IDS 310,
Multicultural Women’s Studies Dr.
Kathleen L. Ward Kathleen
L. Ward
Literature,
Film, and Social Science MFB
206
ext. 3605
Course
Description:
IDS
310 is
your capstone General Education experience at BYU-Hawai’i.
As an interdisciplinary course, it draws on two or more disciplines (in our
case, literature, film, and various social science perspectives) and focuses on
high levels of critical thinking and both written and oral communication. It presupposes students who have reached
junior or senior standing and are prepared to critically critique course
content and dialogue with the larger group.
Course Objectives:
To give a
global perspective to women’s studies by exploring the life experiences and
circumstances of women from varied cultures
To study the
shaping influences of economic, political, and social structures on the lives
of multicultural women
To explore the multiple meanings of
feminism
To examine our
own experiences, circumstances, and shaping influences through collaboration and by comparing them to the women we study
To discover individual and
collective ways to better the lives of others
Course Requirements:
Participation--high levels
of attendance, preparation, interaction, and listening 100 pts.
Writing Notebook—weekly
analytical response to readings, films, guest lectures 100 pts.
Discussion Leadership—facilitating
class discussion, as assigned (ungraded)
Collaborative Project—research and
formal presentation 100
pts.
Research Paper—based on
collaborative project 100
pts. Final Exam: A Personal
Analysis and Bibliographic Essay 100
pts. 100 pts.
Texts: Women: Images and
Realities, A Multicultural Anthology, Kesselman,
McNair, and Schniedewind
Their Eyes
Were Watching God, Zora Neale
Hurston
The House on
Where We Once
Belonged,
Sia Figiel (handout)
Selected
readings (handouts)
Jan. 9 Course
Introduction: Getting Acquainted
Questions/Why Women’s Studies?
Feminism/Feminisms
Questions
for Perspectives assignment Assignment: 10
Perspectives
14 Report
on Perspectives Assignment (bring notes)
Discussion and synthesis
of findings
Textbook
16 Write a 2-3 page personal narrative
that responds to the question:
What are the complexities of becoming a
woman in my culture?
In-class: Organize for Leadership and
Issues Project
January 21,
23: Work on Collaborative Project
28
Written Proposal due, Leadership and Issues Project:
Which culture you plan
to focus on in your project
How you plan to address
each objective
How you have divided the
labor (who is doing what)
Timeline
Key sources you have
found (8-10 sources, follow MLA format)
(Before end of
the semester, write a 3 page typed notebook entry focusing on the issue that
your group researched)
30 Notebook Check, 3 entries
Foodland Foray: Go to Foodland
(or any store that carries popular magazines) and study the covers of several
teen and women's magazines. Take notes. Note particularly the images and the
titles of featured articles. What messages are they sending
to/about women? How do these magazines compare to those from your culture or
possibly those noticed in your travels outside
In-class:
Film: Killing Us Softly 3 (VT5977)
Feb. 4 Textbook
readings of your choice (20-30 pages)
Bring
3 carefully selected ads that support Kilbourne’s
concerns about sexist images in advertising. Critique the ads: What is being
sold? Who is the advertisement targeting? What makes the ad appealing to that
group? Are there words? What do they suggest?
Find one ad that depicts women in a positive, non-sexist way. (facilitator, Leslie)
6
Guest,
Dr. Derrik Tollefson, “Male
Feminists Against Intimate Partner Violence”
Ho’okupu
11 Write
about Thursday’s guest lecture (notebook) Facilitator: Sarah
Read “Like a
Winding Sheet,” Ann Petry, on-line Facilitator: Rose
Before class watch VT6061 Macho
(26 min.) Facilitator: Joshua
13
Textbook
readings of your choice
Begin Their
Eyes Were Watching God
18
Read Their Eyes Were Watching God
In-class:
“Tough Guise” (VT5978)
20 Complete Their Eyes Were Watching God
(reading quiz)
Discussion:
Black Feminism
25
Discussion, Their Eyes (Facilitators Kaitlin, Jessica)
Notebook
Check, 6-7 entries (including: How is Their Eyes a feminist text? How is
it an African American text?
27 Israel/Palestine: Issues and Leadership
Project
Textbook readings of your choice
(20-30 pages)
March 4
Where We Once Belonged, Sia Figiel, selected chapters, on-line
Notes: “A Personal Response to Sia Figiel: What I Want to Talk
about and Why”
Facilitator: Gabriel
In-class: Sia
Figiel video clip
6
Textbook
readings of your choice
11
Asian Women: Review text for Asian women’s voices/readings
Internet search:
In-class:
Indian Dowry Brides: “60 minutes” segment
In-class:
writing
13 African American: Issues and Leadership
Project
textbook
readings of your choice
18
The House on
Notebook entry
on
Facilitators: Flor and Erin
In-class:
“Women of Hope” segment, VTV5289
20
Film as a Feminist Tool
In-class: film
critique
Assign Film Round Robi n
Select three films to
view. Write a paragraph précis of two
and a two page critique of the third. Consider the film analysis questions
discussed in class as you develop your critique. Due April 1,
class time.
Women with Open Eyes VTV5934 (52 min.)
In
My Father’s House
VTV6066 (67 min.)
Halving
the Bones VTV6062 (72 min.)
A
Question of Color
VTV3020 (58 min.)
Complaints
of a Dutiful Daughter
VTV6054 (44 min.)
Threads
of Hope VTV
5290 (50 min.)
Hispanics:
The Changing Role of
Women VTV5291 (44 min.)
Small
Happiness: Women of a Chinese Village VTV2835 (58 min.)
Writing
Women’s Lives VTV5012 (60 min.)
The
Double Burden VTV4210
(56 min.)
25
Notebook Entry on “Let Us
Be Wise and Consider These Things: Feminist Action in the Academy and Beyond,”
on-line: BYU homepage/Faculty and Staff/David O. McKay Lecure/1999
27 Hawaiian Perspective: Haunani Kay Trask, readings
on-line
Facilitator:
Aleesha
In-class:
“Happy Birthday Mama Ruth,” video and discussion, VTV4650
Notebook
check, 10-11 entries
April 1 Film
write-ups due (see March 20)
In-class: Andrea Dworkin: Another Issue, Another Feminism
3
Begin Film Round Robin:
Each film group will
present 10 minutes of introduction and insight into the selected film and its
significance. Include at least one key
video clip and no more than 3. Consider
the film analysis questions as you decide what to include in your limited time.
"Maori
Women/Me: Poetry and Prose," Dr. Vernice Wineera
Assigned
Ho’okupu
8 Complete Film Round Robin
Review
for Final Exam
Annotated
Bibliography Due, class time (8-10 sources, MLA or style of your choice)
(annotations
should include brief description of work, it’s primary arguments/purpose and
its contribution to your research project)
10
Mormon Feminism:
Discussion
15 More Mormon Feminism
Course Wrap-up: So how did we do?
Notebooks Due, class time, 13 entries plus course and self
evaluation
Required entries: see
January 28, February 11 and 23, March 18, March 25
Final Exam: Tuesday, April
22,
:
23
Assignment: Write
up your observations and relate them to appropriate text readings
(approximately 2 pages).
24
29 Sexual Identity and the Media:
"Killing Us Softly 3" (VTV 5977)
Collect and analyze 10
advertisements that either perpetuate or challenge female stereotypes. In your analysis, ask questions such as:
Who is the target audience for this product?
What’s being sold here
besides the product? (Status? Leisure?
Sexuality? Respect?)
What is your interpretation
of the clothing the woman is (or is not) wearing
Do you find anything sexist
or anything empowering in her body position? Her facial
expression?
What does the caption
suggest? How does it contribute to
either the challenge or perpetuation of female stereotypes?
Come
prepared with analytical notes on 3 of your 10 advertisements.
31 Moving Beyond: "Women Waging Peace," Dr. Debbie Hippolite Wright
Begin
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Ho’okupu
Feb. 5 Writing:
Response to and analysis of guest lecture and accompanying materials
(approximately 2 pages, class time).
Facilitators:
Crystal and Jeanette
Organize
for leadership project
Question
to consider: "What is collaboration?"
7 Black Feminism/s lecture
"The
Lesson," Toni Cade Bambara,
handout
Mothers/Othermothers, Patricia Hill Collins, handout
12 Complete Their Eyes Were Watching God (reading quiz)
Questions:
How is Their Eyes a Feminist Text? An African American
Text?
14
Their Eyes, Discussion
Facilitators:
Sara and Jon
Proposal
due, Leadership Project
19 "Male Feminists Against
Domestic Violence," Dr. Derrik Tollefson
“Like
a Winding Sheet,” Ann Petry (handout)
21 Writing: Response to and analysis of guest lecture and
accompanying materials
(approximately 2 pages)
"Macho"
video and discussion (VTV6061)
26 Work on Leadership Project
“Tough
Guise,” video and discussion (VTV 5978)
28
Work on Leadership Project
“Pornography: Andrea Dworkin,” video and discussion (VTV 5288)
March 5 Work on Leadership Project
Asian
Women: Review text for Asian Women's voices/readings)
Indian
Dowry Brides: "60 minutes" segment
In-class
writing
7
Hawaiian Perspective: Haunani
Kay Trask (handout)
“Happy Birthday Tutu Ruth,”
video and discussion (VTV 4650)
Discussion Facilitators: Sally
and Jana
12 Leadership Project #1
(Readings/Writing)
14
Film as a Feminist Tool
In-class: film critique,
“The Idea We Live In” (VTV 6067)
Writing
Portfolio Check—bring your portfolio to class
19 Where We Once Belonged
(chapter handouts)
Writing/Essay:
"A Personal Response to Sia Figiel:
What I Want to Talk about and Why"
Sia Figiel video clip
Discussion
Facilitators: Christina and Melanie
21 Leadership Project #2
(Readings/Writing)
26
Kuhio
Day
28 Leadership Project #3
(Readings/Writing)
April 2 Leadership Project #4
(Readings/Writing)
Film
Critique and Summaries due, class time
Writing
Portfolio Due, Friday, April 5,
9 Leadership Project #5
11 Complete Film Round Robin
Review
for Final Exam
16 Mormon Feminism:
Come
with notes and questions, prepared to facilitate discussion
Course Wrap-up: So how did
we do?
Final
Paper due, Friday,
Develop a 6-8 page paper
based on your leadership project. This is not to be a reiteration of your group
presentation but rather your original thesis and use of the researched
material. Your intent is to discuss the
woman--the shaping influences of her life and her contributions--in such a way
that key feminist principles emerge (you may want to focus on just one). Thus
you will be giving respect and authority to an individual woman’s life at the
same time you are considering broad social issues (or a single issue) impacting
others within and often beyond her culture. I anticipate a strong narrative
voice in your paper (yours!) as well as skillful integration of 6-8 viable and
varied sources.
FINAL
EXAM: Tuesday, April 23,
IDS 310, Multicultural Women’s Studies
Film Round Robin
Select three of the following films to
view. Write a paragraph précis of two
and a two page critique of the third.
Include director names. Due April 4, class time.
Women with Open Eyes VTV5934 (52 min.)
In
My Father’s House
VTV6066 (67 min.)
Halving
the Bones VTV6062 (72 min.)
A
Question of Color
VTV3020 (58 min.)
Complaints
of a Dutiful Daughter
VTV6054 (44 min.)