Indiana University

Department of Gender Studies

GNDR G101 – Gender, Culture and Society

Summer Session II
MWF – 12:30-2:30 – BH344

Instructor: Cierra Olivia Thomas-Williams

e-mail: cthomasw@umail.iu.edu
Office Hours: by appointment
Office Location: Memorial Hall West, Room M07
(Mezzanine Level btwn 1st and 2nd floors)

Course Description
Gender, Culture & Society provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of gender - the
social creation and cultural representation of femininity and masculinity - by examining relevant
beliefs, practices, debates and political struggles. Readings and class discussions consider how
people of different races, ethnicities, classes and nationalities in various historical periods have
assumed gendered identities.

Your Obligations
This course serves multiple functions. On the one hand it is intended to introduce you to the
literature and analytic methodologies of a specific area of intellectual inquiry—in this case,
gender studies. On the other hand, it is also meant to serve as an occasion for you to begin
refine a more general set of skills, including your ability to read carefully, write persuasively, and
express your thoughts and opinions in language that is sufficiently nuanced and precise to
communicate their depth and complexity. Thus, regardless of how you feel about a particular
day’s reading, or a given writing assignment, there’s always something to be learned from
coming to class and participating in discussion. To that end you are obligated first and foremost
to show up—physically and intellectually—and to be prepared when you do. You must attend
class regularly, do the assigned reading, turn your written work in on time, and actively
participate in discussions even if doing so feels a little awkward or uncomfortable. Your
instructor is fully committed to doing their part to create a classroom environment in which
thoughtful, respectful debate is the norm. In the end, though, it is your responsibility to use this
class to practice making yourself heard in the context of an ongoing conversation that should be
engaging, rigorous and fun.

Required Texts
The following two (2) texts are required and are available for purchase at IU bookstores or
online at a variety of websites (note: online resources are cheaper). All other readings are
available for download in .pdf from oncourse/resources. Those readings are marked by a
symbol.

- C. J. Pascoe. Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School.

Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2007. ISBN: 0520252306

- Leslie Feinberg. Stone Butch Blues. Boston: Alyson Books, 2004. ISBN:
1555838537

G101 - 2010 Summer Session II syllabus 1

 Detailed Summer Course Schedule - Subject to change

Readings marked with an “ ” are available online in oncourse/resources.

G101 Summer Syllabus – Second session – Subject to Change

Week 1 What is Gender and How Does One Study It?

Fri. June 18 Introductions and Course Overview

Critical Terms Distributed in Class

Watch “But I’m a Cheerleader” / clips (?)

Week 2 Family and Economics- Late 1800s & early 1900s

Mon. June 21  “Love and the Rise of Capitalism” by Cancian
 “Standards for a New Womanhood” by Davis

Wed. June 23 First Wave of Feminism

 “The first Feminists” by Hole & Levine,
 “Enlightenment Liberal Feminism” by Donovan,
 “Nineteenth Century Cultural Feminism” by Donovan ,
 “Declaration of Sentiments” by Stanton, et al. [1848]
 “Woman Wants Bread, Not the Ballot!” by Anthony

- Group Activity: On Being a Suffragist (reading the documents in class)

- Begin Movie: Iron Jawed Angels
- Meet with groups for critical terms presentation

Fri. June 25 Continue Movie: Iron Jawed Angels

 “Class and Race in the Early Women’s Rights Campaign” by Davis,

 “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Truth
 “The Physician and Sexuality in Victorian America” by Haller & Haller

Week 3 Foundational Theories of Gender- Nature or Nurture?

Mon. June 28  “Femininity” by Freud
 “What is a phallus?” by Bordo
 “Childhood” by de Beauvoir
Wed. June 30 Family and Economics II- World War II and 1950s

 “Halving the Double Day” by Cobble,

 “Breadwinners and Losers” by Ehrenreich,
 “The Problem that has No Name” by Friedan

In Class: The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter

Fri. July 2 Second Wave Feminism

 “NOW Bill of Rights” and “No More Miss America!”
 “The Politics of Housework” by Mainardi,
 “Motherhood: The Annihilation of Women” by Allen,
 “The Culture of Romance” by Firestone,
 “To My White Working-class Sisters” by D’Amico

G101 - 2010 Summer Session II syllabus 2

Week 4
Mon. July 5 NO CLASS
Wed. July 7  “The meaning of Black Motherhood” by Collins,
 “A Black Feminist Statement” by Combahee River Collective,
 “Notes of a Radical Lesbian” by Shelley,
 “The Woman Identified Woman” by Radicalesbians,
 “Speaking in Tongues: A letter to 3rd World Women Writers” by Anzaldúa

Fri. July 9 Reproduction and Medicalization

 “The Pill in Practice” by Tone,
 “If Men Could Menstruate” by Steinem,
 “Pills and Power Tools” by Bordo,
 “Racism, Birth Control, and Reproductive Rights” by Davis

Week 5 Sex and Sexuality

Mon. July 12  “Letter from a War Zone” by Dworkin,
 “Erotica vs. Pornography” by Steinem,
 “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Koedt,
 Excerpts from “Thinking Sex” by Rubin,
 “The New Sexual Deviant: Mapping Virgin Territory” by Brown

Wed. July 14 Family and Economics III- Contemporary Families

 “Why Working Mothers are here to Stay” by Coontz,
 “Can Marriage Be Saved? A Forum” by various authors

Homework Due: Pick the article you agree most with and the article you agree with
least from “Can Marriage Be Saved? A Forum” and briefly (approximately 1
paragraph each) restate their argument and explain why you agree or disagree.

Extra Credit option: Bring in a current article (from the last 2 or 3 years) on trends
in families and/or gender roles in families in the United States or abroad.

IN CLASS: Short essay assignment distributed in class.

Fri. July 16 Constructions of Contemporary Masculinities and Femininities- Young Adults

Dude, You’re a Fag! by CJ Pascoe (Chapters 2-4)
 “Pills and Power Tools” by Bordo

Homework Due: 1) Make a list of examples of the 4 traditional Rules of American

manhood (below) in these chapters and 2) define compulsive masculinity (from
Pascoe)

Due: Article for Debate uploaded to Oncourse by 5:00

Robert Brannon’s 4 traditional Rules of American manhood:

1. No sissy stuff- Men can never do anything remotely feminine and must actively
repudiate/devalue femininity
2. Big Wheel- Manhood is measured by wealth, power, and success
3. Sturdy Oak- Manhood depends on emotional reserve and stability
4. Give ’em hell- Manhood exudes an aura of daring, aggression, and risk taking

G101 - 2010 Summer Session II syllabus 3

Week 6
Mon. July 19 Dude, You’re a Fag! by CJ Pascoe (Chapter 5)
Wed. July 21 Stone Butch Blues. by Leslie Feinberg. (Ch. 1-5)
Fri. July 23 Stone Butch Blues. by Leslie Feinberg. (Ch. 6-10)
Week 7
Mon. July 26 Stone Butch Blues. by Leslie Feinberg. (Ch. 11-16)
Wed. July 28 Stone Butch Blues. by Leslie Feinberg. (16-end)
Fri. July 30 TBA

Week 8 Post Feminism or the Third Wave?

Mon. Aug. 2  “The Pill in Practice” by Tone,
 “Raunch Culture” by Levy,
 “On Language: Choice” by Woods

Homework Due: What is Levy’s argument and do you agree or disagree with it?
Why?

SHORT ESSAY ASSSIGNMENT DUE

Wed. Aug. 4  “Commodified Agents and Empowered Girls: Consuming and Producing
Feminism” by Ellen Riordan

Homework Due: 1) Explain the differences in the ways in which the two groups of
girls (in chapter 5) perform masculinity and 2) According to Riordan, what is the
difference between 3rd wave feminism and commodified “girl power”?

Fri. Aug.6 TBA

Week 9 Finishing Up
Mon. Aug. 9 Debate and reflections – Student Evaluations – Study Session
Wed. Aug. 11 Office Hours in M07
Fri. Aug. 13 Final exam in class and final grades posted by Aug. 23, 2010.

Grading and Evaluation

Quality grades will be determined using the following formula as a guideline:

Attendance 10% Ongoing

Participation 10% Ongoing
Quizzes/Short Writing/Homework 25% Ongoing
Short Essay 15% Due August 2nd
In-class Debate 15% Due August 9th
In-class Final Examination 25% Due August 13th (could change)

In this course, you will only receive letter grades. Although your oncourse gradebook is set up
to record points (ie, 20, 100), your point value will coincide with a percentage value with which
oncourse converts to a letter grade.

There will be no haggling for points—what you earn is what you get.

There may be opportunities for extra credit.

G101 - 2010 Summer Session II syllabus 4

 Your point value/percentage/grade equivalence is the following:

Percent Grade 20 Pts. 100% A+

100 A+ 19 95 A
95 A 18 90 A-
90 A- 17 85 B
87 B+ 16 80 B-
83 B 15 75 C
80 B- 14 70 C-
77 C+ 13 65 D
73 C 12 60 D-
70 C- 11 55 F
67 D+
63 D
60 D-

To reiterate: this formula will be used as a guideline. Minor adjustments may be made to
final grades in instances where a student who is initially poorly prepared shows an obvious
and consistent commitment to improving their skills over the course of the semester.
Similarly, there are circumstances under which a student may satisfy all of the
requirements for the course in a formal sense, but demonstrate blatant disregard for their
responsibilities as a student in other ways. For example, a student who submits all the
required writing assignments for the course but chooses to miss class regularly simply
because he or she is willing to sacrifice their attendance and participation grade is
demonstrating both personal irresponsibility and contempt for the integrity of their own
education. In such cases it is perfectly reasonable to adjust their final grade downward
accordingly to ensure that that their permanent academic record reflects this lack of
commitment to the collective enterprise of the course.

Please note too that you will be required to submit an electronic version of all written
assignments for this course to turnitin.com. Instructions for how to do this will be provided
at the appropriate time.

Other Provisions

1. ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED! Everyone will probably have some conflict and

need to miss one or two class meetings at some point this semester. That’s
understandable and shouldn’t effect your final grade very much. That’s also quite
different, though, than missing three, four or five days worth of classes over the
course of an eight week semester. Such behavior will effect your final grade.

2. In order to receive a grade for your work this semester you must complete all of the
assignments for the course. Remember, attendance and participation are required
and they will be evaluated using a graded scale just like any other assignment.
**There is a standing invitation for students who are earning less than ideal grades
on tests to complete an “extra credit” writing assignment. This consists of reading
any of the Recommended articles or chapters and completing a writing reflection
exercise. Please ask your instructor for written instructions if you are interested in
this opportunity.

G101 - 2010 Summer Session II syllabus 5

3. Any request for an extension or incomplete must be approved in advance of the
established deadline. Such requests will be granted rarely, and at the instructions
discretion.

4. Academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. If you have any questions
about what qualifies as academic dishonesty, ask for necessary clarification sooner
rather than later. Pursuant to the Indiana University Code of Student Rights
instances of academic or personal misconduct will be reported to the appropriate
offices on campus and may result in formal academic sanctions including automatic
failure or the assignment, failure of the course, or any of the other penalties outlined
in the University Code. A word to the wise: plagiarism is much more trouble than
it’s worth.

5. Matters related to grading will not be discussed over email—period. If you have
questions or concerns regarding a grade please arrange to come in and speak with
your instructor in person.

6. Some people feel less comfortable speaking in public than others, and your
instructor will be more than willing to work with you if you feel that any aspect of this
method of evaluation will place you at a serious disadvantage. It is incumbent upon
you, however, to make an effort to let your instructor know that you need additional
help in order to meet the challenges of the course. Nothing that that you are being
asked to do is unreasonable, but that doesn't mean that any of it is particularly easy
either. We therefore have a responsibility to one another to work together to ensure
that you have every opportunity to get as much out of this course as possible. For
example, students with special needs, including documented learning disabilities,
should be sure to speak with the instructor at the beginning of the term so that
arrangements can be made to provide you with the additional support that you
deserve.

7. E-mail etiquette: My university e-mail address is the only way to contact me -

please do not e-mail me through Oncourse. When you e-mail an instructor, it is
expected that your e-mail will include a subject line, the instructor’s name, your
name, and a professional, respectful message. I typically do not check my email
after 7:00 at night, so please plan accordingly.

G101 - 2009 Summer Session II syllabus 6