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Women’s Studies 1216: Section Two
Course Outline Jan-April 2006
Instructor: Patty Moore
Office: A118e
Telephone: 604-323-5743
Office Hours: Tues. 4:30-6:00; Wed. 2:30-3:30; Thurs. 12:30-2:00
Required Texts:
JP: The Journal Project: Dialogues and Conversations within Women's Studies. Eds: D.
Putnam et al. Toronto: Second Story Press, 1995, available in Langara Bookstore.
CR: Women's Studies 1216 Spring Course Reader 2005, in Langara Bookstore.
Strategies for Change: From women’s experience to a plan for action (Handed out in class)
Magazine: Each student to purchase one magazine; list provided in class
Weekly Topics, Readings and Assignment Due Dates
Week #1 Jan 10
Introduction to the Course
Topics:
· Overview of Course Content
· Methods and Techniques of Learning and Teaching
· The Power of Naming: Finding Our Voices, Finding Ourselves
“Not being in control of naming, that is, defining who you are, serves as one of the most
express examples of silencing that I can think of…The most that I can do is maintain and
nurture my voice. It is the voices for those who have been traditionally excluded who bring the
tension to bear on all those systems that are oppressive to human life. It is that tension which
is the site of true human development and knowledge.”
– Patricia Monture-Angus, Thunder in My Soul: A Mohawk Woman Speaks
Week #2 Jan 17
From the Inside Out: Developing Tools for Interactions
Topics:
• Commonalities and Differences among Women
• “Voice”: Where We Speak; How We Listen
• Discussion of Grading, Assignments and Organizing Group Projects
• What is Women’s Studies? Knowledge Production; Social Construction of Language
Readings:
JP Beginning Women's Studies: First impressions, p. 25-39; and Holding Forth, p. 40-47.
CR1 Nym Hughes, Why I Can't Write about Class from Fireweed
CR2 Sara Kreindler, Education Means Freedom in Canadian Dimension
CR3 Sarita Srivastava, Discovering India without Columbus: Relearning and reclaiming
Herstory from Canadian Woman Studies
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CR4 Susan M. Shaw / Janet Lee, Women’s Studies: Perspectives and practices from
Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions
CR5 Women & The Vote from Status of Women Canada and Women in Canada Statistics
on Earnings from Statistics Canada
Assignment: Practice Readings Comprehension Quiz
Week #3 Jan 24
The Creation of Patriarchies: Historical Perspectives
Topics:
• Theories of the Origins of Patriarchies
• Institutionalized Power
• Intersections of gender, race and class as systems of oppression
Readings:
JP Naming: Who and What is “Family” pp. 51-79.
CR6 Gerda Lerner, Introduction from The Creation of Patriarchy
CR7 Winona Stevenson, Colonialism and First Nations Women In Canada from
Scratching the Surface: Canadian Anti-racist Feminist Thought
CR8 Susan M. Shaw / Janet Lee, Systems of Privilege and Inequality in Women’s Lives
from Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions
CR9 Anonymous, Resisting the Puzzle: Jess’s life work. A student paper submitted in
Langara Women’s Studies.
Assignments: Readings Comprehension Quiz
Journal 1 due
Week #4 Jan 31
Some Feminist Challenges to Institutionalized Systems of Power
“Perhaps it becomes clear why all issues are feminist issues—and why bandaid reforms,
or equality with men in a male-defined society, or “empowering” women to have ‘selfesteem’ while leaving intact a status quo with a perforated ozone layer—all are pseudosolutions that a radical feminist finds unacceptable. …The word radical, for example,
refers to ‘going to the root’ (as in radish) of an issue or subject.”
– Robin Morgan, “Light Bulbs, Radishes and the Politics of the 21st Century”
Topics:
· The “triangle” as a tool for analyzing oppression and resistance
· Feminisms: Challenging institutions and ideologies
· Connecting personal and political
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Readings:
JP Warning: Feminist Content To Follow: Site: Women’s Studies and Changing the Terms, pp.
143-175
CR10 Mary Dorcey, “The Ordinary Woman”
CR11 Judy Rebick and Kike Roach, Canadian Feminism from Politically Speaking
CR12 Amy Go, Chinese Canadian Women and the Effects of the Exclusion Act and Head Tax
from Fireweed: Awakening Thunder: Asian Canadian Women
CR13 Patricia Hill Collins, Toward a New Vision: Race, Class and Gender as Categories of
Analysis and Connection from Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions
CR14 Krista Scott-Dixon, Turbo Chicks: Talkin’ ‘bout My Generation from Herizons
Assignment: Readings Comprehension Quiz
º Group topic due
Week #5 Feb 7
Growing Up Female: Mind, Body and Spirit
“It is at puberty that the full force of society’s pressure to conform…is brought to bear…The
best controlling tactic at puberty is to be treated as an outsider, to be ostracized at a time when
it feels most vital to be accepted.”
– Suzanne Pharr, “Homophobia and Sexism”
Topics:
·
The politics of girls becoming women
·
Body image and “disordered eating”: The struggle to survive oppressions and
define one’s self and communities
Readings:
JP Naming: Body and Imaging and Sexuality pp. 80-119.
CR15 Mary Pipher, Theoretical Issues-For Your Own Good from Reviving Ophelia:Saving the
Selves of Adolescent Girls
CR16 Irshad Manji, .I’m Sorry Mum, Montreal Gazette.
CR17 Becky Thompson, Hungry and Hurting from A Hunger So Wide and So Deep
CR18 June Larkin, Naming the Problem from Sexual Harassment: High School Girls Speak Out
CR19 Susan Jane Gilman, Klaus Barbie, and other dolls I’d like to see in Adios Barbie
Assignments: Readings Comprehension Quiz
Journal 2 Due
Week #6 Feb 14
Women & Popular Culture: Women Creating Alternatives
“These first questions that I asked myself (and that nobody answered) were the most important
in my life. They were the ones that clicked open the door and allowed in the first flashes of
light.”
– Nawal El-Saadawi, Click Becoming Feminists
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Topics:
·
Women writing and publishing their own stories
·
Challenging belief systems and institutions
Readings:
Magazines purchased for this course (read your own and trade
with others)
CR20 Tali Edut, Hues Magazine: The Making of a Movement in Third Wave Agenda: Being
Feminist, Doing Feminism
CR21 Shamita Das Dasgupta and Sayantani DasGupta, Bringing up Baby: Raising a “Third
World” Daughter in the “First World” from Dragon Ladies
CR22 Allyson Mitchell, Lisa Rundle, & Lara Karaian, Introduction; Heather Davis, Screaming
as Loud as the Boys: Women in Punktopia, and Jennifer O’Connor, A Day in the Life of Debbie
Stoller & Bust Magazine from Turbo Chicks: Talking Young Feminisms
CR 23 Mary Chan, Box of Dreams from Fireweed: Revolution Girl Style
Assignments: Written Review due
Readings Comprehension Quiz
Weeks #7 and #8 Feb 21 & 28
Presentation of Group Projects
Readings:
CR24 Audre Lorde, The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action from Sister
Outsider.
Assignments:
º Each group submits 1) Attendance Sheets; 2) Worksheets from pp. 84-86 of
Strategies for Change, and 3) Bibliography (submit the day you present)
Week #9 March 7
Disentangling Gender, Sex and Sexuality
Readings:
CR25 Julie Darke & Allison Cope, Exploring Gender from Trans Inclusion Policy Manual for
Women’s Organizations
CR26 Suzanne Pharr, Homophobia and Sexism in Women Images and Realities
CR27 Cassandra Lord, The Silencing of Sexuality in Turbo Chicks
CR28 Leslie Feinberg, Sisterhood: Make it real! in Transgender Warriors
CR29 Emi Koyama, Introduction to Intersex Activism (not on quiz)
Assignment: Readings Comprehension Quiz
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Week #10 March 14 Globalization, Work and the Politics of Poverty
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come
because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
– Lilla Watson
Topics:
• Globalization, colonization and forced migration
• Immigration and the case of domestic workers in Canada
Readings:
CR30 Emma LaRocque, Tides, Towns and Trains from Living the Changes
CR31 Vandana Shiva, Violence of Globalization from (CWS) Canadian Woman Studies:
Women, Globalization and International Trade; Volume 21/22 Summer 2002.
CR32 Bob Jeffcott and Lynda Yanz, Bridging the Gap: Exposing the labour behind the
label, from Our Times, Feb. 1997
CR33 Diane Wadden, Discrimination and Oppression of Immigrant Women, a paper for
Langara Canadian Studies.
CR34 Pura Velasco, I Am a Global Commodity: Women domestic workers, structural
adjustment and global solidarity from The World Transformed
Assignment: Readings Comprehension Quiz / Journal 3 due
Weeks #11 & #12 March 21 & 28 Politics of Making Change
Topics:
· Analyzing Forces of Oppression and Resistance
· From Analysis to Local Action
Readings:
JP Bringing It Home, pp. 143-198.
CR35 Claire Yao, I Wish from Fireweed: Awakening Thunder: Asian Canadian women
CR36 Luanne Armstrong, Connecting the Circles: Race, gender and nature from
Canadian Women's Studies
CR37 Bernice Johnson Reagon, Coalition Politics: Turning the century, from Home
girls: A black feminist anthology
CR38 Winona LaDuke, I Fight Like a Woman from Canadian Dimension
CR39 Anderson et al., Pop Theatre: A tool for social change in Ready for action
CR40 Guerrilla Girls, Women Who Run with Brushes & Glue in Confessions of the
Guerrilla Girls
Assignments: Readings Comprehension Quiz March 21
Week #13 April 4
Summary of the course
Readings:
JP Afterwords, 201-213.
CR41 Marge Piercy, For Strong Women, The Moon Is Always Female.