SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS
Voyage: Summer 2013
Discipline: Comparative Politics
PLCP 3500: Culture and Women’s Rights
Division: Upper
Faculty Name: Denise Walsh
Pre-requisites: At least one course in comparative politics or women’s studies.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course explores conflicts over culture and women’s rights through a series of contemporary
controversies prevalent in the Mediterranean region. Case studies include the Arab Spring,
genital cutting in North Africa, “honor killings” in Turkey, women and the workplace in Turkey
and the US, the headscarf in Europe, and same sex marriage in the US and France. Readings are
drawn from a number of disciplines, including politics, anthropology, philosophy, and women’s
studies.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the issue of competing human rights claims
and normative political theory. Students will develop skills in reading political philosophy and
gain a deeper understanding of cultural politics in the Mediterranean basin.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
AUTHOR: Linda Hirshman
TITLE: Get to Work…And Get A Life, Before It’s Too Late
PUBLISHER: Penguin
ISBN-10: 014303894X; ISBN-13: 978-0143038948 pbk
1
DATE: 2004
All other readings and film clips will be available on the intranet.
Class Policies
No computers, cell phone, ipads, etc. should ever be used during class.
Follow the honor code. If you have a question about plagiarism, ask.
For information about my research, courses, advising, and letters of recommendation, please
consult my webpage.
All students are expected to attend every class session, with the exception of illness or an
emergency. All other absences will be unexcused and detract from your participation grade. In
the event of illness, please arrange to get notes from another student in the class.
TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE
Please note: readings on contemporary events are likely to be updated before we disembark and
will be announced in advance.
Depart 17 June Southampton, UK
Part I: Multiculturalism, Universalism, and Women’s Rights
C1- June 19: Multiculturalism vs. Women’s Rights
Why can’t we just get along?
Susan Moller Okin, 1999, Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women?, Princeton University Press: 924.
C2- June 20: Early 20th Century Arab Feminism
How did early Arab feminists balance culture and women’s rights?
Bahithat al-Badiya, 1990, “A Lecture in the Club of the Umma Party” in Margot Badran and
Miriam Cooke, eds., Opening the Gates: A Century of Arab Feminist Writing, Indiana University
Press: 228-238.
Huda Shaarawi, 1990, “Amina,” in Margot Badran and Miriam Cooke, eds., Opening the Gates:
A Century of Arab Feminist Writing, Indiana University Press: TBA.
Amina Said, 1990, “Challenges Facing Young Women in the Twentieth Century,” in Margot
Badran and Miriam Cooke, eds., Opening the Gates: A Century of Arab Feminist Writing,
Indiana University Press: TBA.
C3- June 21: Late 20th Century Commitments to Women’s Rights
Why have countries in North Africa ratified international women’s rights agreements when the
US has not?
Ann Elizabeth Mayer, 1995, “Rhetorical Strategies and Official Policies on Women’s Rights:
2
The Merits and Drawbacks of the New World Hypocrisy,” in Mahnaz Afkhami, ed., Faith and
Freedom: Women’s Human Rights in the Muslim World, Syracuse University Press: 104-132.
Homework clip: Hilary Clinton’s famous speech at the Beijing Conference.
C4- June 22: Culture and Women’s Rights in Contemporary Morocco
What is the relationship between culture and women’s rights in Morocco today?
Nouzha Guessous, 2012, “Women’s Rights in Muslim Societies: Lessons from the Moroccan
Experience,” Philosophy and Social Criticism 38 (4-5): 525-533.
23 June-26 June
Casablanca, Morocco
C5- June 27: Imperial Feminism
What’s wrong with attacking sexism in Islam?
Saba Mahmood, 2011, “Religion, Feminism, and Empire: The New Ambassadors of
Islamaphobia,” in Linda Alcoff and John Caputo, 2011, Feminism, Sexuality, and the Return of
Religion, Indiana University Press: 77-102.
C6- June 28: Culture and Universal Rights
What’s wrong with respecting culture? Are universal rights better than culture?
Uma Narayan, 2000, “Essence of Culture and a Sense of History: A Feminist Critique of
Cultural Essentialism,” in Uma Narayan and Sandra Harding, eds., Decentering the Center:
Philosophy for a Multicultural, Postcolonial, and Feminist World, Indiana
University Press: 80-100.
Meghana Nyak, 2013, “The False Choice between Universalism and Religion/Culture,” Politics &
Gender 9 (10): 120-125.
C7- June 29: Culture, Women’s Rights, and the Arab Spring, I
How was the Arab Spring gendered?
Tunisia:
“Women’s Rights in Post Arab Spring Tunisia,” Cimorene, November 20, 2012.
Kristing Goulding, “Tunisia: Arab Spring, Islamist Summer,” October 25, 2011.
Egypt:
Asmaa Mahfouz—The video that fueled the Egyptian Revolution
Nadine Naber, 2012 “Women and the Arab Spring: Human Rights from the Ground Up,” II
Journal Fall: 11-13.
Ahdaf Soueif, “Image of Unknown Woman Beaten by Egypt’s Military Echoes Around World,”
3
December 18, 2011.
Mona Eltahawy, “Bruised but Defiant: Monda Eltahawy on Her Assault by Egyptian Security
Forces,” The Guardian, December 23, 2011.
Naira Antoun, “Women, Honour and Egypt’s Revolution,” December 26, 2011.
C8- July 1: Culture, Women’s Rights, and the Arab Spring, II
Is there a “war against women” in the Middle East?
Everyone reads:
Foreign Affairs, “The Sex Issue: An FP Special Report, ” December 16, 2012.
Mona Eltahawy, “Why Do They Hate Us? The Real War on Women is in the Middle East,”
Foreign Policy, December 16, 2012.
Group A:
“Debating the War on Women,” Foreign Policy April 24, 2012 (read all 6 responses).
Samia Errazzouik, “Dear Mona Eltahawy, You Do Not Represent ‘Us,’” Almonitor: The Pulse of
the Middle East, April 24, 2012.
Group B:
Maya Mikdashi, “The Uprisings Will be Gendered,” Jadaliyya, February 28, 2012.
Sheren Seikalay and Maya Mikdashi, “Let’s Talk About Sex,” Jadaliyya, April 25, 2012.
Charli Carpenter, ‘Seriously, Guys!’: How (Not) to Write About Gender and Foreign Affairs,”
The Duck of Minerva, April 26, 2012.
July 30 NO CLASSES
Part II: Case Studies from the Mediterranean, Europe, and the US
C9- July 2: Female Genital Cutting
When are body modification rights and when are they violations of bodily integrity?
Students will be assigned one reading from the following list to debate:
Group A:
1. Martha Nussbaum, 1999, Judging Other Cultures: The Case of Genital Mutilation,” Sex and
Social Justice, Oxford University Press: 118-129 (Collab).
2. Richard Shweder, 2000, “What About ‘Female Genital Mutilation’? And Why Understanding
Culture Matters in the First Place,” Daedalus, Vol. 129, No. 4: 209-232 (Collab).
Resolved: Female Genital Mutilation should be outlawed and eradicated
4
Group B:
3. Leslye Amede Obiora, 2000,“Bridges and Barricades: Rethinking Polemics and Intransigence
in the Campaign Against Female Circumcision,” in Adrien Katherine Wing, Global Critical
Race Feminism: An International Reader, New York University Press: 260-274 (Collab).
4. Isabelle R. Gunning, 2000,“Uneasy Alliances and Solid Sisterhood: A Response to Professor
Obiora’s ‘Bridges and Barricades,” in Wing: 275-284 (Collab).
Resolved: Female Circumcision should be medicalized
Group C:
5. Wairimu Ngaruiya Njambi, 2004, “Dualisms and Female Bodies in Representations of African
Female Circumcision,” Feminist Theory Vol. 5, No. 3: 281-303 (Collab).
6. Cheryl Chase, 2002,“’Cultural Practice’ or ‘Reconstructive Surgery?’ U. S. Genital Cutting,
the Intersex Movement, and Medical Double Standards,” in Stanlie M. James and Claire C.
Robertson, eds., Genital Cutting and Transnational Sisterhood: Disputing U.S. Polemics,
University of Illinois Press: 126-151 (Collab).
Resolved: “Natural” bodies can be bodies that are circumcised.
3 July-5 July
Antalya, Turkey
C10- July 6: Culture and “Honor Killings” in Turkey (4 homework entries due today)
What is the relationship between modernization and women’s oppression in Turkey?
Hilal Onur Ince, Aysun Yarali and Dogancan Ozsel, 2009, “Customary Killings in Turkey and
Turkish Modernization,” Middle Eastern Studies, 45 (4): 537-551.
C11- July 7: Bargaining with Patriarchy
Why and how do women bargain with patriarchy?
F. Umut Bespinar, 2010, “Questioning Agency and Empowerment: Women’s Work-Related
Strategies and Social Class in Urban Turkey,” Women’s Studies International Forum 3: 523-532.
Discussion of field lab assignment.
8 July-11 July
Istanbul, Turkey
C12- July 12: Field Lab Debriefing and Group Work
Students will work together in their groups to discuss the materials from their field lab and put
together a powerpoint to present to the class tomorrow.
C13- July 13: Student Field Lab Presentations
14 July-17 July
Piraeus (Athens), Greece
C14- July 18: Women and Work, I
5
Are US women more emancipated than Mediterranean women?
Linda Hirshman, 2007, Get to Work…And Get A Life, Before It’s Too Late, first half.
C15- July 19: Women and Work, II
Are US women more emancipated than Mediterranean women?
Linda Hirshman, 2007, Get to Work…And Get A Life, Before It’s Too Late, second half.
C16- July 20: Culture and Racism in Italy
How does racism reinforce sexism in Italy?
Shannon Woodcock, 2010, “Gender as Catalyst for Violence against Roma in Contemporary
Italy,” Patterns of Prejudice 44 (5): 469-488.
21 July-23 July
24 July-26 July
Livorno (Italy)
Civitavecchia, Italy
C17- July 27: What Not to Wear in Europe
Who has the right to freedom of expression and why?
Linda Duits and Liesbet van Zoonen, 2006,“Headscarves and Porno-Chic,” European Journal of
Women’s Studies, Vol. 13, No. 2: 103-117
C18- July 28: Social Pressure or Choice?
What are the constraints on our choices? Do they negate agency? Why or why not?
Rosalind C. Gil, 2007, “Critical Respect: The Difficulties and Dilemmas of Agency and ‘Choice’
for Feminism,” European Journal of Women’s Studies 14, 1: 69-80 (Collab).
Linda Duits and Liesbet van Zoonen, 2007, “Who’s Afraid of Female Agency?” European
Journal of Women’s Studies 14, 2: 161-170.
Film clip in class: France Bans Burqas and Niqabs
29 July-31 July
Malta
C19- August 1: Same Sex Marriage
Who has the right to marry? Why? Should marriage even be a right?
Everyone reads:
Mary Shanley, 2004, Just Marriage, Oxford University Press: 3-30 (e-book on Virgo).
Assigned Readings:
Group A:
6
1. Martha Fineman, “Why Marriage,” in Shanley: 46-51.
2. Drucilla Cornell, “The Public Supports of Love,” in Shanley: 81-86.
Resolved: The state should not privilege marriage but the caretaker –dependent relationship.
Group B:
3. Mary Shanley, “Afterward,” in Shanley: 109-116.
4. Nancy D. Polikoff, 2008, Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing All Families under
the Law, Boston: Beacon Press, Ch. 7.
Resolved: The state should do away with civil marriage and legalize civil unions.
Group C:
5. M. V. Lee Badgett, 2009, When Gay People Get Married: What Happens When Societies
Legalize Same-Sex Marriage, New York and London: New York University Press, Ch. 5.
6. Wendy Brown, “After Marriage,” in Shanley: 87-92.
Resolved: Gay marriage does not fundamentally change the institution of marriage.
C20- August 2: Same-Sex Marriage in France
Why has same-sex marriage been so controversial in sexually liberal France?
Wendy Michallat, 2006, “Marion-nous! Gay Rites: the Campaign for Gay Marriage in France,”
Modern & Contemporary France 14 (3): 305-316.
Olga Khazan, “Why did it take France this Long to Allow Gay Marriage?” The Washington Post,
February 12, 2013: TBA.
Phillippe Coste, “Gay Rights in France: How Even the U.S. Leads the Way,” CNN Opinion,
February 1, 2013.
“In French Gay Marriage Debate, a Political Star is Born,” International News 24/7, February 2,
2013 (includes 3 minute video).
International Progress Toward the Freedom to Marry
3 August-5 August
6 August-8 August
Marseilles, France
Barcelona, Spain
C21- August 9: Multiple differences and Sexual Minorities in Spain (4 homework entries due
today)
How do multiple discriminations limit the right to same sex marriage and gender identity in Spain?
Raquel Platero, 2008, “Outstanding Challenges in a Post-Equality Era: The Same-Sex Marriage
and Gender Identity Laws in Spain,” International Journal of Iberian Studies 21 (1): 41-49.
7
C22– August 10: Mock Conference I
Half the class will present their short essay question, hypothesis, and evidence in a powerpoint
presentation, which will be followed by a short Q&A from the class.
Presenters will send me a two-sentence summary of their topic by 8:00 am August 10.
Five percent of the essay grade for presenters will be based on the Mock Conference.
Bonus points will be awarded to the two students with the best questions and feedback to the
presenters.
11 August-13 August Cadiz, Spain
14 August-16 August Lisbon, Spain
C23- August 17: Mock Conference II
The second half of the class will present their short essay question, hypothesis, and evidence in a
powerpoint presentation, which will be followed by a short Q&A from the class.
Presenters will send me a two-sentence summary of their topic by 8:00 am August 17.
Five percent of the essay grade for presenters will be based on the Mock Conference.
Bonus points will be awarded to the two students with the best questions and feedback to the
presenters.
August 18: Study Day
C24-August 19: Essays Due at the end of class time.
August 20: Reflection/Reentry
August 21: Convocation/Packing
August 22: Southampton, UK
FIELD WORK
FIELD LAB (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the instructor.)
This field lab will explore how and why Ataturk created the Turkish Republic, and the methods
that he used to secularize Turkish society, so that students might better understand the
contemporary backlash against secularism and women’s rights in Turkey. Many countries,
including the United States, embrace a national identity that is highly gendered. Women are
symbols of the nation and tasked with raising the next generation of citizens. Men are not
symbols; they are individual actors tasked with protecting and leading the nation. This gendering
is more complex in post-colonial states or defeated empires. In these countries women are
symbols, but they also are tasked with upholding traditions that distinguish the new nation from
8
the West, and they are expected to pass these national traditions on to the next generation. Men
not only are tasked with protecting and leading the new nation, but also with being modern.
Many political leaders in the Mediterranean chose a third path. During the first half of the 20th
century they insisted that women and men both modernize, and they forcefully rejected
“backward” cultural traditions. In Turkey, Ataturk led this revolution, forever altering women’s
role and status.
Students will visit 4 museums and a public square related to the development of Turkish
nationalism, modernity, and women, to see how the nation presents these themes to the public.
First, for homework, they will view the Women’s Museum online, to learn about the history of
women in Istanbul (the museum does not yet have a physical location). The field lab will begin
at the Pera Museum, which houses the most revered paintings in Turkish history, including
paintings of Istanbul before the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1922. Next, we will visit
Ataturk Museum, a private home where Ataturk lived prior to the national revolution. After
lunch we will visit The Military Museum, which has a room devoted to Ataturk and an afternoon
concert by the world’s first military band. We will wrap up with a walking tour of Taksim
Square to view contemporary art devoted to the Turkish nation: the Republic Monument, the
public art in the Taksim metro station, and the Ataturk Cultural Center.
FIELD ASSIGNMENTS
Before the field lab students will be divided into groups. Each group will have the task of creating
a multimedia presentation on the relationship between Turkish nationalism, culture, and women’s
rights with an assigned theme. During the field lab students will take notes, pictures, make video
and audio recordings, obtain pamphlets, postcards and other media related to this theme. Students
will then work together in their groups to discuss the materials and field lab, and put them together
in a powerpoint or Prezi to present to the class.
METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC
Daily Participation (10%).
All students are expected to come to every class, to have done the reading with care, and to
participate in class discussions. The instructor will keep a daily attendance and participation log.
Teaching Presentations (10%).
For two class sessions, students will present material on either Egypt or Tunisia, as assigned by
the instructor. The one grade for each group will be based on how well each group
communicates the key ideas from the readings, relates them to previous readings in the course,
and the group’s integration of creative components and activities in the presentation (e.g., videos,
powerpoints, debate).
Homework (20%).
Students will write a question or a comment about the readings for one session (which may
include how her/his experiences in port directly related to the assigned course reading) for a total
of 8 class sessions. Length should be approximately 3 sentences (for questions) to one paragraph
(for comments). Quality matters more than quantity. Homework will be collected at the
beginning of each class session and retained by the instructor. Each student’s file will be graded
twice during the trip: 4 entries are due by C11 July 7; 4 additional entries are due by C21 August
9
9.
Take-home Essays (35%).
Students will write two essays of their choice in response to three questions posed by the
instructor.
Field Lab (25%)
See above under “Field Lab Assignment”
HONOR CODE
Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of
Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University’s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of
lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager’s Handbook for further explanation of
what constitutes an honor offense.
Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: “On my honor
as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment.” The pledge
must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed “[signed].”
10