Please Note: This Course Syllabus is an important step in updating the format of our distance courses. If for any reason the Course Syllabus does not match the print Course Guide or online course information, the Course Syllabus shall be taken as correct. COURSE SYLLABUS COURSE TITLE: Gendered Perspectives on Current Events COURSE CODE: WGST 210.3 TERM: Spring/Summer 2012 COURSE CREDITS: 3 DELIVERY: Online COURSE SECTION: W01 START DATE: May 9, 2012 Course Description Interdisciplinary examination of current events relating to gender, race, sexuality, ethnicity, ability and class. Special attention will be paid to how recent/ ongoing wars, ecological crises, terrorism, economic recession, etc., impact the lives of women, children and subaltern men, and how such events are represented in mainstream and alternative media. Prerequisite(s): Completion of 30 credit units at the university level or permission of the WGST Coordinator. Note: May be used as Humanities or Social Science credit. Course Objectives This course assumes that you already have experience and knowledge closely related to the course content. The three underlying socio-cultural issues of the course—sexism, racism, and homophobia—are chosen for precisely this reason, i.e., because they are issues which virtually everyone either has direct experience with or has at least done some serious thinking about. The course provides an opportunity for you to transform, extend, and refine your thinking on these problems. Course Overview The Women's and Gender Studies program features two streams of interest: 1. Health and Body Studies 2. Cultural Studies. WGST210.3 is a course that falls into the Cultural Studies stream of interest. What this means (among other things) is that the course draws on several new interdisciplines (i.e., interdisciplinary programs) that make up the field of Cultural Studies. In this case, those interdisciplines include Men's Studies, Women's Studies, Postcolonial Studies, AfricanAmerican Studies, Gay and Lesbian Studies (or Queer Studies), Aboriginal Studies, Science Studies, and The New Jewish Cultural Studies. What this also means is that feminist scholarship—i.e., the body of knowledge upon which women's studies rests—is not the only kind of scholarship you will study in this course. Most obvious, if you examine the syllabus closely, you will see that the required readings are about Revised April 23, 2012 jm cp WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events evenly split between male and female authors. Most of the male authors do not work in the field of women's studies, and only a couple of them work in men's studies. What most (if not all) the authors, male and female, have in common is an awareness of themselves as gendered people, and they are conscious of the fact that readers of their work will be affected in certain ways by knowing what the gender of the author is. That is why the course is called Gendered Perspectives. The word cultural is used to describe the issues we will study in this course. These issues could as easily be called social—and indeed, the term sociocultural is probably the most accurate description of them because the social and the cultural overlap extensively. But if you want to focus on the difference between the social and the cultural, think of it this way: society is made up of people; culture is what those people create. The social sciences place slightly more emphasis on the social, i.e., the people who produce things, than do the humanities, which focus more on the cultural, or the products. The word cultural has been chosen to describe our issues in this course because we will be studying them largely with respect to how society uses language to produce and perpetuate them. Your Instructor Your instructor for this course is Carrie Prefontaine, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Saskatchewan Contact Information In Person: By appointment at Women and Gender Studies Office, Arts Bldg. Rm 257.8 Phone: 306-227-2983 Email: carrie.prefontaine@usask.ca I will respond to all emails within 48 hours, not including weekends or holidays. In the rare event that I am away from my email and will take longer than 48 hours to respond, I will notify you via Blackboard. Please be sure to check your U of S email account regularly, as I will frequently email the class as a whole important information about the course using this method. Office Hours Office hours are by appointment only. Please contact me by email or phone to arrange an inperson, on-campus appointment, or a virtual, online meeting. Profile Carrie Prefontaine is an instructor in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, and the Department of English. She looks forward to a very exciting and intellectually challenging semester working with you on this course. Though she has been teaching in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies since 2004, her background is in English literature, where her interests focus on women writers and the representation of gender in eighteenth and nineteenth century literature. Working in WGST has allowed her to apply her literary training to studies of popular culture and cultural forms in general, and therefore, this course dovetails nicely with her ongoing research interests. Carrie is also teaching WGST 112 Independent Studies and WGST 201 online. Page 2 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events Required Resources Readings/Textbooks 1. Relke, Diana M.A. and Prefontaine, Carrie, eds. WGST 210.3: Gendered Perspectives on Cultural Issues. Textbooks are available from the University of Saskatchewan Bookstore: www.usask.ca/consumer_services/bookstore/textbooks Other Required Materials Course Materials print package [mailed from CCDE} Videos This course features some videos [VHS], which you are required to view. Note that you will need access to a VHS player to view these videos. Please consult the Course Schedule in this Course Syllabus to find out when you are scheduled to watch them. 1. Achbar, Mark, et al., dir. The Corporation (2004). 2. National Film Board of Canada. The Gods of Our Fathers (1994). Anne Henderson, dir., narrated by Gwynne Dyer. 3. ---. Anybody’s Son will Do (1983). Paul Cowan, dir. 4. ---. Hunters and Bombers (1991). Hugh Brody, dir. How to obtain copies of the required videos: I encourage you to try first to obtain copies of these via your local public library. Video 1: This video may be available at the U of S Library http://library.usask.ca Call No. VT2844 On Reserve 7 Days. Videos 2, 3, & 4: A limited number of copies are available from EMAP on campus. To arrange to borrow these videos from EMAP, you will need to go to the EMAP website at www.emap.usask.ca and click Book Course Media to access the online booking form. You will be asked to fill in your name, address, phone number, student number, nsid, email address, select the videos for your class indicating the date you need them for, and to accept the terms of borrowing before materials are delivered. The videos will be sent by Canada Post. Shipping will take 2-5 days. If you require these to be shipped by a faster method, they will be shipped to you collect. Return shipping costs will be your responsibility. Registrar's Office will be notified of any student not returning the videos. In this event, class marks will not be released until the videos are returned. If you have any questions or need assistance, contact Marilyn Voinorosky at media.access@usask.ca or call (306) 966-4261. Downloads Some downloads in this course may require Adobe Reader. To install this software, follow this link and follow the download and installation instructions: http://get.adobe.com/reader Course Schedule Week Module Readings Evaluation Due Date 1 Introductory week None Get acquainted with the Page 3 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events May 9 – 11, 2012 2 May 14 - 18 course, Blackboard, and your classmates. Post an introductory take to the discussion board introducing yourself. Unit 1: Modules 1 - 5 Readings by: Llorente Faludi Fausto Sterling Gould Halperin Video: The Gods of Our Fathers 3 May 21-25 Take 1 due Groups 1 & 5: Llorente Group 2 & 6: Fausto-Sterling Groups 3 & 7: Gould Groups 4 & 8: Halperin Response to Take 1 due by noon on Wednesday, May 30 WEBQUEST DUE 4 May 28-June1 5 June 4 - 8 6 June 11-15 Unit 2: Militarism Readings by: **Easlea Cohn Giroux Puar Video: Anybody’s Son Will Do 7 June 18-22 8 June 25-29 9 July 2 - 6 Response to WebQuest due Take 2 due Gr. 1 & 5: Easlea Gr. 2 & 6: Cohn Gr. 3 & 7: Giroux Gr. 4 & 8: Puar Response to Take 2 due Unit 3: Fundamentalisms Readings by: Armstrong Bageant Napoleoni Pennock Mooney Adam RESEARCH PAPER DUE Page 4 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events Week Module Readings 10 July 9 -13 11 July 16 - 20 12 July 23 - 27 Evaluation Due Date Take 3 Gr. 1 & 5: Armstrong and Bageant Gr. 2 & 6: Napoleoni Gr. 3 & 7: Pennock Gr. 4 & 8: Mooney and Adam Response to Take 3 due Unit 4: Globalism Readings by: Dunnett Kovel Saul Shiva Clark Videos: Hunters and Bombers The Corporation 13 July 30 – Aug 3 Take 4 Gr. 1 & 5: Kovel Gr. 2 & 6: Saul Gr. 3 & 7: Shiva Gr. 4 & 8: Clark Post response to Take 4 14 Aug 6 -10 FINAL EXAM DUE By Noon on August 9, 2012 Note: If for any reason the Course Syllabus Reading List does not match the Module Reading List, the Course Syllabus shall be taken as correct. **The Article with an asterisk is contingent upon copyright permission at the time of the writing of this Course Syllabus. Further information will be provided when the article becomes available. Grading Scheme Research Essay 30% WebQuest 25% Takes and Responses 15% Final Exam 30% Total 100% Information on literal descriptors for grading at the University of Saskatchewan can be found at: http://students.usask.ca/current/academics/grades/grading-system.php Please note: There are different literal descriptors for undergraduate and graduate students. Page 5 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events More information on the Academic Courses Policy on course delivery, examinations and assessment of student learning can be found at http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/council/academiccourses.php Evaluation Components Takes and Responses to Takes (Participation) Value: 15% Due Date: Ongoing. Please see Course Schedule for specific due dates. Purpose: These assignments are designed to emulate the face-to-face discussion of a classroom setting. In addition to helping you formulate your own ideas about the course material, Takes are a vital component of your meaningful participation in the course, and therefore their completion comprises your participation grade. Takes are intended to be a way for you to express your questions, concerns, thoughts, interests, and disagreements. Most importantly, the Takes provide a forum for you to reflect on your own learning experiences throughout the course. Description: You are required to submit 4 one-page, written responses to your readings called Takes. As you will see from the course modules, there is one Take due for each Unit. It need not be a formal piece of writing; it is merely your first thoughts on a piece. While the skill of summarizing a reading is a good skill, that’s not what’s required here. As you read your assigned article, think about one or two of the following questions: • • • • • • What did I learn from this reading that I didn’t know before? Is this a good or bad piece of writing? What points stand out for me? Can I make connections between this article and my own life experience? Can I make connections between this article and other articles I’ve read so far? How does this article connect with things I’ve covered in other courses? At the end of each unit you will find a list of questions about each article. Use these questions to guide your response as well. Don’t be afraid to disagree with the author, as it can start up an interesting conversation. Although you may be assigned a Take on only one or two of the readings for that Module, this does not get you out of reading all the articles. You should be looking for how all the articles in the module relate to one another, as you’ll be tested on this skill in the final exam. You will post your Takes on the appropriate discussion forum so that your classmates and I may read them. I will respond as quickly as possible to your posted Takes; however, please remember that this exercise is intended to get you discussing the course content with your classmates, so don’t wait for me to begin a discussion! Please see below for the schedule for submitting Takes. Every third week of each module, you will respond to your classmates’ Takes. Browse through the previous week’s postings and choose your favourite. You may then comment upon it, ask a question about something the poster has written, or elaborate upon an idea expressed in the posting that has particular relevance to you. Your responses form part of your mark for the Takes. Page 6 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events Your Takes are due by Thursday noon of each week, unless specified otherwise in the schedule above. You will post them to the Discussion bulletin board where you and your classmates may read one another’s ideas. Please observe the one-page (300 words max) limit. Please do not include your Takes as attachments. Type (or cut and paste) your Take directly into the bulletin board message. This will facilitate everyone’s reading. In addition, you are expected to respond to your classmates’ Takes. In the second week of the Module, when everybody’s Take is posted to the proper topic on the Blackboard site, read through them, pick one that interests you and respond to it, thus striking up a conversation with its author. Make sure to pick one that really interests you—one that perhaps you’d like to add an additional insight to. There is no length requirement for a response, as this part of the assignment is just intended to get you exchanging ideas among yourselves. Because you come into this course with plenty of cultural experience, sharing those experiences will help transform them into knowledge. WebQuest Value: 25% Due Date: Step 1 is due Week 5; Step 2 is due Week 6. Purpose: This exercise is intended to help you sharpen your critical thinking skills. Description: You will be required to prepare a WebQuest. A WebQuest is an annotated bibliography of websites/Internet sources on a given topic. For this assignment, each group member must find and annotate TWO websites. Possible subtopics are listed later in this section. Step 1: Locate and Annotate your Websites When conducting research online, it can be very tricky to discriminate between useful sources and useless junk. While cyberspace is full of information, not all of it is useful, relevant, or trustworthy, from a research point of view. Your job in this assignment is to persuade the instructor that you can tell the difference. For each website, you will include the following: • The URL of the website (make sure the link is live so I can visit the site) • A BRIEF summary of the website – no more than 50 words • A discussion of the usefulness, reliability, and credibility of the website The University library offers an online guide that contains guidelines to help you evaluate research sources. It can be found here: http://library.usask.ca/howto/evaluate.php Pay particular attention to the section entitled “Critical Questions.” Once you have located your websites, and written commentary on each site, you will post this information to your Group’s Discussion board. Page 7 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events Step 2: Group Commentary Each member of the group must then review the other group members’ contributions. Visit the sites provided and respond, assessing the usefulness of the sites and the commentaries by using the same criteria you applied to your own contributions. Post your response to at least one other member of your group. You will be evaluated on the following: The usefulness of the sites you provide, the quality of your annotations, and the detail of your response to your classmate. More guidelines will be posted on Blackboard. Groups and Topics Groups 1 and 5: Online Activism Suggested subtopics: Gay rights, Canadian Aboriginal rights, Anti-War Movement, Palestinian rights, Women in Black, MoveOn.org, RAWA (Afghan feminism), anti-racism, Saskatchewan Peace Movement Groups 2 and 6: Militarism Suggested subtopics: Jihad, The Crusades, gays in the military, child soldiers, war economy, Full Spectrum Dominance, the arms industry, U.S. foreign policy Groups 3 and 7: Fundamentalisms Suggested subtopics: The Promise Keepers, Women and Islamic fundamentalism, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women of America, Rapture Ready, Theocracy Watch, Al Qaida, Biblical injunctions against homosexuality Groups 4 and 8: Globalism Suggested subtopics: The role of consumerism, global environmental policies, environmental racism in Canada, poverty, The World Bank and the IMF, Globalism as ideology/religion, consequences of globalism, Ecofeminism(s). Research Essay Value: Due Date: Purpose: Description: Criteria. 25% Week 9 Write an 8-10 page research essay, plus a Works Cited / References page. See the following sub-sections for Topics, General Instructions and Marking Topics If researching your WebQuest really gets you interested in the topic, expand it into a research essay. Otherwise, the list of subtopics for the WebQuest is a good place to start looking for a research essay topic. Ideally, you should try to use a combination of open Internet sources and scholarly material. Both can be found online. Check on the U of S Library site http://library.usask.ca for the online databases of scholarly articles—and, of course, you can cite anything from the required readings. As I find links of interest, I will add to these throughout the course. Page 8 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events There are five broad topics within which to choose an essay topic: militarism, globalism, Christian or Islamic fundamentalism, racism, and homophobia. These broad fields overlap, so topics such as “Gays in the military,” “Women in Islamic Afghanistan,” “Homophobia and the Christian Right,” “Children as soldiers” are perfectly acceptable—although you may have to narrow down topics like these even further. But whatever your topic, gender and/or race should be a central (if not your major) theme. Don’t stray from the course content: for example, “Women and the labour force” or “Aboriginal people and the justice system” are not WGSt 210.3 topics. If you are having trouble formulating a topic, or knowing how to start researching it, email the instructor. General Instructions for Essays • Each assignment should be 8-10 pages in length, not including the bibliography. • You must refer to a minimum of six scholarly secondary sources in your essay, such as books or journal articles. The textbooks may comprise two of your references, and you may use only three Internet references, such as websites. You must also cite these sources properly, using MLA or APA style, guidelines for which will be posted on Blackboard. Please see the section on “Academic Integrity” later in this Course Syllabus. • Please type and double-space assignments. Please be sure to attach your file in Word format. The instructor cannot guarantee that she will be able to open other file formats, and therefore she will not accept them. • You may use the first person pronoun (“I”) in your assignments. • PLEASE PROOFREAD YOUR PAPERS CAREFULLY. Marking Criteria for Essays Essays will be graded according to the following three criteria: Content (80%) Your essay should: Demonstrate that you have researched the issue in depth Show that you have considered different perspectives on your topic Focus on gender and gender-related issues as categories of analysis Summarize, expand upon, and critique your research sources accurately and competently • Be supported by persuasive evidence in the form of credible secondary research • Teach me something new or present an original point of view • Avoid simply regurgitating the ideas of others! • • • • Grammar, Style, and Organization (10%) • • • • Are your ideas introduced clearly and logically? Does the paper have a clear introduction and thesis statement, body, and conclusion? Does the paper have strong and effective transitions between ideas? Does each paragraph have a strong topic sentence and focus on one main idea? Page 9 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events • Is the paper free from grammatical, syntax, spelling, and proofreading errors? References and Citations (10%) • Have you included 6 secondary sources, as required by the assignment guidelines? • Are your references adequately integrated into your own writing i.e., no “hanging” quotations? • Have you followed either MLA or APA style correctly and included both parenthetical references and a Works Cited/References page? Final Exam Value: 30% Due Date: Your completed exam is due Week 14. Description: The final exam for this course is an open-book, take-home exam. This means you will have the opportunity to prepare and submit thoughtful, well-organized, and grammatically correct responses to the exam questions. This exam will be administered online. The instructor will post the exam to Blackboard one week in advance of the due date. Once completed, exams must be submitted via Blackboard by noon on the due date. Additional Information Must Pass In accordance with University policy, failure to complete any of the assigned work, including the essays and final exams, will result in a failing grade for the course. Integrity Defined (from the Office of the University Secretary) Integrity is expected of all students in their academic work – class participation, examinations, assignments, research, practica – and in their non-academic interactions and activities as well. What academic integrity means for students • Perform your own work unless specifically instructed otherwise. Check with your instructor about whether collaboration or assistance from others is permitted. • Use your own work to complete assignments and exams. • Cite the source when quoting or paraphrasing someone else’s work. Discuss with your professor if you have any questions about whether sources require citation. • Follow examination rules. • Discuss with your professor if you are using the same material for assignments in two different courses. • Be truthful on all university forms. • Use the same standard of honesty with fellow students, lab instructors, teaching assistants, sessional instructors and administrative staff as you do with faculty. Page 10 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events Integrity in non-academic activities Misconduct that disrupts the activities of the university or harms the legitimate interests of the university community could be the cause for non-academic disciplinary action. Guiding Principles The university documents that lay out our rules and procedures are the Student Academic Misconduct Regulations (University Council) and the Standard of Student Conduct in NonAcademic Matters (University Senate). Both documents are based on the same Guiding Principles: • Freedom of Expression • Mutual Respect and Diversity • Commitment to Non-violence • Commitment to Justice and Fairness • Security and Safety • Integrity Academic Misconduct Procedures “Academic Misconduct” is the term the University uses to describe cheating. Types of cheating are listed in the Student Academic Misconduct Regulations of University Council. There is an onus on every student to become informed about academic misconduct. When an instructor believes a student is guilty of academic misconduct, the following procedures are used: Informal procedure: Sometimes misconduct is the result of carelessness, misunderstanding of the rules, or miscommunication. In such cases, the instructor may discuss the matter with the student informally. If the student concedes the misconduct, the instructor has the authority to impose one or more of the following penalties: • reduce the grade on the assignment or exam, to as low as zero • require the student to rewrite the assignment or exam. A penalty imposed by an instructor is not reported to the student’s college and does not become part of the student’s record. A student who disagrees with the allegation of cheating or with the penalty imposed may request a formal hearing. Formal procedure: For more serious misconduct, or in cases where the student disputes the allegation or the penalty, a college hearing board will hear the matter. Procedures for hearings are described in the Regulations. The hearing board has the authority to impose one or more of the following penalties: Page 11 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events • reprimand or censure the student • reduce the grade on the assignment, exam, or entire course, to as low as zero • require the student to rewrite the assignment or exam • require the student to submit an essay or a presentation on academic misconduct • suspend or expel the student • postpone, deny or revoke the student degree, diploma or certificate A penalty imposed by a Hearing Board is reported to the student’s college and to the university, and becomes part of the student’s record. A finding of misconduct in research funded by an external agency is reported to that agency. Further appeal of a hearing board decision or penalty is permitted only on grounds of unfair procedure or new evidence. For More Information Integrity and Student Conduct website: http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/honesty/ Date: Effective January 1, 2010 Academic Misconduct Defined The following constitute academic misconduct that may be the subject-matter of an allegation under the Student Academic Misconduct Regulations: (a) Providing false or misleading information or documentation to gain admission to the university or any university program; (b) Theft of lecture notes, research work, computer files, or other academic or research materials prepared by another student or an instructor or staff member; (c) Using work done in one course in fulfillment of any requirement of another course unless approval is obtained from the instructor by whom the material is being evaluated; (d) Presenting the work of someone else as one’s own; (e) The supply of materials prepared by the student to another student for use by that student as the work or materials of that student; (f) Alteration or falsification of records, computer files, or any document relating to a student’s academic performance; (g) Violation of the university’s policy on misconduct in scholarly work as outlined at www.usask.ca/university_secretary/policies/research/8_25.php (h) Fabrication or invention of sources; Page 12 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events (i) Failure to observe any stated rule with regard to the procedure used in an examination (or an activity undertaken for academic credit) where such a failure could result in the student gaining relatively greater credit; (j) Altering answers on a returned examination; (k) When prohibited, removing an examination from the examination room; (l) Seeking to acquire or acquiring prior knowledge of the contents of any examination question or paper with the intention of gaining an unfair advantage; (m) Possessing or using notes or other sources of information or devices not permitted by the course instructor in an examination; (n) Consulting or seeking the assistance of others when writing a “take home” examination unless permitted by the course instructor; (o) Providing false or misleading information with the intent to avoid or delay writing an examination or fulfilling any other academic requirement; (p) Failing to observe the terms of any agreement not to disclose the contents of an examination; (q) Misrepresenting or conspiring with another person to misrepresent the identity of a student writing an examination or engaging in any other form of assessment; (r) Knowingly doing anything designed to interfere with the opportunities of another person to have his or her contribution fully recognized or to participate in the academic program; (s) Preventing others from fair and equal access to University facilities or resources, including library resources; (t) Using or attempting to use personal relationships, bribes, threats or other illegal conduct to gain unearned grades or academic advantages; (u) Knowingly assisting another person engaged in actions that amount to academic misconduct; (v) Plagiarism: the presentation of the work or idea of another in such a way as to give others the impression that it is the work or idea of the presenter. Adequate attribution is required. What is essential is that another person have no doubt which words or research results are the student’s and which are drawn from other sources. Full explicit acknowledgement of the source of the material is required. Examples of plagiarism are: I. The use of material received or purchased from another person or prepared by any person other than the individual claiming to be the author. [It is not plagiarism to use work developed in the context of a group exercise (and described as such in the text) if the mode and extent of the use does not deviate from that which is specifically authorized]. II. The verbatim use of oral or written material without adequate attribution. Page 13 of 14 WGST 210.3 – Gendered Perspectives on Current Events III. (w) The paraphrasing of oral or written material of other persons without adequate attribution Unprofessional conduct or behaviours that occur in academic or clinical settings or other work placements, or that are related to the student’s area of professional practice. Office of the University Secretary 212 College Building, 107 Administration Place University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A2 Telephone: (306) 966-4632 Fax: (306) 966-4530 http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/ Acknowledgements Course Authors Diana Relke B.A., Ph.D., University of Saskatchewan Carrie Prefontaine, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Saskatchewan Instructional Designer Ruth Epstein, Instructional Designer, University of Saskatchewan Page 14 of 14