Women's Studies WMST201 L01
Intro to Women's Studies
Fall 2008
Tuesdays 11:00-13:50

 

Instructor:	Jo Kadi
Office Location:	SS209
E-Mail:	jkadi@ucalgary.ca
Office Hours:	Tuesdays 9:00 to 11:00 and/or by appointment

Additional Information

 

Course Description

This course introduces students to the field of women's studies, and focuses on feminist scholarship and activism. The creation of women's studies is one of the significant achievements of the second-wave feminist movement. Feminists worked for many years to create a place in the academy to study and reflect on gender, race and class, both globally and locally.

From its beginning women's studies has been connected with feminist community organizing and social justice work. In this course we will explore key concepts and theories that feminists use to make sense of the world, along with examining how the field of women's studies connects academic and activist work.

Objectives of the Course

-To understand key issues in women's lives.

-To gain knowledge of important historical forces and events.

-To appreciate the practical implications of feminist analysis in everyday life.

-To consider gender, race, and class, in both social terms and personal terms.

-To develop critical thinking skills.

Textbooks and Readings:

Women's Studies 201 Fall 2008 course pack, available at the bookstore.

Assignments and Evaluation

-Attendance/participation grade, worth 10%. Since class discussion is a key element in this course, this portion of the grade is based on attendance, and also on the degree to which students contribute thoughtfully to class discussions and clearly demonstrate that they have read assigned readings.

-In-class response paper focused on the reading for the day, worth 15%. Date will not be announced beforehand. Students will be allowed to make up this assignment, provided they have notified the instructor (prior to the beginning of class) that they will be missing class on that particular day.

-Outrageous act assignment, worth 25%. This assignment involves thinking about, engaging in, and writing about an activity you have not done before. Each student defines what is outrageous for her/him; the activity need not be public or outlandish, but it must be connected to issues in this class and it must challenge students' comfort zone. Due date: October 7.

-Paper, worth 25%. Students may choose between A. interviewing an appropriate subject for an oral history project and writing a paper, or B. writing a research paper on a topic of concern to feminists. Due date: November 4.

-Take-home final exam, worth 25%. Due date: December 8.

More information on these assignments will be available in class.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.
Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or 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 need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

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

(Revised, effective September 2008)

	Grading Scale
A+	96-100
A	90-95.99
A -	85-89.99
B+	80-84.99
B	75-79.99
B-	70-74.99
C+	65-69.99
C	60-64.99
C-	55-59.99
D+	53-54.99
D	50-52.99
F	0-49

 

 Where a grade on a particular assignment is expressed as a letter grade, it will normally be converted to a number using the midpoint of the scale.  That is, A- would be converted to 87.5 for calculation purposes.  F will be converted to zero.

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. 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 (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) 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/su

"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.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see the U of C Research Ethics "Information for Applicants," sections 3.0 to 9.0, inclusive: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/html/ethics/info_undergrad.html

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

This will be available on the first day of class.