Simula WS 100-000
Introduction to Women’s Studies: Intersectionality in the Social World
WS100- 000
MWF 9:35-10:25
874 Woodruff Library
Emory University
Fall 2008
Professor B.L. Simula
bsimula@emory.edu
Office Hours: M 10:30-11:30 and by appointment
Candler Library 128H
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
This course is designed to familiarize you with key concepts and debates that have shaped the field
of Women’s Studies over the past several decades. Throughout the semester, we will be engaging a
diverse body of feminist scholarship and will be guided by some of the questions that have been
central to Women’s Studies: What (and who) is a woman? How do systems of social categorization
and stratification influence women’s lives? How do women experience social institutions? Our
approach to these questions will be guided by the feminist theoretical concept of intersectionality,
which focuses on the ways that gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, and nation intersect in
women’s lives and experiences.
The first half of the course will help you to develop a skill set for doing feminist intersectional
analysis. The second half of the course will provide you with the opportunity to use that skill set to
analyze a wide variety of social institutions.
I believe strongly that your college education should provide you with skills that are useful beyond
the university. To that end, this course is designed not only to teach you information about a
particular academic field—Women’s Studies— but also to teach you how to acquire and evaluate
information. Throughout the semester, we will focus on developing a set of skills that guide how we
find, evaluate, and use information. The kinds of questions we will be concerned with asking and
answering in this course include:
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•
•
•
•
What are the assumptions behind this argument?
What does this argument overlook or ignore?
What are the implications of this argument?
What data does this argument rely on?
What alternative explanations could be used to analyze this data?
We will be using examples specific to Women’s Studies throughout the semester, but the ability to
use these questions to evaluate information is useful in many other contexts.
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COURSE MATERIALS:
Required Materials
Please purchase the 8th edition of Margaret Andersen’s Thinking About Women: Sociological
Perspectives on Sex and Gender, which is available at the campus bookstore. This edition has been
thoroughly updated and revised, so it is important that you have the correct version.
All other readings for the course are available on Reserves Direct at:
https://ereserves.library.emory.edu/reserves2/index.php.
Please bring the assigned reading(s), including a printed copy of any reserve readings, to class with
you each day.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
A NOTE ON COMPLETING ASSIGNMENTS
All assignments must be typed and stapled with your name, the date, the course title, the word count
(excluding works cited), and the assignment title at the top of the first page and pages must be
numbered. All work should be double-spaced and use 12 point Times New Roman font and
standard margins. Additionally, all formal (prepared outside of class) assignments must contain
complete citation information and a complete works cited page. Remember that if you reference
something but do not cite it, you are in violation of the honor code. I do not accept assignments by
e-mail. Late assignments will lose a full letter grade for each 24-hour period until they are turned in,
beginning when they are due at the start of the class period.
REQUIREMENT
In-Class (20 points)
DESCRIPTION
Class Participation and Discussion
Questions
POINTS POSSIBLE
10
In-Class Assignments
Critical Thinking Papers (50
points)
Your Experience #1: Waking Up a
Different Gender
Your Experience #2: Violating a Gender
Norm
Analysis #1: Ad Analysis
Analysis #2: Sex Advice Analysis
Final Exam (30 points)
Total Points Possible:
10
10
10
15
15
30
100
In-Class Assignments and Participation (20 points total)
Preparation, Discussion Questions, and Participation (10 points)
Preparation
The success of this class, and your success in it, depends in large part on how you prepare for our
class conversations. This class requires you to prepare materials, rather than just reading them. As
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you prepare for each class meeting, think about how the materials might relate to our other readings.
Keep track of new concepts so that you will remember where they came from; this will be
particularly helpful on the final exam. Think of questions that the readings raise and write them
down so that you can share them during our class conversations. It is your responsibility to ensure
that you have read and understood course materials; you are responsible for all the assigned
readings, including those that we do not cover in class.
Discussion Questions
As you prepare for each class, think of a question about the readings that would be useful for us to
discuss as a group. Several times during the semester, I will ask you to bring a typed discussion
question with you to class. I encourage you to bring discussion questions to class as often as you
would like. The quality of the discussion questions you contribute will be a major component of
your class participation grade. If you are shy about speaking in class, contributing discussion
questions on a regular basis is a great way to ensure that you receive full participation credit and
helps me to make sure that we get to everyone’s questions.
Participation and Attendance
We all have lives outside the classroom and I recognize that sometimes, despite our best intentions,
a situation may arise that prevents us from attending to our academic lives. To that end, you are
allowed to miss three classes without penalty on your final grade. Note however that if you are not
present in class, you cannot participate and therefore will not receive participation points for that
day. Missed in-class assignments cannot be made up without appropriate documentation (e.g. a
doctor’s note, a letter from the Dean’s office). Each unexcused absence beyond your three
“freebies” will lower your final course grade by 3 points. If you have a situation that will require
you to miss more than the three allowed absences, or that will require you to miss consecutive class
sessions please let me know as soon as possible so that we can arrange for you to contribute to class
in another fashion. If you miss class on a day that an assignment is due, it is your responsibility to
arrange to get the assignment to me before class in order to receive full credit for the assignment.
Please arrive on time and bring all the course materials for that day with you. Being prepared and
punctual contributes to a respectful class environment for all of us and prevents distractions as we
begin the day’s conversation. If you have another class immediately before or after ours that will
require you to arrive late or leave early on a regular basis, please discuss this with me at the
beginning of the semester.
In-Class Assignments (10 points)
Throughout the semester, we will use a portion of our class time for in-class assignments, including
short writing assignments, quizzes, and/or pair/small group work.
Critical Thinking Papers (50 points total)
Your Experience Papers (400-600 words each)
These short papers give you the opportunity to use course materials and concepts to reflect on your
own experiences. I will provide you with guidelines for each of these papers.
Interpreting Your Experience Paper #1:
Waking Up a Different Gender (10points)
Due Friday, September 12th
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Interpreting Your Experience Paper #2:
Violating a Gender Norm (10 points)
Due Friday, October 31st
Analyzing the Social World Papers (800-1,000 words each)
As the semester progresses, we will spend time talking about how to conduct the analysis required
for these assignments. Many of the authors we will read conduct this kind of analysis in their
writing, so you should think of the readings not only as sources for information that can help you
with these assignments but also as examples of what this kind of analysis looks like. I will provide
you with guidelines for each of these papers.
Analyzing the Social World Paper #1:
Advertisement Analysis (15 points)
Due Friday, October 10th
Analyzing the Social World Paper #2:
Sex Advice Analysis (15 points)
Due Friday, November 14th
Final Exam (30 points)
Extra Credit Opportunities
You can earn up to 3 points on your final grade through attending and writing up analyses of events
outside the classroom. I will provide you with guidelines for extra-credit early in the semester. All
extra credit write-ups and presentations must be completed by Friday, November 21st.
GRADING SCALE
A
93-100
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
90-92
88-89
83-87
80-82
78-79
73-77
70-72
68-69
63-67
60-62
60 and below
COURSE POLICIES
Effective Class Discussions
The most effective way to participate in our class conversations involves preparing carefully for the
course, listening to what others have to say, and responding to others in a respectful manner. You
are encouraged to make provisional comments and to revise your opinion throughout the course of
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the semester. Insightful questions are as important as comments. We will be talking about
controversial, personal, and difficult issues throughout the semester; the type of class discussion that
helps us to understand our challenging and sometimes difficult material depends not on our ability
to agree with one another but on our ability to engage one another seriously and respectfully.
You are encouraged to use the course materials to analyze your own personal experiences both
within and beyond the class space. If you choose to share personal experiences with the class (e.g.
“I have a friend…” “That happened to me…”, etc.) remember to link your discussion of your
experience directly to the course materials. Also remember that other participants in the
conversation may have had different experiences and be respectful in how you share your opinions
and experiences. And always keep in mind the dangers of overgeneralization (treating an individual
case as representative of a broader pattern). In other words, the experience of one individual neither
proves nor disproves social patterns. We will be discussing overgeneralization along with other
methodological errors that weaken research about women as the semester progresses.
Electronic Devices
Please remember to turn off all electronic devices (e.g. mp3 players, cell phones, etc.) before
coming into class. If electronic devices become disruptive, I will ask the student whose device is
interrupting our conversation to leave class so that the rest of us can participate in an
uninterrupted conversation. If you are asked to leave class because your device has disrupted our
conversation, you will not receive participation points for that day and will not be allowed to make
up in-class assignments. If you have a special situation that requires you to have a cell phone or
beeper on during our class (e.g. sick family member, on-call sexual assault volunteer), please notify
me before class. The use of laptops is permitted only by arrangement through the Office of
Disabilities.
Disability Accommodations
Emory complies with the regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and offers
accommodations to students with documented disabilities. If you are in need of accommodation for
this class, please notify me as soon as possible so that we can make arrangements that will facilitate
your full participation in this course. For more information, please see the Emory’s Office of
Disabilities website, http://www.ods.emory.edu/, or call the office at (404)727-6016.
Honor Code/ Plagiarism
Every student enrolled in Emory College is bound by the university’s honor code, which prohibits
and severely penalizes any form of academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarizing. The
honor code is available at: http://www.college.emory.edu/current/standards/honor_code.html
Violations of the honor code will not be tolerated.
Office Hours and Instructor Availability
I am available to you during my scheduled office hours each week. I also check e-mail regularly
and will do my best to reply promptly to your message (usually within 48 hours). If you would like
to discuss an upcoming assignment, have concerns about your performance in the course, or have a
question does not have a quick answer, please see me in person. You are always welcome to use
office hours for questions or concerns about our class or any other issue that affects your life at
Emory. Also remember that you can talk to a trained counseling staff member—free and
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confidentially—at the Emory counseling center at any point during your academic career. For more
information, see http://www.emory.edu/SCOUNSEL/ or call (404) 727-7450.
Syllabus Subject to Change
As the semester progresses, it may become apparent that some aspect(s) of the course could be
better tailored to meet the needs of our particular learning community. Therefore, this syllabus is
subject to change with advance notice.
Additionally, I have reserved time at the end of the semester to add material that members of the class are
interested in that have not already been covered. I will solicit suggestions for that portion of the syllabus
during our mid-semester check-in.
SCHEDULE
F 8/29
Introductions
M 9/1
Labor Day/ No Class
W 9/3
Feminism
Andersen, Chapter One: Studying Women, Feminist Perspectives Pp.1-6, 10-17.
F 9/5
Women’s Studies
Valenti, Jessica. 2007. “Introduction” and “You’re a Hardcore Feminist, I Swear” in Full Frontal
Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press. Pp.1-17.
Steinem, Gloria. 2007. “If Men Could Menstruate” in Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions 3rd ed. edited by
Susan Shaw and Janet Lee. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 258-259.
M 9/8
The Social Construction of Gender
Andersen, Chapter Two: The Social Construction of Gender Pp. 20-37.
W 9/10
The Social Construction of Gender, cont’d
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. 1993. “The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female are Not Enough” in The Sciences
(May/April). Pp. 20-24.
Lorber, Judith. 2007. “’Night to His Day’: The Social Construction of Gender” in Feminist Frontiers 7th
edition, edited by Verta Taylor, Nancy Whittier, and Leila Rupp. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp.41-56.
F 9/12
Oppression and Patriarchy
Frye, Marilyn. 2007. “Oppression” in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States 7th ed. edited by
Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 154-158.
Johnson, Allan. 2007. “Patriarchy” in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States 7th ed. edited by Paula
Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 158-167.
Assignment Due: Your Experience Paper #1: Waking Up a Different Gender
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Simula WS 100-000
M 9/15
Patriarchy
Lerner, Gerda. 1986. “The Creation of Patriarchy” in The Creation of Patriarchy. New York: Oxford
University Press. Pp. 212-229.
W 9/17
Class and Classism
Mantsios, Gregory. 2007. “Class in America- 2006” in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States 7th ed.
edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 182-197.
Langston, Donna. 2007. “Tired of Playing Monopoly?” in Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions 3rd edition,
edited by Susan Shaw and Janet Lee. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp.101-106.
F 9/19
Homophobia and Heterosexism
Pharr, Suzanne. 2007. “Homophobia as a Weapon of Sexism” in Race, Class, and Gender in the United
States 7th ed. edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 168-177.
Schacht, Steven. 2004. “Teaching About Being an Oppressor: Some Personal and Political Considerations” in
Feminist Frontiers 6th ed. edited by Laurel Richardson, Verta Taylor, and Nancy Whittier. New York:
McGraw Hill. Pp. 24-29.
M 9/22
Homophobia and Heterosexism, cont’d
Kimmel, Michael. 2006. “Ritualized Homosexuality in a Nacirema Subculture.” Sexualities 9.1. Pp. 95-105.
Hubbard, Ruth. 2007. “The Social Construction of Sexuality” in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States
7th ed. edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 65-68.
W 9/24
Race and Racism
McIntosh, Peggy. 2007. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” in Race, Class, and Gender in
the United States 7th ed. edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 177-182.
Anzaldúa, Gloria. 1999. “ La Conciencia de la Mestiza” in Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza.
2nd Edition. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books. Pp. 99-113.
Osajima, Keith. 2007. “Internalized Racism” in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States 7th ed. edited
by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 138-143.
F 9/26
Race and Racism
The Combahee River Collective. 1995. “A Black Feminist Statement” in Words of Fire: An Anthology of
African-American Feminist Thought edited by Beverly Guy-Sheftall. New York: The New Press.
Pp. 231-240.
Lorde, Audre. 1995. “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” in Words of Fire: An
Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought edited by Beverly Guy-Sheftall. New York: The
New Press. Pp. 283-292.
M 9/29
Ableism and Ageism
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Simula WS 100-000
Wendell, Susan. 2007. “The Social Construction of Disability” in Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions 3rd
edition, edited by Susan Shaw and Janet Lee. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 110-118.
Copper, Baba. 2007. “Voices: On Becoming Old Women” in Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions 3rd edition,
edited by Susan Shaw and Janet Lee. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 106-110.
Griscom, Joan. 2007. “The Case of Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thomson” in Race, Class, and Gender in the
United States 7th ed. edited
by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 496-504.
Davies, Joyce. 2007. “Lame” in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States 7th ed. edited by Paula
Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 505-507.
W 10/1
Media and Representation
Andersen, Chapter Three: Gender, Culture, and the Media Pp. 54-67.
Richardson, Laurel. 2007. “Gender Stereotyping in the English Language.” in Feminist Frontiers 7th edition,
edited by Verta Taylor, Nancy Whittier, and Leila Rupp. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 99-103.
F 10/3
Media and Representation, continued
Wolf, Naomi. 2002. “The Beauty Myth” in The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against
Women. New York: Perennial. Pp. 9-19.
M 10/6
Media and Representation, continued
Walker, Barbara. 1996. “The Frog Princess” and “Ugly and the Beast” in Feminist Fairy Tales. New York:
Harper Collins. Pp. 35-54.
Doyle, Margaret. 1995. “Introduction” in The A-Z of Non-Sexist Language. London: The Women’s
Press. Pp. 1-8.
W 10/8
Education and Work
Andersen, Chapter Ten: Gender, Education, and Science Pp. 289-312
Matthews, Jay. 2007. “Wealthy Often Win the Race for Merit-Based College Aid” in Race, Class, and Gender
in the United States 7th ed. edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 303-305.
Burd, Stephen. 2007. “College Choices are Limited for Students From Needy Families, Report Says” in Race,
Class, and Gender in the United States 7th ed. edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth.
Pp.302-303.
F 10/10
Education and Work, continued
Andersen, Chapter Five: Gender, Work, and the Economy Pp. 108, 116-137.
Lumumba-Kasongo, Mana. 2007. “My Black Skin Makes My White Coat Vanish” in Race, Class,
and Gender in the United States 7th ed. edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp.
294-295.
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Assignment Due: Analyzing the Social World Paper #1: Advertisement Analysis
M 10/13
Fall Break/ No Class
W 10/15
Mid-Semester Check-In
F 10/17
Education and Work, continued
Andersen, Chapter Five: Gender, Work, and the Economy Pp. 137-149.
Bernstein, Aaron. 2007. “Women’s Pay: Why the Gap Remains a Chasm” in Race, Class, and Gender in
the United States 7th ed. edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 370-372.
The Wage Project, 2007. “The Wage Gap and Its Costs” in Race, Class, and Gender in the United
States 7th ed. edited by Paula Rothenberg. New York: Worth. Pp. 373-378.
M 10/20
Education and Work, continued
Ehrenreich, Barbara. 2007. “Maid to Order” in Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions 3rd edition, edited by Susan
Shaw and Janet Lee. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 468-474
Bose, Christine and Rachel Bridges Whaley. 2007. “Sex Segregation in the U.S. Labor Force” in Feminist
Frontiers, 7th edition, edited by Verta Taylor, Nancy Whittier, and Leila Rupp. New York: McGraw
Hill. Pp. 195-204.
W 10/22
Law and Politics
Andersen, Chapter Eleven: Women, Power, and Politics Pp. 320-341
F 10/24
Violence Against Women
Shaw, Susan and Janet Lee. 2007. “Chapter Ten: Resisting Violence Against Women” in Women’s
Voices, Feminist Visions, 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 554-568
M 10/27
Violence Against Women, continued
Shaw, Susan and Janet Lee. 2007. “Chapter Ten: Resisting Violence Against Women” in Women’s
Voices, Feminist Visions, 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 568-577.
Allen, Robert and Paul Kivel. 2007. “Men Changing Men” in Feminist Frontiers 7th edition, edited by Verta
Taylor, Nancy Whittier, and Leila Rupp. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp.426-428.
W 10/29
Health, Science, and Medicine
Andersen Chapter 10: Gender, Education, and Science Pp. 309-319.
Martin. Emily. 1996. “The Egg and the Sperm: How Science has Constructed a Romance Based on
Stereotypical Male-Female Roles” in Gender and Scientific Authority ed. Barabara Laslett et al.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Pp. 323-339
F 10/31
Health, Science, and Medicine, continued
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Andersen, Chapter Seven: Gender, Health, and Reproduction Pp.197-231
Assignment Due: Your Experience Paper #2: Violating a Gender Norm
M 11/3
Health, Science, and Medicine, continued
Kessler, Suzanne. 2007. “The Medical Construction of Gender: Case Management of Intersexed Infants” in
Feminist Frontiers 7th edition, edited by Verta Taylor, Nancy Whittier, and Leila Rupp. New York:
McGraw Hill. Pp. 56-69
Koedt, Anne. 1973. “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” in Radical Feminism, edited by Anne Koedt, Ellen
Levine, and Anita Rapone. New York: Quadrangle Books. Pp. 198-207.
W 11/5
Families, Relationships, Sexualities
Andersen, Chapter Six: Gender and Families Pp. 158-178
F 11/7
Families, Relationships, Sexualities, continued
Andersen, Chapter Six: Gender and Families Pp. 178-194
M 11/10
Families, Relationships, Sexualities, continued
Andersen, Chapter Four: Sexuality and Intimate Relationships Pp. 77-90.
W 11/12
Families, Relationships, Sexualities, continued
Andersen, Chapter Four: Sexuality and Intimate Relationships Pp. 90-106
F 11/14
Families, Relationships, Sexualities, continued
Hartley, Nina. 1997. “In the Flesh: A Porn Star’s Journey” in Whores and Other Feminists edited by Jill
Nagle. New York: Routledge. Pp. 57- 65.
Hollibaugh, Amber. 1984. “Desire for the Future: Radical Hope in Passion and Pleasure” in Pleasure and
Danger: Exploring Female Sexuality edited by Carole Vance. New York: Pandora. Pp. 401-410.
Assignment Due: Analyzing the Social World Paper #2: Sex Advice Analysis
M 11/17
Feminism and Social Movements
Andersen, Chapter Eleven: Women, Power, and Politics Pp. 341-351.
W 11/19
Feminism and Social Movements, cont’d
Taylor, Verta, Nancy Whittier and Cynthia Fabrizio Pelak. 2007. “The Women’s Movement: Persistence
through Transformation” in Feminist Frontiers 7th edition, edited by Verta Taylor, Nancy Whittier, and
Leila Rupp. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 503-518.
F 11/21
Feminism and Social Movements, cont’d
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hooks, bell. 1984. “Sisterhood: Political Solidarity Among Women” in Feminist Theory: From Margin to
Center. 2nd Ed. Cambridge: South End Press. Pp. 43-68.
Deadline for Extra Credit Presentations and Write-Ups
M 11/24
Men in the Movement
hooks, bell. 1984. “Men: Comrades in Struggle” in Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. 2nd Ed.
Cambridge: South End Press. Pp. 68-84.
Kimmel, Michael. 2007. “Real Men Join the Movement” in Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions 3rd ed. edited
by Susan Shaw and Janet Lee. New York: McGraw Hill. Pp. 721-726.
W 11/26
Extra Day for Thanksgiving Break/ No Class
F 11/28
Thanksgiving Break/ No Class
M 12/1
New Directions
Andersen, Chapter Thirteen: Contemporary Frameworks in Feminist Theory Pp. 399-411
W 12/3
Readings:
Student Selected Topics
TBD
F 12/5
Review
M 12/8
Review
W 12/17
Exam Period 4:30-7:00
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