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COURSE SYLLABUS Click here to download a Microsoft Word version of the syllabus. Hist 3347 / GWSS 3407 Fall 2008 Women in America , 1600-1880
Course Description: 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.
Course Requirements: 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.
Readings: The four books listed below are required and are available for purchase at the University Bookstore in Coffman Union. I have also put copies of each book on 2-hour reserve in Wilson Library.
Harriet A. Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself Theda Perdue, Cherokee Women Neal Salisbury, editor, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God.being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson [1682] Mary Dodge Woodward, The Checkered Years: a Bonanza Farm Diary 1884-88
Additional readings will be available online at the University Library's e-reserve system (indicated as E-RESERVE on the schedule below; instructions on using e-reserve will be provided in class); other readings will be distributed in class (indicated as HAND-OUT on the schedule below).
Grading: Per University policy, student work will be assessed as follows: A represents achievement that is outstanding relative to course requirements. B represents achievement that is significantly above the level of course requirements C represents achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect D represents achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements F (or N) -- Represents failure and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no negotiation between the instructor and the student for an Incomplete S represents achievement that is satisfactory, which is equivalent to a C- or better
Special Needs: Students with documented disability conditions that affect their ability to participate fully in class or to meet all course requirements should contact the instructor and Disability Services, so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged. Further information is available from Disability Services (180 McNamara Alumni Center, 612-626-1333 TTY/voice, and http://ds.umn.edu/ ).
Scholastic Misconduct, Disruptive Conduct and Sexual Harassment: All activities in the University, including this course, are governed by the University of Minnesota Student Conduct Code . All students should be familiar with the Student Conduct Code; see http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf Academic dishonesty, scholastic misconduct, in any portion of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course at the instructor's discretion. Scholastic misconduct is any act that violates the rights of another student with respect to academic work or that involves misrepresentation of a student's own work. Scholastic misconduct includes (but is not limited to) cheating on assignments or examinations, plagiarizing (misrepresenting as one's own anything done by another), inventing or falsifying research or other findings with the intent to deceive, submitting the same or substantially similar papers (or creative work) for more than one course without consent of all instructors concerned, depriving another of necessary course materials, and sabotaging another's work. Students who engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment for others may be subject to disciplinary action under the Code, including registration cancellation. Sexual harassment by or toward a member of the University community is prohibited. For questions or concerns about the University's sexual harassment policies, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, (612) 624-9547. COURSE SCHEDULE WEEK 1: INTRODUCTIONS T, Sept. 2 Introduction Th, Sept 4 Old and New Worlds WEEK 2: GENDER FRONTIERS T, Sept 9 Early Encounters Th, Sept 11 Gender and Colonization WEEK 3: INITIAL YEARS OF EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT T, Sept 16 Women, Men, and Work in the Early English Colonies Th, Sept 18 Family, Society, Law and Religion in Early New England WEEK 4: PATRIARCHY IN THE NEW ENGLAND AND CHESAPEAKE COLONIES T, Sept 23 Puritan Saints, Witches, and Moral Mothers Th, Sept 25 Servants and Slaves WEEK 5: 18TH-CENTURY TRANSITIONS T, Sept 30 Trade, War and Slavery Th, Oct 2 Martha Ballard, Laurel Ulrich, and A Midwife's Tale WEEK 6: REVOLUTIONS T, Oct 7 Consumer "Revolution" and Shifting Standards
WEEK 7: WOMEN IN THE NEW NATION T, Oct 14 Revolutionary Consequences Th, Oct 16 Women in the New Republic WEEK 8: NEW WORLDS FOR WOMEN T, Oct 21 Mills and Shops WEEK 9: GENDER, RACE, AND CLASS IN THE NEW NATION T, Oct 28 Kitchens and Parlors Th, Oct 30 Plantations and Slave Labor WEEK 10: WOMEN IN PUBLIC T, Nov 4 Reforming Women and Antebellum Politics Th, Nov 6 Abolition and Women's Rights WEEK 11: REFORMING AND RETHINKING AMERICAN SOCIETY T, Nov 11 Utopian Visions Th, Nov 13 Hearts and Hands: the Influence of Women and Quilts on American Society WEEK 12: MOTHERHOOD AND SEXUALITY IN MID-CENTURY AMERICA T, Nov 18 "Victorian" Sexuality, Contraception, and Fertility Decline Th, Nov 20 Motherhood and Sexuality in the West WEEK 13: WESTWARD EXPANSION T, Nov 25 Gender and Westward Expansion NO CLASS Th Nov 27 - Thanksgiving Holiday WEEK 14: CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION T, Dec 2 Women's Experiences of Civil War Th, Dec 4 Reconstructing America and Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice WEEK 15: CONCLUSION T, Dec 9 Concluding Remarks
FINAL EXAM December 18, Thursday morning 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.
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Last Updated November 4, 2008
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