History 3347: Women in Early and Victorian America, 1600-1880

FINALS SCHEDULING
Our final is scheduled from 8:00-10:00am, Thursday, December 18 in Anderson Hall 230

If you would like to take the final early, we are offering an exam slot:
Monday, December 15, Noon-2:00 pm in Anderson Hall 230

If you would like to take the early exam, inform Professor Norling
no later than 4pm on Friday, December 12.

Women in America , 1600-1880
Professor Lisa Norling
T, Th 9:45 - 11:00 a.m. ~~ 230 Anderson Hall
course website: http://www.hist.umn.edu/hist3347

This 3-credit course is designed to introduce students both to the varied experiences of American women from about 1600 to 1880 and to the multiple ways ideas about gender have shaped the development of American society. Our perspective on the past will place women at the center (though of course men are inextricably part of the story too) in our consideration of the course topics: the gender dynamics of European conquest and colonization efforts in North America; the dispossession of native peoples; the emergence of racially-based slavery; revolution and nation-building; religious, political, and social reform; economic developments such as industrialization; westward expansion; and transformations in family life, childbearing, and sexuality. Students will utilize both primary sources (documents and artifacts produced in the time period under study) and writings by historians to explore the racial and ethnic diversity of women and men in Early America, examine the dramatically changing meanings and practices of gender over the three centuries, and assess their legacy for us today. Because of the content and thematic emphases, this course fulfills the University's Liberal Education Cultural Diversity theme. And because the topics we will explore are subjects of intense academic debate, students will also be introduced to the often contentious processes through which historians interpret the past, the ways in which historical questions are posed, the kinds of evidence utilized, and techniques of analysis and interpretation. Therefore the course also fulfills the Liberal Education Historical Perspectives core.

Both attending class and completing the assignments are essential for your success in the course. The lectures, class exercises, class hand-outs, and movies cover material that is not covered in the readings, and your written work will require you to draw on both what you read and what you learn in class. The written assignments will consist of informal, short in-class exercises, three more formal take-home essays and accompanying worksheets, an in-class midterm exam, and a final exam. Attendance and the informal in-class exercises together will count for 10% of your final grade for the course. The first and second essays should both be in the range of 3-5 pages long; they are each worth 15% (5% for the worksheet; 10% for the essay). The third essay is more substantial: it should be in the range of 6-8 pages long and is worth 25% of your grade (10% for the worksheet; 15% for the essay). The midterm exam will consist of short identifications and count for 15% of your grade; the final exam will require short identifications and a short essay question, and it will count for 20% of your grade.