POLITICAL ECONOMY OF
WOMEN - ECO/WOM 3150 - CHRISTENSEN - SPRING 2003
Office:
SS 1017, 251-6622, kchrist52@aol.com. Hours: Mon.,Wed.
REQUIRED
TEXTS (* = required. All texts except xeroxed packet are on reserve.)
*1.
Xeroxed packet, Sold in class.
*2.
Amott/Matthei (A/M), Race, Gender & Work: A
Multi-Cultural Economic History of Women in the
*3.
Angela Davis, Women, Race, and Class, Vintage, 1981.
*4.
Sara Evans, Personal Politics: The Roots of Women's Liberation in the Civil
Rights Movement & New Left, Vintage, 1979.
5.
Highly recommended: Dubois/Ruiz (D/R), Unequal Sisters: A
Multi-Cultural Reader in U.S. Women's History, any edition, Routledge. Most extra credit (EC) assignments will be from
this text.
APPROXIMATE
GRADE BREAKDOWN
10%
Attendance and class participation
30%
30%
Take-home midterm exam - Due date TBA
30%
Take-home final exam - Due Mon., May 12 at
POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES
1.
WOM/ECO: You can take this course for either WOM or ECO credit.
If possible, Women’s Studies majors should sign up for WOM credit and economics
majors sign up for ECO credit.
2.
Attendance: If you are late, you will receive one-half attendance
credit for that day’s class.
3.
Illness: If you have a respiratory infection (cold, flu, cough,
etc.), do NOT come to class! Leave a
message at x6622 or at kchrist52@aol.com before class begins to be excused.
If there are assignments due, email them to me by classtime.
You are responsible for making up material you miss while absent.
4.
Class participation: To encourage participation by the maximum
number of students, I may not “call on” people in the order in which they raise
their hands.
5.
Email: You are expected to have a functioning email address,
either @purchase.edu or via a commercial provider, and to check it at least
three times weekly. You are responsible for notifying me if your email address
changes during the semester.
6.
Typing: All exams, reading questions, etc. must be typed and
stapled. No exceptions.
7.
Late assignments: No late assignments or exams will be accepted.
No exceptions. If you are ill, email me your assignment before class begins.
8.
Reading Questions: The reading questions will be graded on a
check/check-plus/check-minus basis. A check is roughly equivalent to a BC, a
check-minus to a D, and a check-plus to an A. Reading questions will tend to
“run ahead” of lectures to allow you time to complete your exams, etc.
9.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional
use of another’s words or ideas without proper attribution (citation, footnote,
etc.). Copying from someone else’s paper and copying from a text or the internet without citation are
examples of plagiarism. All cases of suspected or confirmed plagiarism will be
referred to the Academic Integrity Committee for disciplinary action.
10.
Extra credit: You can earn EC at any time by writing a summary of
one of the selections (listed as “Rec/EC” below) from
Dubois/Ruiz’s Unequal Sisters. All EC papers due by Mon., May 5.
11.
Schedule: We do not have class on March 17 or 9 (spring break),
or April 16 (Passover).
12.
Incompletes: No incompletes except for medical emergencies. A
doctor’s note will be required.
13.
Acceptance of Policies: After you finish reading these policies
and procedures, please sign the form on the last page of this syllabus
indicating that you understand and agree to adhere to them.
SCHEDULE
OF TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Historical overview of women’s economic and political
position(s) in the
A.
Introduction; Conceptual framework for the course: Patriarchy, Capitalism, and
White Supremacy
Rec/EC:
D/R, Hewlitt, "Beyond the Search for
Sisterhood"
B.
Native American women's economic and political position
READ:
(Xerox): Jensen, "Native American
Women and Agriculture" - Due Wed., Jan. 29. *Class discussion will be based on Jensen.
READ: A/M Ch.3: "I Am
the Fire of Time: American Indian Women"
STUDY QUESTIONS on A/M Ch.3
due Wed., Feb. 5.
Rec/EC:
D/R, Perdue, "Cherokee Women and the Trail of Tears"
C.
White women in the colonial
READ: A/M Ch.5: "Whatever Your
Fight, Don't Be Ladylike: European American Women"
STUDY QUESTIONS on A/M Ch.5
due Wed., Feb. 12.
D.
African American women in slavery in the U.S. South
READ: A/M Ch.6: "We
Specialize in the Wholly Impossible: African American Women"
STUDY QUESTIONS on A/M, Ch.6
due Wed., Feb. 19 AND
READ:
STUDY QUESTIONS on
Rec/EC:
D/R, Stevenson, “Discord and Distress in Virginia Slave Families.”
E.
White women in the transition to capitalism in
(Rec/EC readings suggested in class.)
F.
White middle-class women and the cult of true womanhood
Start working on
G. Black & white
women in the Abolitionist movement; The birth of Women's Suffrage; Women’s Suffrage in
the early 1900s.
READ:
STUDY QUESTIONS on
Rec/EC:
Aptheker, Bettina, Woman’s Legacy: Essays on Race,
Sex, and Class in American History,
Univ. of Mass./Amherst, 1982.
No
reading questions week of March 12 due to midterm exam.
No
class March 17, 19 due to spring break.
H. Mexican American Women in the Southwest
READ: A/M Ch.4: "The
Soul of Tierra Madre: Chicana Women"
STUDY QUESTIONS on A/M, Ch.4
due Wed., March 26 and
READ: (Xerox) Sanchez, "Go After the Women:
Americanization & Mexican Immigrants” for March 26. *Class discussion will
be based on A/M and Sanchez.
Rec/EC:
D/R, Weber, “Raiz Fuerte:
Oral History and Mexicana Farmworkers”
Rec/EC:
D/R, Gutieriez, “Community, Patriarchy, and
Individualism”
Rec/EC:
Acuna, Rodolfo, Occupied
Rec/EC,
D/R, Stansell, "Women, Children & Uses of
the Street"
Rec/EC: D/R, Gordon,
"Black & White Visions of Welfare: Women's Activism 1890-1945"
J. Monopolization of the
K. World War II: Impact on Women's Economic
Roles
READ: Berube, “Coming Out Under Fire” (xerox) for April
2. *Class discussion will be based on Berube.
Film: “Rosie the Riviter”
L. Asian American Women:
Internment/"Mail-Order Brides"
READ: A/M
STUDY QUESTIONS on A/M Ch.7 due Wed.,
April 9. (Note that there are three sub-sections
to the questions on ch. 7.)
Rec/EC:
D/R, Matsumuto, "Japanese-American Women During WWII"
Rec/EC:
D/R, Kelly,"Sex Role Socialization of Vietnamese
Women"
M. Puerto Rican Women on the
READ: A/M,
STUDY QUESTIONS A/M,
Rec/EC:
Lopez, Alfreda, Dona Licha’s
Island, South End, 1987.
Rec/EC:
Melendez, Edwin and Edgardo, Colonial Dilemma,
South End, 1993.
N. The Growth of the Modern Women's Movement
Women's labor in the 20th century:
Home work and paid work
Rec/EC: A/M,
Rec/EC:
D/R, Horowitz, “Rethinking Betty Friedan”
O. The Relationship of the Women's Movement
to the Civil Rights Movement and New Left/Anti-War Movements
READ: Evans, Personal
Politics
STUDY QUESTIONS on Evans due
April 30.
Take-home
final exam due Monday, May 12 at
CHAPTER
THREE - NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN
3.A. Describe the economic position of Native Am. women &
how this changed after white
colonization.
3.B. Describe the resurgence of Native activism since the 1960s
& women's roles n these movements.
----------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
FOUR - CHICANA WOMEN
4.A. Describe the relationship between the state of the
4.B. Describe the rise of Chicano/a activism during the 1960s
& women's roles in this resurgence.
----------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
FIVE - EUROPEAN AMERICAN WOMEN
5.A. Describe the economic conditions/forces which led white
women to organize labor unions from the early days of the mills through the
1920s.
5.B. Describe the impact of WWII on the economic opportunities
for women of all races.
5.C. Describe the changes in white women's labor market
position in the 1950s-1970s.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
SIX - AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN
6.A. Contrast the sexual division of labor imposed by overseers
with that in the slave communities.
6.B. Describe the sexual exploitation of slave women & the
ideologies which were created to justify that exploitation.
6.C. Describe the economic forces which led to Black northward
migration of the 1910s-1950s.
6.D. Describe African American women’s participation in the
Civil Rights struggles of the 1950s-’60s.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
SEVEN - ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN NOTE:
There are three subsections!!
SUBSECTION
ONE - CHINESE AMERICAN WOMEN
7.A. Briefly summarize the history of Chinese immigration &
their economic status in the
7.B. Describe the impact of this immigration history on Chinese
American women's status; (e.g., Gum-Shan-Poo,
prostitution, etc.).
SUBSECTION
TWO - JAPANESE AMERICAN WOMEN
7.C.How did Japanese immigration differ from Chinese
re: the sex ratio and the role of government(s)?
7.D. Describe the Japanese American economic position on the
eve of WWII. How did FDR's Executive Order change this?
7.E. Describe the impact of camp life on Japanese American
women.
SUBSECTION
THREE - FILIPINA WOMEN
7.F. Describe the diversity of Filipino/as.
7.G. Describe the impact of
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
EIGHT - PUERTO RICAN WOMEN
8.A. Describe the reorganization of the Puerto Rican economy
under
8.B. Describe the growth of Puerto Rican activism in the
'60-70s, incl. resistance to sterilization abuse.
8.C. Describe Weisskopf's plan for
economic development in
*****************************************************************
QUESTIONS
ON
CHAPTER
ONE 1A. Why was slave women's
situation even worse than that of slave men?
1B.
Why does
1C.
What is the function of rape in the context of
slavery?
-------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
TWO 2A. Describe how
industrialization changed women's household role.
2B.
How was women's experience in the Abolitionist
Movement essential to the founding of the Women's Rights Movement?
---------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
THREE 3A. What was the focus of
the "Declaration of the Rights of Women"? What was the situation of
working class women around the time of the
3.B. Describe the racial attitudes of many white Abolitionists.
How did these attitudes influence the Women's Rights Movement?
-------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
FOUR 4. What was the E.R.A.?
What were its goals? Why did it split up?
---------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
SEVEN 7. Discuss the Women's
Suffrage Movement's increasing acquiescence in and use of racism in the late
1800s/early 1900s.
*****************************************************************
READING
QUESTIONS ON SARA EVANS' PERSONAL POLITICS
Chapter
1 Summarize the contradictions between middle
class women's expected roles & lived experiences (including economic
status) which created the basis for the women's movement of the 1960s.
Chapter
2
2.A. Describe the church’s role in fostering radicalism among
southern white women in the 1950s/60s.
2.B. Describe SNCC's formation and
purpose. How did the voter registration campaigns represent a new level of
resistance for SNCC?
Chapter
3 Describe the role of northern white women,
and of southern Black women, in Mississippi Freedom Summer. Discuss positive
& negative aspects of interracial romances which occurred.
Chapter
4
4.A. Describe the first rebellions over the sexual division of
labor within SNCC.
4.B. Describe the changes within SNCC by 1965.
Chapter
5 Describe the backgrounds of most SDS
members. Why was SDS so male-dominated? Describe the differences between the
Old & New Left with respect to questions of women's leadership.
Chapter
6 What were ERAPs? What problems did they confront? Contrast men's
& women's goals & styles within ERAP. .
Chapter
7
7.A. Describe the changes in SDS's goals,
tactics, and targets from 1965-68.
7.B. Describe the impact of contact with revolutionary
Chapter
8 Discuss the circumstances under which women
began to form their own movement. Why was this a
"life release" for so many?
Chapter
9 Discuss the theory of consciousness-raising.
Why was it so successful? Discuss its drawbacks as an organizing strategy.
Summary
Question
(to think about, not answer now!): How did the Civil Rights Movement and the
New Left form the crucible for the development of the Women's Liberation
Movement in the
POLITICAL
ECONOMY OF WOMEN - STUDENT INFORMATION - PLEASE PRINT
NAME
__________________________________________________________
STUDENT
NUMBER (Social Security) ______________________________
CAMPUS
BOX OR HOME ADDRESS: __________________________________________
PHONE
___________________ PHONE AFTER SEMESTER ____________________
E-MAIL
ADDRESS __________________________________________________________
(Note:
If you don’t currently have email address, send it to me at kchrist52@aol.com
when you get one.)
MAJOR & ADVISOR
_______________________________________________
RELATED
COURSES YOU'VE TAKEN ____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
IS
ENGLISH YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE? ________
DO
YOU HAVE ANY LEARNING DISABILITIES? _____ EXPLAIN: ___________
______________________________________________________________________
WHAT
SOCIAL/POLITICAL ISSUES CONCERN YOU THE MOST? ______________
_________________________________________________________________________
DO
YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A FEMINIST? WHY OR WHY NOT? ______
_________________________________________________________________________
I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO ADHERE TO THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES LISTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS SYLLABUS. SIGNED: