For WSTU 125 homepage with pictures of theorists, click here

 

Schedule of Readings and Topics by Date  | Course Requirements & Papers

 

Office Hours:  Mon. 3-4 pm &  Wed. 3-5:30 pm (and by arrangement)
Office: 837  22nd St. NW
202-994-7438  deitch@gwu.edu

Class meet Mon & Wed. 12:45-2:00 in Phillips 110

Required Books
Second Wave, edited by Linda Nicholson
The Handmaid's Tale, a novel by Margaret Atwood

Additional Readings:
There are a substantial number of additional required readings available on line through links from the class web page and through Blackboard.  Use of Blackboard is required.  Underlined authors or titles indicate web links to images and additional information about the authors and topics, short readings and images through the web page for this class:www.gwu.edu/~wstu/125/syl_125.html
New links will be added during the semester (and problem links will be fixed).

Focus and Goals of the Course:
As the course title suggests, there are many varieties of feminist theory.  This semester we will sample a selection of  feminist social and political thinkers from the 19th century to the present.  Some of the questions we will ask include:

• What is the intellectual history of feminist theory? How have ideas of the Enlightenment, Marxist, Psychoanalytic, Poststructuralist and Postcolonial theories, to name a few, influenced the development of feminist theory over the past two centuries? How have feminists critiqued, challenged, and contributed to these theories?  How are writings of previous time periods relevant today?
• As feminist theory in the academy becomes increasingly intellectually sophisticated and abstract, how can it remain useful in developing strategies for social change and providing insight into the daily life experience of younger generations and of diverse groups of people around the globe?
• Are there too many varieties of feminist theory today?  Can theory help feminists of very different intellectual persuasions, not to mention differing racial, ethnic, class, sexual,  national and religious identities find common ground for working together for change while recognizing and respecting their differences?

Specific learning goals are for students to become acquainted with a variety of theorists; to become comfortable reading, discussing and critiquing theoretical work; to acquire skills for analyzing theories; and to find ways to apply the theories studied to current political conditions, life situations, and cultural trends.

Schedule, Topics, and Readings:

Subject to minor changes during the semester.  Check the online syllabus regularly for updates.

2W = Second Wave reader.    Bb=Blackboard    TBA=To be added

 

Jan. 17    Introduction

 

Jan. 22    First Wave British Feminist Theorists, Ideas of the Enlightenment, Origins of Liberal Feminist Thought

• Mary Wollstonecraft,  A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) ch. II & IX from the on-line full text version of  Vindication
• Harriet Taylor  "Enfranchisement of Women" (1851) online  (note: older sources incorrectly list John Stuart Mill as the author)
• John Stuart Mill  from The Subjection of Women (1870)  (ch. 2  or 4 read online)
• Learn more about  Wollstonecraft, Taylor and Mill
• Supplemental (optional): read more of the full text online of Wollstonecraft and Mill
• Come to class with at least one quote to share from Wollstonecraft's Vindication or from Mill or Taylor, and be prepared to say why you chose the quote.

 

 

Jan 24  Second Wave Liberal Feminism

• The Feminine Mystique, ch. 1  (1963) by Betty Friedan  (Bb)
• NOW founding “Statement of Purpose, 1966 (online)
• Reaction paper #1:  What connections do you find between Friedan and/or the NOW statement on one hand, and Wollstonecraft, Mill, and Taylor on the other?  (see instructions on Blackboard assignment under PROJECTS)

 

 

Jan 29 & 31  Marxist theory and feminism

• Frederick Engels  “The Family” chapter of The  Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (online) (for 1/29)
• Read at least parts (intro., 1st section) of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels  (for 1/29)
• Read at least 1 of chapters 6 (Hartmann), 7 (Barrett), or 8 (Nicholson) in Second Wave (for 1/31)
• Film Live Nude Girls Unite shown in class on 1/31

 

 

Feb 5 -7   Freud, Psychoanalytic Theory, and Feminist Discontent

• Sigmund Freud, "Femininity" (Bb)  (for 2/5)
• Supplemental: short online explanation of Freud by Mary Klages (also browse the Freud online archives for info. on Freud)
• Nancy Chodorow (2W), from The Reproduction of Mothering  (for 2/5)
• Laura Mulvey  "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"  Bb  (for 2/7)
• E. Ann Kaplan,  “Is the Gaze Male?”  Bb  (for 2/7)
• Shulamith Firestone, from The Dialectic of Sex (2W), a 1970 radical feminist critique & use of  Freud & Marx (for 2/7)

 

 

Feb. 12    Woman as Other, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex

• Simone de Beauvoir,  Introduction to The Second Sex (2W)
• Supplemental/Recommended:  additional sections of The Second Sex available online
• Links to biographical and other background information on de Beauvoir

 

 

Feb 14  For Valentine’s Day: Feminist writings on love and sex  (also, tie up loose ends before exam)

• Audre Lorde "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power"  (Bb)
• Shulamith Firestone, chapter of The Dialectic of Sex on Romantic Love (Bb)
• Vagina monologues  selection  Bb
• bell hooks, short excerpt from All About Love: New Visions Bb
• Reaction paper # 2 (use the readings to make a feminist commentary on Valentine’s Day)
• Small group discussions in class

 

 

Feb  19    Holiday, no class

Feb 21   In class exam (covering material through 2/14)

 

Feb 26-28  Intersection of race, class and gender

• Anna Julia Cooper, from A Voice of the South (read  at least the "Woman vs. the Indian" chapter from the full text online)  (for 1/26)
• Combahee River Collective, "A Black Feminist Statement," (2w)
• Patricia Hill Collins, “Defining Black Feminist Thought” (2W) plus additional short selections on Blackboard
• Bridge poem (direct link online, also on Bb)  Donna Kate Rushin
• TBA Bb
• For 1/26 Come to class with a passage from Cooper’s “Woman vs the Indian” essay that interests or puzzles you.

 

 

Mar 5-7  Sexualities: Theorizing heterosexual power & privilege; sexual identities and social control

• Radicalesbians (2W), "The Woman Identified Woman" for an early 1970s statement of lesbian feminist theory.
• Adrienne Rich, "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence"  Bb
• Monique Wittig, "One is Not Born A Woman"  (2W)
• Luce Irigary, "The Sex which is not One," (2W)
• Catharine MacKinnon, "Sexuality" (2W)
• Browse the about face web site, especially gallery of offenders 
• Reaction paper #3  due 3/7:  Use MacKinnon to discuss the about face gallery and, if you want, other ads.

Mar. 12-14  Spring Break, no class

 

Mar 19   Equality and Difference:   A different (and "difference") view of gendered development

• Carol Gilligan, chapter from In a Different Voice in 2W AND additional chapter on Blackboard
• Wendy Williams, “The Equality Crisis” (2W)

 

 

Theme for Mar 21-April 4    Performing Gendered Bodies

 

Mar 21  Judith Butler on Gender Performance

• Judith Butler , “Imitation and Insubordination” from Gender Trouble (2W)
• Butler, Chapter from Redoing Gender by Butler on Blackboard
• Film, Juggling Gender, shown in class

 

 

Mar 26  film TBA   (5-6 pp paper due)

 

 

Mar 28   Masculinites

• Selection from R.W. Connell, Masculinities (Bb)
• Reaction paper #4 – question will be posed related to reading
• Small group discussion in class

 

 

Apr 2   Transgender 

• Judith Halberstam TBA  (Bb)

 

 

Apr 4   Disability Theory and Feminist Theory

• Rosemarie Garland-Thomson. (Bb)  “Integrating Disability, Transforming Feminist Theory”

 

 

Theme for April 9 – 16:  Constructing Diverse Identities

 

Apr  9  Multicultural  Identity & Diversity

• Gloria Anzaldua, "La Consciencia del la Mestiza: Towards a New Consciousness"  (Bb)
• Gloria Anzaldua,  “Borderlands poem” (Bb)
• TBA  (Bb) selections by Native American, Asian American, and Jewish feminists
• Optional: "Dissonances" © 1996 by Monisha Das Gupta
• Reaction paper #5:  Thoughts on the "Borderlands" poem and how it relates to other readings for today and/or relate your own experiences to some of the readings
• Small group discussions in class

 

 

Apr 11  Cyborg identities/cyberfeminism

• Donna Haraway, “A Cyborg Manifesto….” (1985)  Bb

 

 

Apr. 16    Third Wave Feminism,   Generational Identifies and Differences

• Rebecca Walker, "Becoming the Third Wave"  (Bb)
• Astrid Henry, “Solitary Sisterhood: Individualism Meets Collectivity in Feminisms Third Wave”  (Bb)
• Supplemental: TBA
• Come prepared to discuss the readings and what Third Wave Feminism means to you.  Do you believe your generation is the third wave?
• Reaction paper # 6: Relate the readings to your own ideas about Third Wave feminism

 

 

Apr  18-25   Postcolonial Feminist Theory, Global and Transnational  Feminisms

April 18  Gender, Race, Sexuality in the Legacy of Colonialism
Film: Life and Times of Sara Baartman The 'Hottentot Venus' (55 min)  in class

 

Apr.  23   Postcolonial Feminist Theory, Beyond Western Borders

• Chandra Mohanty, "Under Western Eyes" (Bb) and "Under Western Eyes Revisited" (Bb)
• Uma Narayan, "Contesting Cultures," W2
• Reaction posting #7  attend and discuss the public lecture by Mohanty (date tba) OR relate Mohanty to the film viewed on 4/18

 

 

April  25  Feminism and Islam

• Readings on Blackboard TBA
• Possible Film in class   Afghanistan Unveiled

 

 

April 30    Margaret Atwood: Handmaid's Tale 

• Required:  read the entire novel for class.

Reaction posting #8 (due 4/30):  Specific topic/question related to Atwood to be assigned.

Small group discussion in class.  Come prepared to discuss the novel
 

 

May  2    Last Class -- Wrap up, last words, evaluations

For the last class, look over the syllabus and select the 2-3 readings that you personally found most memorable (might be most meaningful, most interesting, most maddening, etc.).  Come prepared to say something in class about your choices.  In case, when it comes to your turn, several other students have already spoken about your first choice, have a back-up or two.

Course Requirements

Class participation	10%	see below
Reaction postings	14%	choose 7 out of 10 options (2% each; 350-400 words each)
Blog participation	1%	see details below
In-class exam (Feb. 21)	20%	Feb. 21 (study guide provided)
First paper (due Mar. 26)	25%	5-6 typed, double-spaced pages
Final paper (due May 9)	30%	7-8 typed, double-spaced pages

Class participation:    (10 points)

• You must earn the grade.
• If you are not in class, you can't very well contribute, so poor attendance lowers your class participation grade.  I am most likely to take attendance at the beginning of the term to learn names, on small group discussion days, and if I notice dwindling numbers.
• Participation is more than just showing up.  It is contributing to the class, responding to other students, helping to keep discussion on track, demonstrating that you have come to class prepared, and most important, learning to articulate ideas, finding a voice and listening.
• Sometimes I may call on students to respond to a pre-assigned discussion question. If you are not prepared, just say “pass,” but if this happens more than once, it will negatively affect your class participation grade.
• For occasional small group discussions (listed on syllabus) each person will, at least once, serve as a facilitator, oral reporter, or written reporter (to be explained more in class), which counts toward participation.

Reaction Papers (14 points)

• These are short –350-400 words, submitted via Blackboard as assignments under projects
• They are due BEFORE CLASS on the due date. The point is to write something before you come to class.
• Say something substantive, engaging with the readings, but do NOT simply summarize the readings. For some topics, I will suggest a question.
• There are 9 options (8 assigned reaction postings listed on the syllabus plus the blog option described below) but only 7 are required.
• If you do more than 7, the 7 highest grades will count.
• Usually they will be graded "outstanding/exceptional" (2 pts or A+.),  "good" (1.8 pts. or B+/ A-), "partial credit" (1.0), or 0/"no credit."
• Most people will probably get "good" (1.8) much of the time; "outstanding" (2.0) will be reserved for postings which demonstrate something extra special in original critical thinking and analysis..
• Late postings will have a 50% grade penalty. Anything posted after class starts (12:45 pm) on the due date is late.
• Please NO emailed papers- they will NOT be accepted.
• Note that reaction  posting # 7 requires attending a talk by Chandra Mohanty outside of class (date and time TBA).  I realize not everyone will be able to attend.  That is why there are other choices, so plan accordingly..
• You may elect to count BLOG participation as a substitute for one reaction posting (see BLOG below).

The Feminist Theory Class Blog (1 point)  A feminist theory blog has been set up for this class. Instructions will be provided.  It is accessible to the public via the internet, but it probably will be used mainly by students in the class.  You will get 1 point for any form of participation (as defined below).  In addition to the 1 point, to count the blog as one of your reaction papers, all 3  forms of participation are required:  (For 1 point do any 1 of the following.)

• Post three or more of  your reaction postings on the blog AFTER submitting them via Blackboard. It is up to you if you want to revise them, select excerpts, or post as is.
• Post comments related to class discussions, films in class, readings, etc on the blog  at least 3 times during the semester
• Respond to other people’s blog postings at least 3 times during the semester.

In-Class Exam   (20 points)
The exam will include identification of key concepts, different theorists' ideas through essays and some short answer questions.  You will be asked to identify and discuss some key passages of works studied.  A study guide will be distributed in advance.  Make-up exams are strongly discouraged, permitted only allowed for compelling reasons, and must be taken within one week of the regular exam.

 

 

First Paper  (25 points)  Due Mar. 26   5-6 typed, double-spaced pages

Final Paper  (30 points)  Due May 9    7-8 typed, double spaced-pages.
A specific assignment will be handed-out in class and posted on Blackboard for both papers..  Both paper involves using assigned readings  IMPORTANT:   If you don't follow directions carefully you may get a low grade, possibly an F.   If you are not clear about what is expected, be sure to ask.  You will need written permission (via email) if you want to change the assignment in any way.  Please NO electronic or faxed papers -- they will NOT be accepted.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Students are expected to adhere to the University Academic Integrity Code.  Be careful to be sure to fully cite all sources.  Ask for help and/or consult a style manual if you are not sure how, when, or  whether to include a citation. All papers must be written in your own words.  Read online: What is plagiarism and how to avoid it.  Papers that fail to address the specific topics and questions assigned for this class risk an F.

Some grading considerations for both first and final papers:

• Careful writing, proofreading, spell checking, etc. required.
• Poor writing or poor organization will lead to a poor grade.
• I will look for original, critical thinking, in depth analysis, demonstration of good grasp of the reading assignments discussed
• Avoid unsupported generalizations as well as trite or superficial comments.
• Full citation of all sources required, including course readings for this course and internet sources
• Your selection of  theorists and topic should fit well together to make a coherent paper.
• If you don't follow instructions and your paper does not fit the specific requirements of this assignment, you will get a low or failing grade.
• If you are not sure if your topic or choice of readings fit, be sure to consult with me ahead of time.
• The most important factor in the grade is how well you discuss the theorists and apply them to your topic.
• You may not submit a paper you have written for another course, or a paper anyone else has written.
• Warning, academic integrity means, among other things, that if the paper is not written in your own words you could be charged with plagiarism and receive an F.
• Late penalties: 1-6 calendar days late, an A becomes an A- (B+ become a B), etc.. For papers received 7 or more calendar days late, an A becomes a B (B+ becomes C+), etc.

Disability services: Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss specific needs.  Please contact the Disability Support Services office at 202.994.8250 in the Marvin Center, Suite 242, to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information please refer to: http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/.

Grading Scale: A=95, A- = 91.5, B+=88.5, B=85, B- =81.5, C+=78.5, C=75, C- =71.5, D+=68.5, D=65, D- = 61.5, F=55 or lower