on all areas of social life. Although feminist scholarship is diverse
in terms of methods and theoretical frameworks, its common basis lies in this focus on gender
difference and issues of inequality organized around gender. This focus is central to all courses
in this cluster.
http://www.pdx.edu/unst/sinq_womenstudies.html
Cluster Syllabi
Syllabus for the Course: Southwestern Borderlands
Portland State University
Chicano/Latino Studies Program
CHLA 375U
Southwestern Borderlands
Prof. Roberto M. De Anda Winter Quarter, 2006
Office: 217-r Cramer Hall E-mail: deanda@pdx.edu
Office Hours: TR 4-5 p.m.
Course Description:
This course provides an overview of the social, economic, and political organization and
representation of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. While conflict has characterizes the
history of the interactions among border actors, the growing social interdependence and
economic integration of border life in the contemporary period will also need to be
examined. Focusing on the cultural and social formations of Anglo-Americans and
Mexican Americans in a dynamic contact zone, this course will also explore popular and
academic representations of the border experience.
Required Reading:
David Bacon. 2004. The Children of NAFTA: Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border.
Berkeley: University of California Press.
Oscar J. Martinez, Troublesome Border. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1988.
Chad Richardson, Batos, Bolillos, Pochos, and Pelados: Class and Culture on the South
Texas Border. Austin: University of Texas, 1999.
Luis A. Urrea, The Devil’s Highway: A True Story. New York: Little, Brown & Co,
2004
Readings:
Week 1
Opening Remarks
1/10-12 Topic: The Creation of the U.S.-Mexico Border
Martinez, “Introduction”; Chpt. 1, “Whither the Boundary”; Chpt. 2,
“Marked Frontier.”
Week 2
Martinez, Chpt. 4, “Border Chicanos”; Chpt. 6, “Contemporary Border
1/17-19
Issues”; The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
Video: “Life Along the Mexican Border”
Week 3
Topic: Undocumented Migration and Border Surveillance
1/24-26
Richardson, Chpt. 3, “’Only a Maid’ Undocumented Domestic Workers in
South Texas”; Dunn, J. Chpts. 1, 2 & 3, The Militarization of the U.S.Mexico Border, pp. 1-102.
Video: “Mojados” or “The Ties That Bind”
Week 4
Paper Prospectus Due
1/31 & 2/2
Topic: Death at the Border
Urrea, The Devil’s Highway.
Week 5
Topic: Colonias and Housing Policy
2/7-9
Richardson, Chpt. 1, “Mama Nosotros Somos Migrantes”; Chpt. 2, “A
Nice House: The Colonias of South Texas”
Ward, P. Chpts. 1-3, Colonias and Public Policy in Texas and Mexico
Video: “The Forgotten Americans”
Week 6
Book Review Due
2/14-16
Topic: Identity Formation in the Borderlands
Martinez, Chpt. 5, “Norteños and Fronterizos”: Richardson, Chpt. 6,
“From Mexican to Mexican American”; Chpt. 7, “Ahi Viene el Bolillo”
Week 7
Topic: Borderlands Cultures
2/21-23
Martinez, Chpts. 6 & 7, Border People (1994), pp. 141-249.
Arreola, D. “Texas Mexican Social Identities,” and “Tejano Cultural
Province,” Tejano South Texas: A Mexican Cultural Province (2002), pp.
161-203.
Video: Chulas Fronteras; Lila Downs, Nortec
Week 8
Topic: Border Economy and Maquiladoras
2/28 & 3/2
Richardson, Chpt. 4, “Social Class on the South Texas-Mexico Border”
Bacon, The Children of NAFTA, pp. 1-120
K. Kopinak, “Thirty Years of Mexican Maquiladoras,” Desert Capitalism,
(1996) pp. 7-27; “Implications of Economic Restructuring for Regional
Development,” pp. 28-48; “Heterogeneous Maquila Development and
Corridor Integration in Crisis,” pp. 181-202.
Week 9
Bacon, The Children of NAFTA, pp. 121-323.
3/7-9
Week 10
Topics: The Environment and Health
3/14-16
Davidson, Chpt. 2, “Living is for Everyone”; Barry, T. Chp. 1 “The Nature
of the Borderlands,” Chpt. 3 “The Poison Trail,” The Challenge of Cross
Border Environmentalism (1994); Leus, X. et al. “Life Histories of Four
Chicano Heroin Users,” “Living with AIDS in a Rural Border County,”
Life, Death, and In-Between on the U.S.-Mexico Border (1999).
Video: “Future Conditional”
3/20
Research Paper Due – No late papers accepted
http://64.233.169.104/u/pdx?q=cache:B536fBQSZwEJ:www.chla.pdx.edu/syllabi/375_deanda.p
df+%22Southwestern+Borderlands+%22+syllabus&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&ie=UTF-8
Syllabus for the Course: Introduction to Conflict Resolution
Introduction to Conflict Resolution
CR301U, CRN40781
Tuesday/Thursday 10am –11:45am, Winter 2008
Instructor: Amanda Byron
E-mail: abyron@pdx.edu
Phone: 503/725-9170
Office: NH223 Office hours by arrangement
Website: http://web.pdx.edu/~abyron
Required Text:
Packet: Smart Copy (additional reading may be assigned)
Text: The Mediator’s Handbook, Jennifer E. Beer with Eileen Stief
Book will be sold by In Other Words Bookstore
Course Description:
This class will introduce students to the field of conflict resolution studies. It will explore both
the nature of conflict and our understanding of what resolution seeks to achieve. Particular
emphasis will be placed on the strategies students currently employ towards conflict in their own
lives, with suggestions and examples that broaden their understanding of what is possible. Small
groups, simulated conflict situations, role plays, and examples from community partners work
will provide students with the opportunity to both understand their own strategies and develop
new ones.
This course is designed as a service-learning course. Students are asked to perform at least
fifteen hours of community service over the course of the term with an agency or organization
that serves the Portland area. This experiential learning will be used to both inform and expand
in-class work and assignments.
Finally, this class will practice what bell hooks calls engaged pedagogy. Pedagogy is the “work
or occupation of teaching,” engaged hopefully speaks for itself. What this means is that students
will be expected to actively engage with the information offered by the instructor and the
materials, both in class and in the assignments. Class format will rarely involve lecturing, but
will instead employ dialogue between students and students, and students and instructor.
Dialogue here is defined as “a kind of speech that is humble, open, and focused on collaborative
learning. It is communication that can awaken consciousness…”. This requires that both the
instructor and the students think of them/our selves as knowledgeable learners who can both
teach and learn in this class.
Course Expectations:
Students are expected to be present in class and actively participate in discussion. Students will
be asked to participate in small, in-class discussion groups on a regular basis, and will be
encouraged to take leadership in discussing course materials.
There is a very reasonable amount of reading expected which should free you up to spend careful
attention on the writing assignments. Special emphasis will be placed on the development of
clear, direct, assertive communication that involves active listening and respect for others. This
kind of communication is to be practiced and incorporated into the written assignments, as well
as in the weekly small group and class discussions.
Attendance Policy:
Tardiness and absence from class will directly impact your participation points. In addition,
there will be 5 quizzes over the course of the term which, if missed, cannot be made up.
Reflection Papers:
Each week you are expected to write a 1-2 page reflection paper on the assigned readings (except
during weeks 1, 5 and 10). Papers will be collected on Tuesdays at the beginning of class. The
paper should be a reflection on your thoughts about the readings, as opposed to a simple
summary or book report, and you are encouraged to share any insights or questions that you have
in response. You can draw upon your own personal experiences to highlight your thoughts and
reactions. Papers are expected to be well written and proofed for errors.
Midterm Paper:
The midterm paper is a five to eight (5-8) page research paper on an area of conflict resolution
that is of particular interest to you. Your paper must follow either MLA or APA style and must
use at least two academic sources outside of the required reading. Midterm papers are due in
class on Thursday, February 7th.
Final Paper:
The final paper is a five to eight (5-8) page paper that incorporates all you have learned from
your service learning project into all that you have learned from the readings and discussions in
this course. Using academic writing, this paper can be a reflection on your personal experience,
emphasizing your learning about conflict resolution. Final papers are due on Thursday, March
13th (the final class period).
Evaluation:
Grades will be based on class performance and participation, seven reflection papers, five pop
quizzes, your midterm paper and final paper. Reflection papers are worth 70 points (10 points
each), quizzes are worth a total of 100 points (5 quizzes @ 20 points each), the midterm paper is
worth 100 points, the final paper is worth 100 points, and participation in class is worth 85 points
(17 classes @ 5 points each). In this system an A=409-455, a B=364-408, a C=318-363, a
D=273-317, and an F=272 and below.
SCHEDULE
Week One
January 8 Introduction to class and members
Reading: None
January 10 Discussion of Engaged Pedagogy
Introduction to CR Communication
Reading: Packet (P) - hooks, “Engaged Pedagogy”
P- Kornfield & Feldman, Story 1
Week Two
January 15 Discussion of “Conflict,” “Resolution, and “Conflict Resolution”
Reading: P-Kritek, “Prologue” and “Initiating the Dialogue”
Text pp. 3-24
January 17 Developing Listening Skills
Reading: P-Kornfield & Feldman, Story 2
P-Carbaugh, “I Can’t Do That…”
Text pp. 27-65
Week Three
January 22 Conflict Styles
Reading: Read about conflict styles and complete the personal
inventory at
http://peace.mennolink.org/resources/conflictstyle/styles.html
Text pp. 67-86
January 24 Power
Reading: P-Kornfield & Feldman, Story 3
P-Kritek, “Recognizing and Uneven Table”
Search Internet for “Peggy McIntosh”+”White Privilege: Unpacking the
invisible knapsack” and read article.
Week Four
January 29 Context of Conflict and Resolution
Reading: P-Kornfield & Feldman, Story 4
Text pp. 105-130
January 31 NO CLASS – SERVICE LEARNING DAY
Week Five
February 5 Culture and Conflict
Reading: P-Kornfield & Feldman, Story 5
Go to: Read Stella Ting-Toomey article online @
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/richard.goodman/c4web/Mindful.htm
February 7 Morals, Values, and Ethics
MIDTERM DUE
Reading: P – MacKinnon, Ethics and Ethical Reasoning
Week Six
February 12 Understanding Violence
Reading: P-Barak, “Violence and nonviolence: pathways to
understanding”
February 14 NO CLASS – SERVICE LEARNING
Week Seven
February 19 Enmification
Reading: P-Kornfield & Feldman, Story 6
P-Miller, “Domination and subordination”
February 21 Nonviolence
Reading: P-Hanh, “Living Buddha, Living Christ”
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/MLK-jail.html
Week Eight
February 26 Media Violence
Reading: P-Kornfield & Feldman, Story 7
Go to: http://www.freepress.net/content/beginners_guide
Read entire beginners’ guide
5 POINTS EXTRA CREDIT: Go to http://mediamatters.org and write a
one page reflection on what you read there
February 28 Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Reading: P-Kornfield & Feldman, Story 8
Text pp. 133-148
5 POINTS EXTRA CREDIT: Go to
http://www.theforgivenessproject.com and write a one page reflection on
what you read there.
Week Nine
March 4 NO CLASS – SERVICE LEARNING
March 6 Neutrality
Reading: P-Safford, “What mediation is”
Week Ten
March 11 Goals of Mediation/ Transformation versus Resolution
Reading: Text pp. 89-102
P-Kornfield & Feldman, Story 9
P-Davis, “Interview with Mary Parker Follet”
March 13 Conflict Resolution Final un-Jeopardy!
FINAL PAPERS DUE!
Please notify instructor if you need special accommodation.
Work submitted by students will be evaluated for academic honesty. Any breech
of academic honesty will be met with the consequences established by Portland
State University policy.
http://web.pdx.edu/~abyron/introsyl200801.pdf
Syllabus for the Course: Feminist Philosophy
Feminist Philosophy
Dr. Jamie P. Ross
WS 312U
CRN 64351
Spring ‘07
Syllabus
(Subject to change)
Tues./Thurs. 10-11:50
NH 241
Professor: Dr. Jamie P. Ross
Office Cramer 117M
Phone: 503-725-8370
E-mail: rossj@pdx.edu
Office Hours: T 2-3/TH 9-10 and by appt.
Texts:
1. Bookstore: Hackett & Haslanger. Theorizing Feminisms. Oxford 2007.
2. Packet at the Smart Copy (PACKET)
Course Description:
Traditional philosophy is the pursuit of objective knowledge. Feminist philosophy
challenges this with the claim that philosophy is the study of knowledge from individual
points of view, in the context of social, political and historical constraints. Feminist
philosophy reinterprets the goal of objectivity from its position as value free to an
understanding of objectivity as an ever-increasing subjective plurality. This course will
explore the sources of the transformation. We will explore and analyze this genre’s initial
efforts of a critique of western philosophical methods and update those contributions with
contemporary pragmatic methods and analyses.
Feminism is based on the premises that women and people of color have been and
continue to be oppressed in which case the goal is to emancipate and empower women
and people of color, as well as the premise that gender, race and class are fundamental
categories of analysis.
The course is interdisciplinary in two senses. It focuses on feminist theory
as a field of study that calls for thought and analysis using experimental methods,
qualitative methods, and qualitative methods from a variety of disciplines in the sciences
and humanities. In addition it requires students from a broad spectrum of majors to
assess the future of issues involving women’s lives.
The writing emphasis stresses the need for using language and writing as an
extension of your critical reasoning skills to communicate your own informed and
thoughtful positions.
Course Goals:
This particular course has three specific goals:
1. Critique of Reason
2. Critique of Objectivity
3. Critique of Methodology
Course Objectives:
1. To familiarize ourselves with the persistent criticisms of positivist interpretations
of scientific methodology,
2. To discover the value dimension of factual claims,
3. To reclaim aesthetics as informing everyday experience,
4. To link dominant discourses with domination,
5. To subordinate logical analysis to social, cultural and political issues,
6. To realign theory with practice,
7. To resist the turn to underlying truth and instead emphasizing concrete
experience.
UNST Goals:
All UNST courses share four common priorities summarized as follows:
1. Communications:
2. Critical Thinking
-Numeracy
-Analysis
-Graphics
-Synthesis
-Oral
-Connections
-Written
-Understanding Arguments
3. Social Responsibility
4. Diversity/Human Experience
-Issues of power
-acceptance of diversity
-Making choices
-listening and tolerating various
-Understanding communities
opinions
Course Requirements:
1. Reading is due on the day indicated on the syllabus. All reading is required.
2. Preparation for class, attendance at class and participation in class discussions are
also required and will play a role in the grade evaluation for the class.
3. Attendance is taken. More than three absences will lower you final grade by a
whole point. More absences will lower the grade further.
4. Class Preparation: Be prepared to pose several questions in class that occurred to
you as you did your reading.
5. Papers: There will be two short papers (4-5 pages) and one longer (10 pages)
a. Paper #1 will be an essay that combines responses to the issues raised in
class with personal reflection.
b. Paper#2 will be a critical response to the readings. I will provide you with
questions in advance.
c. Paper#3 will be both a critical response and a personal reflection. It must
combine both your research with some theoretical perspective and
personal voice with theoretical concerns.
6. Assignments will be distributed throughout the term in a timely manner and in
detailed form. If you have any questions regarding the assignments it is your
responsibility to meet with me and/or your classmates to clarify your questions.
6. All written assignments are to be typed, double-spaced with one-inch margins
And 12-point font using APA, MLA or Chicago style citation form.
7. Put your name, my name, the course number and the question that you are
answering in your paper at the top of page.
8. Late assignments will receive a lowered grade and may not be rewritten.
9. All on-time papers may be rewritten in an effort to receive a better grade, but they
must be substantively improved for any grade change not just grammar changes.
10. Grading Criteria for formal assignments are divided into three main categories:
a. Insight and Creativity,
b. How well you express yourself in your efforts to interpret the reading
material,
c. The mechanics of the paper, i.e., form, flow, spelling, grammar, organization.
You will also receive a scoring guide that will give you a very good idea of how
the quality of your work relates directly to grades.
11. Students with disabilities will be accommodated. If you require assistance
obtaining particular resources for your education, please see me.
12. University policy calls for sever sanctions for plagiarism or any other form of
academic dishonesty. While I encourage you to discuss you assignments with
other people, the final product must be your own, containing full citations to any
work upon which you draw, including course material.
Grades: class participation: 15%, paper#1: 15%, paper #2: 30%, paper #3: 40%.
Required Reading
WEEK ONE Background concepts
4/3/07
-Introduction
4/5/07
-Warren, Karen. “Male Gender Bias and Western Conceptions of Reason
and Rationality.” American Philosophical Association Newsletter
on Feminism and Philosophy, March, 1989. (PACKET)
WEEK TWO
4/10/07
Oppression
-Young, Iris. “Five Faces of Oppression.”
4/12/07
Social Construction
-Wendell, Susan.” The Social Construction of Disability.”
-Handout Paper #1 topic/question
WEEK THREE
4/17/07
Epistemic Position
-Collins, Patricia Hill. “The Politics of Black Feminist Thought.”
4/19/07
General Approaches - The Sameness Approach
-Nussbaum, “Human Capabilities, Female Human Beings.”
-PAPER #1 DUE
WEEK FOUR
4/24/07
-Amartya Sen, “More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing.”
-Kimberle Crenshaw, “Mapping the Margins. . .”
4/26/07
The Difference Approach
-Iris Young, “Humanism, Gynocentrism, and Feminist Politics”
WEEK FIVE
5/1/07
- Sara Ruddick, "Notes Toward a Feminist Maternal Peace Politics”
-Vandana Shiva, “Women’s Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity
Conservation
5/3/07
The Dominance Approach
-Merchant, Carolyn. “The Death of Nature.” The Death of Nature. Harper
Collins. (1980). (PACKET)
-Rewrite of paper #1 due (original required)
-Handout Paper #2 topic/question
WEEK SIX
5/8/07
-Sandra Lee Bartky, Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernization of
Patriarchal Power”
-class - logic of domination (Warren)
-Rewrites Paper #1 Due (original required)
5/10/07
Localizing Approaches - Postmodern Feminism
-Nancy Fraser and Linda Nicholson, “Social Construction without
Philosophy”
-PAPER #2 DUE
WEEK SEVEN
5/15/07
-Susan Bordo, “Material Girl: The Effacements of Postmodern Culture”
5/17/07
Feminist Identity Politics
-Barbara Christian, “The Race for Theory”
WEEK EIGHT
5/22/07
-Gloria Anzaldua, "La Conciencia de la Mestiza: Toward a New
Consciousness”
5/26/07
-Dorothy Roberts, “Punishing Drug Addicts Who Have Babies: Women of
Color, Equality, and the Right of Privacy”
-Rewrites Paper #2 Due (original is required)
WEEK NINE
5/29/07
Feminist Allies?
-Nancy Fraser, “Multiculturalism, Antiessentailism, and Radical
Democracy . .
http://64.233.169.104/u/pdx?q=cache:HRKvmEmcpgYJ:web.pdx.edu/~rossj/syllabus_FemPHL_
spring_07.pdf+%22feminist+philosophy%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&ie=UTF-8
Syllabus for the Course: Minorities
Sociology 337U – Minorities
Fall 2006
Pooya Naderi
Class:
Office: CH 217V
CRN 13360
Phone: 503.725.3927
MWF 1245-1350
Email: psn@pdx.edu
CH 171
Hours: MW 2-3 & Appointment
Introduction:
This course is designed to describe and analyze the social experience of specific minorities, with
major emphasis on American society. Although racial and ethnic groups are usually emphasized,
the term “minorities” is broadly defined to include such subordinate-status groups as women, the
aged, those with disabilities and religious and cultural minorities. This “minorities” course will
also study groups that experience prejudice and discrimination based upon physical or cultural
characteristics. Discrimination can have a decisive effect on a person’s ability to access
important resources, such as decent schools, adequate health care, a respectful portrayal in the
media and even the right to vote. This course is designed to hopefully give you a better
understanding of what causes discrimination and how it has affected several different groups.
The class will utilize Marger’s text, while also integrating outside material and guest speakers.
Required Text:
th
Marger, Martin N. 2003. Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives 6 ed.
Belmont, CA: Thompson/Wadsworth.
Check the class download site at: http://www.web.pdx.edu/~psn/minorities
Please note that most lectures, activities, discussions and speakers will build on the text, as
opposed to restating it. Exams will be designed with the expectation that students both
attend class and read the text.
Grading/Evaluation:
There will be TWO exams. One midterm and one final will be given. Each exam will be worth
100 points and in a multiple guess format. Each exam will cover material not previously covered.
This means that the final is NOT cumulative. In addition to the exams there will be a group
project worth 100 points. The group projects will highlight information from the class and are
graded individually based on whether or not you have done the work, and overall as a group
based on the quality of the presentation. Total possible points in the class: 300.
Grades will be issued as shown below:
A = 270-300
B = 240-269
C = 210-239
D = 180-209
�
*Class participation will be taken into account for cusp grades (e.g. A/B)
Extra-Credit opportunities will be made available throughout the term
Missed Exams: Attending class is essential to your success. As a general rule, there will be no
make-ups for exams.
Group Presentation:
Each group will present a 15-20 minute analysis of 1 designated racial/ethnic group from a list
provided. The presentations will summarize the historical relationship of the ethnic group to
social institutions in the United States and access to social resources. Also required is a
sociological review of the ethnic groups experience with assimilation, discrimination,
displacement and adaptation to U.S. social norms. The presentations are an opportunity to
explore different aspects of ethnicity that we may not be able to adequately cover in class.
Academic Honesty: It is important that everyone does their own, unique work. Cheating on
exams, quizzes or other assignments in this class will not be tolerated. Anyone caught cheating
on an assignment will immediately receive a zero for the assignment. In addition to receiving a
zero score, a copy of all documentation and evidence will be submitted to the Office of Student
Affairs for their review and action. Cheating is a serious offense, and it will not be accepted in
this class. If you have any questions regarding academic honesty, please talk to me.
Date
9/25-29
10/2-6
10/9-13
10/1610/20
10/23-27
10/30-11/3
11/6-11/10
11/1311/17
11/20-24
11/27-12/1
FINAL
12/6
Course Calendar – Winter 2006
Topic
Reading
Intro to the Course: Sociological Theory
Race and Ethnicity
Ethnic Relations
Chapter 1
Explaining Ethnic Relations
Chapter 2
Anglo-Saxon Core of Ethnic
Antagonism
Ethnic Whites
Chapter 3
African Americans
Midterm 10/25
Chapter 8
Minorities & Access to Care*
FILM: “Mad Hot Ballroom”
Native Americans
Chapter 4
Latinos
Chapter 5
Asian Americans
GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Chapter 6
GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Sexual Minorities
FILM: “Crash”
People w/ Disabilities
Final exam 1200-1350
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Ch. 4-8 ONLY
http://www.sociology.pdx.edu/f06syllabi/337_naderi.pdf
Another Syllabus for the Course: Minorities
SOC 337U – Minorities
Fall 2006
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Hours:
Jeremy Tanzer
CH 217Y
jtanzer@pdx.edu
MW 1020-1120 & Appt.
CRN:
Time:
Location:
13358
MWF 0900-1015
CH 271
Introduction:
What is it to be a ‘minority’? What are the effects of minority status? Are there
basic similarities in the minority experience? These are the kinds of questions which
sociologists ask when looking at the study of minorities. As a term, ‘minority’ is rather
broad – and it should be. There are many groups which can fit under this heading and
rightfully so. Issues of race, ethnicity, gender, class, (dis)ability, citizenship and other
categories can all be examined as minority groups.
Emphasis for this class:
This class will focus on the concepts of race and ethnicity. I do this for several
reasons. First, the classic sociological literature and our fundamental understanding of
what it is to be a minority is rooted in the study of first race and then ethnicity. Secondly,
because of the wide diversity of topics from which to choose, some sort of delimitation
was required in order to make sure that we were getting well into the necessary concepts.
Third, the area in which we focus is not necessarily done elsewhere in the university in
this way.
Our Approach – Historical and Sociological
History presents itself as a handy laboratory in which to examine the plight of
groups of people. While much of the history which you experienced in high school and
possibly in college deals with “dead white men in Washington” our historical focus will
be different. Will we talk about the dead white rich men? Sure. But we talk about those
people in a context which includes and, indeed, is focused on minorities. Rather than
taking the approach most textbooks in this area do where each chapter focuses
independently upon a different group, we are going to look at how the different groups
interact, play off one another, engage in competition with each other for scarce resources
and develop a more holistic picture of what it is to be a minority in the United States.
The “BIG” Goals:
I am hoping that by the end of this class you will be able to do at least the following:
discrimination and minority.
examine other groups which may or may not fall into our study in this course.
Rules of the Course:
It is imperative that you treat others in this course kindly. Over the course of the
term, we will encounter subjects which may make you or others feel uncomfortable. We
will be discussing the tools of language and image which may not be pleasant. I make no
apologies – it is neither my language nor my images. I bring them to you and present
them so we can together understand and, most likely, attack the ideas that they represent.
I will not tolerate or accept ad homonym (against the person) attacks. Attack ideas – fine;
DO NOT attack others. If you engage in attacks against others in the classroom you will
be asked to leave.
In addition to our treatment of others, I ask that you please turn off cell phones,
pagers, etc. Our class is an hour and five minutes – it can wait. Music listening devices
are not appropriate in the classroom. If you want to have a side conversation, please feel
free to do so, but please do it outside where you won’t disturb others who came to
participate.
Communication Information:
The best way to get hold of me (other than face-to-face interaction) is by email. I
only check the phone for messages when I am here, and I am not a fan of the phone.
Email, however, I usually check at least twice a day and often more than that. If you
want a prompt response, email is the way to go.
In using email, I ask that you put something in the subject line which will identify
which course you are in – either the course number or title (i.e., “337” or “Minorities”). I
ask that you do this for two reasons. First, I teach several courses and it will help me
identify you and answer your question more easily. Secondly, PSU’s email system has a
wonderful propensity to collect a lot (and I mean a LOT) of spam messages. The
spammers are getting better and better about making their messages look legitimate, and I
have taken to deleting most things which have common email subjects (e.g., “hi”,
“hello”, “question”, “help”, etc.) that are from people I do not recognize immediately.
Books and Other Information Sources:
Takaki, Ronald. 1993. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New
York: Little, Brown and Co.
E-reserve Readings (http://psu-eres.lib.pdx.edu/eres/):
Bonacich, Edna. 1972. “A Theory of Ethnic Antagonism: The Split Labor Market”
American Sociological Review 37:5 (547-559).
Espenshade, Thomas J. 1995. “Unauthorized Immigration to the United States” Annual
Review of Sociology vol. 21 (195-216).
Course Webpage: http://www.web.pdx.edu/~jtanzer/f06/337.htm
Grading and Evaluation:
There will be three (3) mixed-mode exams consisting of multiple guess and short
answer questions. The tests are not cumulative in the traditional sense, but I do expect
that basic concepts will be retained throughout the course and that you will be able to
identify patterns throughout history. While the exams are not open book, you may bring
your reading notes and notes you have made on your own from the lectures. Copies of
my downloadable lecture notes are NOT permitted. Any notes which you use will be
attached to the back of your exam and returned to you when I have finished grading the
exams. In other words, it is in your best interest to take good notes and be well organized
for the course.
To each exam you will need to bring the following items:
, form 882-E (sold at both the bookstore and at the university market
in the Smith Center)
Missed Exams:
Attending class is essential to your success. As a general rule, there will be no
make ups for exams. Under documented health circumstances, a makeup exam will be
allowed through the PSU testing center – they charge a fee for their services.
Grades:
The exams are worth the following percentage of your grade:
Exam 1 20%
Exam 2 40%
Exam 3 40%
----------------------Total: 100%
A grade calculator will be posted on the course webpage after the second exam to
help with the calculations.
I follow the standard rules for A-F grading with one exception: if you achieve
90% or better in the class, you will receive an A for the course. I only utilize A- to push
people on the line between B+ and A over the line.
Things that You Can Do to be Successful:
1. Attend class regularly and fanatically. Much of the information that winds up on
exams is talked about in class. The lecture notes online, while helpful, are not a
replacement for coming to class, but rather a tool you can use to enhance your
classroom experience.
2. Download the lecture notes. Everything (text wise) that is up on the screen is on
the lecture note downloads. There will be video and (hopefully) music which
won’t be in the notes. If you have the notes with you, you can fill in the blanks,
and take more effective notes because you are not madly writing down everything
up on the screen or everything I say (both of which are pointless to do).
3. Take good reading notes. As you read, USE your book. Highlight. Underline.
Make notes in the margins. “Dog-ear” corners. This isn’t high school anymore
where you are the fifth person to use the book and there will be a dozen after you
– this is YOUR book. But after you are done marking and underlining, go back
and make notes on the chapters or articles you’ve read. The summaries, you will
find, are more valuable to you than searching back through your book for
answers.
4. If you don’t know or understand something, ask! I like to think of myself as
being fairly clear, but that isn’t always the case. If you run into something that’s
confusing, ask. If I don’t have the answer, I’ll help you find it. If you ask
questions during our time together in class, chances are (research tells us) that you
are not the only one with that question. Do yourself and your shyer colleagues a
favor – ask questions!
Course Web Page:
I have established a web page for this course. It is nothing fancy, but it is a
wonderful clearinghouse for information. Lecture notes will be posted for each week as
well as a copy of this syllabus and the calendar. Any updates will be listed on that web
page. This is NOT WebCT! This is a World Wide Web page which you can access from
anywhere without a login and password. All lecture notes and most other materials on
the web page are going to be in Adobe Acrobat reader files. If you do not have Acrobat
Reader installed on your system (all PSU systems should have it already) you can
download it for free at http://www.adobe.com.
In addition to the course-related information, I have started a list of interesting
links which you may find of use in this class or other endeavors. If you have any really
good suggestions, please let me know, I am always looking to expand
A Word on Academic Honesty:
The world of academia is based on integrity. To take someone else’s work and
claim it as your own is, in the academic world, the worst of offenses. The process of
creating your own work and ideas is sacred and expected. If you violate this sacred trust
by cheating, you will receive a zero score on the assignment and the offending paper will
be turned over to the Office of Student Affairs. Sanctions which can be levied by the
University for cheating include suspension and expulsion – I take dishonesty very
seriously. For more information on the student code of conduct check out the following
web page: http://www.pdx.edu/dos/conduct.html
Course Calendar
SOC 223D – Theoretical Foundations of Sociology
Dates: Topic: Reading:
1 9/25-29 Introduction to the Course
A Bit of Theory
T – Chapter 1
2 10/2-6 European Colonialization & The Origins of
White Supremacy
T – Chapter 2
3 10/9-13 T – Chapter 3
W – Eugenics
Archive
4 10/16-20 10/16 Exam 1 covering 9/25-10/13
Reservations and Plantations
T – Chapter 4
5 10/23-27 Early Industrialization and European Immigration T – Chapter 5-6
6 10/30-11/3 Mexican Incorporation
Early Asian Immigration
T – Chapter 7-8
E – Bonacich
7 11/6-10 11/6 Exam 2 covering 10/18-11/3
Great Depression & World War II
11/10 No School – Veteran’s Day (observed)
T – Chapter 9
8 11/13-17 T – Chapter 1011
9 11/20-24 Civil Rights
11/24 No School – Thankstaking Holiday
T – Chapter 1213
10 11/27-12/1 T – Chapter 14
E – Espenshade
12/4-8 Final will be held on 12/5 from 0800-0950
Reading Key:
T = Takaki, A Different Mirror
W = Web (http://www.eugenicsarcive.org)
E = E-reserve readings
http://www.sociology.pdx.edu/f06syllabi/337_tanzer.pdf
Syllabus for the Course: U.S. in Comparative Perspective
Sociology 350U Fall 2006
Broadway Bldg 222 TR 2-3:50 pm
Bob Liebman liebmanr@pdx.edu 503-725-3601 wk/ 244-7371 hm
Alan Hakimoglu alah@pdx.edu 503-704-5076
Office hours: Bob W 2 - 3 Th 4 - 5 & email Alan for an appointment
Schooling and Work in the US:
A Comparative Approach
“Only comparison affords explanation.” Emile Durkheim, Suicide (1951) 41
Sociology 350 examines how institutions such as schools, firms, and families shape the choices
and life-chances of individuals in the US, Japan, and Europe. We look at testing, tracking, job
training, family influences, and careers to see how these structures reflect the contradictions
between equality and meritocracy and between democracy and hierarchy in the US. The goal of
studying Americans’ conflicting ideals and competing purposes for education and employment is
to inspire clear thinking about why things are the way they are and encouraging -- through
comparisons – visions of how might be different and how we might get there. At the heart of the
course are deep questions of social justice, collective well-being, and individual freedom.
The course has three purposes:
1. to learn to develop sociological explanations through comparative analysis
How do social patterns (like gender roles or rates of mobility) differ among advanced nations?
Are these patterns becoming similar? Comparative analysis enables sociologists to address such
questions through the study of similarities and differences in their origins, dynamics, and
consequences.
2. to judge calls to change American education and industry by copying other countries
Comparing other societies with your own helps understand what we could and should borrow
from abroad. Sociologists study other countries to learn how different social patterns took hold in
different times and places. Asian schools and firms are held as models worthy of emulation by
America. But can we borrow and copy? Japan is a good comparison because the American
Occupation after WW II tried to reorganize its schools, colleges, and industrial organization with
mixed results.
3. to use sociological thinking to be better critics and citizens, parents and teachers We focus on
schools and workplaces because they are organizations in which all of us have first-hand
experience and exercise influence as students, workers, voters, and volunteers. Drawing
questions from experience and observation is at the heart of sociological thinking. In a
democracy, sociology is a tool for problem-framing and advocacy.
Sociological thinking involves description, interpretation, and explanation. For description, the
course relies on case studies. The statistical content is minimal and presumes nothing greater
than a knowledge of algebra. For interpretation and explanation, it introduces the use of
theoretical constructs and social research strategies. Rather than certifying you as a sociologist, it
gives you a sociological perspective on the workings of organizations which
shape the lifetimes of most Americans. The final project asks you to apply your learning from
the course to your work experience.
Soc 350U Course Organization and Requirements
The 2 hour class meetings alternate between lectures, videos, discussions, and debates. To work
well, discussions depend on everyone's participation. Your careful preparation is crucial.
Regular reading and on-time attendance are required. If you know you will miss more than
3 or 4 classes, you should not register.
Writing requirements: A writing intensive course, it combines short in-class ungraded
exercises and short take-home essays based on readings and lectures. All writing draws on the 2
books, the packet, lectures, and your observations; there’s no library work. The reading and
writing are tightly coupled and you need to organize your material for the essays using the
review questions in the coursepack. To organize notetaking, the course uses social science
citation style to record sources (eg NY Times, 6/3/06; Rohlen, 33; lecture 10/24). Expected
length for essays: 3 single-spaced pages (about 1000-1200 words). A sample essay -- with
comments -- is in the packet. Alan is the writing assistant and will prep and comment on your inclass exercises which are dress-rehearsals for parts of the takehome essays.
The final grade is a weighted average of the essays [80%], class participation [20%], plus a
boost for improved writing. Noone who attends regularly, does the reading thoroughly, and
writes the in-class and takehome essays should score below C.
What matters to us as instructors
1. Attendance, participation, and preparation. We’ll make 3-4 person teams to do group
exercises and become study and support groups -- better yet, friends -- for you. Teamwork
counts toward your final grade. You can change teams. Please remember that readings must be
read in advance for discussions.
2. Dialogue - Respect for other's views and quiet so we can listen to each other.
3. Feedback - We exchange drafts in class and give comments on your writing and how to
improve it. We are ready to help you do the writing exercises. Please e-mail questions to Alan or
for a time to talk things over.
4. Progress – Improved writing adda 10% to your final grade. We give prep and handback sheets
for essays to help strengthen your thinking/writing which is the point of the course.
5. Notify Alan or me of problems - Illness (yours or others), family troubles, job crunches, etc
are legitimate reasons for extensions. I will be understanding, but it's your obligation to check
with me before due dates so new deadlines can be set. Grades for unexcused late papers will be
reduced. Because most of you can’t come to office hours, I will write a weekly head’s up memo
by email to which you can reply if you have questions.
6. Late papers will be penalized one grade per 48 hour period.
Readings (books at PSU Bookstore)
Kanter, Rosabeth M. Men and Women of the Corporation. Basic Books, 1979.
Rohlen, Thomas P. Japan's High Schools. University of California Press, 1980.
These books are now classics and to bring them up to date, I prepared a packet of readings (*)
available at Smart Copy (6th and Hall). A supplemental readings (marked #S) will be distributed.
For starred readings(*), use handwritten page numbers, not original pagination.
NOTE: The length of assigned readings varies. You should plan your time to stay on top of
them. WRX stands for writing exercise.
U.S. in Comparative Perspective – Fall 2006
Dates and topics may change for illness or workflow
Prepare readings by date assigned - Due dates bolded
Bring packet to every class
DATE
TOPIC
READINGS/ASSIGNMENTS
CLASS
EXERCISES
What is a meritocracy and does it fit with American ideals of social equality?
Should the US copy from Japanese schools practices like standardized curriculum and
admission to high school by exams? If we did, would the changed school organization
have the same outcomes as in Japan? The section focuses on the differing meanings of
equality in the US and Japan, distinguishing between uniformity versus "special"
education that serves individual or group differences.
S 26
2. What do
schools do?
1.
Comparative School
reform seen
Sociology:
through
Why
schooling & sociological
work matter theory:
socialization,
allocation, &
legitimation
School
Reform:
Oregon
Educational
Act for the
21st century
Competing
Scan packet:
goals of US study
schools
questions,
exercises,
sample essay
No Child Left Behind
Organize teams
Schools of
Thought:
Teaching
Children in
US & Japan
In-class
video
exercise
On Japan’s
alternative
schools: Free
*10 A Nation at Risk
to Be, Jan 12,
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/risk.html 2003 NYT
Education
*12 Math & Science Global: Learn from
Life 36ff
China
ON LINE
#S501 Chinese Medicine for American
Lexis-Nexis
Schools (Kristof)
Rohlen, High Schools (JHS): intro, ch 1 &
pages 107-110
#S505 Worried About India's
Review Schools video ex
PT I - EDUCATION: THE CONTRADICTION BETWEEN EQUALITY AND
MERITOCRACY
L1A
Math & Science Education in a Global Age: What the U.S. can learn from China May, 2006.
pp21-22 Chinese students seeking university entrance are knowledgeable about the factual
information and can perform complex algorithmic operations, but researchers and ministry
officials believe that the ed system fails to encourage creativity and the ability to carry out
scientific inquiry. Call for changes including more consideration of individual students, for
active learning,
L1B S 28
and China's Booms? (Friedman)
O3&5
1. Comparing
US and
Japanese
education
2. Does
school
reform
change
anything?
JHS chs 2,
4,
Appendix
Bowles and Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist
America
*70 locus of learning
*71 non-cognitive traits
*72b qualities for employers
*94 Trends in enrollment
*95A-C Jpn educational pathways
#S510 Diane Ravitch, Every State Left
Behind, NYT, 11/7/05
O 3 -Exercise: *91A/B Graphing meritocracy
O 10, 12 &
JHS: intro,
17
chs 5, 6, 8
Schools as
organizations:
comparing
schools in US
& Japan
*51a/b OR lack connections
*94, 95A-C, 97 Jpn school organization
*99 Tracking (J Oakes)
*100-103A,B, 108A/B tracking
Goodlad/Shankar
*109 Math Teaching in Japan
*98A/B Lost & Santa Paula
REQUIRED for O12: Read
139A-F Small classes & spending
O10 - *96 Lake O Staffing: Who teaches
basics?
O 19
Schools &
Society:
*124 Tokyo U entrance exam
*126 Zeugner, Puzzle Jpn hi ed
#S520 Traub, The Test Mess
1. Discuss: standardized tests
#1 Higher
education
and the
exam
system
HS, ch 3
O 5 - As
American
as Public
School
1900-1950
O5 1st
inclass
wrx: From
Schools of
Thought:
Do US
schools
teach
creativity?
O12 2nd
inclass
wrx: Are
small
classes
worth the
price? Do
they boost
learning?
(partners)
O17 - As
American
as Public
School
1950-1970
O17 Video wrx
2. Debate:
US/Jpn
College
Admissions
Possible: V
College
O 24
Schools &
Society:
Summary and
review
#2 Family
&
education
*133ff
Stevenson,
Making
the Grade
*175
Liebman,
What can
we learn
from J
education?
*134 Praise effort, not intelligence (look smart,
not get smarter)
HS, ch 9, Conclusion
As American as Public School 1980-1990s
Handout:
1st
takehome
wrx
Debating Reform Reports
*139D School Spending
*114 Value for Schools
*140A-C Why Schools Differ
http://www.spinninglobe.net/againstschool.htm
What’s
next:
Hi Ed
Testing
NYT
6/27/06
Why did Oregon’s educational reform program fail to launch? Was it a lack of money or the
wide sweep of its planned reforms? Some consider No Child Left Behind as the step-child of A
Nation at Risk. Do you agree?
L2/3
1st inclass wrx draft will be returned with comments for your revision
L4/5
L6
L7
O 26
#S530 Destined for Failure (Scott) Bring takehome outline to class
Be prepared: 1st takehome wrx due Tues, Oct 31 - Be sure to read 175 (Liebman) and
98A/B (Lost in the Middle/Santa Paula)
PART II -- BUREAUCRACY AT WORK: CONTRADICTION BETWEEN HIERARCHY
AND DEMOCRACY
“Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirit.” Studs Terkel, Working
NOTE: For Kanter’s Men & Women, read only assigned chapters (not entire book)
L9
O 31 & N 2
Kanter, Men & *179 Ouchi,
N2 #4 Debate:
Bureaucracy in US
Women, ch 1-2, Theory Z
Promotions
& Japan: The career 6 and 267-275
*180 Intel job
Inclass wrx: How
as a control system
description
do you stand?
*182A/B Japanese
Resume
*183-204 Rohlen,
Who Gets Ahead
O 31 V Young
workers
N7&N9
Men & women in
corporate life in the
US & Japan: Career
as a control system
MW ch 3 (4768), 7-8
*205B-207,
N7 Hand back
*182C Professional and review
Image
takehome wrx1
*220 Kriska,
N11 wrx linking
Salaryman (224film & Kanter
*229, 254-255,
(propositions)
276-277)
*238-240 Kriska,
Office Layout
V: Clockwatchers
N 14 & N 16
MW ch 4, 9-10 *206 Tokens @
#5 Case study:
A woman’s place?
& Afterword
PSU
Women in
*207 On Kanter
management
Women
Inclass group
#S600 Women as
wrx
Tyrants?
#S610 Japanese
Woman’s World
*220-237 Kriska,
Uniforms (Quality
Circles)
Handout
Kanter
exercise
N 21
#S620 Think
#S630 Praising the Process
Permanent employment:
Japan Inc. is Lean #S640 From Lifetime Job to
Mobility between jobs &
and Mean?
No Job at All
firms
Video: Japanese Mobility
N 28
Work ethic & job
redesign
Project work &
productivity
Summary & review
*250 High(On the Line at
performance work
Subaru)
systems
Video: Nummi:
Test of Japanese
Mgt
*260 Liebman, What can we learn from
Japan: Work?
L10, 11
L12
Be prepared: 2nd takehome wrx (Kanter) due November 21
L13
Nov 23 Thanksgiving
L14
N 30
2 page work redesign exercise due December 5
Finals week for consultation and rewrites
Case Study materials on the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st century (CIM/CAM) and
No Child Left Behind
On the history of Oregon school reform in the past 25 years
http://www.osba.org/covered/curricul/edimprov.htm
How to pay for it?
http://www.osba.org/hotopics/survey/
Editorial on the unmaking of CIM/CAM
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/12/13/ed.edit.cimcam.1213.p1.php?section=opinion
No Child Left Behind
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
Compare States, Districts, and Schools
http://www.schoolmatters.com/
Interested in teaching English abroad?
http://www.eslcafe.com/
The Japan Exchange Teaching Program (JET)
hosts an informational session
Thursday, October 19th, 3:30-5:00
236 Smith Memorial Union.
To read more about JET visit
(www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JETProgram/homepage.html)
http://www.sociology.pdx.edu/f06syllabi/350_liebman.pdf
Syllabus for the Course: Race, Class, Gender & Sexuality in the US
WS 399U Race, Class, Gender & Sexuality in the US
Race, Class, Gender, & Sexuality in the U.S.
Summer, 2006
Course Syllabus
Isbel Ingham
503.725.9195
ingham@pdx.edu
web.pdx.edu/~ingham
Office Hours: By appointment only
TEXTS:
Race, class, and gender in the United States: an integrated study, edited by Paula S. Rothenberg.
Worth Publishers Inc, 2004.
Privilege, power, and difference, by Allan G. Johnson
A few articles that are linked to the syllabus.
DESCRIPTION: This class will discuss the socially constructed nature of gender, race, sexual
identity, and class in the United States. It is argued by some that these constructions are at best
interesting and normal, and at worst benign and neutral, etc. However in most places, the U.S. in
this case, the categories that arise as a result are used to disadvantage some, to the advantage of
others. We will look at some of the ways this plays out, as well as some of the ramifications. We
will also look at the fact that the resulting inequities impact all of our lives, regardless of who we
are and which group[s] we belong to/identify with.
PEDAGOGY: This class is completely online, which means that all of the discussion we would
otherwise be able to have in the classroom will occur online, via WebCT.
However, as much as we can, online, this class will endeavor to practice what bell hooks calls
engaged pedagogy [1]. Pedagogy is the "work or occupation of teaching", "engaged" hopefully
speaks for itself [2]. What this means is that students will be expected to actively engage with the
information offered by the instructor and the materials, both in the discussions online, and in the
assignments. As much as is possible, the class will consist of a dialogue between students and
students, and students and instructor [3]. Dialogue here is defined as "a kind of speech that is
humble, open, and focused on collaborative learning. It is communication that can awaken
consciousness...[4] ". This requires that both the instructor and the students think of them/our
selves as knowledgeable learners who can both teach and learn in this class.
In every class I teach I learn new things--and you are the people who teach me those new things.
GOALS:
That students will learn about race, class, gender, and sexuality as it is constructed in the U.S.
That students will learn what happens when these categories intersect, as they do for all of us at
least some of the time.
That students will have a chance to think critically about their world in terms of these topics.
That students will place themselves in the world--definitively, thoughtfully, consciously, and
critically.
That students will come out of the class thinking through a different lens, about the ways in
which their own identities have been constructed.
That students will get a chance to practice academic writing, and move to the next level of
academic expertise with their writing.
REQUIREMENTS: Students are asked to write six reflection papers, as noted and described in
the syllabus.
You are also asked to do several online exercises, also described in the syllabus.
As stated above, communication and participation are very, very important to this class. Please
read the evaluation section carefully.
There will be no final exam. Instead, you are to write a 5-7 page final paper, described below.
WRITING REQUIREMENTS: Please be sure to check this link out, so that you understand
clearly what the writing requirements are for your reflection papers and midterm interview paper.
EVALUATION: Grades will be based on your participation online, the reflection papers (RP's),
and the final paper. The reflection papers are worth 60 points (6 papers @ 10 points each = 60),
the final paper is worth 90 points, and participation online is worth 100 points (10 classes @ 10
points each = 100).
Each week there will be at least one online exercise. In addition to doing this, I expect that you
will also post at least twice to WebCT. If you want an A in the class, you should post three times.
IMPORTANT!!!!! All attachments are to be sent to my PSU email address: ingham@pdx.edu
DO NOT SEND PAPERS THROUGH WEBCT! It is very time-consuming for me to
download your papers through WebCT, so please send them to this alternative address.
ONLINE PARTICIPATION: For the purposes of this class we will be using WebCT. All
course information should be available on WebCT by the week before classes start. If you have
any problems accessing WebCT, please contact the front desk.
There are various ways you will be expected to participated online.
GRADES: A=250-225, B=224-200, C=199-175, D=174-150, F=below 150
Course Schedule
6/20 - The nature of human beings.
The social construction of gender, race, class, and sexuality. And where does anti-Semitism fit?
Readings: Race, pp. 1-21, 31-93
Privilege, forward and chapters one and two.
RP#1 - Due by June 24th. This first paper is an autobiographical essay, and should be sent to me
as an attachment--to the following email address: ingham@pdx.edu.
Please write three pages about you and why you are taking this class. I want to know something
about your life so as to enhance your and my experience in the class, and I also want to
understand your interest in the topic[s] of this class. Please spend a little time exploring the
themes of the class as they relate to your own life.
What experience, scholastically, have you had with this topic? What do you hope to get out of
the class? How can I help you achieve your learning goals?
6/27 - Systems of oppression - and how they are different from discrimination, prejudice, and/or
mistreatment.
Readings: Race, pp. 22-30, 110-116, 165-178, 273-276, 444-456, 465-504
History of anti-Semitism - Please read the entire exhibit guide.
Privilege, chapter eight.
RP #2 - Due by July 5th. This paper must be at least three pages long, and should cover the
articles you read for this week's class, on the systems of oppression. It is very, very important
that, in your paper, you distinguish between oppression and mistreatment (which can come in the
guise of prejudice, discrimination, or simple bad manners). If you are still unclear about the
difference, plug "systems of oppression" into a good search engine (teoma.com, alltheweb.com,
dogpile.com) and sort through the results. You can also download the following pdf article:
"Law and the Cultural Production of Race and Racialized Systems of Oppression: Early
American Court Cases," by Rodney D. Coates
You will not receive points for this paper unless you do the above.
7/4 - Understanding racism, sexism, heterosexism, anti-Semitism, and class privilege. Where do
we all fit?
Readings: Race, pp. 119-132, 160-165, 178-192.
Privilege, chapter three.
RP #3 - Due by July 10th. This paper should answer the above question: Where do you fit into
all of this? I invite you to be as personal with this paper as you like, with two caveats: 1) Refer to
the readings as you talk about yourself--which readings could you relate to? Which readings
made no sense to you? Which readings seem to be written expressly with you in mind? And 2)
Write about how you fit into both oppressor and oppressed group. This paper must be at least
three pages long, and cover all of the above. You need not write about your own personal
experiences unless you want to.
7/11 - The economics of oppression.
Readings: Race, pp. 193-207, 226-232, 254-268, 273-330 (I know this is a lot--so you pick about
40 pages of this to read--your choice.)
Privilege, chapters four and five.
RP #4 - Due by July 17th. Pick any three of the articles and then write to me about them: three
pages, minimum.
7/18 -Many voices, many lives
Readings: Race, 333-432 (again, pick about 40 pages of this--your choice)
Privilege, chapters six and seven.
RP #5 - Due July 24th. This paper should be about Privilege (one of your texts). Tell me what
you think of it so far. What's good? What works for you? What doesn't? Three pages, minimum.
7/25 - Creating and maintaining hierarchy: stereotypes, language, ideology, violence, and social
control
Readings: Race, pp. 511-594 (pick 40 pages)
Privilege, chapter eight.
RP #6 - By now, you have a sense of what boxes you have been shoved into. Detail some of the
ways this is obvious to you, especially as regards stereotypes, language, ideology, violence, and
social control. Three pages, minimum.
8/1 - Resistance...and then healing
Readings: Race, pp. 435-508 (pick 50 pages--try to spread them out so you read a little about a
variety of different groups.
Privilege, chapter nine
No paper due...to give you some space to work on your final papers. But notice, as you read, the
way the various laws that were enacted over the history of the U.S. have acted as resistance
against true diversity and equality.
8/8 - Revisioning the future.
Readings: Race, pp. 595-637 (pick 40 pages)
Privilege, chapter ten.|
Final Paper due no later than August 8th!
There will be no final exam
Reflection Papers (RP's):
Each week there are several readings assigned. Your RP's should reflect on those readings, and
also answer whatever question[s] I might have asked for the week's paper. Each RP must be
three pages long for you to receive full points. They must also be cited and referenced correctly.
See WRITING REQUIREMENTS for help with this.
Papers that are not cited and/or referenced correctly will be returned to you for corrections.
WebCT: Most weeks there is an assignment for you to complete on WebCT. Please check there
for more information.
Final Paper: Your final paper can be written about any of the topics we have covered over the
course of this class. It must meet the following criteria:
1. It must be between 7-10 pages long, and academically written.
2. You must use at least five of the readings from class to explicate and defend the thesis of your
paper.
3. Your paper must contain in text citations and references.
4. You are welcome to use this paper to argue with anything we have covered in the class.
HOWEVER! To do this you must not simply be argumentative. You must first give some
credence to whatever it is you disagree with, and then present a cogent, organized, and welldefended argument.
Extra Credit:
There are several ways for you to get extra credit points in this class:
1) You can write extra papers on any of the articles we read for the class. You may also write
about something you have found on your own--as long as it is academic in nature.
2) You can go to events that relate to the class. These events are worth 10 points each. You
must write a paragraph or two that synopsizes the event for me. For an extra 10 points you can
write a 2-page paper that describes the event in more detail.
[1] hooks, bell (1994). Engaged pedagogy. In Teaching to transgress: Education as the
practice of freedom. NY: Routledge.
[2] The compact edition of the Oxford English dictionary (1971). Oxford University Press, p.
2110.
[3] This is also sometimes referred to as, and is certainly akin to, critical pedagogy, feminist
pedagogy, literacy of power, education for critical consciousness, etc. The concept will be
thoroughly discussed in class.
[4] Boyce, Mary E. (2002). Teaching critically as an act of praxis and resistance. Electronic
journal of radical organization theory [Online], 2 (2). Available:
http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/ejrot/.
http://web.pdx.edu/~ingham/syllabi/WS/RCG&Sexuality.html
Syllabus for the Course: Introduction to Women's Studies
UNST 280
Introduction to Women's Studies
Spring, 2005
Course Syllabus
Isbel Ingham
503.725.9195
ingham@pdx.edu
Office Hours: By appointment - NH 225
TEXTS:
Listen up: Voices from the next feminist generation (Voices), edited by Barbara Findlen.
Women: Images and Realities. A Multicultural Anthology (Women), edited by Amy Kesselman,
Lily D. McNair, and Nancy Schniedewind
These books are available in class (first class), and at In Other Words Bookstore[1].
DESCRIPTION:
Introduction to women's studies investigates various answers to the very
simple question, what is it to be a woman in the United States, and in the
PEDAGOGY:
GOALS:
rest of the world? With any luck, this will lead us to answer the questions,
what, and why, is feminism--and is it even necessary? In order to do any or
all of these things, we will look as deeply into women's lives as we have
time for in ten weeks--our lives, and the lives of women quite different
from us. To do this adequately, it will be necessary for us to understand the
dynamics of various types of oppression and, more importantly (to this
instructor's mind), internalized oppression. The class will focus largely on
U.S. society, with some attempts to look at other places in the world. We
will examine gender and the various ways it intersects with race, ethnicity,
body image, sexuality, etc. This will be a challenging class, in many cases
challenging beliefs, constructs, and opinions you may hold quite dear. We
will also have some fun together, I hope--certainly we will grow and learn
together.
This class will practice what bell hooks calls engaged pedagogy [2].
Pedagogy is the "work or occupation of teaching", "engaged"
hopefully speaks for itself [3]. What this means is that students will
be expected to actively engage with the information offered by the
instructor and the materials, both in class and in the assignments.
Class format will rarely involve lecturing, but will instead employ
dialogue between students and students, and students and instructor
[4]. Dialogue here is defined as "a kind of speech that is humble,
open, and focused on collaborative learning. It is communication that
can awaken consciousness...[5] ". This requires that both the
instructor and the students think of them/our selves as knowledgeable
learners who can both teach and learn in this class.
In every class I teach I learn new things--and you are the people who
teach me those new things.
That students will gain a working knowledge of what feminism has
meant and means to generations of U.S. women, and women in other
places in the world.
Identify the main branches of feminist thought.
To look at the world through a feminist lens, however briefly.
To understand ourselves, as women, in relationship to other women.
To understand ourselves, as women, better.
REQUIREMENTS:Students are asked to write five reflection papers, as noted in the
syllabus.
You are also asked to conduct an interview, which you will write up
for your midterm project. This is described in more detail below.
There is no final exam, or final paper. Rather, there is a final project:
an article in a 'zine, to be produced over the course of the class,
largely in your mentor sections.
This class will rely on student participation, in the form of class
discussions about the readings, and anything else you want to bring
into class to enrich the mix. I will lecture very little--in general
classes will be student-led.
WRITING
Please be sure to check this link out, so that you understand clearly
REQUIREMENTS: what the writing requirements are for your reflection papers and
midterm interview paper.
EVALUATION:
Grades will be based on your participation in class, the reflection
papers, the midterm interview, and the final project.
The reflection papers are worth 50 points (5 papers @ 10 points each
= 50), the midterm is worth 50 points, the final project/article is worth
50 points, and participation in class is worth 100 points (20 classes @
5 points each = 100). There will also be ample opportunities for extra
credit points, in the form of extra reflection papers and events.
TIMELINESS:
None of us, myself included, like it when people we are waiting for
don't show up or are late. Especially because the class is largely
student-led, your presence will me missed if you don't come to class.
Because of this, if you miss more than four classes, your grade will
go down a notch. Miss more than 6 classes, it will go down another
notch--8 classes, you will not pass the class. Similarly, if you are late
three times it will count as one absence, six times will count as two
absences, etc. To this end, please sign the class list as you enter the
room.
Grades:
A=250-225
B=224-200
C=199-175
D=174-150
F=below 150
Course Schedule
March
29
Introduction to class and each other
Introduction to women's studies: What is feminism?
Reading What is Women's Studies, pp. 1-35 (Women)
"Class feminist," Gilbert-Levin & "Bringing feminism a la casa," Hernández (Voices)
Handout: "Engaged pedagogy," by bell hooks--to be read for Thursday's class
Go to the University of Maryland's Women's Studies Database. Click on "conferences."
Extra
If you were to go to one of the conferences listed here, which one would you choose,
Credit:
and why? Which would least interest you? One page - 5 points.
March
31
RP #1
Discussion of engaged pedagogy
This first paper is an autobiographical essay, due next Tuesday, the 6th.
Please write three pages about you, and your relationship to feminism, and women, to
date. I want to know about your life, and I also want to understand your orientation to
and feelings about feminism thus far.
How were you raised to think about women and women's roles?
How did your family talk about feminism and feminists?
April 5 Feminist Foundations
from: Feminism as a Social Movement, pp. 503-514, 518-520, 524-539, 542-564
Reading
(Women)
"Imagine my Surprise," Neuborne, "Selling out," McCarry, and "One bad hair day too
many," Myhre (Voices)
Extra N.O.W. has an online summary of the Seneca Falls Feminist History Tour. Explore the
Credit: various links and write a short paper about what you find. Two pages, 10 points.
April 7 Continuation of Tuesday's discussion
April 12 Dominant ideas about women: Otherwise known as sexism, racism, classism, etc.
Reading In Women, read three articles from each of the following sections: "Take a Closer
Look": Racism in Women's Lives, The Legacy of Class, "Are You Some Kind of
Dyke?" The Perils of Heterosexism , and Understanding and Valuing Difference.
So, you are expected to read twelve articles--your choice. You must, however, read-and comment about in your next RP--"White privilege: Unpacking the invisible
knapsack," by Peggy McIntosh.
"You're not the type," Gilbert (Voices)
April 14 Continuation of Tuesday's discussion
Extra This project involves an exploration of the media. Find some pictures in various media:
Credit: newspapers, magazines, journals, the internet, etc. How does the media depict various
different groups of women? How do these kinds of depictions impact our
understanding of these women? How does the media do this?
Please attach the pictures you find to the paper. Three pages, 20 points.
RP #2 Please see instructions below (and linked here) for the remainder of your RP's. This
second one is due next Tuesday, the 20th.
April 19 Internalized sexism
Reading Learning gender, pp. 68-115 (Women)
"Ruminations of a feminist fitness instructor," Valdés and "Bloodlove," Doza (Voices),
"Your life as a girl," Sittenfeld
Handout: "Work Together to End Internalized Oppression of Sexism."
Extra Spend some time noticing how women treat one another. To what extent does it mimic,
Credit: or parallel, the way women are treated by men? How do you feel when you are treated
poorly by another woman? Does it feel different than when you're treated poorly by a
man? How? Write two pages about your musings for 10 points. For an additional 10
points, interview two of your women friends and one of your male friends. Ask the
women the above questions. Ask the man what he thinks about the way women treat
one another.
April 21
Reading
Extra
Credit:
Gender
Above
In many other cultures there are more than two genders. Read the linked article about
the way some Native American tribes look at gender--write a one-page synopsis, and a
one-page reflection on the author's premise. 10 points
April 26 Sexuality
Reading Sexuality and relationships, pp. 149-160 (Women)
"Lusting for freedom," Walker, "Tight jeans and chania chorris," Shah.
Handout
April 28 Sexualities
Readings From Women, pp. 164-171
"Chicks Goin' At It," Higginbotham (Voices)
RP #3 Due Tuesday, May 4th
Midterm Interview Paper Due!
Extra Write a two-page reflection paper on the ways in which you learned about female
Credit: sexuality. Did you get the information primarily from your parents? The media? Your
friends? How much of the information you received was empowering? What was disempowering, or confusing? Where have you been able to get accurate and helpful
information? Two pages, 10 points.
May 3 Women and work
Reading From Women, pp. 187-206 & 236-249
"The Wage Gap: Myths and Facts," National Committee on Pay Equity
May 5
Reading
Extra
Credit:
Sexual harassment in the workplace--how does it affect women (and men)?
From Women, pp. 207-213
Each term I'm surprised by the numbers of women in my classes who have already
experienced extensive sexual harrassment in both or either the workplace or the
classroom. Tell me your story. Interview some friends and tell me their stories. It is
particularly interesting to interview women who are working in or taking classes about
areas where men typically dominate (the sciences, for example). Three pages, 15
points.
May 10 Women and Violence
Reading Violence Against Women in Intimate Relationships, pp. 447- 502 (Women).
Handout: "The Sexual Victimization of College Women," Cindy Hanford.
Extra You have a couple of different options for this paper. You can write a paper about
Credit: some way you have experienced violence in your own life. You can also interview
someone you know who has experienced violence in her life. Alternatively, you can
find some stories in books or on the internet written by women who have experienced
violence. The goal? To explore the ways in which this violence impacts all of our lives.
How has the experience of violence in your own life, or the awareness that other
women experience violence, impinged on your life? Does it limit the things you do?
Five points per page, up to five pages.
May 12 Poverty
Reading "Knowledge is power," Rangel; "The immaculate conception," Richards (Voices)
In Women, pp. 231-249
Due Tuesday, May 18th
RP #4
Extra
How does, or has, poverty impact your life? Two pages, 10 points.
Credit:
May 17 Women's bodies
Reading Female Beauty, pp. 107-134, in Women.
"This place called home," Smith; "Betrayal feminism," Chambers
Extra Read the linked page on women's bodies and disability. The author makes some very
Credit: bold claims. What do you think? (Don't just argue!)
May 19 Body image
Reading "It's a big fat revolution," Lamm; "The Body Politic," Chernik; "What is Mine,"
Lennon (Voices)
Extra This is another personal reflection paper. How did you learn what your body should
Credit: look like? Who were your role models--both positive and negative? What did they
teach you, both overtly and unconsciously, about how you should look to the world?
Two pages, ten points.
May 24 Women's rights
Reading The Legal System, pp. 159-187 and Women and the Health Care System, pp. 266-287,
in Women.
Extra Go to the WomenWatch website. Find some topic there that interests you and write a
Credit: two-page paper about it. Consider doing an in-class presentation? 10 points.
May 26 Reproductive Rights
Reading "One Resilient Baby," Green; "Abortion, Vacuum Cleaners and the Power Within,
Muscio; "And so I chose," Crews; "Woman Who Clears the Way," Tiger(Voices)
RP #5 Your fifth RP is an evaluation of the class. This paper is very important to me, and I
pay close attention to your feedback. As I hope you know by now, I'm very commited
to making this class work as well as it can for everyone involved. Please be as honest
as you feel comfortable with, and answer the following questions:
1) What has worked well for you, personally, about this class?
2) What hasn't worked so well?
3) What was your favorite topic? Why?
4) What was your least favorite topic? Why?
5) What would you encourage me to continue, or even expand upon?
6) What would you encourage me to drop, or do less of?
Thank you very much.
This paper is due next week, either Tuesday or Thursday.
Extra Abortion is a very volatile issue that, in my opinion, is very difficult to think about
Credit: clearly. Everyone has a lot of feelings about a whole array of important issues that are
entwined in the debate. These feelings tend to overshadow people's best thinking about
women, our rights, our bodies, the rights of children, and just how complex this issue
is. If you are pro-choice, find some information about, or interview someone, who is
pro-life. If you are pro-life, find some information about, or interview someone, who is
pro-choice. Write a two-page paper wherein you try to separate your feelings from your
thinking. This is a chance for you to explore the issue and become more informed and
empathetic about its importance to both sides of the debate. If the paper is well done,
you can receive 10 points.
May 31 Women and power
Readings Women organizing: Many issues, many voices (Women)
"Don't Call Me a Survivor," Morgan; "Why I Fight Back," Walker; "Two Jews, Three
Opinions," Neidorf; (Voices)
Extra The National Organization for Women (NOW) is sponsoring a program called The
Credit: Drive for Equality. Go to their website and explore what this is all about. What do you
think of this idea? Do you think it will work? Does it in any way encourage or inspire
you? Two pages, 10 points.
June 2
Continuation of Tuesday's discussion
There will be no final exam
Reflection Papers:
Each week there are several readings assigned, from two different texts. You are asked to write
three full pages on at least four of the readings. Write a brief (one paragraph) synopsis of the
readings you liked the best--you will use these during class discussions. The rest of the paper
should consist of your thinking, opinions, musings, arguments, etc. In order to get full credit, you
must write three full pages! And again, please check the writing requirements that are linked to
this syllabus to make sure you understand what is being expected from you. (back)
Midterm Paper:
This is a five-seven page write-up of an interview you will conduct with a woman from a
background quite different from yours. Include a brief discussion of how what you've learned so
far in this class has affected your understanding of the woman you're interviewing, as regards the
context of her life.
Please be sure you anwer the following questions:
How has being female shaped her life?
How have the other factors of her life--her socio-economic background, religion, family
situation, sexual orientation, race, etc.--determined, or not, the course of her life?
What were/are her dreams? To what extent were/are they realized?
And/or any other questions you think are relevant to this interview and paper.
Introduce your paper by telling me how you found your interviewee.
Conclude your paper by reflecting on what you learned by both the interview, and your analysis
of the interview.
To what extent are/were you able to see her as the subject of her own life, as opposed to an
object in yours?
How do you see that gender has impinged on, or enhanced (or both) her life?
Please be sure to quote your interviewee to back up your analyses!
You must reference at least three of the readings we've done for class.
You must let me know who you will be interviewing by Tuesday of the third week of classes
(April 13th). (back)
The paper is due absolutely no later than Thursday, April 29th.
Final Project:
Our class will produce a 'zine, consisting of articles written by each of you either individually, or
in groups (your choice). Content of the articles will be discussed at great length in class, and in
your mentor sessions. If this project does not appeal to you, you may read a biography or
autobiography of a woman involved in one of the three feminist and/or civil rights movements,
and write a book review. Please check with me if you choose this option.
Extra Credit:
There are several ways for you to get extra credit points in this class.
1) You can write the extra credit papers suggest in the syllabus (in red).
2) You can go to events on PSU campus that relate to the class. These events are worth 10
points each. You must write a paragraph or two that synopsizes the event for me. For an extra
10 points you can write a 2-page paper that describes the event in more detail.
3) You can to to events off-campus that relate to the class. These events are worth 20 points
each. The same requirements apply to them as the on-campus events.
4) You can give a brief (3-minute) presentation on some aspect of women's studies not covered
in the class (10 points). You must give me a brief write-up of your presentation, which includes
your references.
5) Suggest something else to me! (back)
[1] In Other Words is located at 3734 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Tel: 503.232.6003.
Return Policy: Returns are accepted up to two weeks after the first day of the term (one week for summer courses). In order to receive a
refund, books must be in brand new condition with no bends or marks.
Buy Back Policy: Buybacks are based on projections of future need, so we may not buy back every title.
[2] hooks, bell (1994). Engaged pedagogy. In Teaching to transgress: Education as the
practice of freedom. NY: Routledge.
[3] The compact edition of the Oxford English dictionary (1971). Oxford University Press, p.
2110.
[4] This is also sometimes referred to as, and is certainly akin to, critical pedagogy, feminist
pedagogy, literacy of power, education for critical consciousness, etc. The concept will be
thoroughly discussed in class.
[5] Boyce, Mary E. (2002). Teaching critically as an act of praxis and resistance. Electronic
journal of radical organization theory [Online], 2 (2). Available:
http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/ejrot/.
http://web.pdx.edu/~ingham/syllabi/WS/WS04.html
Syllabus for the Course: American Studies: American Pluralism
University Studies 212C
American Studies: American Pluralism
Sophomore Inquiry: Fall 2007
Perplexities of American Pluralism
INSTRUCTOR:
Michael A. Toth, Ph.D.
Office: CH 271T
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 1:30 - 2:30 pm & by appointment
Phone: 725-3620 or email: tothm@pdx.edu
Mentor:
Shannon Riley
email: sriley@pdx.edu
Many downloads on this site are in pdf or
Adobe Acrobat format
if your computer does not currently have
Adobe Acrobat Reader
you may download a free copy by
clicking here
Required Reading:
1) Packet of Select Readings, available from Smart Copy, 1915 SW 5th Street
and
2) One of the following six "autobiographies" (to be assigned):
The Rice Room:
Growing Up Chinese-American
by Ben Fong-Torres
Between Mecca and Main Street:
Muslim Life in America After 9/11,
by Geneive Abdo
Standing Tall:
The Lifeway of Kathryn Jones Harrison,
by Kristine Olson
Crossing Over:
A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail,
by Ruben Martinez
Makes Me Wanna Holler:
A Young Black Man in America,
by Nathan McCall
Bread Givers,
by Anzia Yezierska
Working Schedule:
Week Date Course Topics
Readings
Additional Resources
1
Sep
24
Introduction to the Term
Explanation of Syllabus
Syllabus Schedule
# 1, 2, 3, & 4
PBS NPR
The Oregonian
The New York Times
Whadda Ya Think?
American Exceptionalism
Historical Overview
# 5, 6, 7, & 8
American Exceptionalism
Historical Overview
# 9, 10, & 11
Street Calculus Cartoon
Your Own Status Calculus
Status Set Worksheet
Seeing the World(s)
Drawing the Line(s)
# 12, 13, & 14
Brief Multiple Reality Quiz
Drawing the Line Exercise
Questioning "Eruvs"
Ethnicity, Race, Religion,
Nationality, Gender
Dilemmas: Myth or Reality
# 15, 16, 17, 18,
& 19
Family Tree
"America Me" Essay
Clues of Category
Assimilation
Historical/Contemporary
# 20, 21, 22, & 23
Understanding American
Exceptionalism
Ellis Island Website
Oct
15
Anglo Primacy: The Melting Pot
(the old immigration and platitudes)
# 20, 21, 22, & 23
Myth of the Melting Pot
Oct
17
Outliers: Indigenous People
(Leave Us Alone)
# 24 & 25
Wounded Knee Massacre
What is a Nation?
What is a People?
# 26, 27, & 28
Nationality & Peoplehood: Things
to Think About
Pluralism & Unity
Oct
24
Outliers: Black Exceptionalism
(We Shaped the Culture But Can’t
Get In)
# 29, 30, & 31
Synopsis of Black History
Black Culture Quiz
Answers-Black Culture Quiz
Oct
29
Asian Americans
(Not Always Quiet Absorption)
# 32
Japanese American Internment
.Ordeal at Wausau
Oct
31
Hispanic Americans
(Changing the Rules)
# 33 & 34
Practice Questions
Time Immigration Poll
Nov
5
Review and Reflections,
Discussion...
Sep
26
2
Oct
1
Oct
3
3
Oct
8
Oct
10
4
5
6
7
Oct
22
Working Concepts
Frames of Reference
Central Message of the Readings
Exercise
Nov
7
8
9
10
11
Muslim/Arab Americans
(Fundamental/ist Challenge)
# 35
Exam - Part I
A Test of Faiths
Answers to Test of Faiths
Nov
12
The Anomaly of Sex/Gender
Nov
14
Contemporary Strains: New "isms"
and Identity Politics
#38 & 39
.Where We Are Now
Nov
19
Post-Culturalism Possible?
Summing Up
# 40, 41, & 42
About the Portfolio
Exam - Part II
Nov
21
~ Thanksgiving Holiday Break ~
Nov
26
GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Nov
28
GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Dec
5
Completed Portfolio and All Assignments Due - Cramer 217T
# 36 & 37
Lives Together,
Worlds Apart.
List of Required Portfolio Items T.B.A.
http://web.pdx.edu/~tothm/pluralism/
Other University Studies Cluster Courses of Note
AJ 320U - Theories of Crime
Course Description: An overview of historical, sociological, biological, psychological,
economic, and Marxist theories of crime causation. Particular attention is made to critically
analyzing each theory presented in terms of its internal consistency and logic as well as its fit
with data on crime, criminals, and victims. Policy implications stemming from these theories will
be discussed.
AJ 465U - Criminology and Social Justice Theory
Course Description: Begins with an analysis of critical criminology theories and their underlying
assumptions. Explores the connections between critical criminology and social justice, the social
justice movement, and the communities wherein social justice is practiced. Application of social
justice theory to criminal justice policy and practice has created a new set of social response
mechanisms to crime and delinquency: mediation, restitution, and restorative justice.
BSt 419U - African-American Women in America
Course Description: Designed to investigate the evolution of the African American woman from
slavery to the contemporary period. African American women's agency will be examined in the
antislavery, suffrage, club, civil rights, nationalist, black feminist, and current movements for
social justice.
Introduction to Peace Studies: 4 credits CR399U CRN 10796 TR 12:00-13:50 PCAT 140.
This course is designed to introduce us to the subject of Peace Studies. The fields we will
examine include history of nonviolent thought and action, the writings of the greatest
practitioners, conflict resolution, negotiation, intercultural communication, cross-cultural conflict
resolution from local to global, international political conflict, interpersonal communication,
social movement theory, war system & peace system analysis, philosophical and spiritual
approaches, psychological elements of war and peace and how these disciplines merge to provide
background and tools for understanding conflict management methods leading to either war or
peace.
Geog 347U - Environmental Issues and Action
Course Description: Examines environmentalism as a phenomenon reflecting cultural appraisals
of nature and society’s relationship to it. Explores the history and ideology of the environmental
movement, and investigates the contemporary structure, concerns, effects, critiques, and
directions of environmentalism.
Hst 341U - Women and Gender in America 1848-1920
Course Description: Explores the diverse experiences of women in the United States between
1848 and 1920. Key themes include slavery, emancipation, and Reconstruction; colonialism and
resistance; women's rights and social reform; education and wage labor; immigration/migration;
and Victorianism and sexual modernism.
Phl 310U - Environmental Ethics
Course Description: Critical study of issues raised by the attempt to formulate an adequate
environmental ethic. Some of these issues deal with how our treatment of the environment
affects other human beings, i.e., future generations. Others have to do with how non-human
beings are to be treated. Do animals have rights? Do species have rights? Do our proper moral
concerns extend to such things as trees, rivers, and possibly the planet itself? A number of
current problems will be considered, such as population control, limits to growth, global
warming, and endangered species.
Psy 310U - Psychology of Women
Course Description: Review and evaluate assumptions underlying psychological research on
women. Survey the research in areas such as the development of sex differences, acquisition of
gender roles and maintenance of gender stereotypes. Explore the pertinence of these findings to
topical areas such as women’s work roles, women and mental health, and the women’s
movement.
Sci 347U - Science, Gender, and Social Context
Course Description: Two-term course explores the strengths and limitations of science to
describe and predict nature through laboratory and field investigations. These activities will
illustrate the transition from a reductionist view of our natural environment to a systems-oriented
view. It will place this historical shift in understanding and scientific practice in the contexts of
gender, race, and class using selected case studies in environmental management. Includes
laboratory and/or fieldwork.
Sci 357U - Sustainability in the United States-Mexico Border Region
Course Description: Explores environmental and economic sustainability issues at the U.S.Mexico border. Dialogue with U.S. and Mexican border residents; tours of immigration facilities
and multinational factories; homestays with working class families; and service with Mexicanbased agencies. Spanish language skills not required.
Sci 365U - The Science of Women's Bodies
Course Description: The female human body is studied from a multidisciplinary perspective
including anatomy, physiology, genetics, cell biology, endocrinology and human development,
as well as biochemistry. Current social, cultural and political topics related to the science and
policy of women's health are also discussed. This course is the same as WS 365; may only be
taken once for credit.
Sp 337U - Communication and Gender
Course Description: Study and practice of the skills involved in competent communication
(primarily comprehensive listening and reading, and speaking and writing) in order to separate
myths, assumptions and notions from the facts, realities and truths about communication and
about women and men. Examination of communication and gender topics will include: the role
of anger in communicating about gender issues; the impact of the type of information on
discussions about gender; gender difference as a “catch all” explanation for gender problems; the
facts of differences being confused with attitudes about differences; perception of women and
men as speaking different languages and communicator behaviors as choices.
WS 306U - Women, Environment and Activism
Course Description: Study of gender issues in an international perspective. Courses will focus on
a theme that can be studied comparatively, such as gender and public policy, or on a particular
country or national/ethnic group, such as Filipina women. This course is repeatable with
different topics.
WS 308U - Topics in Gender, Literature, and Popular Culture
Course Description: Media, popular culture, and literature from a feminist perspective which
focuses on how gender and other dimensions of power relations are expressed, reproduced, and
challenged within cultural expression. Such topics as lesbian/gay literature, gender/difference in
television, and women in contemporary film.
WS 347U - Science, Gender, and Social Context
Course Description: Two-term course explores the strengths and limitations of science to
describe and predict nature through laboratory and field investigations. These activities will
illustrate the transition from a reductionist view of our natural environment to a systems-oriented
view. It will place this historical shift in understanding and scientific practice in the contexts of
gender, race, and class using selected case studies in environmental management. Includes
laboratory and/or fieldwork. This course is the same as Sci 347, 348; may only be taken once for
credit.
WS 360U - Introduction to Queer Studies
Course Description: An interdisciplinary course that focuses on the lives of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and trans people in historical and social context. Looks at the historical roots and
political uses of sexual norms and sexual identities and explores the complex interactions of race,
class, gender, and desire. Finally, looks at some of the current political contests around sexuality
Senior Capstone
Senior Capstone is the culmination of the University Studies program. Capstone courses are
designed by Portland State University's faculty to build cooperative learning communities by
taking students out of the classroom and into the field. In Capstone courses, students bring
together the knowledge, skills, and interests developed to this point through all aspects of their
education, to work on a community project. Students from a variety of majors and backgrounds
work as a team, pooling resources, and collaborating with faculty and community leaders to
understand and find solutions for issues that are important to them as literate and engaged
citizens.
http://www.pdx.edu/unst/capstone.html
Senior Capstone Sample Courses
UNST 421, Ballot Initiatives, Society, and the Environment
Josh Binus, binus@pdx.edu
Students will explore and analyze the use of ballot initiatives in Oregon's past that have
attempted to regulate government, society, and the natural environment. During the term,
students will be introduced to various research, writing, and editing strategies and will then work
as researchers for the Ballot Measure Archive Project, a collaborative effort to document
Oregon's most important ballot measures. Specifically, students will actively gather campaignrelated historical materials such as photographs, manuscript records, audio and video recordings,
maps, ephemera, and artifacts for preservation in the archives of the Oregon Historical Society.
Different ballot measures are researeched each term, with a wide variety of topics available for
study. A sample of issues covered includes: environmental (fishing, forestry, land use, water
quality, hunting and trapping, recycling, and nuclear power), criminal justice (mandatory
minimums, victim's rights, sentencing guidelines, evidence and parole, and death penalty), social
justice (gay rights, right-to-die, and abortion rights), education, public utility regulation,
campaign financing, taxes, and more.
UNST 421, Civic Leadership for Social Change
Stephanie Blackman, stblackman@yahoo.com
Students in this Capstone will build skills in leading projects with Hands On Portland
(www.handsonportland.org), which provides opportunities for volunteer service throughout the
Portland area. Using the TeamWorks model HOP has already created, students will participate in
a series of volunteer projects related to a specific topic area and create a curriculum to prompt
reflection on and understanding of related issues. Students will document their efforts in a binder
that can be used for HOP teams in the future. Possible topic areas include sustainability, literacy,
and immigration, among others; please contact the instructor at blackman@pdx.edu prior to the
start of the term for more information on which topic has been chosen. Scheduled class meetings
include volunteer service time.
UNST 421, Inside-Out: Understanding Marginalized Communities - Dialog and
Understanding
Amy Spring, springa@pdx.edu
This Capstone course you are in provides an opportunity for a small group of students from
Portland State University and a group of residents from Coffee Creek Correctional facility to
exchange perceptions about crime, justice, and the ways in which marginalized communities are
affected by public policy. It is a chance for participants to gain a deeper understanding of how
income, communities of color and specifically women are affected by incarceration policies in
Oregon and the US. This will be accomplished by marrying theoretical knowledge and practical
experiences in weekly meetings extended throughout the term. This course will be held with a
group of women at Coffee Creek, and topics will include criminal justice, correctional as well as
issues of interest and concern to women, especially as these topics relate to incarceration. This
class will take place inside the prison located 20 minutes from PSU. Participation requires all
students to pass a background check.
UNST 421, Local Justice: Social Justice Education for Adolescents
Cynthia Gomez, gomezc@pdx.edu
This course is an advanced exploration of diversity and social justice in the United States. This
Capstone provides students with an exploration of adolescent development theory; a framework
for understanding specific forms and the interlocking systems of oppression; a process to explore
how oppression affects our lives; a pedagogical framework for teaching and training about
concepts of oppression and diversity; and an application of these ideologies and skills in
secondary schools.
UNST 421, Preserving LGBTQ History
Christa Orth, corth@pdx.edu
This course introduces methods of preserving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer
history. The course examines the ways community and academic historians document the often
hidden history of LGBTQ communities. The Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest
is our community partner as we learn about recording oral histories and processing the archival
collections of our queer history in Oregon.
UNST 421, Sexual Minority Youth
Molly Gray, mcg@pdx.edu
This course examines the paths that sexual and gender minority youth navigate in society,
exploring such questions as: What challenges do LGBTQ youth encounter? How do they cope,
survive, find understanding and celebrate themselves amidst homophobia and intolerance? How
do LGBTQ experiences vary across race, class, religion, gender and expression? Has the
growing mobilization for LGBT rights included the needs and voices of youth? What resources
are available locally for youth and how can youth needs be brokered by the community at large?
Our community partner is the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC). Thank you for
your help!
UNST 421, Women’s Oral Narratives: Girl Power
Sally Eck, ecks@pdx.edu
In this course, we will be working with our community partner, the local non-profit feminist
bookstore IN OTHER WORDS and their sister organization, The Women's Community
Education Project. Our project is to coordinate a series of *rap sessions* with local teen girls
about current issues in their lives. We will use these group conversations to encourage the girls
to become a part of our ZINE project -- where they will write, edit, and publish a grassroots,
mini-magazine with our class. In preparation for this project, we will read feminist scholarship
about teenage girls as well as focus groups and zine publishing methodologies.
Beyond War: Challenge to Change Our Thinking About War
Debbie Kaufman, dkaufman@pacifier.com
Students will be challenged to examine their assumptions about war and to become part of an
alternative solution to conflict--personally, in our community, and in the world. This course will
teach students about the foundational ideas of Beyond War, principles for everyday living, and
prepare them to facilitate discussions challenging others to change their thinking about war.
Topics will include: the interdependent nature of our living system; the effects of using war as a
method for resolving problems; alternatives to war, including nonviolent conflict resolution
processes; and, cooperation and collaboration among peoples and nations. Projects will include
various roles in researching and developing materials, arranging and/or making presentations,
and coordinating and leading discussion groups on Beyond War principles.
Community Action Theater
Eden Isenstein, edennaomi@gmail.com
This course will provide students the opportunity to develop skills as educators, activists and
leaders. Students will learn about the dynamics of sexual assault on college campuses. Students
will also study different forms of activist theatre and use this knowledge to create interactive
performances for the PSU community. Outside of class assignments include: journaling, reading
and committee work.
Debt Cancellation and the Millennium Development Goals: Grassroots Advocates
Changing the Terms of the Debate
Pat Rumer, activistap@yahoo.com
Debt cancellation is one of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals** that seek to
eradicate poverty by 2015. More than half of African nations continue to spend more on debt
than health care for their citizens. Sub-Saharan Africa pays almost $1.5 billion in debt services to
the wealthy nations and international financial institutions. This course will explore such
questions as: What are the origins of the debt burden? Does this debt burden impact South-North
migration? What impact do global advocacy networks have on international institutions? Our
community partner will be Jubilee Oregon that engages the public through education, advocacy
and direct action.
Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in America
Beth Stafford, beth@pdx.edu
Through various mediums, students will explore events in our history when intolerance arose
from the fear, suspicion, and anger of ordinary people--the same impulses that still cause discord
today--and will be brought face-to-face with the negative and often tragic consequences of
prejudice and hate; but they will also learn about the hope and heroism that true moral conviction
inspires. Exposure to intolerance will include both historical and fictional accounts of the
struggles of alienated groups throughout our country's history to the present time, and will lead
to class discussions and writings reflecting on important issues the works evoke. Besides the
required course work, you will engage in collaborative projects of your choice, which will
consist of outreach activities in the community. Faculty will provide more information on this in
class, but students should be prepared to spend at least four hours per week outside of class to
devote to projects.