As you know from looking at the Reading & Discussion Schedule in your syllabus, WMST3301 is divided up into five parts. We began addressing the questions in Part 1 last week and will continue doing so during the first forty-five minutes or so of class on Friday. So, for those of you who missed out first class, be sure to get caught up on the reading so that you can participate in this crucial conversation about what FEMINISM is, what’s counts as THEORY, and what makes a theory FEMINIST. An understanding of these questions is a foundational element in this course.
After we finish up with that, we’ll move on to talking about the WOMAN QUESTION and the long nineteenth century, which ranged from roughly the 1790s through the 1920s and has as its bookends the French Revolution and World War I. This is the period from which our reading this week and next comes, so let me say this: Be patient with these texts, and with yourself, as you read. These materials were written in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the authors use stylized language that’s rather tricky for today’s reader to grapple with. Give yourself plenty of time to read and make sense of these materials. And remember the strategies I suggested for last week:
a) identify the problem the author is concerned with and why
b) figure out what the author envisions instead
c) identify what strategies (if any) the author suggests
Remember also to download and print out the Weekly Reading Worksheet to guide you as you read. This will also give you a clue about what we’ll be talking about in class.
We’ll then take a bit of a break, after which we’ll come back and watch the first part of a movie about the U.S. women’s suffrage movement called Iron Jawed Angels. This will lead us into next week’s materials and get us talking about the first (but certainly not the last) fissure in the women’s movement and the reasons behind it.
Announcements
On Thursday, September 23rd, Calgary’s annual Take Back the Night March will be held in Connaught Park (11th St and 14th Ave SW)! Learn more at http://tbtn.tumblr.com/. A bunch of us, both faculty and students, from MRU will be attending, so why not join us? Check out the “Extra Credit Info” link on our blog for details on how you can earn extra credit by attending and/or participating in this event.
Also, did you know that there’s a feminist radio program right here in Calgary? “Yeah, What She Said” airs every Monday evening from 8-9 PM on 90.9 FM. For more info, go to http://www.cjsw.com/programming/show_details.html?id=58.
About the Weekly Reading Worksheets
Remember that you must complete a total of four Weekly Reading Worksheets over the course of the semester, and they must each be from different parts of the course. Late Worksheets will not be accepted.
Even if you choose not to complete a Worksheet that week I strongly suggest downloading and using the each week’s Worksheet to guide you as you read. Taking a look at the terms, concepts, and questions on the Worksheet will give you a good idea of what you should be paying attention to in the reading each week.
And, as I said last week, I will never surprise you on an exam; exam questions in this class will come directly from our course materials, my blog posts, our class discussions and activities, and our Weekly Reading Worksheets. So, knowing what’s on the Worksheets each week will help you not only to prepare for class each day, but also to study for your exams.
You might also choose to take advantage of MRU’s Student Learning Services, which offers campus-based resources to help you succeed in your courses. They offer one-to-one peer tutoring as well as workshops on a variety of topics.
Some administrative stuff
For those of you who missed our first day of class, be sure to click on the “What if You Miss Class?” link on our blog. Also, please download and complete this Questionnaire, put your name on it, and return it to me at our next class meeting.
In addition, I want to remind you of a few things:
1. For those of you who may have recently registered for this course, I want to remind you that WMST 3301 is a complex course in feminist theories intended for upper-level students (i.e., those in their third and fourth years). It is an advanced, student-driven seminar that necessitates a preliminary knowledge of the issues and concepts learned in prior Women’s Studies classes. Therefore, all students enrolled in WMST 3301 must have successfully completed at least ONE other Women’s Studies course as a prerequisite. In addition, the heavy reading load in WMST 3301 also requires an intense time commitment as well as sophisticated critical thinking abilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students in their second year of study—even those who have taken Women’s Studies before—wait until they have completed another full year of course work before taking this course, as it is designed for third- and fourth-year students. This information is not meant to intimidate you or scare you away. On the contrary, I want you to succeed, and staying in the course if you don't meet the prerequisites may adversely affect your situation. If you have any questions about this, or about anything else, please feel free to send me an e-mail at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca.
2. Start thinking about when you’d like to bring in Discussion Questions, which you must do once during the course of the semester. I’ll be asking you to sign up on Friday.
3. Start thinking also about your Term Project (you learn more by clicking on the link on the blog), because starting next week I’ll be asking you to come speak with me about your plans.
4. When submitting Worksheets (and anything else to the Dropbox), please make sure there are no funky characters such as #/?%^*@, etc. in the filename. And make sure to upload your assignments in .docx, .pdf, or .rtf format.
Happy reading, and I’ll see you all in class!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
For Friday, September 10th
Each week during the semester, probably on Monday or Tuesday, I’ll blog about some important terms, concepts, and issues that will show up in your reading for our next class. I’ll also post that week’s Reading Worksheet at the same time. Because you might never before have encountered and/or might be a bit out of practice reading such complex materials, my hope is that you’ll refer to this blog frequently as you’re preparing for class each week. Read what I post here, click on whatever links I may provide, download the Weekly Reading Worksheet, and just generally pay attention to what’s going on here on this site. For those Harry Potter fans among us, engaging with feminist theories is similar to watching a Quidditch match for the first time: Everyone around you is in a frenzy. They already seem to know all the rules, the players, and the team rivalries. But eventually, if you work at it, you start to figure it all out, and Quidditch becomes not only accessible, but enjoyable. And you might even choose to join a team yourself.
Analogies aside, my goal is to help you succeed in this rather difficult course, and since we only meet once each week, this blog is how I’ll provide information, clues, and questions to get you thinking about what’s most important in our reading.
At this point, I want to remind you again that WMST 3301 is a complex course in feminist theories intended for upper-level students (i.e., those in their third and fourth years). It is an advanced, student-driven seminar that necessitates a preliminary knowledge of the issues and concepts learned in prior Women’s Studies classes. Therefore, all students enrolled in WMST 3301 must have successfully completed at least ONE other Women’s Studies course as a prerequisite. In addition, the heavy reading load in WMST 3301 also requires an intense time commitment as well as sophisticated critical thinking abilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students in their second year of study—even those who have taken Women’s Studies before—wait until they have completed another full year of course work before taking this course, as it is designed for third- and fourth-year students.
This information is not meant to intimidate you or scare you away. On the contrary, I want you to succeed, and staying in the course if you don't meet the prerequisites may adversely affect your situation. If you have any questions about this, or about anything else, please feel free to send me an e-mail at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca
Now, let’s get started:
How to engage with feminist theories
This class is entitled “Feminist Theories,” so the first thing we need to do is think about what those words mean, both individually and collectively. Our materials this week will help you do that if you consider the following questions as you read: What’s theory? What’s feminism? What makes a theory feminist? What kinds of problems are feminist theorists trying to solve? Also take a look at the Weekly Reading Worksheet to get some ideas about the terms and concepts you should be paying attention to as you read. You might also have a look-see at the Feminist Theory Website created by the Center for Digital Discourse and Culture at Virginia Tech University.
One thing that always seems an obstacle for WMST3301 students is a fear of theory. No matter what they’re background, major, or career goals, students seem to think that theory is big, bad, nasty, intimidating, scary, and impossible to comprehend. What is it? Who decides? What does it have to do with anything? Why do we need it? What does it do? Why should we care?
Our materials this week engage with precisely these issues, so be sure to look for answers as you read. One thing to keep in mind, however, is the connection between theory and activism. The relationship between feminist theories and feminist activisms is like the one between the chicken and the egg: It’s hard to figure out which came first. Feminist activists rely on feminist theorists, and vice versa; not only can one quite literally not exist without the other, but the categories often overlap. Feminist theorists are often feminist activists, and feminist activists are often feminist theorists. This is part of what sometimes makes engaging with feminist theories difficult, but it’s also what makes it so exciting.
Having warned you that this course is complex, I now want to assuage your concerns about your ability to successfully read, understand, and then apply the myriad feminist theories we’ll be dealing with this semester. Theory, you will learn, isn’t as scary as you might think. In fact, it is often inspiring and, at its best, can be utilized to affect concrete change(s) in the world. As you read, think about the following questions: What is “theory?” What does it do? What makes a theory feminist? What are some of the issues and concerns taken up by feminist theorists?
In order to begin answering these questions (and others throughout the course), you do need to learn and apply a few strategies as you read. Hopefully, by now, as third- and fourth-year University students, you’ve developed your own ways to read, study, and learn that work for you. However, the process of reading and engaging with feminist theories is likely a bit different than some other stuff you’ve encountered, and requires a different way of reading. We’ll talk a bit about this in class on Friday, but in the meantime, let me offer the following advice as you read this week: For each selection, try to (a) identify the problem the author is concerned with and why, (b) figure out what the author envisions instead, and (c) identify what strategies (if any) the author suggests.
The evolution of feminist thought and activism
One of the most important concepts we’ll be constantly coming back to this semester is the notion that feminist theories are dynamic; they are constantly shifting and morphing and changing as advocates of feminism seek to accomplish their goals for social justice. As you’ll learn from our reading this week, advocates of feminism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had quite different concerns and strategies for accomplishing their goals than do contemporary feminist theorists (see Schneir, and McCann and Kim). As you read this week, pay attention to the “present day” of each selection: Schneir compiled her book and wrote her introduction in 1972, hooks originally wrote her article in 1984, and McCann and Kim wrote their introduction in 2010, as did Douglas. What can you tell about the evolution of feminist thought and activism just by reading these materials? How have the ideas and actions of feminists shifted since the nineteenth century, and why?
While the concerns and strategies of feminists in the U.S. and the U.K. were/have been similar to those in Canada, there are some different "benchmark" events. You might want to learn more about feminism in Canada.
Class on Friday, September 10th
You will have noticed that your preparation for class this week involves reading and thinking through some rather complex concepts that are, as you will learn, at the heart of feminist theories. As I said, starting to engage with feminist theories is like attending a Quidditch match for the first time. Or, if you prefer, it really is like learning a new language. So, be patient with yourself as you read and reread in preparation for class on Friday.
When you arrive, you’ll complete a short questionnaire about the foundational terms and concepts of Women’s Studies. Then we’ll do the normal administrative stuff (go over the syllabus, assignments, expectations, divide into semester-long Working Groups, etc.). That should all take about an hour, so for the remainder of the time, we’ll launch right into some activities and discussion to see if we can start answering some of the questions I’ve posed here and on your Weekly Worksheet.
I’m looking forward to meeting all of you, and, in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca if you have any questions.
Analogies aside, my goal is to help you succeed in this rather difficult course, and since we only meet once each week, this blog is how I’ll provide information, clues, and questions to get you thinking about what’s most important in our reading.
At this point, I want to remind you again that WMST 3301 is a complex course in feminist theories intended for upper-level students (i.e., those in their third and fourth years). It is an advanced, student-driven seminar that necessitates a preliminary knowledge of the issues and concepts learned in prior Women’s Studies classes. Therefore, all students enrolled in WMST 3301 must have successfully completed at least ONE other Women’s Studies course as a prerequisite. In addition, the heavy reading load in WMST 3301 also requires an intense time commitment as well as sophisticated critical thinking abilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students in their second year of study—even those who have taken Women’s Studies before—wait until they have completed another full year of course work before taking this course, as it is designed for third- and fourth-year students.
This information is not meant to intimidate you or scare you away. On the contrary, I want you to succeed, and staying in the course if you don't meet the prerequisites may adversely affect your situation. If you have any questions about this, or about anything else, please feel free to send me an e-mail at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca
Now, let’s get started:
How to engage with feminist theories
This class is entitled “Feminist Theories,” so the first thing we need to do is think about what those words mean, both individually and collectively. Our materials this week will help you do that if you consider the following questions as you read: What’s theory? What’s feminism? What makes a theory feminist? What kinds of problems are feminist theorists trying to solve? Also take a look at the Weekly Reading Worksheet to get some ideas about the terms and concepts you should be paying attention to as you read. You might also have a look-see at the Feminist Theory Website created by the Center for Digital Discourse and Culture at Virginia Tech University.
One thing that always seems an obstacle for WMST3301 students is a fear of theory. No matter what they’re background, major, or career goals, students seem to think that theory is big, bad, nasty, intimidating, scary, and impossible to comprehend. What is it? Who decides? What does it have to do with anything? Why do we need it? What does it do? Why should we care?
Our materials this week engage with precisely these issues, so be sure to look for answers as you read. One thing to keep in mind, however, is the connection between theory and activism. The relationship between feminist theories and feminist activisms is like the one between the chicken and the egg: It’s hard to figure out which came first. Feminist activists rely on feminist theorists, and vice versa; not only can one quite literally not exist without the other, but the categories often overlap. Feminist theorists are often feminist activists, and feminist activists are often feminist theorists. This is part of what sometimes makes engaging with feminist theories difficult, but it’s also what makes it so exciting.
Having warned you that this course is complex, I now want to assuage your concerns about your ability to successfully read, understand, and then apply the myriad feminist theories we’ll be dealing with this semester. Theory, you will learn, isn’t as scary as you might think. In fact, it is often inspiring and, at its best, can be utilized to affect concrete change(s) in the world. As you read, think about the following questions: What is “theory?” What does it do? What makes a theory feminist? What are some of the issues and concerns taken up by feminist theorists?
In order to begin answering these questions (and others throughout the course), you do need to learn and apply a few strategies as you read. Hopefully, by now, as third- and fourth-year University students, you’ve developed your own ways to read, study, and learn that work for you. However, the process of reading and engaging with feminist theories is likely a bit different than some other stuff you’ve encountered, and requires a different way of reading. We’ll talk a bit about this in class on Friday, but in the meantime, let me offer the following advice as you read this week: For each selection, try to (a) identify the problem the author is concerned with and why, (b) figure out what the author envisions instead, and (c) identify what strategies (if any) the author suggests.
The evolution of feminist thought and activism
One of the most important concepts we’ll be constantly coming back to this semester is the notion that feminist theories are dynamic; they are constantly shifting and morphing and changing as advocates of feminism seek to accomplish their goals for social justice. As you’ll learn from our reading this week, advocates of feminism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had quite different concerns and strategies for accomplishing their goals than do contemporary feminist theorists (see Schneir, and McCann and Kim). As you read this week, pay attention to the “present day” of each selection: Schneir compiled her book and wrote her introduction in 1972, hooks originally wrote her article in 1984, and McCann and Kim wrote their introduction in 2010, as did Douglas. What can you tell about the evolution of feminist thought and activism just by reading these materials? How have the ideas and actions of feminists shifted since the nineteenth century, and why?
While the concerns and strategies of feminists in the U.S. and the U.K. were/have been similar to those in Canada, there are some different "benchmark" events. You might want to learn more about feminism in Canada.
Class on Friday, September 10th
You will have noticed that your preparation for class this week involves reading and thinking through some rather complex concepts that are, as you will learn, at the heart of feminist theories. As I said, starting to engage with feminist theories is like attending a Quidditch match for the first time. Or, if you prefer, it really is like learning a new language. So, be patient with yourself as you read and reread in preparation for class on Friday.
When you arrive, you’ll complete a short questionnaire about the foundational terms and concepts of Women’s Studies. Then we’ll do the normal administrative stuff (go over the syllabus, assignments, expectations, divide into semester-long Working Groups, etc.). That should all take about an hour, so for the remainder of the time, we’ll launch right into some activities and discussion to see if we can start answering some of the questions I’ve posed here and on your Weekly Worksheet.
I’m looking forward to meeting all of you, and, in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca if you have any questions.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Welcome to WMST3301!
Feminist Theories is one of my favorite courses to teach, and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to teach it again this year. I'm even more excited to be incorporating a blog for the first time.
Our Course Blog
This blog is our virtual home on the web, and you should bookmark this site immediately and refer to it at least a couple of times each week throughout the semester. This is where graphics, lecture materials and notes, communications, assignments, and other vital class information and presentations will be displayed. You can also learn a bit about me, your professor, by poking around on my website at www.freewebs.com/kw20784.
Blackboard
You should also make sure you have access to Blackboard and to our course Blackboard site. To access Blackboard, go to http://courseware.mymrc.ca (no www beforehand). You will need a login ID and a password. Please set this up as soon as possible, preferably before the first day of class, which is on Friday, September 10th.
The First Day of Class
Also for the first day of class, you do have a short reading assignment due, so please check the course syllabus and get your hands on the required books. All the books can be purchased in the MRU bookstore, but you should feel free to get them cheaper elsewhere. But if you're going to do that, make sure to order the correct editions and to get them as soon as possible. Some of the books (but not all) are available at the Reserve desk in the MRU library.
In addition, please make sure you have access to the course syllabus on the first day of class. You can either download it from this blog (see the menu on the right) or bring your laptop and read it on-line. In the interest of saving some trees, I won't be handing out hard copies of the syllabus, so the most important thing you can do for the first say of class is make sure you have a copy of the syllabus, either on your laptop or in your hand. We'll be talking a lot about the syllabus on the first day of class, and you'll need to have it in front of you.
Course Prerequisite
Lastly, please be aware that WMST 3301 is a complex course in feminist theories intended for upper-level students (i.e., those in their third and fourth years). It is an advanced, student-driven seminar that necessitates a preliminary knowledge of the issues and concepts learned in prior Women’s Studies classes. Therefore, all students enrolled in WMST 3301 must have successfully completed at least ONE other Women’s Studies course as a prerequisite. On the first day of class, students will be asked to fill out a questionnaire detailing their previous coursework in order to confirm eligibility to remain in this class.
In addition, the heavy reading load in WMST 3301 also requires an intense time commitment as well as sophisticated critical thinking abilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students in their second year of study—even those who have taken Women’s Studies before—wait until they have completed another full year of course work before taking this course, as it is designed for third- and fourth-year students.
This information is not meant to intimidate you or scare you away. On the contrary, I want you to succeed, and staying in the course if you don't meet the prerequisites may adversely affect your situation. If you have any questions about this, or about anything else, please feel free to send me an e-mail at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca.
I look forward to meeting you all, and, in the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer!
Our Course Blog
This blog is our virtual home on the web, and you should bookmark this site immediately and refer to it at least a couple of times each week throughout the semester. This is where graphics, lecture materials and notes, communications, assignments, and other vital class information and presentations will be displayed. You can also learn a bit about me, your professor, by poking around on my website at www.freewebs.com/kw20784.
Blackboard
You should also make sure you have access to Blackboard and to our course Blackboard site. To access Blackboard, go to http://courseware.mymrc.ca (no www beforehand). You will need a login ID and a password. Please set this up as soon as possible, preferably before the first day of class, which is on Friday, September 10th.
The First Day of Class
Also for the first day of class, you do have a short reading assignment due, so please check the course syllabus and get your hands on the required books. All the books can be purchased in the MRU bookstore, but you should feel free to get them cheaper elsewhere. But if you're going to do that, make sure to order the correct editions and to get them as soon as possible. Some of the books (but not all) are available at the Reserve desk in the MRU library.
In addition, please make sure you have access to the course syllabus on the first day of class. You can either download it from this blog (see the menu on the right) or bring your laptop and read it on-line. In the interest of saving some trees, I won't be handing out hard copies of the syllabus, so the most important thing you can do for the first say of class is make sure you have a copy of the syllabus, either on your laptop or in your hand. We'll be talking a lot about the syllabus on the first day of class, and you'll need to have it in front of you.
Course Prerequisite
Lastly, please be aware that WMST 3301 is a complex course in feminist theories intended for upper-level students (i.e., those in their third and fourth years). It is an advanced, student-driven seminar that necessitates a preliminary knowledge of the issues and concepts learned in prior Women’s Studies classes. Therefore, all students enrolled in WMST 3301 must have successfully completed at least ONE other Women’s Studies course as a prerequisite. On the first day of class, students will be asked to fill out a questionnaire detailing their previous coursework in order to confirm eligibility to remain in this class.
In addition, the heavy reading load in WMST 3301 also requires an intense time commitment as well as sophisticated critical thinking abilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students in their second year of study—even those who have taken Women’s Studies before—wait until they have completed another full year of course work before taking this course, as it is designed for third- and fourth-year students.
This information is not meant to intimidate you or scare you away. On the contrary, I want you to succeed, and staying in the course if you don't meet the prerequisites may adversely affect your situation. If you have any questions about this, or about anything else, please feel free to send me an e-mail at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca.
I look forward to meeting you all, and, in the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer!
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