Latin American Studies (LAST) 40103 - Lecture 01
WOMEN AND WOMEN’S SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN LATIN AMERICA
Fall 2006
Wednesdays 15:00 - 18:00 PM  

Instructor:	Ms. Marleny Munoz
Office Location:	SS 329
Office Phone:	403 220 5031
E-Mail:	mmunoz@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:
Office Hours:	Please make an appointment. You are welcome to contact the instructor by e-mail or telephone.

Additional Information

Syllabus Statement: A review of the Latin American women’s social, political and economic forces, women’s movements and social institutions that are transforming women’s status, women’s political participation and women’s development in Latin America.

Course Description

This course focuses on 1. Women in Latin America: historical, cultural and demographic contexts; 2. Women’s collective action around women’s issues and social injustice in Latin America; 3. Women’s movements at the local and global level; 4. Origin and History of women’s movements in Latin America; and 5. Analysis of social justice, gender equity and empowerment within and across women’s movements in Latin America. Some of the questions to be addressed are: To what extent and under what conditions are women’s issues and women’s injustice rooted in the institutionalized practices or structures of the prevailing economic and social system? How women’s movements and their social action have been agents and strategies for generating the structural changes on gender equity and social justice?

Objectives of the Course

By the end of this course, learners will have the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to: 1. Review and analyze historical, cultural, social, political and economic conditions of women in Latin American countries. 2. Research, study and analyze feminist and women’s movements around diverse economic, social and political issues in Latin America. 3. Develop a seminar to increase knowledge and awareness about Latin American women’s movements

Textbooks and Readings:

1. Course reading package 2. Additional articles will be posted in the Blackboard of the course.

Assignments and Evaluation

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

Course Completion Requirements Course Completion is tied to a variety of requirements. Participants must: 1. Journal – 20% (Two journals due date on October 25, 2006 and November 29, 2006) 2. Participation in class discussions– 20% 3. Group presentation in a symposium – 30% (November 15, need confirmation) 4. Individual term project – 30% (due date on December 13, 2006 )

Required Assignments: 1. Keep a Learning Journal: Reflecting about learning helps you make meaning from your learning experience. After each class, write a one-two page journal entry that discuss your key learning for the day, how you will apply the ideas, and a reflection of your learning process. In addition, you can use experiences or memories that are significant to you and are associated with your current learning experience. You also can use draws, collage, poetry or other arts to record and reflect on your learning experience.

2. Participation in class discussions: Participation in class and through the Blackboard is very important in this class. Collective learning will promoted through class and group discussions. Students will be organized in groups to use inquiry-based learning and build a community of practice.

3. Group presentation in a symposium: Group work will be presented and discussed through a public seminar on November 15, 2006 from 15:00 to 18:00. Students will participate in the organization and delivery of the seminar. This seminar will be open to the university community.

4. Individual term project: Each student will develop a project that should be a paper, a web page, a collage, or other art project that you choose to develop in order to show your learning in this course and to demonstrate your understanding of a topic related to women and women’s movement in Latin America.

Note: Please return assignments directly to the instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination: No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you wish help with your writing at any stage, including drafts, you are invited to contact the Writing Centre, SS110, 220-7255.

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people’s words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS110) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

To be handed out in class.