College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Women’s and Gender Studies Program
WGS/ES 191 Women, Gender Identity, and Ethnicity
Course Time: Mondays and Wednesdays: 7pm-8:15pm
Location: SBS WEST, Room 104
Instructor: Myra Ferell-Womochil
Office Hours: By appointment
E-mail: myra.ferell@nau.edu
“After hundreds of years of anti-racist struggle, more than ever before non-white people
are currently calling attention to the primary role white people must play in antiracist
struggle. The same is true of the struggle to eradicate sexism- men have a primary role to
play… in particular, men have a tremendous contribution to make… in the area of
exposing, confronting, opposing, and transforming the sexism of their male peers.”
~bell hooks
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, to
accept, and celebrate those differences.” ~Audre Lorde
Course Prerequisites:
There are no course prerequisites. This course can be used to fulfill Northern Arizona’s
liberal studies credit.
Course Description:
This course provides an introduction to intersections of gender and ethnicity primarily
within the United States. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we will explore the ways in
which gender and ethnicity are socially constructed and how they intersect and affect
individuals in various institutions such as school, media and the family. The primary
focus of this course will be on the experiences of women of various races/ethnicities,
though it will also investigate some issues surrounding manhood and masculinities, as
well as include discussions of sexuality and class. While the title of this course lists
“women, gender and ethnicity,” many argue that the entire “matrix of domination” based
on racism, classism, sexism, and many other forms of oppression must be exposed and
dismantled for genuine progressive change to occur. Therefore, there are two central
themes in this course: the recognition that these mutually reinforcing systems of
oppression come together to form the foundations of society(ies)~ AND~ and the ways
that feminist scholars and activists have written about and theorized the modalities of
resistance to these systems of oppression. By focusing on the significance of gender and
ethnicity on the experiences of women, the course provides an interdisciplinary
perspective often ignored in traditional scholarship. The class will also examine how the
intersectionality of various oppressions exists in diverse cultural settings. The readings
will introduce you to some of the tools of gender analysis and lead you to investigate the
social construction of gender in cultural, historical, economic, and political contexts.
Particular attention will be paid to the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, and class.
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Distribution Block:
This is a liberal studies course fulfilling the Cultural Understanding distribution block.
Courses in this block provide students with an experience of diverse cultures [different
from their own], and an analytic framework that facilitates awareness of how cultures
vary and shape human experience. Our primary focus and work will be to enhance
students' understanding of the ways gender intersects with ethnicity, race, and class, as
well as with age, sexual orientation, national origin, and religion, on local, national, and
international levels. We explore the politics of cultural representations of gender and
ethnicity through a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach. To assist us in
understanding how these various systems determine women’s lives, we will draw upon
the experiences of women within different communities. Despite highlighting the distinct
experiences of women within their respective communities, the course will emphasize the
complex heterogeneity of these social groups rather than impose an artificial uniformity
on them.
Essential Skills:
The essential skill of this course is critical thinking. Through this course students should
learn to:
• Convey, to an intended audience, the meaning of a statement
• Assess the validity of a claim, taking into account different conceptual schemes,
contextual factors, and evidence
• Evaluate an argument’s structure by determining whether the conclusion would be
probable if the premises were true
Student Learning Expectations/Outcomes
for this Course In this course, you will:
• Recognize, critically examine, and articulate the many ways that gender intersects with
ethnicity, race, and class, as well as with age, sexual orientation, national origin, and
religion, on local, national, and international levels.
• Recognize and understand the ways that intersectionality of various oppressions exists
in diverse cultural settings;
• Recognize and understand the ways resistance and agency emerge in response to these
systems of oppression
• Identify and explain various feminist concepts, issues, and concerns raised in class.
• Learn and practice critical reading and reasoning, and recognize and evaluate multiple
meanings embedded in various materials.
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• Synthesize and assess theoretical arguments and represent conclusions in written and
oral presentations.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:
Methods of Assessment:
We will use different forms of assessment to assess your achievement of the learning
objectives listed above. They include: attendance and class participation, five quizzes,
five topic activities, seven short journal submissions, one sexual violence prevention
exam, three short papers and a presentation.
Course structure/approach:
The format of this course is a combination of lecture, class discussion, videos, reading
and observation. The lectures will supplement the assigned reading material so it is
important for students to attend class regularly in addition to reading the assigned
material. Participation is critical for comprehension and it is expected. Participation is a
portion of the student’s overall grade which means it is imperative to keep up with the
reading assignments and come to class prepared. Also, all the writing assignments (aside
from the journals) require that use at least three readings to support your ideas. There will
be pop quizzes covering the readings.
If you do miss class, you should ask your “class buddy” for the
notes. I will not email notes to each student who is absent for
any reason. I do not take work via email. All late work will
loose 5 points each late day. If you want to turn in a late paper
on: Tuesday or Thursday or Friday, you must bring a hard
copy to my box in the WGS office and ask for a dated stamp.
Textbook and required materials:
Stockett, Katheryn (2009). The Help. New York: New York. Penguin Group
THE REMAINDER OF THE READINGS ARE LOADED ON YOUR VISTA SHELL
All readings are due every Monday of each week- some weeks there will pop quizzes on
the readings.
Written Work Standards:
All written assignments must be typed, double-spaced, in either 12-point
Times New Roman or Ariel fonts with standard margins: 1 inch on top,
bottom, and right and left. It is required that all written assignments are
free of grammatical and spelling errors.
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If you are unsure of your writing abilities, visit the Writing Center for
assistance.
Some assignments, which will be noted throughout this syllabus, must
include a bibliography and/or correct citations. Please note that not
citing your sources is PLAGIARISM.
Please review NAU’s Plagiarism Policy for complete information.
Please use the APA format for all writing assignments. In class we will
discuss correct formatting. Also, I do not allow .coms as valid sourcesonly .gov or .edu WIKIPEDIA is not a valid or realible source!!!!
Each paper should use the readings to back up your points, for an A
paper, you should site at least THREE of the readings from the books.
Late papers will lose a minimum of FIVE POINTS per each day late. If
you know that you will not be able to turn in a paper on the date it is
due, please discuss it with me in advance.
For help on citations, visit these websites:
http://www.cal.nau.edu/english/writing_links.asp Tons of helpful links
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ APA Formatting
Ground Rules For Class
Discussion:
৩ Let us respect each other~ even in moments of disagreements.
৩ Due to the sensitive nature of the topics~ many people’s core values might be
challenged and/or examined. This is done, not redefine what is “truth” or what is “right”,
but as a chance to critically think about things that go unspoken or unquestioned. Allow
your class mates the space to feel and express in this class.
৩ Listen to what other people say without interrupting. Respect and allow expression of
feelings.
৩ Use sentences that begin with “I” when sharing values or feelings (as opposed to
“you”).
৩ avoid the use put-downs (i.e. snubbing or humiliating people on purpose). Slurs of any
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kind will be NOT be tolerated in class, if you choose to verbally attack another student,
you will be asked to leave.
৩ Respect confidentiality.
৩ Be on Time.
৩ Please turn off cell phones~ and avoid texting in class.
৩ Please~ avoid side talk.
৩ If you would like to bring a guest to class, please consult with me first. AND- your
guest will also be expected to follow these rules as well.
If any of these rules are broken, you may be asked to leave class.
Course Requirements:
Assignments included in this syllabus may change. If changes occur, I will notify the
class as soon as I am aware of the changes.
Participation and Attendance (100 points):
Students are required to regularly attend class and actively engage in class discussions
and activities. More than two unexcused absences, coming to class unprepared or not
participating in discussions will adversely affect your final grade. You will not be able to
fully participate if you have not completed the assigned readings. All the readings are due
every Monday. Each paper MUST be linked to the readings, the quizzes will cover the
readings, your papers must use your readings as sources. You cannot successfully
complete this class without doing the readings. Take notes on the main points of each
reading: what the connections between the readings are, your reactions, and any questions
you have (note below that written questions are part of your participation grade). Also
watch for assigned terms and make notes of the definitions and the context in which they
are used. These notes will be helpful for you during class discussions, in writing your
journals and preparing for quizzes and other assignments.
ALSO~ I do not allow computers, phones, ipods, headphones OR any other toy in my
class. Please do text during lecture time.
Journals (7 journals at 14 points each, 100 points total – you get a free 2 ):
Your Journal is due every other week over the course of the semester. I am looking for
two journal “critical thoughts” at each due date. A critical thought is a thought that is
NOT centered around OPINION. When thinking about the social world, you look for
research that supports your thoughts or you develop your thoughts beyond: “I like…” or
“I thought it was interesting.” You have to bring it out to : “I like this reading because….
and it relates to my life this way… I can see how it might be different to someone this
way….” These “critical thoughts” can be illustrated through poetry, narrative or essay as
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they relate to what we have been doing in class. There is also a place for you to turn in
journals on the VISTA shell in the “discussions” section.
Five Quizzes (100 points):
There will be five quizzes given throughout the semester that cover the readings- these
are pop quizzes!!! Some quizzes will be posted on your VISTA shell.
The MARS Project (150 points):
The MARS Project is a student group in town who has offered some of their material to
this class. They are focused on sexual violence prevention- I will be covering some of
their material. You will take a Pre-Test that is worth 50 points automatically, the purpose
of this test is to measure what you new before this class. After the material is covered,
you will take a Post-Test that is worth whatever you earn, the purpose of this test is to
measure what learned from class. Finally, you will take a second post test on the last day
of class to measure what you retained on the information. The goal is to impart some very
basic information concerning rape prevention.
Topic Activities (100):
There will be four “topic activities”; you will be given a question that relates to the
readings and a list of movies to choose from. You will watch one of the movies and relate
it to your course content. Please do not tell me what the movie is about, I have seen ALL
the movies. I am looking for you to illustrate that you understand the concept at hand.
Each analysis will be 2-3 pages.
TWO PAPERS:
Intersectionality Paper (100 points):
This paper provides the opportunity to examine, apply, and critically analyze the concept
of intersectionality as it relates to your own experiences with gender and ethnicity. This
paper will be between five and six pages and will demonstrate your understanding of the
core concepts of this course, to date. Most importantly, it is your opportunity to reflect
your ability and demonstrate the essential skill to write and think critically.
The Help (100 points):
This paper will illustrate your ability to explore the ideas we are learning about in class as
they relate to this fictional novel. This paper will be between three to five pages and will
demonstrate your ability to make connections.
Critical Issue Project (100 points):
We will discuss this project in class.
Extra Credit (up to 100 points):
During the semester, events will come up that will relate to the course material. You can
earn extra credit by attending these events and writing a one page analysis on the event. I
will announce events as they come up.
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Points and Grades Participation (be prepared and present every day):
50 Points Attendance: 100 points
Journals: 100 points
Quizzes: 100 points
The MARS Project: 150 points
Topic Activities: 100 points
Intersectionality Paper: 100 points
The Help: 100 points
Critical Issue Project: 100 points
Total Points: 850
Extra Credit Opportunity: 100 points
Grades: A 850-765
B 764-680
C 679-595
D 594-510
F 509-0
Assignments included in this syllabus may change. If changes occur, I will notify the
class as soon as I am aware of the changes.
Week One: Welcome to class! Introduction~
MARS Pre test (in class)
Introduce Critical Issue
Week Two: The Social Construction of Privilege and Oppression
Readings for this Week:
*Ore: Constructing differences
*Unpacking the Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
*Deutsch: The Male Privilege Checklist
Assigned: Topic Activity”
DUE Next Wednesday
Please watch one of the following movies and write a 2 page analysis illustrating this
idea: “Social Construction is subject to change”.
Use the film as an example.
Apply writing standards
*1984 *House Bunny *Trucker *Mr. Mom *Joan of Arc *The Road
*If these walls could talk part 1 or part 2 *Normal *Boys Don’t Cry
Assign Critical Issue Groups
JOURNAL DUE Next week~
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Week Three: Media
Readings for this Week:
*10 reasons poster
*Advertising Exposure
*Critical Viewing
*Butsch: Five Decades and Three Hundred Sitcoms
*Higginbotham: Teen Mags
Topic Activity Due
Journal One Due
Assign Critical Issue Groups
Week Four: Body Image
Readings for this Week:
*Wolf: The Beauty Myth
*Piepzna-Samarasinha: What it feels like when it finally comes
*Mukhopadhyay: Trial by Media
*MacKinnon:Civil Rights Against Pornography
*Lourde Uses of the erotic
*Kesselman: Gender and Women’s Bodies
Assigned: Topic Activity
DUE Next Wednesday
Please watch one of the following movies and write a 2 page analysis illustrating this
idea: “The Media Plays a Significant Role in How Men and Women View Themselves”.
Use the film as an example.
Apply writing standards.
*The Devil Wears Prada *Bridget Jones’s Diary *The Truth about Cats and Dogs
*Pretty Woman *Romy and Micheles High School Reunion *Coyote Ugly *Failure to
Launch *I Love You Man
Update on Critical Issue
Week Five: Domestic and Sexual Violence
Readings for this Week:
*Davis: Rape, Racism and the Myth of the black rapist
*Perez: When Sexual Autonomy is not enough
*Banyard: Reducing Sexual Violence on Campus
*Kayson: Incapacitated Rape and Alcohol
*Potter: Empowering Bystanders to Prevent Campus Violence Against Women
*Collins: The tie that binds
Topic Activity Due
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Journal Two Due
Update on Critical Issue
Week Six: Relationships
Readings for this Week:
*Lopez: Who Are You Calling A Whore?
*Kipnis: Male Desire, Female Disgust
*Katz: The Invention of heterosexuality
*Smith: Better Dead Than Pregnant
Update on Critical Issue
Week Seven: NAU crime panel
Readings for this Week:
*The Help
Assigned: Topic Activity
DUE Next Wednesday
Apply Writing Standards
Use the Film as an Example
Please watch one of the following movies and write a 2 page analysis illustrating this
idea: “Gender Violence is a Social NORM”.
*Taken *Enough *Hound Dog *North Country *Border Town *Fried Green Tomatoes
*The Accused *Thelma and Lousie
Journal Three Due
Week Eight: Sex and the Body
Readings for this Week:
*Davis: Racism, Birth Control and Reproductive Rights
*Tumang: Nasaan Ka anak ko
*Collins: Booty Call
*Heterosexual Questionaire
*Chase: Hermaphrodites with Attitude
* Badgett: Choices and Chances
*Pharr: Homophobia and Sexism
*The Help
Topic Activity Due
MARS Post test (in class)
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Week Nine: SPRING BREAK! HAVE FUN!
THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO READ THE HELP
Week Ten: Identities and Intersectionality
Readings for this Week:
*Collins: Toward a new vision
*Riley: The Black Beauty Myth Lorde: Age, race, class and sex
*The Help
Assigned: Topic Activity
DUE Next Wednesday
Apply Writing Standards
Use the Film as an Example
Please watch one of the following movies and write a 2 page analysis illustrating this
idea: “People with Multiple Identities face the world in a unique way, for example…”.
*Their Eyes Were Watching God *The Color Purple *Crash *Like Water For Chocolate
*Frida *The Secret Life of Bees *
Journal Four Due
Week Eleven: Gender
Readings for this Week:
*Lorber: The Social Construction of Gender
*Fausto-Sterling: The Five Sexes
*Anderson: Theoretical Perspectives on the Formation of Gender
*Kaufman: The Construction of Masculinity
*The Help
Topic Activity Due
Week Twelve: Gender and Race and Class and Sexuality…
Readings for this Week:
*Moraga: The Guera
*Smith: African American Lesbian and Gay History
*Cameron: Gee, You don’t seem like an Indian from the reservation
*Omi: Racial Formations
*Tatum: Defining Racism, Can we talk?
*The Help
Assigned: Intersectionality Paper
Journal Five Due
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Week Thirteen: Gender and Race and Class and Sexuality…
Readings for this Week:
*Dotollo: Don’t Forget Now, You’re a Black Man in America
*Hurtado: More than Men Cole: No respect, gender politics in hip-hop
*The Help
Week Fourteen: The F-Word
Readings for this Week:
*Pough: Love feminism, but wheres my hip-hop
*What Is Feminism????
*Smith: Native American Feminism Sovereignty and Social Change
* Al-Hibri: Is Western Feminism Good for Third World Minority Women?
* Faludi: Blame it on Feminism
*Barkan: Can Human Rights be Local
*Kesselman: The first and second waves of feminism
Intersectionality Paper Due
Journal Six Due
Assigned: The Help Paper
Week Fifteen: Solutions to Change
Readings for this Week:
*Friedan: The Problem that has no name
*Gilman: Klause Barbie and other dolls
*Herman: A Common Occurrence
* Rodriguez: Breaking the Model
Week Sixteen: Solutions to Change
Readings for this Week:
*Lorde: The Transformation of Silence Into Language and Action
*Galeotti: Relativism, Universalism and Applied Ethics
*Goodhard Origins and Universality in the human rights debates
* Aaronson: Fair Trade
*SVPrevention
The Help Paper Due
Journal Seven Due
MARS Post Post test (in class)
Finals Week:
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NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY POLICY STATEMENTS
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The university takes an extremely serious view of violations of academic integrity. As
members of the academic community, NAU’s administration, faculty, staff and students
are dedicated to promoting an atmosphere of honesty and are committed to maintaining
the academic integrity essential to the education process. Inherent in this commitment is
the belief that academic dishonesty in all forms violates the basic principles of integrity
and impedes learning. Students are therefore responsible for conducting themselves in an
academically honest manner. Individual students and faculty members are responsible for
identifying instances of academic dishonesty. Faculty members then recommend
penalties to the department chair or college dean in keeping with the severity of the
violation. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY is a form of misconduct that is subject to
disciplinary action under the Student Code of Conduct and includes the following:
cheating, fabrication, fraud, facilitating academic dishonesty and plagiarism. 1.
Plagiarism: any attempt to pass off other's work as your own 2. Cheating: any attempt to
gain an unfair, hidden advantage over one's fellow students 3. Fabrication: any attempt to
present information that is not true 4. Fraud: any attempt to deceive an instructor or
administrative officer of the university The complete policy on academic integrity is in
Appendix G of NAU’s Student Handbook. SAFE ENVIRONMENT POLICY NAU’s
Safe Working and Learning Environment Policy seeks to prohibit discrimination and
promote the safety of all individuals within the university. The goal of this policy is to
prevent the occurrence of discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, age, national
origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status and to prevent sexual
harassment, sexual assault or retaliation by anyone at this university. You may obtain a
copy of this policy from the college dean’s office. If you have concerns about this policy,
it is important that you contact the departmental chair, dean’s office, the Office of
Student Life (523-5181), the academic ombudsperson (523-9368), or NAU’s Office of
Affirmative Action (523-3312). STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES If you have a
disability, you can arrange for accommodations by contacting the office of Disability
Support Services (DSS) at 523-8773 (voice) 523-6906 (TTY). You are encouraged to
provide documentation of the disability to DSS at least 8 weeks prior to the beginning of
the semester so arrangements can be made to meet your individual needs. You must
register with DSS each semester you are enrolled and wish to use accommodations.
Faculty are not authorized to provide accommodations without prior approval from DSS.
Students are encouraged to notify their instructors a minimum of one week in advance of
the need for accommodation. Failure to do so may result in a delay in provision of the
accommodation. Concerns may be brought to the attention of the office of Disability
Support Services or to the ADA coordinator in the Affirmative Action Office.
INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD Any study involving observation of or interaction
with human subjects that originates at NAU – including a course project, report, or
research paper – must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
for the protection of human subjects in research and research-related activities. The IRB
meets once each month. Proposals must be submitted for review at least fifteen working
days before the monthly meeting. You should consult with your course instructor early in
the course to ascertain if your project needs to be reviewed by the IRB and/or to secure
information or appropriate forms and procedures for the IRB review. Your instructor and
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department chair or college dean must sign the application for approval by the IRB. The
IRB categorizes projects into three levels depending on the nature of the project: exempt
from further review, expedited review, or full board review. If the IRB certifies that a
project is exempt from further review, you need not resubmit the project for continuing
IRB review as long as there are no modifications in the exempted procedures. A copy of
the IRB Policy and Procedures Manual is available in each department’s administrative
office and each college dean’s office. If you have questions, contact Carey Conover,
Office of Grant and Contract Services, at 523-4889.
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