Ws 102-3

INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN FEMINISMS:

HISTORIES, LEGACIES, RESISTANCES

Spring 2010

Instructor: Alessandra Capperdoni

Contact: acapperd@sfu.ca

Lecture: Mondays 12:30 – 2:20pm AQ 3154

Office hours: Mondays 3:30 – 4:20pm or by appointment

What is feminism? When did it originate? What is its history? Is it a

women’s concern only? Does it still speak to the sexed and gendered identities of our times? In addressing these

questions, this course will examine the history of feminism in Western cultures from

ancient times (Greek and Judeo-Christian traditions) to the mid-20th century. Our

methodology will comprise the analysis of historical texts of various sources (religion,

mythology, history, law, philosophy, medicine, and cultural representations) alongside their critical re-readings

to illuminate the ways in which, throughout history and across geographies, women have fought, resisted, and

subverted the knowledge that patriarchal discourses have construed about female identities and roles in society.

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Our focus, therefore, will be the understanding of the ways gender is produced through knowledge

formation and the new ‘feminist’ visions that are produced through acts of resistance. Topics will include:

definitions of feminism/s and feminist consciousness; theories of the origin of patriarchies; women’s role in

religion (Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, and Native American); feminine symbolism in spiritual practices;

struggles for emancipation and equal rights; maternal feminism; the suffrage movement in Europe and North

America; female sexuality and reproduction; women and labour; women and race; women’s creativity; and

female subjectivity in language.

REQUIRED READINGS:

Le Gates, M. In Their Time: A History of Feminism in Western Society. New York, Routledge, 2001.
Delamotte, E., Meeker, N. & O’Barr, J. (eds). Women Imagine Change: A Global Anthology of Women’s
Resistance from 600 B.C.E. to Present. New York: Routledge, 1997.
Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own and Three Guineas. London, UK: Random House, 2000.

Supplementary readings will be posted on WebCt.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
20% Attendance and tutorial participation (includes Blog discussion)
10% Documentary analysis
20% Mid-term exam
25% Paper (6-7 pages, max 1,500 words) on a pre-second wave feminist
25% Final exam
 Readings on WebCt
(Only chapters and sections listed)
# refers to sections, not pages

Week 1 – Jan. 4th

*Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: Medicine and Anatomy

(#345-346; #348-349; #351-352; #355)
*Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: Women’s Voices, Men’s Opinions, and Public Life
(Women’s Voices: Sappho # 1, 3, 4, 5, 6; Men’s Opinions: all; Public Life: until # 176)

Week 2 – Jan. 11th

*Women and the Bible: Genesis (chapters 1 to 4 and 16 to 19)

*Women and the Bible: Leviticus (chapters 11, 12, 15 and 18)
“How to do a document analysis”

Week 3 – Jan. 18th

*Hypatia (#451)
*Women and the Bible: The Book of Ruth (chapters 1 to 4)
*Women and the Bible: Ezekiel (chapters 16, 20, 22, 23 and 24)

Week 4 – Jan. 25th

*Women and the New Testament: Gospel according to St. Luke (chp. 1 and 2)
*Paul of Tarsus on women (#441 and 442)
*Paul of Tarsus_selection (1 Corinthians chp. 11 and 14; Ephesians chp. 5; 1 Timothy chp. 2 and 3)
“Peer Review of document analysis”

Week 9 – March 1st

*Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: Philosophers on women’s education

(#67; from #73 to 75; from #213 to 218; from #221 to 223)
(File contained in folder Week 10 following “Legal Status of Women”)

Week 10 – March 8th

*Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: Legal Status of Women

(#88; from #112 to 116; #118; #123; from #129 to 136)
(File also contains “Philosophers on women’s education” for week 9)

Week 13 – March 29th

Simone de Beauvoir, Introduction to The Second Sex

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 WS 102-3 Introduction to Western Feminism
COURSE SYLLABUS AND READING SCHEDULE

Contact: acapperd@sfu.ca
Office hours: Mondays 3:30 – 4:20pm or by appointment

Note: All readings listed are assigned. However, only those indicated by an asterisk (*) will be part of the
material covered on the mid term and final exams. The other readings are important sources to give you ideas
and references for your paper.

Week 1 – Jan. 4th INTRODUCTION

Definitions: Histories, Patriarchies, Feminisms

Rise of Western Patriarchal Cultures

Reading assignment: *In Their time, chapter 1

*Global Anthology, Hortensia, pp. 363-366
*Global Anthology, Hipparchia, pp. 124-126
*Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: Medicine and Anatomy (WebCt)

RELIGIOUS RESISTANCE

Week 2 – Jan. 11th The Abrahamic Religions

Readings: *Global Anthology, Geller, pp. 59-63

*Global Anthology, Gluckel, pp. 69-70, 458-459
*Global Anthology, Zygmuntowics, pp. 314-318
*Women and the Bible: Genesis (WebCt)
*Women and the Bible: Leviticus (WebCt)

Tutorials: How to do a document analysis (WebCt)

Week 3 – Jan. 18th Judaism/Christianity

Film screening: Half the Kingdom (dir. Zuckerman & Goldstein) NFB

Readings: *In Their Time, Chapter 2

*Global Anthology, Perpetua, pp. 24-28
*Global Anthology, Kempe, pp. 29-33
*Global Anthology, Lizier, pp. 51-54
*Global Anthology, Bingen, pp. 330-332
*Hypatia (WebCt)
*Women and the Bible: The Book of Ruth (WebCt)
*Women and the Bible: Ezekiel_selection (WebCt)
Week 4 – Jan. 25th Christianity (cont.) and Native American spirituality

Readings: *Women and The New Testament: Gospel St. Luke_chp. 1 and 2 (WebCt)
*Paul of Tarsus on women (WebCt)
*Paul of Tarsus_selection (WebCt)
*Global Anthology, Héloïse, pp. 339-349
*Global Anthology, Fell, pp. 460-466
*Global Anthology, Jackson, pp. 34-40
*Global Anthology, Allen, pp. 432-435
*Global Anthology, Calachaw, pp. 75-78
*Global Anthology, Zitkala-Sa, pp. 148-151, 288-290
*Global Anthology, Smith, pp. 415-419

Tutorials: Peer Review of document analysis

Week 5 – Feb. 1st Islam

Readings: *Global Anthology, Mernissi/Samman, pp. 79-87

*Global Anthology, Shaiban-Bakr, pp. 260-252
*Global Anthology, Shaarawi, pp. 301-304
*Global Anthology, Baba of Karo, pp. 319-321
*Global Anthology, Hossain, pp. 143-147

For comparison: Global Anthology, Ba, pp. 220-224

Global Anthology, Adivar, pp. 238-243
Global Anthology, Salme, pp. 410-414

Week 6 – Feb. 8th Mid-term Exam (in-class)

Week 7 (Feb. 15th) and 8 (Feb. 22nd): Spring Break (Olympics)

SECULAR RESISTANCE

Week 9 – March 1st The Demand for Equal Education

Film screening: Pushing the Edge: Women’s Studies Celebrates 20 years at

Simon Fraser University, 1975-1995. Burnaby BC: Howes Productions

Readings: *In Their Time, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4

*Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas, Chapter 1
*Global Anthology, Labe, pp. 225-227
*Global Anthology, Sor Juana, pp. 251-255
*Global Anthology, de Pizan, pp. 284-287, 469-472
*Global Anthology, Gentileschi, pp. 159-162
*Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: Philosophers on women’s education
(WebCt, Folder Week 10)

Week 9 / continued

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For comparison: Global Anthology, O’Barr, pp. 107-116*6
Global Anthology, Sei Shonagon, pp. 131-133
Global Anthology, Nzinga of Angola, pp. 155-158
Global Anthology, Waugh, pp. 172-176
Global Anthology, Raicho, pp. 269-273

Week 10 – March 8th Resisting Women’s Roles

Film screening: The NO! The Rape Documentary (dir. Aishah Shahidah Simmons)
Philadelphia, PA : AfroLez Productions, 2006.

Readings: *In Their Time, Chapter 5

*Global Anthology, Lister, pp. 46-50
*Global Anthology, Marriage Resisters, pp. 325-329
*Global Anthology, Olympias, pp. 326-338
*Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: Legal Status of Women (WebCt)

For comparison: Global Anthology, Mobley, pp. 55-58

Global Anthology, Lorde, pp. 97-102
Global Anthology, Segrest, pp. 152-154
Global Anthology, Durova, pp. 310-313
Global Anthology, Chinese Women, pp. 359-362
Global Anthology, Moraga, pp. 447-452

POLITICAL RESISTANCE

Week 11 – March 15th Maternal and Equal Rights Feminisms

Film screening: The Voices of Women: The First Thirty Years (dir. M. Pineau & C. Reeves)
Image Media Services, Richmond, BC, 1992

Readings: *In Their Time, Chapter 6 and 7

*Global Anthology, De Gouges, pp. 263-268
*Global Anthology, Wollstonecraft, pp. 473-477
*Global Anthology, Women of the Third Estate, pp. 488-492
* Global Anthology, Davis, pp. 393-397

For comparison: Global Anthology, Littlehale/Healy, pp. 478-482

Global Anthology, Shine, pp. 483-487
Global Anthology, Barnett, pp. 380-384
Global Anthology, Tcheng, pp. 274-276
Global Anthology, Cornelia, pp. 305-309
Global Anthology, de Mericourt, pp. 372-375
Global Anthology, Pineda, pp. 376-379
Week 12 – March 22nd Causes and Consequences of Suffrage

Film screening: Women on the March (dir. D. Tunstell) NFB Montreal, PQ, 1958

Readings: *In Their Time, Chapter 8 and Chapter 9

*Global Anthology, Kollontai, pp. 256-259
*Global Anthology, Stanton/Anthony, pp. 398-399
*Global Anthology, Sui Sin Far, pp. 436-440

For comparison: Global Anthology, Anthony, pp. 354-358

Global Anthology, Kita/Mariko, pp. 367-371
Global Anthology, Collier, pp. 134-138
Global Anthology, Lucia, pp. 183-185
Global Anthology, Riddick, pp. 196-198
Global Anthology, Capetillo, pp. 497-501
Global Anthology, Qui Jin, pp. 493-496

Week 13 – March 29th Modernity, the New Woman and Questions of Gender

Readings: Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas, Chapter 2 and 3
Simone de Beauvoir, Introduction to The Second Sex (WebCt)

Paper due by Wednesday, March 31st

(Hand in papers to TAs or TAs Mail Boxes)

Week 14 – April 5th Easter Monday

Week 15 – April 12th Second Wave Feminisms: Informed by Diversity

Film screening: Older, Stronger, Wiser (dir. C. Prieto) NFB Montreal PQ, 1989

Readings: *In Their Time, Chapter 10. Conclusion

*Global Anthology, Barrios de chungara, pp. 117-121, 420-423
*Global Anthology, Ogundipe-Leslie, pp. 453-457
*Global Anthology, Segrest, pp. 441-446

FINAL EXAM
April 21st, 3:30 - 6:30 pm (Room TBA)

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ASSIGNMENTS and GRADING
Tutorial active participation (20%)
Tutorial attendance and participation will count for 20% of your final grade.
Documentary Analysis (10%) – Due on January 25th
A short (two typewritten double-spaced pages) analysis of any document read or discussed in tutorials is due on
January 25th. Students will peer review each other’s analysis in tutorials that day. TAs will also grade the
analysis, looking for identification of feminist ideas or practices interpreted contextually, or through historical
understanding of the author and document. Historical context is drawn from lectures and the two assigned
books.
Mid-term Exam (20%) in class on February 8th
The mid-term exam will be a closed-book exam during the class period which will consist of several definitions
to be answered in one paragraph, and one essay question to be answered in several paragraphs. The exam will
cover material from the lectures and from the assigned readings indicated by an asterisk (*). There will be some
choice of which questions to answer.
Paper (5-7 pages; maximum 1,500 words) on a pre-second wave feminist (25%). Due on March 31st
The first step in writing this paper is to choose a feminist who lived before 1970 or a feminist movement that
existed before 1970. It is strongly recommended that you choose one of the women whose writing is included in
your Women Imagine Change anthology, documents available on WebCt, or a movement discussed in the text
In Their time. This will provide an introduction to her work or the movement and references through which you
can learn more about the subject. You may not choose someone or movement not covered in the text. In
addition, you will need to survey the library resources to see what topics you can research. There are resources
in the reference section of the library. The bibliography of In Their Time may also be useful for finding
resources for your paper.
In your paper, you should include the following (1) your own definition of feminism; (2) relevant biographical
details, i.e. birth and death dates, family background, education, occupation or movement details (when, where,
who); (3) the historical era (medieval, Renaissance, nineteenth century), country, and important events of your
person’s period. An important event would be any political, religious, or cultural event that opened up
opportunities for women or women’s activism. Examples might be an intellectual movement like the
Enlightenment, which introduced ideas of equal rights, a period of political turmoil, or a time of religious
revival; (4) two or three feminist themes from your person’s life and works or the movement’s actions and
policies; and (5) the strengths and limitations of the person’s acts of resistance of the movement’s methods.
Avoid over-generalized statements, especially of the kind: “All women …” or “Women are …”. Be sure that
you organize your paper in terms of themes, each of which is supported by material from your sources. In
writing your paper, organize your ideas around themes rather than around readings. This means avoid reviewing
all the ideas in one reading and then moving onto the next reading so that your paper reads like a list of mini
reviews. If you find yourself doing this, try making an outline of the themes in your concluding paragraph and
under each theme or idea list specific arguments, evidence, and quotes from the readings you have discussed.
Then write the essay again.
In your answers your marker will be looking for: (1) evidence that you have learned and understood the
material you have read; (2) evidence that you can integrate material from various sources; (3) clear, concise,
well-organized answers; (4) evidence that you have thought about the material and can relate it to the themes in
your paper; and (5) accurate and appropriate citation of the material you use to support your themes and ideas.
It is important that you provide a clear and accurate citation of any statement that contains evidence, such as
quotations, statistics, dates, or events. You should reference both direct quotes and information, even if it is not
directly quoted, that you could not have known except by reading the source you cite. Follow the MLA style-
guide for referencing information in your paper. You may pick up a copy of this document in the reference
section of the library or check the library webpage: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/mla.
A more detailed description of the MLA style can be found on the English Department Style Guide. Copies of
these may be picked up outside the WS Main Office or the English Main Office.
You may cite material from the course readings to support points in your paper, using the same citation
procedure as for your outside sources. You may cite information from course lectures or tutorial discussions. In
these citations please indicate the date of the lecture or discussion you are referring to. If you wish to cite
information from one of the films shown in class, full citations for each film are provided in the week by week
course outline. Whatever system of citation you use be sure to include a full and complete bibliography at the
end of your paper. You will also find useful references and hints on Women’s Studies under research help on the
library webpage (link will be provided in class).
It is important that your paper be in your own words. The use of another person’s words without
quotation marks and proper citation is plagiarism and will result in a failing grade on the paper. It is also
a good idea not to use too many direct quotes. Use another person’s words only when s/he says something in a
unique or special way that you could not possibly say as well in your own words. Put their words in quotations
and provide a proper citation showing the reader where to find the quotation. In a short paper such as this you
should not need more than about 5 direct quotations. If the author says something factual, e.g. that women
gained rights because of a certain event, or that 50% of the women at that time could read; it is best to put the
statement in your own words and provide a citation for the idea or assertion in the same way as you would for a
quotation. If you have trouble putting an author’s ideas in your own words, take notes on the reading, rephrasing
the ideas, and indicating the page on which you found the idea. Then organize and write the first draft of your
paper from your notes, referring back to your source after you have written the draft in order to make sure you
have not said anything inaccurate or inadvertently quoted the author’s exact words.
Final exam (25%) April 21, 3:30 – 6:30 pm (Room TBA)
The final exam will cover material studied after the midterm and definitions given in lectures throughout the
course. The exam will be closed-book and will consist of definitions, short answer questions, and one essay
question. The exam will cover material from the lectures and from the assigned readings indicated by an asterisk
(*).

DEFERRED GRADES and PAPER DEADLINES

Deferred exams or final grades will be given only with a medical certificate. If you are going to miss an exam or
your paper is going to be late because of medical reasons, you must contact the instructor before the exam or
the due date. You should do this by talking to the instructor in person or email acapperd@sfu.ca. If you do not
do this you will receive a 10% deduction on the assignment or exam even if you have a medical certificate.
The paper is due on the date assigned. Late papers will only be accepted with a medical certificate and if you
have notified the instructor before the paper is due. If your paper is late, you will receive a 10% deduction for
the first week and 20% deduction after that.