Updated August 28, 2006

Dr. S. Evans drevans@ufl.edu              Departments: UF African American Studies/Women's Studies  

Phone: 352-273-0392                            Email:  drevans@ufl.edu

Class Location:   Turlington 2333                                 Office Location: 304 Ustler Hall

Meeting Times:   Tues  1:55-2:45/Thurs 1:55-3:50         Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:30pm                

Catalog Description

This interdisciplinary course focuses on the life experiences of women through the study of materials in the humanities, social and natural sciences and in the health professions. This course serves as a required course for the Women’s Studies Major and the Women’s Studies Minor. It also fulfills the General Education requirement in International Studies and Diversity or may be taken as an elective (I).

Course Objectives

To explore local, national, and international aspects of women's lives

To familiarize students with different issues, debates, and approaches that scholars have taken in women’s studies and gender research

To explore and compare women's narrative voices

To assist students in identifying research questions and gaining knowledge of multi-disciplinary resources to answer those questions

Action-based Learning Objectives

In this course, students will:

Read autobiographical texts of women and place those texts in interdisciplinary contexts

Learn various qualitative theories (Why), methodologies (What), and methods (How) of research by gaining familiarity with women’s experiences

Reinforce writing and critical thinking skills by analyzing women’s experiences and narratives

Discuss perspectives of women using social location frameworks and multidisciplinary approaches

Relate various women’s issues to student’s own research and professional goals

Required texts: Textbook available at UF Bookstore, or Wild Iris Books 802 W. University Ave. 375-7477

I.          Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives, Kirk & Okazawa-Rey

II.         On the first day of class, students will draw the name of ONE of the following narrative texts:  

1. Lakota Woman, Mary Crow Dog

2. Last Time I Wore a Dress, Daphne Scholinski

3. No Disrespect, Sistah Souljah

4. Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston

5. Wasted, Marya Hornacher

6. When I was Puerto Rican, Esmaralda Santiago

Articles  ---  Available online

1. "History and Mission." UF Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research. http://www.wst.ufl.edu/history.html (Accessed August 4, 2006).

2. Stephanie Shields et. al. "The Women's Studies PhD in North America: Archive II." NWSA Journal (Volume 18, No. 1 2006). Journal available in e-journals, UF library web page.

3. NWSA Journal. Any article relevant to your area of academic interest. Journal available in e-journals, UF library web page.

4. Stephanie Evans. "I Was One of the First to See Daylight": Black Women at Predominantly White Colleges and Universities in Florida since 1959. Florida Historical Quarterly (Volume
85, No. 1, 2006). This article will be available through UF Electronic Reserves, late August.

Grade Scale

1 WST & academics paper (2 pp)                      10 points

2 Autobiography, group presentation                   10 points

3 Autobiography book, indiv. paper (3pp)            20 points

4 Women's Lives facilitation                               15 points

5 In-class quiz (6-8 pp, bring blue book)              30 points

6 Debates (1 debate, 1 judging)                          20 points

7 Final paper oral overview (2-3 min)                  10 points

8 Final research paper   (8-10 pp)                      60 points

9 Attendance (1 point per day)                           25 points

TOTAL                                              200 POINTS

                        Semester at a Glance

                                                1 Hour                                                              2 Hours

Week # / Date	Tuesday	Thursday
1 Aug 22-24	No class (registration)	Introductions / definitions WST "History and Mission"
2 Aug 29-31	Articles "WST PhDs" & NWSA Journal WST & ACADEMICS PAPER	Video: To Empower Women: The Beijing Platform for Action
3 Sept 5-7	Guest Lecture: Dr. Anita Anantharam "Illuminating Feminism: Religion, Nation, and Poetry in South Asia"	No class (reading day)
4 Sept 12-14	Women's Lives Introduction & Chapter 1  (Framework) & (Theory)	Women's Lives Chapter 2 (Social Locations) Lecture: Vera Brown
5 Sept 19-21	Women's Lives Chapter 3 (Bodies)	Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia
6 Sept 26-28	Women's Lives Chapter 5 (Health)	Lakota Woman
7 Oct 3-5	Women's Lives Chapter 6 (Violence)	When I Was Puerto Rican
8 Oct 10-12	Women's Lives Chapter 9 (Global Economy)	Dr. Sanam Vakil, Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins University "Women in Iran Today - Repressed and Unrepresented or the Hope for the Future?"
9 Oct 17-19	Women's Lives Chapter 4 (Sexuality)	Last Time I Wore a Dress
10 Oct 24-26	Women's Lives Chapter 7 (Families)	No Disrespect
11  31-Nov 2	Women's Lives Chapter 11 (Military)	Woman Warrior: Memoir of a Girlhood among Ghosts
12 Nov 7-9	Women's Lives Chapter 10 (Crime) Lecture: Vera Brown	IN-CLASS QUIZ (open note)
13 Nov 14-16	Women's Lives Chapter 8 (Work)	DEBATE I FIRST PAPER DRAFT DUE IN CLASS
14 Nov 21-23	Women's Lives Chapter 12 (Environment)	No Class (Holiday Break)
15 Nov 28-30	Women's Lives Chapter 13 (Activism)	DEBATE I Video: Fundi Evans, "First to See Daylight"
16 Dec 5-7	Presentations I Closing statements FINAL PAPER DUE IN CLASS	No class (end of semester)

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

1. WST & academics paper (2 pp)     10 points

Access the NWSA Journal through the e-journals connection of the UF Library website. Search the journal for a topic relevant to your major (search "medicine," "health," "psychology," "business," "education," "engineering," "law,"  "history." etc. - from off campus, you must access through Remote Login.). Write a 2 page paper discussing your academic interests and two articles found in the journal: explore how Women's studies is relevant to your major.

2. Autobiography book, group presentation              10 points

Groups will be assigned to read 1 narrative book (authors listed above).  In their presentation, each group should cover the following aspects of the book:

Introduction of author

Summary of book

Identify two main themes of historic interest

Identify two main themes of contemporary interest

Summation and questions that facilitate discussion

3. Autobiography book, individual paper (3pp)          20 points

Write a 3 page paper on your assigned book. Summarize your part of the group presentation and discuss where your part fit into the whole.  Give at least 5 references to the text itself, then relate it to one reference from a book or article related to your major. The paper is due in class on the same day you present.

4. Women's Lives facilitation                           15 points

Each group of approximately 2 students will facilitate discussion of the assigned reading. The facilitation groups will present a brief (5-6 minutes total) overview of their Women's Lives chapter and then lead a discussion about the main themes presented relevant to women's experiences.

5 In-class quiz (bring blue book)                    30 points

You will have 2 hours to answer 3 questions. Bring a blue book (available at the UF bookstore); loose paper will not be accepted. The quiz will be open note, but no books will be allowed. Dictionaries will be permitted. Points will be awarded for content and structure, ability to present observations with appropriate citations, and use of scholarly evidence to support reasonable arguments. Points will be deducted for illegibility.

6. Debates (1 debate, 1 judging)                    20 points

On two occasions there will be class debates. Teams will be assigned beforehand and the debate question will be revealed a week before the debate. Teams will be assigned and the question revealed, but teams will not know what side they will argue until the day of the debate. Each student on the team will be expected to speak at least 2 minutes. There will be one opportunity for rebuttal and one closing statement for each side. One half of the class will debate while the other half judges the debate.  Points will be assigned for debating and for judging.

7. Final paper oral overview (2-3 min)                       10 points

Present a 2-3 minute overview of your final research paper topic. Include sources from both Women's Lives and autobiographical texts, outside sources, clarify the relationship of the WST material to your major, relate to assigned autobiographical book and reference to UF WST history, Evans', and JBS articles.

8. Final research paper (8-10 pp)                   60 points

There will be no final “exam” for this class. Grades will be given for the final research paper (6-8 pages, including 1 page bibliography). The grading rubric will be handed out in class, well in advance of the assignment due date. Part of the final paper grade will be the paper topic proposal (5 points), source material (10 points), and first draft (15 points). Final papers are due IN CLASS, at the beginning of class, on the last day of class. Late papers will be graded down one grade (A to B+, B+ to B, etc.) each day the paper is late. 

9. Attendance ( approx. 1 point per day)       25 points

On the fifth missed class, (excused or unexcused), there will be a ten- point penalty to your final grade.  This is a discussion-centered course, so attendance and participation are very important parts of your grade; absences will be monitored closely and excessive tardiness will be counted towards absences. Students in attendance are expected to sign in at every class session; attendance will be taken from the sign in sheet in order to eliminate attendance oversights. In case of disputed absences, the sign in sheet will be considered the verification of records. Those who miss more than three classes due to medical illness might consider dropping the course in accordance with the UF illness guidelines.  Students should consult the attendance policy http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationattendance.html of the 2006-2007 University of Florida Catalogue. Students are expected to take notes on the assigned readings and review notes before coming to class. Be in class on time and to stay until class is finished.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This syllabus represents an outline of the course.  Details of the course may change; however, students will be notified in advance if there are any changes made.

Do all work in a professional manner.  All written assignments are to be typed, double-spaced using Times Roman or Arial 12 (not 14) font in MS Word.  [Large fonts such as Century Schoolbook, Courier New, boldfaced fonts, or Bookman Old Style ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.] Borders should be the standard (one-inch) and only MLA, APA, or Chicago styles should be used for written work (use the style of your academic discipline). Do not take up extra space on journals or papers by using name, date, course, assignment title as ways to extend the start line of the paper.  Put all information in the top right hand corner, single spaced.  Assignment title or paper title may be centered.  Work will be considered late after the beginning of class on the due date and will be graded down one full letter grade if received after class.  DO NOT email assignments they will not be acknowledged…only hard copies count. Staple all papers!

All students are expected to know and adhere to the University’s guidelines for Academic Honesty (see http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/academic.htm for details).  If I have any reason to believe that any student has taken part in “cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, bribery, conspiracy, or fabrication,” I will complete a faculty adjudication form and pursue the highest available sanction on the student.  I have had the unfortunate experience of having to turn students in for academic dishonesty; though it is a time-consuming and un-enjoyable process, I have been successful in the adjudication process and will not hesitate to report students suspected of dishonesty to the Dean of Students Office in accordance with University of Florida policies.

Please come and see me during office hours about ANY questions, comments, special needs or concerns regarding the course.  If my office hours conflict with your schedule, we can set up an appointment. Email or call at any time; allow 48 hours for my response.

Reminders

Activate your Gator ID, library card, and UF email accounts immediately. 

Read all assignments BEFORE class.

Bring notes and questions everyday. Come to class ready to discuss detailed aspects of the reading; the class will not be time for basic summaries or uninformed rants.

TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES, PAGERS, & BEEPRS BEFORE CLASS!