Penn State Harrisburg am st/wmnst 104: Women and the American Experience Spring 2015 Instructor: Kathryn Holmes

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  develop skills in interpreting and contextualizing primary sources.
  
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  craft a scholarly argument and support it with textual evidence.
  
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  to identify major contributions to feminist issues throughout American history.
  
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  Be familiar with American Studies scholarship on women’s experience in the United States.
  

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  Participation (100 pts, 10%) – Determined from contributions to class discussion and small group participation.
  
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  Quizzes & Writing Responses (100 pts, 10%) – Five to six quizzes, as well as five to six writing responses will occur throughout the semester based upon assigned reading and previous lecture material.
  
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  Midterm, combined multiple choice and essay (200 pts, 20%)
  
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  Final not accumulative, same format as midterm (200 pts, 20%)
  

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  Final Project (300 pts, 30%) – Includes written portion and final presentation; a guide is provided on ANGEL
  

Instructions:

Write a 1-2 page double-spaced response that answers these questions:

a. Do you agree or disagree with the author’s conclusions? Please provide 3 reasons why.

(Often, students back themselves into a corner and try to argue both sides. Pick ONE.)

b. What conclusion do you come to about this topic after reading this article? What did you learn from reading this article?

a. The college's web page at www.hbg.psu.edu will carry a message regarding the 36 status of classes.

b. The university's email system will also be used to notify email subscribers about a weather emergency. Additionally, students, faculty, and staff are invited to register for PSUAlert at https://psualert.psu.edu/psualert/. The service will feature enhanced messaging capabilities and robust integration with the University’s other communications platforms.

c. An announcement will be placed on the college's AUDIX telephone system at the 948-6000 and 948-6029 numbers.

d. For information on the campus’s weather emergency policy, including media outlets carrying cancellation notices, see http://www.hbg.psu.edu/hbg/weather.html

Attendance and Participation: Students are expected to be in class, having completed the assigned reading beforehand, and ready to participate. Students will be granted four absences without penalty (provided they do make up work), but students who miss more than four class meetings will lose one letter grade per class. Class will hinge largely on the reading, group work, and discussions, so it is imperative that students do the reading. Participation grades will be largely determined by student’s ability to intelligently contribute to class discussions.
***It is to create an environment where all students feel comfortable. Some topics are of a sensitive nature, so it is increasingly important to treat foster an atmosphere of respect and understanding. Everyone entering this class comes with a different background, and it is important to appreciate their right to their own opinion, even if you do not share it. Students who are disrespectful to others may be asked to leave or face disciplinary action.
Late Work: Students are expected to turn work in on time. Late assignments will be marked down and risk being failed. If there are extenuating circumstances, let the instructor know immediately.
Technology: Technology is a great thing. Students are welcome to take notes on laptops. However, the instructor holds the right to wave this privilege should it become apparent that students are using their laptops for things unrelated to the day’s discussion. Cell phones should be put away and set to silent during class time.
Disability Services and Accessibility: Penn State is committed to providing a positive learning environment for every student. If you have a disability that requires special accommodations please contact the instructor immediately, so that special arrangements can be made.


Schedule

(Subject to change; Revised calendars will be available through ANGEL)

Objective: Learn about interdisciplinary approach to studying American culture. Also, know the importance of myth and symbol in discipline.

Objective: Become familiar with Women’s theory and how it fits in with American Studies.

Objective: Identify how Native women’s lives, roles, and expectations were changed with the arrival of European explorers and settlers.

★ Ulrich, The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of the American Myth, Ch. 7 “Molly Ocket’s Pocketbook”

Objective: We will examine how marriage and motherhood defined womens’ existences, particularly with regards to class and race.

Read: Evans, Ch. 2
Week 3: January 26-30
1/26 Colonial Era

Objective: We will examine the construction of witches is 17^th century America, and what these constructions say about how women were viewed.

Objective: We will look at how the Revolutionary War shifted home life. We will examine the larger implications for women that came from this shift.

Objectives: We will look at the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution and its impact on family life. This class will also demonstrate Abigail Adams’s role as an early feminist.

Read: Charles W. Akers, Abigail Adams: An American Woman
Week 4: February 2-6
2/2 A Young Nation

Objectives: Students will learn about domestic spheres and the four virtues of true womanhood. They will then place these virtues within a contemporary context.

Read: Evan, Ch. 4

★Welter, “The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860”

Objective: We will discuss Sarah Joseph Hale and Catherine Beecher and how they promoted the idea of “Domestic Feminism.” Student will need to decide if/how their ideas helped women, and use our texts to support their argument.

Objective: As a class we will decipher the climate of America leading up to the Civil War. We will also discuss the importance of Seneca Falls on the women’s movement.

“Seneca Falls,” PBS:

http://www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/resources/index.html?body=seneca_falls.html
Week 5: February 9-13
2/9 The Civil War Era

Objective: Students will use images and videos to see how women were important in the Civil War. They will also learn about how material culture can help give context to history.

Objective: Students will gain a historical background of Harriet Jacobs. We will identify and examine how stereotypical feminine characteristics are used in this narrative.

2/13 The Civil War Era

Objective: Students will be able to describe how slaves use of gender (and the expectations placed on their virtue) was different than that of their white counterparts. They will also be able to accurately describer the “rape-lynch” myth.
Read: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Week 6: February 16-20
2/16 President’s Day/No Class
2/18 Archives

Objective: Students will become familiar with the Alice Marshall collection, and have a chance to examine their cultural artifact.

Objective: Students will learn and practice research skills. They will get a more time to work with their artifact.

Objective: We will discuss the Morrill Act of 1962 as the democratization of higher education. We will connect domestic feminism to women’s education, and how the Morrill Act was a bridge between the two.

Objective: Students will be able to identify the connections between reconstruction, Abolition, and women’s rights. They will also understand what the label “The Gilded Age” means and what it says about society a t that time.

Objective: We will examine how depression and other mental illnesses were treated in women during this time. We will also look at hysteria and it’s use in justifying keeping women in the private sector.

★ [Short Story] Charlotte Perkins Gillman, “The Yellow Wallpaper,”(1892)

Objective: We will look at how the New Woman was defined and her role in women’s suffrage. Students will also learn how this type bucked traditional values, and how various groups responded to her. We will look at how the New Woman was important to feminism at large. Also, students will look at suffragettes and what lead women to gain the vote.

Objective: Students will interpret images to see evidence of expectations for women of the time and how women were challenging these stereotypes. We will also look at the flapper and how ideas about beauty during the early twentieth century.

★Lois Banner, American Beauty

Objective: We will explore how the great depression impacted families. We will explore the “migrant mother” as well the New Deal’s relationship with female reform.

“Exploring Contexts: Migrant Mother,” American Women, Library of Congress:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/awpnp6/migrant_mother.html
3/18 World War II

Objective: Students will be able to show how women’s roles changed during the war. We will look at iconic images, such as “Rosie the Riveter,” as well as discuss the importance of victory gardens.

Objective: We will explore how women were involved on the war front and how it was portrayed in popular media. We will look holistically to how this shaped women’s roles in the long run and what challenges were posed as a response.

★ Yvonne Tasker, Soldiers’ Stories: Military Women in Cinema and Television Since WWII


Week 11: March 23-27
3/23 The Cold War:

Objective: We will look broadly at the Cold War and how it influenced traditional women’s roles at the time. Students will understand the ideology of “containment,” and its effects on women.

Objective: We will look at issues surrounding pregnancy and birth by examining both the rise of birth control and the inception of the baby boomers.

Objective: We will investigate consumerism in America at that time and how it both reflected and reinforced ideals about traditional families. We will also pull examples from popular culture to demonstrate consumerism’s influence in action.

Objective: To use the chapter as a jumping off point of reality verses perception. We will look at how Friedan articulated issues created by the “American Housewife” figure of the 1950s. We will also discuss why this book was important, the response to it, and how it shaped cultural perceptions about women.

Objective: We will discuss how social movements of the 1960s were identified as well as the factors that lead up to them. We will also discuss important women in the Civil Right’s Movement and how their actions impacted the push for social justice.

Choose One of the two readings below:

Mary Fair Burks, “Women and the Montgomery Bus Boycott,”

Anne Standley, and “The Role of Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement.”

★Vicki Crawford, “Beyond the Human Self: Grassroots Activists in the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement
4/3 Women’s Strike for Equality

Objective: Students will look holistically at many factors that set the stage for the coming women’s movement. They will be asked to pinpoint what key things occurred in order to prompt the second wave of the feminist movement.

Objective: We will use social movement theory to examine the Black Panther’s influence on feminine stereotypes. Students will be able to define the theory, as well as cite examples of it.

Cleaver, “Women, Power, and Revolution,”

★Linda Lumsden, “Good Mothers with Guns: Framing Black Womanhood in the Black Panther, 1968-1980”
4/8 Women’s Right’s Movement

Objective: We will define important concepts from the second wave of feminism, such as “women’s lib” and “antifeminism.” We will also look at broader factors in order to contextually place this women’s movement. Lastly, we will look at this movement from a contemporary lens to see how supporters and detractors frame it.

Objective: Students will be able to describe the history behind Roe v. Wade, as well as give an overview of the argument that each side makes. Students will not be asked to share their own views on this matter, but must be able to demonstrate an openness to understand the historical significance of this ruling.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/22/health/roe-wade-abortion-timeline/,

Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision:

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/p/roe_v_wade.htm

Objectives: We will look at Anita Hill and other

Objective: Student will use these two figures, and the 2008 election, as a jumping off point to discern the state of women in politics today. We will look at how they were promoted and how our culture responded to them.

Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin:

Women in contemporary politics

Objective: Students will use articles to demonstrate how the same person can be used to portray different issues such as class, race, and even body image. We will also discuss Oprah as a manifestation of the American Dream, as well as her audience’s demographic makeup.

★Stanley, “The Spector of Oprah Winfrey: Critical Black Female Spectatorship”

★Pereira, “Oprah’s Book Club and the American Dream”

★Howard, “From Fasting toward Self-Acceptance: Oprah Winfrey and Weight Loss in American Culture”

Bring a rough draft of your paper to class for peer review.

Objective: Explore how corporations portray women. How has the Disney princess epitomized womanhood for large sections of America?

Objective: Examine how the idea of princess has changed throughout American history. What does she say about the larger society?