Women’s Studies 102: Women: Images and Ideas
Spring 2015
M/W 12:00-12:50
Instructor: Lorena Gonzalez
Email: Gonza254@yahoo.com
Office: AL 311
Office Hours: MW 1:00-2:15 or by appointment
Course Description
This is an introductory course designed to engage students in critical thought about various
aspects and concerns of feminism. The course will focus on representations of women in the
media, art, and in society, and examine how these representations inform how we understand our
world and ourselves. By analyzing and critiquing different forms of media, we will explore the
social constructions of categories such as gender, race, class, sexuality and ability in women’s
lives. The course will primarily draw from the humanities, including history, religion, art, and
literature.
General Education
This course is one of nine courses that you will take in General Education Foundations.
Foundations courses cultivate skills in reading, writing, research, communication, computation,
information literacy, and use of technology. They furthermore introduce you to basic concepts,
theories and approaches in a variety of disciplines in order to provide the intellectual breadth
necessary to help you integrate the more specialized knowledge gathered in your major area of
study into a broader world picture. This course is one of four Foundations courses that you will
take in the area of Humanities and Fine Arts. Upon completing of this area of Foundations, you
will be able to: 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.
Major and Minor in Women’s Studies:
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 please contact Dr. Doreen
Mattingly at mattingl@mail.sdsu.edu. Her office hours are posted in the Women's Studies
Office, AL346.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Develop critical thinking, cultural criticism and media literacy skills
2. Understand major historical and contemporary cultural representations of women
3. Become a perceptive, engaged media consumer
4. Recognize that systems of power intersect and interact
5. Identify the social construction of gender, race, sexuality, and class.
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6. To develop an understanding of how images and representations of diverse groups of women
shape how we categorize, divide, and understand ourselves and others.
7. Develop conceptual frameworks to critique sexist, racist, homophobic, classist, ableist
representations of women and other marginalized groups of people.
8. Critique various forms of media, specifically as it relates to course content.
9. To cultivate and utilize feminist approaches and tools that will enable one to create
alternative representations of women and affect society and culture positively.
Instructional Methods and Activities: This class will use a variety of instructional methods
(e.g. media viewings, group-work, role playing, lectures, student presentations, class discussions,
and simulations), designed to accommodate different learning styles. As a co-creator of the
classroom environment, your engaged participation is required and crucial to learning in this
class. You must come to class having done all of the readings.
Required Texts:
All readings are posted to Blackboard. Please bring a copy of each assigned reading to class.
Statement regarding mature content, including regarding sex, sexuality, and violence
***WARNING***: Some of the assigned films and/or visual images studied in this course
contain graphic violence and/or sexual content, which may be perceived as offensive or
disturbing to some viewers. Any students with concerns about this should meet with me at least
one week prior to our scheduled viewing of a film or visual images to discuss those concerns.
Course Policies
SEEKING HEALING RESOURCES:
Throughout the class we may have emotionally intense readings and discussions about violence
towards women and girls. If you would like to speak further about these sensitive issues, I am
available during office hours and email and can refer you to trained counselors. I've 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 1-888-3854657
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Students who need accommodation of disabilities should contact me privately to discuss specific
accommodations for which they 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.
ATTENDANCE:
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Attendance is required; absences will negatively affect your participation grade. If you are late
more than three times and/or more than 30 minutes late, this will automatically count as an
absence. If you know that you will miss class on the day something is due, submit it in advance.
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.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR:
Come to class with your course reader, 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 open-minded 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. As you read each article
before class, take written notes on loose-leaf paper about various aspects of the readings. Be sure
you always come to class with your reading notes, as they will help you with class participation.
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).
Courtesy Reminders:
*ARRIVE ON TIME
*Turn off Internet connections, cell phones, etc. during class.
*It is not acceptable to side-talk, read non-class materials, text message, surf the web, sleep, etc.
during class. You will be asked to leave.
*Do not start getting ready to leave until the class has ended.
*Let me know if you MUST leave early or arrive late.
*Offensive remarks are not acceptable, please be respectful.
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USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES:
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. In this classroom that means NO laptop computers, cell phone use (including texting) or
other electronic use device during class. They must be put away or under your desk once class
starts.
*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.
OFFICE CONFERENCES:
Use office hours as an opportunity to discuss any issue in the class, or any issue in general. I am
more than happy to meet with student to discuss course concerns (grades, assignments, papers,
projects, absences) OR any other concerns you may have, course-related or not. If you cannot
make my scheduled hours, just let me know and we can schedule an appointment.
EMAILING THE INSTRUCTOR:
I will attempt to respond to all emails within 24 hours during the week. If you send me an email
over the weekend, expect that the earliest response will be Monday morning. If you have
questions about assignments, please send them at least a day before the assignment is due. If you
wait until the night before, there is no guarantee that I will see your email in time to respond.
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 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.
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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:
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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.
SDSU WRITING CENTER
The Writing Center is a free resource open to any SDSU faculty, staff, or student. The
Writing Center staff consists of peer (student) tutors who assist students in understanding writing
assignments and criteria and can help students with any stage of the writing process, from
brainstorming topics to revision of rough drafts. The Writing Center’s purpose is to teach
writers strategies to navigate complex situations for writing, both in and outside of the University.
To make an appointment, please visit the Writing
Center’s webpage, www.writingcenter.sdsu.edu. By accessing the webpage, students
can schedule tutoring appointments online at their convenience, or they can simply stop by for a
drop-in appointment. The Writing Center is open Monday-Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.,
Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Writing Center is located
in the Dome, LLA 1103, next to the circulation desk.
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Course Requirements and Due Dates at a Glance
Engaged Class Participation-10%
Reading Response Write-Up #2-5%
Blackboard Responses-15%
Due: March 25th
Due every Friday by 11:59pm
Reading Response Write-Up #3-5%
Reading Response Write-Up #1-5%
Due: April 15th
nd
Due: February 2
Community Engagement Event-5%
Social Identity Project-15%
Final Project- 25%
Due: February 18th
Paper Due: May 1st
Media Analysis-15%
Presentation: Groups 1-4: May 4th
th
Due: March 4
Groups 5-8: May 6th
ASSIGNMENTS
Engaged Class Participation (10%)
It 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.
Weekly free-writes will also be utilized as a way for students to engage with the material as well
as to ensure they stay on schedule with the readings.
Reading Response Write-Ups (3 for 5%-15% total)
Throughout the semester you will be required to write three short 2-3 page papers. These will be
due 2/4, 3/25, and 4/15. You will be required to include 2 sources from class. Further
instructions will be handed out before each write-up is due.
Blackboard Responses/Journals/Discussions (15%)
Since this class uses a hybrid-teaching format, additional required online course material will
complement the classroom meetings to complete the unit requirements for the course. Responses
must be completed and submitted on Blackboard by 11:59pm on Fridays. Late responses will
not be accepted. Additional information will be posted within Blackboard as the semester
progresses. Other required online assignments will support University-level writing expectations,
and they will be graded for adherence to the prompts for the particular assignment, specific
reference to course concepts, depth of thought, understanding of course concepts and use of
vocabulary and grammar.
Social Identity Project (15%)
In a 4-5 page paper, you will be asked to locate yourself in relation to larger socio-cultural
categories of identity. Be advised that this is meant to be a critical introduction that analyzes
your own social positioning in relation to gender, race, class, sexuality, belief, etc., not a
‘personal introduction’ detailing your favorite color, music, or hobbies. You should discuss
three categories that you identity as. You will also be required to cite at least 2 readings that
have been assigned this semester. This will be due in-class on 2/18.
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In relation to the project, you will want to consider some of the following questions:
o How and why am I privileged/oppressed in certain ways and why?
o How have various aspects of my social positioning shaped the way I view/interact with
the world?
o How can I use my own social positioning to dismantle oppression, both individually and
institutionally, to help not only myself but the wider community?’
o In what ways am I an activist or what social issues would I like to work to change?
Media Analysis (15%)
For this assignment, you will become a cultural critic by writing a 5 page feminist analysis of a
form of media of your choice (including, but not limited to the following: visual, performance, or
other art; poetry/spoken word; song lyrics or music videos; print or online ads). Be sure to
include specific examples from the piece of media you choose in your response. The media
analysis will be due in-class on 3/4. Some questions to guide your paper are:
 Who is the likely intended audience of the piece you are analyzing? What
evidence supports that claim?
 How are women’s bodies represented across categories of difference, such as
class, race, size, age, ability, gender identity, and sexual orientation? In other
words, do you notice a difference in how sexualities, sizes, etc. are represented
and associated with certain behaviors, values, or qualities?
 In what role(s) do women/men appear (or not appear)? How much time do
women/men devote to their role(s)? What kind of work do women/men do?
What are the similarities/differences in the roles assigned to women and men?
 Could the piece be deemed “feminist”? Why or why not?
Community Events and Meetings (5%)
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 are required to attend one of these events that highlight
feminist issues, which may include: departmental colloquia or brown bag lunches, 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, and I will also post them on Blackboard; however, if you have additional suggestions, you
are welcome to share them with me. No more than one week after the event date, students
should submit a brief, 1.5-2 page write-up connecting the event to course themes. Also, be
sure to incorporate the following elements in your response:
 What event did you participate in and in what capacity (as a listening audience member, as a
participant, as an organizer/facilitator, etc.)?
 How does this event relate to the general ideas and issues raised in WMNST 102?
 How did the event challenge you to think differently and/or what is something new that you
learned?
 What else would you have liked to have seen/heard discussed at the event (that is relevant)?
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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.
Please be sure to cite at least one course reading in your write-up.
For each additional complete write-up you submit, you can raise your overall grade by one
percentage point.
***If you are selecting this option for more than one Women's Studies classes per semester, you
must attend different events and write different reflections for each class. Turning in the same or
similar paper for credit in more than one class is considered cheating.***
Final Group Project (25%)
For your final project, you will be required to work in a group of 5-6 students. The final project
will consist of a 3-4 page group paper and a presentation that will be given in our last week of
class. Starting Week 11, you will be placed in groups and there will be weekly prompts on
Blackboard that you will need to address in relation to this assignment. These prompts are meant
to provide you with time to meet with your group and help you stay on track.
You will be required to select a form of media that provides a feminist counter-narrative. You
will need to analyze, deconstruct it, and demonstrate how it is challenging the concepts we have
learned in class. If you are analyzing an image (photo, art piece, or advertisement) you will be
required to analyze 3-4 images. If you select a video (movie, television show, or music video),
the clip will have to be at least 5 minutes long. If you have any questions or concerns about an
example you want to use, you will need to set up an office hours meeting with me. All media
images will have to be emailed to the class by Friday, May 1st by 11:59pm, so everyone has
time to look them over in time for the presentations the following week.
As a group, you will need to submit a 3-4 page paper. In the paper, you will be required to
discuss the piece being analyzed and how it provides a feminist counter-narrative to the topic
you selected. You must also connect it to at least 4 academic sources, with at least 1 being an
outside source. Additional sources may be non-academic sources that are relevant to your paper
(ex. / newspaper articles, film clips, the website of an activist organization) but will not be
counted towards your required 4 academic sources. The papers will be due on May 1st by
11:59pm, on Blackboard. Additionally, each person will be required to submit an individual
personal reflection about his or her experience working on this project. It must be at least one
paragraph in length and will be due on the day you present.
Presentation will take place on the last two days of class, May 4th and 6th. Be prepared to
present for 10 minutes total, with the groups presenting for 7 minutes and 3 minutes for Q&A. If
you plan on showing a clip, it must not be longer than 1 minute, since the class will have already
seen the clip.
Extra Credit Opportunities
You will have the opportunity to complete additional write-ups for attending one of the
community events or meetings announced in class. You can submit up to two additional write-
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ups. Each complete write-up can raise your overall grade by one percentage point. In addition,
you will also have the opportunity to complete a mid-course evaluation. You can hand it in
anonymously and you can raise your overall grade by one percentage point.
Grading Breakdown:
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. Otherwise, you will be graded down one letter grade for every day you are late. I will
make an effort to return assignments within one or two 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
*Thank you to Dr. Irene Lara and Alyssa Brooke-Gay, from whom I have adapted some of these
guidelines and assignments.
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Course Schedule
** I will keep as close as possible to the schedule outlined, but I do reserve the right to
make any necessary changes throughout the semester**
Week 1:Introduction
Wednesday 21st
Readings: Course Syllabus
Week of January 26th: What is Feminism?
Readings:
Chapter 1 Introduction
Jessica Valenti, “Introduction” and “You’re a Hardcore Feminist, I Swear”
Alice Walker, “Womanist”
Videos:
Feminist Majority Foundation. “This is What A Feminist Looks Like.”
Laci Green. “WHY I'M A...FEMINIST *gasp*”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwJRFClybmk
Week of February 2nd: The History of the Feminist Movement
Readings:
Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman”
Benita Roth, excerpts from Separate Roads to Feminism
Aurora Levins Morales, “The Historian as Curandera”
Carol Boyce Davies, “Feminist Consciousness and African Literary Criticism”
Videos:
Iron Jawed Angels (selections)
Assignments:
Reading Response Write-Up
Week of February 9th: Issues of Identity
Readings:
Paula Gunn Allen, “Where I Come From Is Like This”
Audre Lorde, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference”
Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege and Male Privilege”
Week of February 16th: Hierarchy and Oppression
Readings:
Marilyn Frye, “Oppression”
Evelyn Alsultany, “Los Intersticios: Recasting Moving Selves”
Patricia Hill Collins, “Shifting the Center”
Assignments:
Social Identity Project
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Week of February 23rd: The Media
Readings:
Chapter 4 Introduction
Andi Zeisler, from “Pop and Circumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters”
Jean Killbourne, “Beauty and the Beasts of Advertising”
Videos:
Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising's Image of Women
Week of March 2nd: Reclaiming Representations
Readings:
bell hooks, “Teaching Resistance: The Racial Politics of Mass Media”
Maythee Rojas, “Creative Expressions”
Virginia Woolf, “Shakespeare’s Sister”
Videos:
Geena Davis Institute. “Seejane.org If She Can See It, She Can Be It”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BumIt2pIRuw
Hammad, Suheir. urbanrenewalprogram. “Not Your Erotic, Not Your Exotic.”
Assignments: Media Analysis
Week of March 9th: The Construction of Gender
Readings:
Michael S. Kimmel, “Masculinity as Homophobia: Fear, Shame, and Silence in the
Construction of Gender Identity”
Kate Bornstein, “Abandon Your Tedious Search: The Rulebook Has Been Found”
Chapter 5 Introduction
Videos:
MrQueerNerd. “Stuff Cis People Say to Trans People.”
Toilet Training
Week of March 16th: Sexualities and Gender
Readings:
SafeZones Website (Concentrate on Terms, Trivia, Symbols)
Prentis Hemphill, “Brown Boi Health Manifesto”
Judith Lorber and Lisa Jean Moore, “Aligning Bodies, Identities, and Expressions:
Transgender Bodies”
Videos:
"Laverne Cox, Janet Mock Talk Stigma of Loving Transgender Women."
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Week of March 23rd: Violence and Resistance
Readings:
Kathy Najimy, “Maurice”
Carol Bohmer and Andrea Parrot, “Scope of the Problem”
Feminally, “Sexual Assault Prevention Tips”
Videos:
Chin, StaceyAnn. “Not my Fault.”
Katz, Jackson. “Violence against women—it's a men's issue: Jackson Katz at TEDxFiDiWomen.”
Assignments:
Reading Response Write-Up
Spring Break
Week of April 6th: Reproductive Rights and Justice
Readings:
Terry Tempest Williams, “The Clan of the One-Breasted Women”
Etobssie Wako and Cara Page. “Depo Diaries and the Power of Stories”
Loretta J. Ross, Sarah L. Brownlee, Dazon Dixon Diallo, Luz Rodriquez, and SisterSong
Women of Color Reproductive Health Project, from “Just Choices: Women of Color,
Reproductive Health and Human Rights”
Videos:
Abortion Diaries
Week of April 13th: Body Politics
Readings:
Judy Freespirit and Aldebaran, “Fat Liberation Manifesto”
Deborah Lisi, “Found Voices: Women, Disability”
Maysan Haydar, “Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by her Covering”
Kim Chernin, “Obsession: The Tyranny of Slenderness”
Videos:
Miss Representation (selections)
Assignments:
Reading Response Write-Up
Week of April 20th: Healing and Spirituality
Readings:
E. M. Broner, “Honor and Ceremony in Women’s Rituals”
Alifa Rifaat, “My World of the Unknown”
Videos:
Women and Spirituality: The Goddess Trilogy (selections)
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Week of April 27th: Activism
Readings:
bell hooks, “Feminism: A Transformational Politic”
AnaLouise Keating, “From Intersections to Interconnections: Lessons for Transformation
from This Bridge Called My Back: Radical Writings by Women of Color”
Julie Sze, “Expanding Environmental Justice: Asian American Feminists’ Contribution.”
Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise”
Videos:
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (selections)
Assignments:
Group Project Paper Due
Week of May 4th: Presentations and Class Wrap-Up
Assignments:
Group Presentations
Finals Week-Wednesday, May 13th
Class will meet from 10:30-12:30
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