Introduction to Women and Gender Studies

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Welcome to WGS 100! This interdisciplinary course introduces students

to central concepts in the study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.
Focusing on both historical and contemporary gender issues, we will
examine the lives of women and men with particular emphases on the
ways in which gender interacts with race, class, sexuality, politics, and
globalization. The central aim of the course is to foster critical reading
and thinking about gendered lives and the ways in which the
interlocking systems of colonialism, racism, sexism, ethnocentrism,
ageism, and heterosexism shape us all.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Students are expected to attend class, complete all readings by the

assigned date, and participate in class discussions. While class
attendance and participation are not formal components of the final
grade, constructive and respectful participation may be taken into
account when determining final grades, particularly borderline grades.
The formal assignments for the course are as follows:

Quiz #1 15% Tuesday, February 22nd

Paper #1: 15% Tuesday, March 8th
Midterm Examination: 20% Friday, March 25th
Paper #2: 20% Friday, April 15th
Final Examination: 30% Tuesday, May 17th

POLICIES

1. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the day they are
due.

2. Late papers will be penalized 10% per day that they are late.
The late penalty begins the moment class ends on the day they
are due. After 7 calendar days, late papers will no longer be
accepted.

3. Plagiarism is the use of the ideas or words of another person,

without giving the original author credit by citing him or her. If
you use someone else’s language directly, you must use
quotation marks. If you rely on another person’s ideas in creating
your argument, you must provide a citation. If you have any

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 questions about plagiarism, please contact me before you turn in
an assignment. Further, we will use Turnitin.com for all written
course assignments, which is a plagiarism detection program.

4. All papers must be submitted in hard copy. I do not accept

electronic copies of assignments.

5. Students who wish to have assignments regraded may choose to

do so if the following steps are taken: Student must wait at least
24 hours; Student must read through the assignment and the
assignment directions thoroughly before requesting a regrade
and; Student must provide a written statement of why he or she
would like the assignment regraded, which will be turned in with
the original assignment. The grade on the assignment may be
raised, lowered, or left the same.

6. All correspondence with me is a reflection of your writing, proof

reading abilities, and professionalism. When sending me emails,
it is in your best interest to use proper grammar, correct spelling,
address the recipient, and to sign your name.

7. Every person in class is expected to respect other students and

the professor in all discussions. Some of us may have anxieties
about the specific course content; others may have concerns
about discussing sensitive issues surrounding sexuality, race,
economic issues, religion, etc. The goal in this course is to create
an open and respectful space to cultivate understandings of the
issues at hand without fear or anxiety.

REQUIRED TEXTS
Shaw, Susan & Janet Lee, Women’s Voices: Feminist Visions, 4th
edition, Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009.

Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Women’s Guide

to Why Feminism Matters, Emeryville, CA: Seal Press, 2007

These texts are referred to as “Shaw & Lee” and “Valenti” in the
syllabus and are available at Shakespeare & Co. on Lexington
Ave. All other assigned readings can be found on the course
blackboard website. These are designated “(BB)” in the syllabus.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES & READING ASSIGNMENTS

Friday, January 28th

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 Introduction to Women and Gender Studies 100
No Reading

Tuesday, February 1st

What is Feminism? What is Women and Gender Studies?
1. Valenti, pp. 1-17
2. Shaw & Lee, pp. 1–19

Friday, February 4th

History of the US Women’s Movement
1. Valenti, pp. 165 – 181; 227 – 235

Tuesday, February 8th

History of the US Women’s Movement
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 28 – 46

Friday, February 11th - No Class: College is closed for President

Lincoln’s Birthday

Tuesday, February 15th

Unpacking Sex and Gender
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 124 – 144
2. Ariel Levy, “Sports, Sex, and the Case of Caster Semenya,”
pp. 1-13 (BB)

Friday, February 18th

Unpacking Sex and Gender
Film Shown in Class: Gender Rebel

Tuesday, February 22nd

Femininities
1. Valenti, pp. 41 – 59
2. Shaw & Lee, pp. 254 – 255; 404 - 407

QUIZ #1: at the beginning of class

Friday, February 25th

Femininities
1. Valenti, pp. 131 – 150

Tuesday, March 1st

Masculinities
1. Michael Kimmel, “Masculinity as Homophobia,” pp. 213 - 219
(BB)
2. Valenti, pp. 183 – 196

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Friday, March 4th
Masculinities
1. Arran Stibbe, “Health & Social Construction of Masculinity,”
pp. 31 - 51 (BB)

Tuesday, March 8th

Masculinities
Film Shown in Class – Wrestling with Manhood
PAPER #1: due at the beginning of class

Friday, March 11th

Sexuality and Sexual Identities
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 170 – 185
2. Valenti, pp. 19 – 40

Tuesday, March 15th

Sexuality and Sexual Identities
1. Defense of Marriage Act
http://www.domawatch.org/about/federaldoma.html
2. Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-102.ZS.html
3. Shaw & Lee, pp. 197 – 210

Friday, March 18th

Race and Feminism
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 76 – 86; 99 - 101

Tuesday, March 22nd

Race and Feminism
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 534 – 54; 641 – 649

Friday, March 25th

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

Tuesday, March 29th

Gender and Labor
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 426 – 464

Friday, April 1st

Gender and Labor
1. Valenti, pp. 111 – 129
2. Shaw & Lee, pp. 470 – 482

Tuesday, April 5th

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 Writing Workshop – in class
No Reading

Friday, April 8th

Reproductive and Sexual Rights
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 307 – 325
2. Valenti, pp. 151 - 164
Tuesday, April 12th
Reproductive and Sexual Rights
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 336 – 350; 360 – 377
2. Valenti, pp. 81 – 109

Friday, April 15th

Reproductive and Sexual Rights
Film Shown in Class – The Business of Being Born
PAPER #2: due at the beginning of class

Hunter College Spring Recess – Sunday, April 17th – Tuesday,

April 26th

Friday, April 29th

Body Image
1. Valenti, pp. 197 – 212
2. Shaw & Lee, pp. 223 – 243

Tuesday, May 3rd

Body Image
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 249 – 295

Friday, May 6th

Gender-based Violence
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 555 – 577
2. Valenti, pp. 61 – 80
3. Karen Weiss, “Male Sexual Victimization,” pp. 275-298 (BB)

Tuesday, May 10th

Gender-based Violence
Film Shown in Class – no reading

Friday, May 13th

Where to from here?
1. Shaw & Lee, pp. 707 – 747
2. Valenti, pp. 237 – 254

Tuesday, May 17th - LAST DAY OF CLASS

Final Examination

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