WMNST 360: WOMEN’S SEXUALITY AND THE BODY
Dr. Irene Lara
Spring 2013
Office: AL 353
Telephone: 619-594-7151
Email: ilara@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours: Most Wed. 1:30-3:30 pm & Thur. 11:30 am-1:30 pm
& by appointment
Graduate Assistant:
Class Buddy #1:
Email:
Class Buddy #2:
Course Description
This course explores ideas about women’s bodies and sexualities across various cultures
and historical times. We will critically engage theory, history, literature, visual and
performance art, personal narratives, and popular music as we explore the cultural
construction of women’s bodies and sexualities across age, class, race, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, gender identity, culture, and nation. Some of the topics we will cover include:
representations of female bodies; the relationship between body, mind, and spirit; the
good woman vs. bad woman dichotomy; racialized sexuality; violence and healing; and
the politics of women’s pleasure and knowledge about sexuality. We will engage
knowledge from communities inside and outside of the university through various guest
speakers and opportunities for participating in relevant community events.
Our Learning Goals
1. To demonstrate an understanding of the ways that ideas about girl’s and women’s
bodies and sexualities are impacted by culture, history, representations and social
structures (such as the family, education, religion, health care, law, and the media).
2. To understand how ideas about women’s bodies and sexualities often persist and
change over time and vary by culture.
3. To better understand the lives of women across our/their similarities and
differences, including across class, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, age, size,
mental and physical ability, and sexual and gender identity.
4. To better appreciate multiple perspectives by opening our minds and hearts to
new ideas that may challenge our own belief systems.
5. To analyze the role of social location and power in the production of ideas,
theories, and representations (including our own).
6. To identify mechanisms of oppression, resistance, transformation, and healing in
relation to women’s sexuality and the body.
7. To nurture our honest storytelling and attentive listening skills as a way to better
understand our experiences and the experiences of others.
8. To practice “engaged pedagogy” (bell hooks) by a. working to bring our whole
selves, our bodymindspirits, to the course, b. nurturing “conocimiento,” “that
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aspect of consciousness urging you to act on the knowledge gained” (Gloria
Anzaldúa), and c. striving to make connections between what we are learning
and our participation in the world of which we are all a part.
9. To feel empowered to question and transform ideas about women’s bodies and
sexualities in our own lives through personal actions and involvement in our
communities.
10. Write in your own additional learning goal:
General Education Explorations Course
Courses that fulfill the 9-unit requirement for Explorations in General Education take the goals
and skills of GE Foundations courses to a more advanced level. Your three upper division
courses in Explorations will provide greater interdisciplinary, more complex and in-depth
theory, deeper investigation of local problems, and wider awareness of global challenges.
More extensive reading, written analysis involving complex comparisons, well-developed
arguments, considerable bibliography, and use of technology are appropriate in many
Explorations courses.
This is an Explorations course in the Humanities and Fine Arts. Completing this course will help
you to do the following in greater depth: 1) analyze written, visual, or performed texts in the
humanities and fine arts with sensitivity to their diverse cultural contexts and historical
moments; 2) describe various aesthetic and other value systems and the ways they are
communicated across time and cultures; 3) identify issues in the humanities that have
personal and global relevance; 4) demonstrate the ability to approach complex problems
and ask complex questions drawing upon knowledge of the humanities.
Required Texts (available at KB Books and Course Reserves at Love Library)
1. Edut, Ophira, ed. Body Outlaws: Rewriting the Rules of Beauty and Body Image. Emeryville,
CA: Seal Press, 2003.
2. Brody, Karen. Birth. Authorhouse, 2008.
3. Ensler, Eve. Vagina Monologues (10th anniversary edition). New York: Villard, 2008.
4. Ensler, Eve, ed. A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer. New York: Villard, 2006.
Course Outline
NOTE: All other readings will be on Blackboard under “Course Documents.” Some readings
will include “Reflection Questions” meant to help you critically and personally engage the
texts. Although I encourage you to jot responses in your notes, you do not need to submit
answers unless I specifically ask you to. You are required to read all of the readings by class
time on the dates noted unless they are “optional,” in which case they are highly
recommended but not required. Optional readings may be included as “bonus” questions
on quizzes. This class covers many topics and has a good amount of reading appropriate for
an upper division course. By making plenty of time to do all of the readings and taking notes
in preparation for class you are more likely to be successful with the course. If you are hoping
to fulfill your explorations requirement by taking a class that requires minimal work, this is not
the class for you. *I will diligently strive to keep to the schedule, but I reserve the right to make
adjustments to the syllabus if need be.
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Week 1/Jan. 23
Introduction to Course and Pedagogy
In Class Assignment: Introduction Assignment
Readings: 1. bell hook’s “Engaged Pedagogy.”
2. Gwen Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey’s “Identities and Social Locations: Who Am I? Who Are
My People?”
I: The Cultural Construction of the Body and Women’s Sexuality/ies
Week 2/Jan. 30
Body vs. Mind, Flesh vs. Spirit, and BodyMindSpirit
Assignment Due: Introduction Assignment
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #1 on all required readings through 1/30, including the Syllabus
Readings: 1. Hunter College Women’s Studies Collective’s “Women’s Bodies.” Focus on: “The
Body as Cultural Construct,” “Feminism and the Body,” “Mind/Body Dualism,” & “The Body as
Natural” (79-85); and “Discourse/Knowledge/Power,” “The Medicalization of Women’s Bodies,”
“Discourses of Sexuality,” “Body as Text,” “The Commodified Body,” & “The Visibility Politics of the
Body” (89-99).
2. Audre Lorde’s “Uses of the Erotic”
Optional: Sylvia Marcos’s “Corporeality, Religious Metaphor, and Narrative.”
Optional: Irene Lara’s “Latina Health Activist-Healers Bridging Body and Spirit.”
Week 3/Feb. 6
Religion & the Construction of Female Sexuality/ies:
The Good Woman/Bad Woman Dichotomy
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #2
In class: Art Slide Show: Eve, Lilith, Mary, The Virgin of Guadalupe, The “Mexican Eve”
Malinche, and Mesoamerican “Goddesses”
Readings: 1. “Genesis: Chapters 1-3”
2. Mary Daly’s “I Thank Thee, Lord, That Thou Has Not Created Me A Woman”
3. Naomi Wolf’s “A Short History of the Slut”
4. Ana Castillo’s “In the Beginning There Was Eva”
5. Sandra Cisneros’s “Guadalupe the Sex Goddess”
Optional: Irene Lara’s “Key Figures/Translation Handout: Readings by Castillo & Cisneros”
Optional: Judy Chicago and Edward Lucie-Smith’s “The Divine”
Week 4/Feb. 13
Birthing and Maternal Bodies
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #3
Assignment Due: In preparation for class, review any of the following websites:
Birth Roots Women’s Health & Maternity Center: http://www.birthrootsbabies.com/
Orgasmic Birth: http://www.orgasmicbirth.com/;
Best Start Birthing Center: http://www.beststartbirthcenter.com/;
Bold Action/Birth play website: http://www.boldaction.org/theplay/thebook.html;
Creative Birth: http://creativebirth.com.au/
In-class: Possible Guest Speakers Sarah Davis and/or Darynée Blount, midwives at Birth Roots;
Partial screenings of “Birth Day” (2007) directed by Naolí Vinaver Lopez and “The Business of
Being Born” (2008) directed by Abby Epstein
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Readings: 1. Robbie Davis-Floyd’s “Gender and Ritual: Giving Birth the American Way”
2. Karen Brody’s Birth
3. Joy Harjo’s “Three Generations of Native American Women’s Birth Experience”
4. Takeya Trayer’s “Takeya and Aziz” in Freeing Ourselves: A Guide to Health and Self-Love for
Brown Bois
Optional: Judy Chicago and Edward Lucie-Smith’s “Maternity.”
Week 5/Feb. 20
Suffering to be Beautiful?
Disciplining “Femininity” & Challenging “Beauty” Norms
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #4
Assignment Due: Engaging the Women’s Studies Community Writing Response (if relevant)
Readings: 1. Leslie Marmon Silko’s “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit”
2. In Body Outlaws: Ophira Edut’s “Introduction” (xix-xxv); Carolyn Mackler’s “Memoirs of a
(Sorta) Ex-Shaver” (55-61); Susan Jane Gilman’s “Klaus Barbie and Other Dolls I’d Like to See”
(14-21); Regina Williams’s “Conquering the Fear of a Fat Body” (176-87); Jennifer C. Panning’s
“Shrink Rap: What I Learned as an Eating Disorders Therapist” (279-86).
3. Sandra Lee Bartky’s “Suffering to be Beautiful”
4. Fatema Mernissi’s “Size 6: The Western Woman’s Harem”
Optional: Simone Weil Davis’s “Designer Vaginas”
Week 6/Feb. 27
The Cultural Construction of Sex, Gender, and Sexual Identities:
Heteronormativity, Homophobia, and Transphobia
In-class: Maiana Minahal’s “Poem on Trying to Love Without Fear” &
Possible “Safe Zones” Guest Panel
Readings: 1. Susan M. Shaw and Janet Lee’s “The Social Construction of Sexuality” & “The
Politics of Sexuality”
2. Monica Palacios’s “Tomboy”
3. Stephanie A. Sellers’s “Koskalaka and Winkte,” excerpt from “Native American Terminology
for the Women’s Studies Classroom”
4. Gay Marriage reading, title tba
5. From Body Outlaws: Diane Courvant’s “Strip!” and tba
Optional: Daisy Hernandez’s “Becoming a Black Man
(http://www.colorlines.com/article.php?ID=265)
Optional: Megan Carney’s “Creating a Forum: LGBTQ Youth and The Home Project in Chicago”
Week 7/Mar. 6
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #5
Readings: 1. Anne Fausto-Sterling’s “The Five Sexes, Revisited”
2. Cheryl Chase’s “First-World Feminism, African Cliterectomy and Intersex Genital Mutilation.”
3. Esteban’s “Genital Surgery For Those Assigned Female at Birth Who Identify as Something
Else,” in Freeing Ourselves: A Guide to Health and Self-Love for Brown Bois
4. Hunter College Women’s Studies Collective’s “Women’s Bodies.” Focus on: “The Body as
Natural,” “The Nature of Sex Differences” (83-86); and “Sex(ing) Hormones,” “Genital Anatomy,”
“Chromosomes,” “The Politics of Nature” (83-89).
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II. The Intersectionality of Sexuality and Race: Histories and Representations
Week 8/March 13
Histories of Colonialism and Slavery:
Physical and Discursive Violence, Resisting a Legacy of Racism
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #6
Assignment Due: Engaging the Women’s Studies Community Writing Response
Extra Credit Assignment Due: Mid-Course Evaluation (5 points, posted under “assignments”)
In-class: Review of online companion to “Race: The Power of an Illusion” (2003;
http://www.pbs.org/race/001_WhatIsRace/001_00-home.htm) &
Film Screening of The Life And Times Of Sara Baartman: The Hottentot Venus (1998; dir. Zola
Maseko)
Readings: 1. Joane Nagel’s “Sex Matters: Racing Sex and Sexing Race”
2. Evelynn Hammonds’s "Towards a Genealogy of Black Female Sexuality: The Problematic of
Silence"
3. Elizabeth Alexander’s “The Venus Hottentot”
4. Gloria Naylor’s “The Two”
Week 9/March 20
Women’s Sexuality in Music & Spoken Word:
Spotlight on Hip Hop and Latino Pop/Reggaeton
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #7
Assignment Due: The Hottentot Venus and Black Female Sexuality Writing Response (if relevant)
In class: Partial Film Screening of “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” (2006) directed by Byron
Hurt; Spoken Word Screening of Sarah Jones’ “Your Revolution” In class: Music Video Screening
of Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ la Vida Loca [the Crazy Life]” (1999) & La Bruja’s “Mi Gatita Negra [My
Little Black Cat]” (2006)
Readings: 1. Kaila Adia Story’s “Performing Venus. From Hottentot Venus to Video Vixen: The
Historical Legacy of Black Female Body Commodification”
2. In Body Outlaws: Erin J. Aubry’s “The Butt: Its Politics, its Profanity, its Power”
3. Irene Lara’s “Bruja Positionalities” excerpts: “La Bruja [The Witch] in the Cultural Imaginary,”
“La Bruja in Popular Culture: Livin’ La Vida Loca” & “Postscript: Enacting a Bruja Positionality.”
10-22; 31-35. Also see “Brujandera and Key Terms.”
Week 10/March 27
Constructing and Resisting Ethnosexual Stereotypes:
Spotlight on East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern Women
Assignment Due: Cultural Activist Mini-Assignment & Online Quiz #8 (everyone)
Assignment Due: Art, Literature, or Media Cultural Activist Writing Response (if relevant)
In-class: Possible screening of Slaying the Dragon Reloaded and/or Yellow Rage and/or Suheir
Hammad’s “Not Your Erotic, Not Your Exotic” (spoken word hand out)
Readings: 1. Cynthia Enloe’s “It Takes More Than Two: The Prostitute, The Soldier, The State, and
The Entrepreneur.”
2. In Vagina Monologues: Eve Ensler’s “Comfort Women”
3. In Body Outlaws: Mira Jacob’s “My Brown Face,” 3-13; and Matsan Haydar’s “Veiled
Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl By Her Covering,” 258-65.
4. Marsha Hamilton’s “The Arab Woman in U.S. Popular Culture: Sex & Stereotype”
5. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. “Introduction” and “The Veil.”
Optional: Lynn Lu’s “Critical Visions: The Representation and Resistance of Asian Women”
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Spring Break/April 3
III. Reclaiming Women’s Sexuality and BodyMindSpirits
Week 11/April 10
The Power of Knowing, Voicing, and Representing:
Vaginas, Clitorises, Orgasms and More
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #9
In-class: Possible Guest Speaker & Sharon L. Powell’s “All Hail the Coochie” & Sandra Cisneros’
“Down There” Handouts
Readings: 1. Patricia Beattie Jung’s “Sanctifying Women’s Pleasure”
2. Sharon McGhee’s “The Silver Bullet”
3. Nancy Tuana’s “Coming to Understand: Orgasm and the Epistemology of Ignorance”
Optional: Boston Women’s Health Collective’s “Sexuality” & “Sexual Anatomy, Reproduction, &
the Menstrual Cycle"
Optional: Jennifer Johnson’s “Exposed at Last: The Truth About Your Clitoris.”
Week 12/April 17
The Personal is Political: Women Speaking From the Body
In class: Cisneros’ poem & Film Screening of The Vagina Monologues (2002), directed by Eve
Ensler
Reading: 1. The Vagina Monologues (10th anniversary edition) by Eve Ensler
2. Panocha Pláticas: Healing Sex and Sexuality in Community Zine by Sophia Arredondo, Jessica
Heredia, Irene Lara, and Eneri Rodriguez
Optional: Irene Lara’s “From the Four Directions: A Dreaming, Birthing, Healing Mother on Fire”
Week 13/April 24
The Political is Personal: Reproductive Justice
Assignment Due: Vagina Monologues Writing Response
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #10
In class: Reproductive Justice Group Mini-Assignment
Readings: 1. Loretta Ross’s “Understanding Reproductive Justice”
2. Etobssie Wako and Cara Page’s “Depo Diaries and the Power of Stories
3. “Reproductive Health & Rights,” Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Week 14/May 1
Violence Against Women: Resisting, Healing, and Ending the Violence
Assignment Due: Engaging the Women’s Studies Community Writing Response (if relevant)
Assignment Due: Online Quiz #11
In-class: Guest Lecture on Understanding & Preventing Sexual Assault
In preparation, review the following websites: Center for Community Solutions
http://www.ccssd.org/ ; We End Violence: http://www.weendviolence.com/our_services.html
Readings: 1. Susan Shaw and Janet Lee’s “Resisting Violence Against Women”
2. Selections from A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer:
“Blueberry Hill,” 25-28
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“My Two Selves,” 29-30
“My Mother With Her Hands as Knives,” 32-37
“Untitled,” 44-45
“Maurice,” 53-56
“Conversations with My Son,” 61-68
“None of Us Monologists,” 71-83
“Darfur Monologue,” 84-85
“I Can’t Wait,” 107-10
“In Memory of Imette,” 111-13
“True,” 145-47
Optional: Judy Chicago and Edward Lucie-Smith’s “Asking for It?”
Optional: Maria-Barbara Watson-Franke’s "A World in Which Women Move Freely Without
Fear of Men: An Anthropological Perspective on Rape"
Week 15/May 8
Healing BodyMindSpirit: Social Justice and Loving the Self, Loving the “Other”
Assignment Due: Healing Violence Community Table Mini Assignment (everyone bring an item &
explanatory paragraph; only those who are choosing it as one of their writing responses need to
also submit an extended written response)
Assignment Due: Healing Violence Community Table Writing Response (if relevant)
In class: Aurora Levins Morales’s “Shameless Desire”
Readings: 1. Audre Lorde’s “Transformation of Silence into Language and Action”
2. Aurora Levins Morales’s “Radical Pleasure: Sex and the End of Victimhood.”
3. Selections from A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer:
“Respect,” 114-16
“The Next Fantastic Leap,” 126-28
“Eye to Eye,” 162-64
“To Stop the Violence Against Woman,” 173-75
“Afterword: Reclaiming Our Mojo,” 181-89
“An Invitation: How To Get Involved,” 191-202
FINAL’S WEEK/ May 15th 4-6pm
Assignment Due: Final Paper/Project
Course Requirements and Due Dates at a Glance
1. Class Participation/Attendance (200 points total)
2. Online Quizzes (150 points total)
#1
1/30
#4
2/20
#7
3/20
#10 4/24
#2
2/2
#5
3/6
#8
3/27
#11 5/1
#3
2/13
#6
3/13
#9
4/10
3. Writing Responses (choose 2 out of the 5 assignments; 200 points possible in total):
a. Engaging in the Women’s Studies Community Writing Response; 100 points
b. The Hottentot Venus and Black Female Sexuality Writing Response; DUE 3/20; 100 points
c. Art, Literature, or Media Cultural Activist Writing Response; DUE 3/27; 100 points
d. Vagina Monologue &Writing Response; DUE 4/24; 100 points
e. Healing Violence Community Table Writing Response; DUE 5/8; 100 points
4. Mini-Assignments (100 points total)
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a. Introduction Assignment; DUE 1/30; 30 points
b. Cultural Activist Mini-Assignment; DUE 3/27; 30 points
c. Reproductive Justice In-Class Group Mini-Assignment; DUE 4/24; 10 points
d. Community Table Item & Mini-Response; DUE 5/8; 30 points
5. Final Paper/Project (200 points in total)
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE: 850
Course Requirement Descriptions
1. CLASS PARTICIPATION/ATTENDANCE: 200 points
Our class is conducted in a lecture-seminar style that values your discussion and participation. Your
active involvement in class is required. You can demonstrate your involvement by: completing all of
the readings before class, being prepared with informed discussion questions and comments
focused on the readings, following class guidelines (including absolutely NO texting/internet use),
engaging in class discussion and small group work, taking notes, and by visiting office hours. You
earn up to ten points for every day you are fully present in class (150 points max). I will deduct points
every time you arrive late or leave early. Since we have 16 class meetings including the final, you
get one “free” absence. Because your consistent engaged presence is essential for “outstanding”
learning in this course, if you miss more than two classes, you cannot receive an “A.” If you miss
more than five classes you cannot pass the course.
ENGAGED CLASS PARTICIPATION is absolutely essential to the success of the course. In addition
to the above requirements, students must come to class prepared to actively contribute to the
class discussion. Be sure to take notes and critically reflect on the readings before every class,
and bring your notes and readings if possible, as this will help you with class participation. If you
do not usually verbally participate in class, make an office hours appointment with me so we
can discuss strategies for your participation as soon as possible. For example, if you have not
participated during a class period but would like to increase your participation grade, you may
turn in class reflection notes.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: As part of your participation expectations, you will sometimes be
asked to write and/or answer a relevant question based on the readings. Good discussion
questions:
1. are open-ended (that is, do not ask a question that can be answered yes or no)
2. refer to major themes of the reading (not minor points)
3. bring up constructive critiques of the readings
4. relate the readings to other sources
5. result in class discussion and debate
ATTENDANCE (150 points) will be taken at the beginning of every class session and after the
break through a sign-in sheet. I will routinely ask if there are any questions at the beginning of
class, regarding syllabus or assignment clarifications for example. If you are absent, late, or leave
class early FIRST ask your class buddies via email or the break and check Blackboard
announcements regarding what you missed (i.e. handouts, explanation of assignments,
changes in schedule, etc.). You can also check-in with the GA or Professor during scheduled
office hours or make an appointment. However, DO NOT ask questions before consulting the
Syllabus or Blackboard “Announcements.” Also, DO NOT report absences unless your urgent
circumstances cause you to miss more than one week of class (e.g. extended illness).
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2. QUIZZES
150 points
I offer eleven quizzes throughout the semester, but you only have to take ten. They are each
worth 15 points each for a total 150 points possible. I designed the quizzes to include one extra
quiz in case you are sick, have technical difficulties, or for some other reason are unable to take
the quiz on time. Since there are no make-ups under any circumstances, you have an
opportunity to make up points by taking an eleventh quiz. If you take all eleven quizzes, you will
get up to 15 extra credit points. The brief quizzes are based on the readings, videos, and in-class
lectures, and are typically posted on Blackboard under “Assignments” 24 to 48 hours before the
class in which they are to be completed by. You will have one hour to complete them once you
start. They are to be taken individually and sharing answers is considered cheating.
3. WRITING RESPONSES 200 points
Choose two out of the following five options, a. b. c. d. and e;
You can write a third response for up to 30 extra credit points:
a. Engaging in Women’s Studies Writing Response
100 points
The Women's Studies Department encourages students to explore the connections between
theory and activism by offering students the option to fulfill a percentage of their course
requirements through participation in colloquia, student organizations, and/or community events
relevant to Women's Studies. Students who choose this option will attend one meeting or event
(1.5 to 2 hours long) that highlights issues of significance for women, and write a 2.5 to 3 page,
typed reflection on the event, which may include (with the approval of the instructor):
departmental colloquia, meetings of student organizations, and/or lectures or events sponsored
by other departments or organizations in the broader San Diego/Tijuana communities. I will
regularly announce approved events in class as well as post them on Blackboard, but if you
have additional suggestions you are welcome to share them with me. If you are selecting this
option for more than one Women's Studies class per semester, you must attend different events
and write different reflections for each class. Turning in the same paper for credit in more than
one class is considered cheating.
If you choose this assignment, you must answer the following questions: 1. What event did you
participate in and in what capacity (as a listening audience member, as an organizer/facilitator,
etc.)? 2. How does this event/ presentation/organization/film/etc. relate to Women’s Studies in
general and the issues and ideas addressed in our class, Women’s Sexuality and the Body, in
particular? (This question #2 needs to be thoroughly engaged.) 3. How did it challenge you to
think differently and/or what is something new that you learned? 4. What else would you have
liked to have seen/heard discussed at the event (that is relevant)? 5. Write one discussion
question based on the event and explore possible answers to the question/attempt to answer
your question. You must be specific and refer to concepts, ideas, lectures, and/or readings from
the course.
Successful “A” and “B” papers will meet all of the following minimum requirements: thoughtfully
integrate at least two concepts and readings/films from the course by quoting and citing the
material, thoroughly respond to all of the questions, be submitted on time at the beginning of
class; be two to three, typed double-spaced pages; use the numbers that correspond to the
questions you are answering (e.g. 1.; 2…); thoroughly and appropriately respond to all of the
questions. DUE: Your reflection is due on the first due date following your participation in the
event: 2/20; 3/13; or 5/1
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b. The Hottentot Venus and Black Female Sexuality Writing Response
100 points
If you choose this assignment, you must address the following questions: 1. What is scientific
racism and how did it play a role in oppressing women in the 19th century? 2. What is something
else you learned about the historical and cultural construction of women’s sexuality and the
body watching The Life And Times Of Sara Baartman: The Hottentot Venus? 3. How does Evelynn
Hammonds’ article, “Towards a Genealogy of Black Female Sexuality,” help you to see the
contemporary impact of slavery and colonialism on Black female sexuality? 4. What is the
“politics of silence” and what is one example of it as discussed by Hammonds? 5. What is the
“politics of articulation” and what is one example of it as discussed by Hammonds? 6. How do
you feel about this knowledge and why? 7. Write one discussion question based on the film
and/or readings for the week and explore possible answers to the question/attempt to answer
your question.
Successful “A” and “B” papers will meet all of the following minimum requirements: thoughtfully
integrate at least two concepts and readings/films from the course by quoting and citing the
material, thoroughly respond to all of the questions, be submitted on time at the beginning of
class; be 2.5 to 3, typed double-spaced pages; use the numbers that correspond to the
questions you are answering (e.g. 1.; 2…); thoroughly and appropriately respond to all of the
questions. DUE: 3/20
c. Art, Literature, or Media Cultural Activist Analysis
100 points
INSTRUCTIONS: Find a compelling representation of girl’s or women’s sexuality (in one of the
following media: visual, performance, or other art; short stories, personal narratives, or
poetry/spoken word; song lyrics or music videos; print or online ads) that represents sexuality
and the body as discussed in class and readings. You can choose one artwork, song,
performance, essay etc. to analyze or compare two examples. You are welcome to (but not
required to) use any of the spoken word, song lyrics, videos, poems, short stories, and artwork
we have read and/or discussed for class. Review the syllabus and/or powerpoint lectures for
names and links.
Address the following questions and provide specific examples: 1. How are women’s bodies
being represented in general? 2a. How are women’s bodies being represented across race
and/or ethnicity? 2b. Are there ethnosexual stereotypes being perpetuated and/or
challenged? How so? 3a. How are women’s bodies being represented across class, size,
age, ability, and gender identity or sexual orientation? In other words, do you notice a
difference in how class markers, sizes, etc. are represented and associated with certain
behaviors, values, or qualities? 3b. If so, what is the meaning being conveyed in such
portrayals of difference? If not, what is the meaning of the homogeneity? 4. What ideas
about femininity, disciplining the body, and women’s sexuality in general are being
perpetuated and/or resisted? 5. In what ways is the “good woman/bad woman dichotomy”
being reinforced and/or resisted? 6. What are the implications of this representation for our
understanding of the diversity of women’s sexualities and women as whole subjects, as
bodymindspirits?
Grading Rubric
Successful “A” and “B” papers will meet all of the following minimum requirements:
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thoughtfully integrate at least three concepts, lectures, or readings/films from the course by
quoting and citing the material, thoroughly and appropriately respond to all of the questions,
submit on time at the beginning of class; be three or so typed double-spaced pages; use the
numbers that correspond to the questions you are answering (e.g. 1.; 2…); thoroughly,
appropriately, and originally respond to all of the questions. Not meeting these minimum
requirements will earn you a “C,” “D,” or “F” grade. DUE: 3/27
d. Vagina Monologues Writing Response
100 points
If you choose this assignment, you must: Draw inspiration from The Vagina Monologues and/or
the Panocha Pláticas zine to write your own creative, exploratory, and self-reflective monologue
about sexuality and the sexual body. Regardless of your own sex or gender identity, imagine the
monologue being spoken by someone who is female, intersex, or transgender. Answer the
following questions in a “preface” to your monologue: 1. What is the social location of your
subject(s) (review the first week article on “Social Identity” and your intro. assignment)? Why? 2.
What is the specific historical and geographical time and space in which your monologue takes
place? Why? 3. What monologues impacted you the most as you wrote your own monologue?
Why? 4a. What was challenging, exciting, eye-opening, healing, and/or other powerful
emotional-intellectual responses to completing this assignment? 4b. Will you share this
monologue with someone? Why or why not? If so, who and why? (Be particularly reflective and
thorough with this self-reflective analytical question #4.) 5. Do you give the professor permission
to share your monologue with others (i.e. via Blackboard, with other students)? If so, state if you
wish to remain anonymous.
Successful “A” and “B” papers will meet all of the following minimum requirements: submitted on
time at the beginning of class; be at least three, typed double-spaced pages; have a title;
thoughtfully integrate and cite at least three different relevant monologues or other relevant
readings in the preface and include in a works cited page; thoroughly respond to all of the
questions in a preface; and use the numbers that correspond to the questions you are
answering (e.g. 1.; 2…). DUE: 4/24
e. Healing Violence Community Table Writing Response
100 points
INSTRUCTIONS: Throughout the class, we have been learning about the ways that violence is
gendered, how girls, women, and queer, intersexed, and transgendered people are often
socially constructed as “asking for it,” and how female and “feminine” bodies in particular are
battlegrounds for the exertion of power by someone over another. First read Audre Lorde’s
“Transformation of Silence into Language and Action.” Then consider the other readings, guest
presentation, and lectures/discussions and how they made you feel about understanding
violence as a weapon of patriarchy. On December 4th & 6th bring to class an item, memento,
picture, candle, poem, letter, or something else that symbolizes paying tribute to victims or
survivors of violence and/or activists who work toward ending violence. We will create a
“community table” in the middle of the classroom as a class with our items, and then go around
the room to briefly share and reflect. Everyone will have the option of “passing” once it is your
turn. This is our communal way of honoring our selves, the girls/women around us, and/or the
girls/women we’ve read about whose lives have been affected by violence. Through this
engaged pedagogical exercise we will be working to heal the bodymindspirit split by creating
our own feminist ritual that commemorates girls, women, and queer, intersexed, and
transgendered people who are disproportionately targeted for violence. If you choose this
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assignment as one of your Writing Responses, you must also submit a written response that
addresses the following two multi-part questions. Confidentially will be honored. I will collect your
responses but not your item.
1. Describe your item. What does it symbolize? Why did you choose it? Discuss how your
item for our community table pays tribute to your self and/or others who you personally
know or have learned about. Discuss your process in choosing and/or creating your item
and choosing your self, someone else, or a collective group to pay tribute to.
2. Explore how your item and tribute relates to our class. Specifically relate your response to
Audre Lorde’s “Transformation of Silence into Language and Action” and at least two
other readings from the “Reclaiming Women’s Sexuality and BodyMindSpirits” final unit or
other class readings. You can also address relevant class lectures and guest
presentations. Engage specific passages by quoting and citing them from the readings
and address specific ideas/concepts by the authors and/or as presented in lectures or
guest presentations.
Successful “A” and “B” papers will meet all of the following minimum requirements: submitted
on time at the beginning of class; be two to three, typed double-spaced pages; refer to at
least two texts; engage specific passages from the readings; address specific ideas/
concepts presented in the class; and thoroughly respond to all of the questions. DUE: 5/8
4. MINI-ASSIGNMENTS
100 points total
Guidelines will be given to students during class and/or via Blackboard as appropriate.
FYI: b. CULTURAL ACTIVIST MINI-ASSIGNMENT
30 points
For up to 50 points, write a 1-page, single-spaced self-reflective and analytical opinion letter,
email, or blog about art work, song lyrics, an ad, or other cultural media that represents
women’s sexuality and the body. Drawing on course concepts, analyze how it represents an
empowering celebration and/or oppressive view of women’s sexuality and the body. Write
to the artist, author, magazine editor, company, music producer and/or post your letter on
your facebook or blog page, or send to your email list. To get credit for this mini-assignment,
you must hand in a copy of your opinion letter and an addressed, stamped, open envelope
OR a copy of your electronic posting/email/etc. showing you have or will share your
reflection with others.
5. FINAL PAPER-PROJECT
200 points
Guidelines with Grading Criteria will be posted on Blackboard. DUE: Final’s week
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Appendix 1: Grading Policies, Course Policies and Additional Information
Grading Policies
Grades are calculated on a standard scale, with pluses and minuses as appropriate. Late
submissions are only allowed for exceptional circumstances and with previous approval from
instructor. The Graduate Assistant and I will make an effort to return assignments within two to
three weeks. Criteria for assigning grades is as follows:
A = outstanding, available for highest accomplishments
B = praiseworthy, above average
C = average, satisfactory performance
D = minimally passing, below average
F = failing
(The cut-off grade for students taking the course for credit/no credit is a C. If you receive 73%
or below you get a “no credit.”)
The assignment of letter grades is as follows:
A = 94-100
A- = 90-93
B+ = 87-89
B = 84-86
B- = 80-83
C+ = 77-79
C = 74-76
C- = 70-73
D+ = 67-69
D = 64-66
D- = 60-63
F = < 60
No curves
Course Policies
STATEMENT REGARDING MATURE CONTENT, INCLUDING ABOUT SEX, SEXUALITY, & VIOLENCE:
***Warning
Some of the assigned films and/or visual images studied in this course contain sexual
content and/or graphic violence, which may be perceived as offensive or
disturbing to some viewers. Any students with concerns about this should meet with
the instructor at least one week prior to our scheduled viewing of a film or visual
images to discuss those concerns.
SEEKING HEALING RESOURCES: Throughout the class we will have emotionally intense
readings and discussions that address experiences that impact one’s health and
wellbeing, such as: violence towards women and girls; anorexia, bulimia, and other
body concerns; and racism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression. If you would
like to speak further about these issues, I am available during office hours and email
and can also refer you to relevant organizations and trained counselors. I have also
gathered some local resources for your information and in the service of healing. I
encourage you to consult trained counselors at:
•SDSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services: 619-594-5220
•Family Justice Center: 619-533-6000
•San Diego Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault 24-hour Hotline: 1-888-DVLINKS or 1-888385-4657
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students who need accommodation of disabilities should contact
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me privately to discuss specific accommodations for which you have received
authorization. If you have a disability, but have not contacted Student Disability Services
at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli Center, Third Floor, Suite 3101), please do so before making an
appointment to see me.
EMERGENCIES: If you have an unexpected emergency and miss turning in a major
assignment, you must notify me via email. Documentation of emergency is required.
However, there are no make-ups for quizzes.
ABSENCES: You do not have to notify me about the circumstances surrounding your absence
in general, unless you have special circumstances and/or an extended absence. By
the end of the second week of classes, students should notify me regarding planned
absences for religious observances, athletic competitions, or academic conferences
or meetings.
APPEALING A GRADE: You can appeal a grade by using these guidelines:
1. Must be appealed within one week after assignments have been handed back.
2. Must include a typed explanation thoroughly outlining the reasons why you think
your assignment was not graded properly.
3. Must include the original copy of your graded paper.
CHEATING & PLAGIARISM: Violations of academic integrity will be reported to the university
Disciplinary office. This includes: "recycling” or “borrowing” papers or parts of papers from
other courses or students, purchasing papers on-line or from other paper brokers,
plagiarizing and other forms of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Do
not copy someone else’s work or ideas without giving them credit, and do not
summarize someone else’s ideas without giving them credit. Be very careful when
0researching on the Internet. Always consider the source of the material, and make sure
to explicitly cite the website from which you gathered the information. Penalties for
plagiarism range from an “F” grade to expulsion from the university. If you have questions
about what might be considered plagiarism, please ask. See the SDSU General
Catalogue for more information at this website:
http://coursecat.sdsu.edu/catalog/up.pdf or SDSU’s High Tech Center website:
www.sa.sdsu.edu/htc/Plagiarism.pdf
**CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: Come to class with your readings, books and/or notes, readings
completed, and be prepared to discuss them. Expect that we will cover a wide range of
topics and will not always agree on which interpretations are best. But be prepared to
defend your point of view. At the same time, whenever you agree or disagree with me
or with other students, do so respectfully by drawing on course materials and informed
reflections.
It is important that you have a desire to participate in this class. You have a choice in
the courses you take. The nature of this course demands an engaged and openminded approach. Your participation is defined as being actively engaged in lectures
and class discussion through informed speaking, attentive listening, and taking notes.
You must maintain an attentive class presence. Class participation is absolutely
essential to the success of the course. Students must come to class prepared to
actively contribute to the class discussion.
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As you read each article before class, respond to the posted reflection questions or
take written notes about various aspects of the readings. Discuss, for example: What
are the main ideas and concepts conveyed? How do the readings contribute to
achieving our course objectives (on page one of the syllabus)? How do the readings
relate to my life and the world around me? Be sure you always come to class with
your reading notes, as they will help you with class participation. If you do not usually
participate in class, make an office hours appointment with me so we can discuss
strategies for your participation. For example, if you have not participated during a
class period but would like to increase your participation grade, you may turn in your
reading notes for the day to me at the end of class. (DO NOT turn in the notes you
took during class, only the notes you took while reading before coming to class.)
LAPTOP & CELL PHONE USE: Because students sometimes abuse laptop privileges (by
doing work unrelated to class, browsing the Web, checking facebook, etc.) and
laptop use creates a cone of distraction extending around a student, using laptops is
NOT permitted in the class. The university has determined that students have “The right
to learn in an academic environment that is free of inappropriate interruption, due to
the use of electronic communication devices during class, or other activities that
might be considered distracting to others.” In this classroom that means NO laptop
computers, cell phone use (including texting) or other electronic use device during
class. If you have a special circumstance that requires use of a laptop please speak to
me after class or in office hours to make special arrangements.
COURTESY REMINDERS:
*ARRIVE & LEAVE ON TIME; being late * leaving early will result in point deductions.
*Turn off laptops, internet connections, cell phones, etc. during class.
*IT IS DISRESPECTFUL and UNACCEPTABLE to side-talk, read non-class materials, check
your phone, text message, and sleep during class. You will be asked to leave and will be
docked attendance/participation points.
*Do not start getting ready to leave until the class has ended.
*Let me know if you MUST leave early or arrive late and, if so, sit close to the door.
*Offensive remarks and disrespectful tones and body language are not acceptable
and will affect your participation points.
*Follow our Class Guidelines (p. 17) and hold one another accountable to doing so.
*How to address me in person and via email: Professor Lara or Dr. Lara. I expect
professionally appropriate email messages (no “hey there,” text-speak, all lowercase,
etc).
Thinking about a Major or Minor in Women's Studies?
The program offers exciting courses, is committed to women's issues and social justice, and is
adaptable to your interests and concerns. Women's Studies is not impacted! For more
information contact the Undergraduate Advisor: Dr. Irene Lara (in the spring) or Dr. Doreen
Mattingly (in the summer or fall) at mattingl@mail.sdsu.edu or 594-8033.
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Appendix 2: Cheating and Plagiarism
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:









for written work, copy anything from a book, article or website and add or paste it into
your paper without using quotation marks and/or without providing the full reference
for the quotation, including page number
for written work, summarize / paraphrase in your own words ideas you got from a
book, article, or the web without providing the full reference for the source (including
page number in the humanities)
for an oral presentation, copy anything from a book, article, or website and present it
orally as if it were your own words. You must summarize and paraphrase in your own
words, and bring a list of references in case the professor asks to see it
use visuals or graphs you got from a book, article, or website without providing the full
reference for the picture or table
recycle a paper you wrote for another class
turn in the same (or a very similar paper) for two classes
purchase or otherwise obtain a paper and turn it in as your own work
copy off of a classmate
use technology or smuggle in documents to obtain or check information in an exam
situation
In a research paper, it is always better to include too many references than not enough.
When in doubt, always err on the side of caution. If you have too many references it might
make your professor smile; if you don’t have enough you might be suspected of plagiarism.
If you have any question or uncertainty about what is or is not cheating, it is your responsibility
to ask your instructor.
Consequences of cheating and plagiarism
Consequences are at the instructor’s and the Judicial Procedures Office’s discretion.
Instructors are mandated by the CSU system to report the offense to the Judicial Procedures
Office. Consequences may include any of the following:



failing the assignment
failing the class
warning



probation
suspension
expulsion
For more detailed information, read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers (6th edition, 2003); visit the following website
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml and talk to your professors
before turning in your paper or doing your oral presentation if anything remains unclear.
The University of Indiana has very helpful writing hints for students, including some on how
to cite sources. Please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml for more
information.
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Women’s Studies Class Guidelines
These are the guidelines that students and I have collectively come up with throughout the years.
Remember that these are suggested with the aim of creating a class to which we can strive to bring
our whole selves. It is every person’s responsibility to adhere to these guidelines and encourage
others to observe them so that we can maintain a “courageous space” for practicing “engaged
pedagogy” (bell hooks) that encourages everyone’s participation in our learning community. Let’s be
critically and compassionately aware of them as we move through the semester together.
Be courageous and take risks by trusting each other with our thoughts, feelings, and experiences–
even if we may feel awkward, confused, vulnerable, afraid or not sure how to articulate them–and by
participating although you may not be feeling 100% confident or fearless.
Be honest with self and others (for example, ask yourself if what you are saying is really true &
coming from a place of integrity AND don’t try to fake having done the reading or lie about reasons for
missing class, an assignment, etc.).
Confidentiality: When we share personal experiences within the class, we agree to ask the person
who shared their story for permission to refer to it in class. We agree not to discuss other people’s
personal stories with others or among ourselves outside of class if this is the person’s wish.
Be open: to examining our beliefs, assumptions, expectations, and knowledge that we might resist,
deny, or cause us fear - what Gloria Anzaldúa calls “willful ignorances”
to differences and new or differing viewpoints, and thus possible tension in the class
to changing our own perspectives and views of “reality”
to disagreement and constructive criticism without taking it personally
Respect each other’s ideas and feelings inside and outside of the classroom by:
giving each person our full attention as they speak (no side-talking, texting, reading non-class
materials, etc.); maintaining awareness of our internal dialogue & when we get distracted so
we can refocus on listening
not interrupting whomever is speaking (raise our hands and use a speaker’s list when
possible)
being mindful of monopolizing the discussion and/or shying away from the discussion (try to
“move up” your speaking and “move up” your listening as appropriate)
being mindful of your choice of language (such as offensive slang or euphemisms)
attentively listening & speaking without judgment (use “I think… I feel… What I understand
you to mean is…What do you mean?)
not making stereotypical assumptions or generalizing; not defining people by the view or body
they have
understanding one’s right to be silent
not being verbally or physically aggressive with one another
not talking down to each other
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knowing we all have valuable ideas to contribute from our diverse identities/social locations
In order for the class to be successful we need to work toward
understanding across our differences and commonalities, not necessarily agreeing about
what’s right or wrong
cultivating a sentipensante approach to asking/discussing genuine, intellectually curious,
exploratory, & informed questions
being prepared for class w/ completed reading, copies of articles/notes, & materials for taking
notes
bringing our whole selves to class by being “present”- alert, awake, engaged (which is distinct
from simply being in attendance)
being responsible for the energy we bring into the classroom (i.e. hopeful, generous, & kind
energy vs. negative, pessimistic, hateful energy)
integrating our minds & hearts, or bodymindspirits, when we think, speak, listen, teach, learn,
write, & other “erotic” acts (a la Audre Lorde)
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