Instructor:
Dr. Claire L. Sahlin Email:
csahlin@mail.twu.edu Phone: 940/898-2255
Office: HDB 307K Office Hours: Tues.
I hope you will feel welcome to contact me
with questions or concerns about the course.
What does it mean to
understand education as a vehicle for social change and personal
empowerment? What teaching strategies
can be employed effectively to promote critical consciousness about social
injustices? What does it mean to be an
anti-racist feminist teacher, and what characteristics do feminist classrooms
tend to share? These are some of the
central questions to be considered in this course.
This
graduate seminar examines theoretical writings on feminist pedagogy and also
addresses practical issues related to teaching Women’s Studies. Participants will develop familiarity with
feminist pedagogies and their significance for the field of Women’s
Studies; interpret their own educational
experiences within the context of feminist reflections on education; formulate their own philosophies of
education; and develop and test
pedagogical strategies for developing critical consciousness about social
inequalities.
The
course requires extensive participation, critical reading, writing,
presentation, and research. It fulfills
a requirement for the M.A. in Women’s Studies and can count toward the Graduate
Certificate Program in Women’s Studies.
Graduate students from all academic backgrounds are welcome. I hope
that you will enjoy this class! With
careful reading, writing, and discussion, I anticipate that it will be exciting
and personally meaningful for you.
Course Goals
This course is designed 1) to
familiarize students with theories and philosophies of feminist pedagogy and
their significance for the field of Women’s Studies, 2) to encourage students
to reflect critically and carefully on their own educational experiences and/or
to develop their own philosophy of education, 3) to provide opportunities for
students to develop and test pedagogical strategies for developing critical
consciousness about social inequalities, and 4) to further develop research
skills as well as oral and written communication skills.
Class Format and Expectations
This course centers on large and small group discussions of assigned readings, projects, and activities related to feminist pedagogy. Our meetings will be enriched by the variety of perspectives that each of you brings to the course. My hope is that your questions and interests—rather than simply my own—will serve as the basis of our discussions.
You are not expected to agree with everything you will read,
but you are expected to read the assigned materials open-mindedly and
analytically. At all times, you are
expected to consider the perspectives of other course participants with
friendliness and respect as we engage in discussion and dialogue with each
other. (I agree with B. Hillyer Davis’
statement that “it is as important for feminists to learn to listen as to be
heard.”) If you tend to speak a lot in
class, make an effort to think about what you want to say before you speak. If you tend to be quiet in class, make an
effort to participate in each class discussion at least once every class
period.
In order for our course to be productive, you should attend
class regularly and on time (
Textbooks
The following texts are required for this course:
The following texts are recommended resources:
The required books are available at the TWU Bookstore. You can also check the KD Bookstore as well as Internet sources such as http://www.bestbookbuys.com or http://half.com. Copies of most of these texts are also available for you to read in the Women’s Studies Conference Room (HDB 307, open: M-F, 8-5). Do not attempt to take this course without obtaining copies of the required texts, since a significant aspect of the course involves reading, analyzing, and discussing the required texts. The textbooks will be supplemented with a packet of additional readings.
Blackboard
If you are registered for this course, you should be enrolled in Blackboard for this course, as long as you have opened up a Pioneer Portal account. Blackboard is the University’s software program for course support and distance learning. Although I will pass out the syllabus and handouts in class, you will also be able find most handouts on the Blackboard location for this course. Thus, if you lose a handout or miss a class, you can go to this site to find the materials. I will also use Blackboard for announcements, reminders, and/or unexpected changes in the schedule. You can also engage in discussions with other students in the class via Blackboard, and you are encouraged to do so. For information about how to log into and use Blackboard, see the following site: http://www.twu.edu/dl/ orientation/blackboard.htm.
Make sure that the email address listed for you in Blackboard is the email address that you use and check regularly. You will be responsible for checking and reading emails sent to you through Blackboard and to your Pioneer Portal account. Also please check Blackboard regularly (at least once or twice a week) for updates and to read messages posted on the Discussion Board.
Please read the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of “Netiquette” on the following TWU website: http://www.twu.edu/dl/orientation/netiquette.htm.
Course
Requirements
Course grades will be
awarded according to the number of points you earn throughout the
semester. You will earn points in
various ways, and it will be your responsibility to keep track of your
number of points.
1. Attendance and Participation
(150 possible points; 10 points for each class period)
Regular attendance and participation are expected of each student, since much of our learning will take place in class. More than two unexcused absences will lower your final grade for the course, no matter how many points you accumulate by the end of the semester. If you arrive late or leave early, you will not receive the full number of points for that class period.
According
to TWU policy, absences from class will be excused in only these cases: 1) illness certified by a physician, 2)
serious illness or death in student’s immediate family, 3) absence from the
campus with the sanction of the University or for a religious holiday. In the event that you must miss class due to
an excused absence, you should obtain an absence memo from the Office of
Student Life (940/898-3615); please
do not bring your documentation of personal illnesses or emergencies to me. You will be responsible for providing the
Office of Student Life (
In addition to attending class regularly, you are expected to contribute to class discussions to the best of your ability. During class discussions, you are encouraged to indicate what you found most significant, troubling, or stimulating in the reading. You are also encouraged to raise questions for discussion. If you wish, you may also share additional materials that are relevant to our course.
In preparation for class,
you should take notes on your reading and endeavor to answer the following
questions:
1. What do you know about the author and his/her
perspective? What can you infer about
the author and his/her assumptions?
2. What is the author’s major purpose and
thesis?
3. How does the author support or defend his/her
thesis? What arguments, examples, or
illustrations does he/she use?
4. From your perspective, what is the author’s
strongest argument? Why?
5. From your perspective, what is the author’s
weakest argument? Why?
6. Identify a passage that was particularly
thought-provoking or insightful to you.
Explain your response to the passage.
7. Identify a passage that was particularly
troubling or objectionable to you.
Explain your response to the passage.
Although your answers to these questions will not be
collected, you should come to class prepared to share your answers to these kinds
of questions. Always bring your reading and writing assignments to class with you.
2. Weekly Participation on Blackboard
(110 total possible
points; 10 possible points for each weekly
entry)
Prior to each class session (except Sept. 2, Oct. 21, Nov. 4, and Dec. 9), you will present one of the following items on the Discussion Board for this course in Blackboard:
a. a carefully-formulated discussion question relating directly to the reading(s) assigned for the week. Your question may ask for clarification of terms, concepts, or ideas; it may question the author’s assumptions; it may explore the implications of an author’s assertions; or it may endeavor to relate reading assignment(s) to other materials. If your question refers to a specific passage in a reading assignment, provide the quotation and page number.
OR
b. pertinent information (approximately 1 paragraph) that directly complements the reading(s) assigned for the week (“Hypertextual” Information). First provide the page number and quote the passage in the assigned reading that sparked your curiosity, and then provide the pertinent information that you discovered. Give references to your sources of information. For example, you might indicate in your message that on p. 14 of No Angel in the Classroom, Fisher mentions that the work of Ella Baker is foundational to feminist pedagogy. Then, your message would continue with a paragraph (3-5 sentences) describing in your own words who Ella Baker was and the contributions she made, according to the research you did. Web links to sources of information would be helpful but not sufficient.
Each required contribution
to Blackboard will be due by Wednesdays at
3. Personal Narrative or Statement of Teaching
Philosophy (200 possible points) Due:
Complete one of the following writing assignments:
a. Personal
Narrative
One key aspect of
feminist pedagogy involves encouraging students to make connections between
personal, subjective experience and theoretical perspectives. To facilitate making these connections, you
are asked to reflect critically on your own educational experiences within the
context of some aspect of feminist pedagogical theory. Write a personal narrative on some facet of
your educational experiences AND interpret your story with the assistance of a
theoretical perspective introduced in our class or discovered through your own
research. (Make sure to carefully
document your sources.) In other words,
identify a specific feminist pedagogical idea or theoretical perspective, and
use it to interpret some facet of your own educational experience. You should present an essay of 5 pages in
length.
However, if you
wish, you may write a poem, make a drawing, or create another kind of artistic
work. If you create an artistic work,
you must include a 3-4-page written analysis of the purpose of your artistic
work as well as discussion of the theoretical perspective that informs your
work.
In preparation for
completing this assignment, read Making a
Difference: University Students of Color
Speak Out, chapter 4: “The Tellers,
the Tales, and the Audience: Narratives
by Students of Color” by Debbie Storrs and Julia Lesage, pp. 95-112. This chapter may stimulate ideas regardless
of whether or not you choose to focus on issues of race in your personal
narrative. (This assignment was adapted
from a similar assignment created by Dr. Vivian May of
OR
b. Statement of
Teaching Philosophy (5 pages)
Write a statement of
your teaching philosophy as it relates to the population and subject matter you
teach or would like to teach (elementary students/mathematics, special
education high school students, high school family science students,
undergraduate literature students, undergraduate women’s studies students,
medical patients, etc.). Your statement
should address some of the following:
your motivations for teaching;
the instructional challenges you face and how you meet them; your pedagogical values, goals, strategies,
and/or methods. Your statement should explicitly reflect on the ways in which
you employ (or do not wish to employ) principles of feminist pedagogy. Describe how you understand feminist pedagogy
and how you may wish to incorporate principles of feminist pedagogy in your
teaching. Your statement of teaching
philosophy should display evidence that you have gained insight from course
materials and/or other sources identified through your research. Make sure to document your sources carefully.
For additional ideas
for writing the statement of your teaching philosophy, see the following
websites:
http://www.utep.edu/~cetal/portfoli/writetps.htm#implicit (
http://www.cte.iastate.edu/tips/philosophy.html (
Please be prepared
to share your personal narrative or teaching philosophy with other members of
the class on October 21st.
4. Learning Activity/Practical Exercise (100
possible points)
Along with other
students in the course, you will design and implement one short (approximately
15 minutes) learning activity, or practical exercise, aimed to increase
awareness of power structures within society (e.g. white privilege, sexism,
compulsory heterosexuality, ableism, ageism, and/or classism); to encourage meaningful reflection on
“feminism” or “womanism”; or to promote
reflection on strategies for social change.
Although this activity may be most suitable for another learning context
(e.g. an undergraduate course, a middle school classroom, a meeting of a
community organization), you should plan the activity and carry it out in our
class; after we participate in the
exercise or activity, we will reflect together on its strengths and
limitations.
On the night that
you carry out this activity, you will provide each member of the class with a
written description of the activity, a statement of the goals of the activity,
a statement of the intended participants in this activity (e.g. undergraduate
students, elementary school students, etc.), as well as a statement of the
perceived strengths and limitations of the activity. You should also credit any sources (e.g.
books, articles, professors, friends) that you used to develop the
activity. If you wish, you are welcome
to implement ideas found in the textbook Teaching
for Diversity and Social Justice.
This book can provide helpful and stimulating ideas.
To carry out this
assignment, students will be assigned to groups (usually three students per
group); dates for the learning
activities will also be assigned. Please
contact me to request a change, if necessary, in the assigned groups or dates.
5. Teaching Unit Project
(400 possible points) Due:
December 9th at
This assignment
requires you to develop ideas and compile a list of resources for a curricular
unit you would like to teach as part of a class, for a meeting of a community
organization, or within a particular professional setting. This curricular unit should relate directly to
women’s studies and/or teaching for diversity and social justice; it should also display reflection on
principles and techniques of feminist pedagogy.
I strongly suggest
that you select a topic that interests and excites you; I also suggest that you develop a teaching
unit that you actually would like to implement.
Sample topics include the following:
a unit on Muslim feminism for an undergraduate course on women &
religion; a unit on racial disparities
in the death penalty for an undergraduate course on feminist ethics; a unit on domestic violence for a meeting of
clergy; a unit on drug rape for high
school students; a unit on women in
Texas history for a middle school history course; etc.
Your teaching unit
(a paper of 10-12 pages in length) should include the following: a) a statement of your topic, your intended
audience, and your reasons for selecting the topic for your audience, b) the
purpose(s) of your teaching unit (your goals and intended outcomes), c) selected
basic background information on your topic, d) a description of the specific
learning activities you would implement (exercises, lectures, films, discussion
questions, etc.) and a rationale for implementing those activities, e)
reflection on the strengths and possible limitations of your approach, f) a
list of appropriate materials on the topic (books, articles, Internet sites,
films, etc.), and g) thoughtful reflection on your understanding of feminist
pedagogy and how its values and principles shaped the development of your
teaching unit. If it is possible for you
actually to teach your teaching unit during the semester, your paper also could
include reflections on your experience.
For published examples
that are similar to this assignment, see John Miller, “Teaching about
Sweatshops and the Global Economy,” Radical
Teacher 61 (2001): 8ff; Brenda D. Phillips, “Women’s Studies in the
Core Curriculum: Using Women’s Textile
Work to Teach Women’s Studies and Feminist Theory,” Feminist Teacher 9 (1995):
89-92.
On December 9th at
Your
project will be evaluated according to both content (cogency of the argument,
thoughtfulness of presentation, depth of reflection, research) and form
(grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and consistency in following the MLA
style).
6. Other assignments (40 points possible)
a. Syllabus evaluation (20 possible points) Due:
Locate, read, and evaluate at least 3-5 different syllabi for similar Women’s Studies courses (Introduction to Women’s Studies, Feminist Theories, Women and Religion, Women and Literature, Psychology of Women, etc.). These syllabi can be easily found on the Internet by using a search engine or by going to sites like the following: http://www.umbc.edu/cwit/syllabi.html, www.mith2.umd.edu/WomensStudies/Syllabi/, http://www4.nau.edu/womensstudies/syllabi.htm.
Select one syllabus that you find to be particularly creative, stimulating, strong, or helpful. Write a detailed evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the syllabus you select (1 to 2 typewritten pages, single-spaced). Make sure to include the course name, instructor name, and source of the syllabus (website address, etc.) on your evaluation. Make a copy of your evaluation page for each member of your group (6 students) as well as for me. Bring two copies of the syllabus with you to class.
b. “Talking Points” Handouts (10 points
each; 20 points total)
On
both December 2 and on December 16, you will briefly present the key points of
an assigned article to other students in the class. You will create a “talking points” handout (1
page) to accompany each of your presentations.
This handout should list the key points in your assigned article.
7. Extra
Credit
Extra points (up to 50
points) may be earned by writing the essay described below. Any extra points that you earn will only be
counted if you complete all course requirements.
Grading
Grades
for the course will be determined as follows:
A 1000-900
points
B 899-800 points
C 799-700 points
D 699-600 points
F below 600 points
Policies
·
If you miss
class, you are responsible for finding out about announcements, changes to the
schedule, handouts, and assignments that you miss during your absence. Contact another student in the course prior
to contacting me.
·
Your work should
be handed in on time. Thank you!
·
Your papers
should carefully follow the MLA (Modern Language Association) format for papers
and citations, unless you receive permission from me in advance to use another
citation style. For helpful instructions
on MLA style, see the guidelines and links on the following website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html
·
Written
assignments should be typed, double-spaced with 1” margins and 12-point
font. Indent each paragraph, and do not
add extra spaces between paragraphs. The
first page should include your name and a title. Do not place decorative pictures on your
paper. Number each page of your writing
assignment. Staple the pages together
before coming to class.
·
Eliminate
typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors before turning in your papers
or posting your comments and questions on Blackboard.
Disability Support Services
Texas Woman's University
seeks to provide appropriate academic adjustments for all individuals with
disabilities. This University will
comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and
guidelines, specifically Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with respect to providing appropriate
academic adjustments to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the responsibility of the student to
register with and provide medical verification and academic schedules to
Disability Support Services (DSS) at the beginning of each semester and no
later than the second week of school unless otherwise determined by the
coordinator. The student also must contact the faculty member in a timely
manner to arrange for appropriate academic adjustments. For further information
regarding Disability Support Services or to register for assistance, please
contact the office at 898-3835 (voice), 898-3830 (TDD) or visit CFO 105.
Other University Services
TWU provides the following
services that may be beneficial to you:
·
The Learning
Assistance Office provides free help with study skills, test taking,
reading comprehension, and other individual needs. Visit the office in CFO 106 or call
940/898-2046.
·
The Write Site
provides free, individualized assistance with writing assignments. Visit the Write Site in CFO 131 or call
940/898-2341 to make an appointment.
·
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) will respond
electronically to your essays. For
further information, see http://www.twu.edu/as/engspfl/owlmainpage.htm
·
TWU provides a
wide range of free and confidential counseling services. If you are experiencing personal
difficulties, do not let them prevent you from doing your best. Contact the
Policy on Academic Honesty
You are expected to do your
own work and ensure that you do not plagiarize or submit the work of someone
else as your own. Together we must be
committed to the highest ethical standards for our research and
scholarship. For all writing
assignments, be careful to properly document quotations and paraphrases from
other sources. Plagiarism (from the
Latin, meaning “kidnapping”) is a serious offense and includes presenting words
or ideas from other sources as your own.
Plagiarism includes the
following:
·
Quoting directly
from the Internet, a book, an article, or writings (published or unpublished)
of another person without placing quotation marks around the words of the other
person and acknowledging your source.
Quotation marks must be used even around short phrases.
·
Presenting the
ideas of another person without acknowledging your source, even if the ideas
are explained in your own words. Even
when you paraphrase another person’s argument or thought you must cite your
source(s).
·
Buying a paper
from an Internet source or another person and submitting the paper or portions
of the paper as if it were your own.
·
Deliberately
falsifying your references.
In order to avoid plagiarism,
I recommend that you carefully study the following on-line power point
presentation concerning plagiarism: http://www.twu.edu/as/engspfl/Plagiarism.ppt
You must always use
quotation marks around words that are not your own and properly cite your
sources according to a recognized style manual (e.g., MLA Format).
Even when you are summarizing someone else’s ideas in your own words,
you must acknowledge your source through proper methods of citation.
Since academic dishonesty
is a serious offense, deliberate plagiarism will result in a failing grade on
your writing assignment and may result in a failing grade for the course. If I determine that an instance of plagiarism
is the result of carelessness or sloppiness rather than deliberate intent, a
student may rewrite an assignment for a grade no higher than a “C.”
For information about TWU’s
student conduct policies, including the policy on academic dishonesty, see the
TWU Student Handbook, Chapter 4.
If you have any questions
about how to document quotations and to use sources properly, I will be happy to
speak with you at any time.
Schedule of Topics
and
Topics will usually be covered in the order given, but the schedule is subject to change. You should read and reflect on the assignments before coming to class. Always bring your reading and writing assignments to class with you.
September 2 Introductions
1. Introduction to course and class participants
2. Adrienne Rich, “Claiming an Education” (1977)
3. What is pedagogy? What is feminism? What is feminist pedagogy?
September 9 What is Feminist Pedagogy? Key Values, Principles, & Questions
1. Discussion of
readings:
(Our discussion should center on our reading of Fisher’s book.)
2. Discussion of learning activity assignment: “Systems of Privilege and Inequality: Observations and Reflections about Texas Woman’s University” (Read: Patricia Hill Collins, “Toward a New Vision: Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection,” and be prepared to share your observations of TWU with the class.)
September 16 What is Feminist
Pedagogy? Key Values, Principles, &
Questions
1. Discussion of reading:
2. Presentation on the history of and controversy over coeducation at TWU
3. Discussion of questions and accompanying readings (as time allows): Is single-sex education beneficial or harmful to women and to men? Should single-sex education be legal in publicly supported institutions? Should professors sometimes teach men and women separately? Should they have the right to do so if they wish?
Discussion of readings:
Recommended reading:
September 23 Liberatory Pedagogies & Movements for
Social Justice:
An Introduction to
Paulo Freire
1. Discussion of readings:
2. Learning Activity, Group 1-A
September 30 Liberatory Pedagogies & Movements for
Social Justice:
An Introduction to
Paulo Freire
1. Discussion of readings:
2. Learning Activity, Group 1-B
October 7 Education as the Practice of Freedom: bell hooks
1. Discussion of readings:
2. Learning Activity, Group 2-A
October 14 Education as the Practice of Freedom: bell hooks
1. Discussion of readings:
2. Learning Activity, Group 2-B
October 21 Personal Narrative Essay or Statement of Teaching Philosophy Due
1. Discuss your essay with other members of the course.
2. Learning Activity, Group 3-A
October 28 Challenges Presented by Teaching Introductory
Women’s Studies Courses
1. Discussion of readings:
(Book chapters will be placed on reserve in the library; the book can also be read in the Women’s Studies Program conference room, HDB 307.)
2. Learning Activity, Group 3-B
November 4 Approaches to Teaching Women’s Studies: Evaluation of Syllabi
1. Discussion of reading and writing assignment:
2. Learning Activity, Group 4-A
November 11 Criticisms of Feminist Pedagogy
1. Discussion of readings:
Optional Writing Assignment Due: Response to Stolba’s “Lying in a Room of One’s Own,” based on your own evaluation of Women’s Studies textbooks. (Copies of Women’s Studies textbooks can be found in the Women’s Studies Program conference room.)
2. Learning Activity, Group 4-B
November 18 An Introduction to Disability Studies &
Its Impact on Transforming the Curriculum
1. Discussion of reading:
2. Learning Activity, Group 5-A
November 25 Thanksgiving Holiday
December 2 Post-Positivist Realism in Feminist
Classrooms
Discussion of Amie A. Macdonald & Susan Sánchez-Casal,
eds., Twenty-First-Century
Feminist Classrooms: Pedagogies of Identity and Difference, specific chapters to be assigned. Each student will make a brief presentation based on one of the chapters and will formulate a “talking points” handout.
Recommended reading: Paula M.L. Moya, “Postmodernism, ‘Realism,’ and the Politics of Identity” (packet)
December 9 Teaching Unit Project Due (
Come to class
prepared to give an overview of your teaching unit project to other members of
the class. Your presentation
(approximately 10 minutes in length) should provide an overview of your
project, including the purpose & rationale for the teaching unit, the
teaching methods you selected, and the resources you identified. Provide each member of the class with a 1-2
page handout that complements your presentation.
December 16 Teaching Feminist Activism
1. Discussion of Nancy A. Naples and Karen Bojar, eds., Teaching Feminist Activism: Strategies from the Field, specific chapters to be assigned. Each student will make a brief presentation based on one of the chapters and will formulate a “talking points” handout.
2. Learning Activity, Group 5-B