Instructor: Marisa Brandt
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/bran0368/wost4402/
Monday, 3:00 – 6:00
Ford Hall B10
Contact Information:
Office: Blegen 25
Email: bran0368@umn.edu (this is the best way to reach me)
Office phone: 612/625.1393
Campus Mail: Marisa Brandt, Department of History, 669 Social Sciences Tower
You can also leave mail for me with the departmental secretary in 614 SST
Office Hours:
Tuesday &Thursday 2:00 – 3:00
Additional times by appointment. This is your time – please stop in
with questions, concerns, or just to chat.
Please let me know if you have any special needs or concerns.
Required Texts:
• Feminisms and Internationalism, Sinha, Guy, & Woollacott
• Global Feminisms Since 1945, Smith
• The Women's Movements in the United States and Britain from
the 1790s to the 1920s, Bolt
• Worlds of Women: The Making of an International Women’s
Movement, Rupp
Course Description and Requirements:
Though this course focuses on Western feminisms, it is impossible to truly
understand the history of Western feminism in isolation. This class, then,
will be comparative in nature.
We will ground our study of Western feminism's history by examining the way feminism has developed in the United States and in England. A substantial amount of our time will explore the interactions between Western feminisms and those in other parts of the world. As one of our primary activities, students will research and write organizational histories for local feminist organizations (specific organizations will be chosen the first day of class). Writing assignments and other coursework have been adjusted, but it is important that you are committed to this project, which will require significant time outside of the classroom.
WOST 4402 is designed to help you further develop your abilities to read analytically, think critically, and write clearly in a concise manner. Moreover, our assignments are intended to help you develop your skills as a feminist activist – leadership, research, and written and oral communication are all important outside of the academy.
You are expected to take your weekly readings seriously and therefore prepare for class accordingly. Your participation is essential to your success in this course. I expect you to contribute to the class, both in general discussion and in small groups.
Work Load: approximately 70-100 pages of reading per week, two essays, a journal, and a group service learning project.
Objectives:
After this class, you should be able to:
• Examine feminism as an international movement, with an emphasis
on dialogue among diverse groups of feminists
• Engage in an academic conversation about the history of feminism
• Critically analyze primary source documents within their historical
context
• Thoughtfully read feminist scholarship and be able to critique an
author’s thesis, main arguments, and evidence
• Apply basic research skills used by historians to understand, analyze,
and explain history
• Explain the basic chronology of western feminism and its significance
• Understand the relationship between the broad history of feminism
and the growth of individual feminist organizations
Attendance:
Attendance is required. Please contact me in advance, preferably by email,
if you will need to miss a class (provided you have a legitimate excuse,
e.g. illness or religious observance). Please note that you are only allowed
one unexcused absence over the course of the semester.
Grading:
15% Short Comparative Essay (3-5 pages)
20% Long Comparative Essay (4-6 pages)
These papers will closely examine diverse pairs or groups of feminist movements.
15% Participation
Your participation grade includes leading class discussion once during the
semester (in pairs), attendance, and active, informed discussion.
20% Reflective Journal
Your journal will discuss both your volunteer experience and your readings,
exploring intersections between them.
30% Service Learning Project
This project includes a number of different kinds of activities –
research, possibly including oral histories or archival work; writing (that
is, the production of the written history itself); and presentation, which
will include both the production of either a written pamphlet or a website
(at your organization’s discretion) AND a public presentation of your
history. (Please see the service learning handout for further descriptions
of the project itself.)
Late Work:
Late assignments will lose a + or for each day that they are late (ex: B
to B ), including weekends. Assignments must be turned in at the start of
class to be considered on time unless I indicate otherwise.
***Be sure to back up your work on more than one disk! Computer problems, printers without ink, or damaged disks are not viable excuses for late papers.***
I am willing to consider extensions only in exceptional circumstances, and only if you contact me before the due date.
Academic Standards:
Students are expected to follow the rules for Student Conduct as established
by the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Such rules
prohibit plagiarizing (taking credit for) some else's work and creating
a hostile environment for students or staff. Refer to your student handbook
for the full Student Code of Conduct.
Special Needs: Those students with disabilities or other special needs should contact me in the first two weeks of class. Students may also call Disability Services at 612/624.4037 for further assistance.
I reserve the right to amend this syllabus to better facilitate student
learning.