This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.
2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
There are no prerequisites for this class.
Course materials will include "classic" and contemporary women's studies scholarship from a variety of disciplines, as well as personal narratives of gendered lives. Topics covered include women and work, issues of women's health and reproduction, sexuality, families, motherhood, globalization, activism and women's political movements, body image and representation, and socialization. Many of the issues we will discuss are controversial, and it is important to note that there is no such thing as "the" feminist understanding of these topics. Your job is to make use of the analytical tools we are studying to develop a more critically informed perspective on the issues.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to do the following:
| REQUIREMENTS | PERCENTAGE OF GRADE |
|---|---|
| Attendance and participation, including 4 or 5 short (1-2 pages) homework exercises | 15% |
| Current event analysis presentation and write-up (2-3 pages) | 10% |
| Three essays (5-7 pages, with a minimum total of 18 pages) | 75% |
Attendance and participation are critical to your success in this course. Each class session will focus on one or more topics and be accompanied by appropriate readings. Please be sure to read all assignments in advance, come to class on time and be prepared to discuss your reactions and ideas. Failure to attend will adversely affect your grade. Missing more than two weeks of class will cause you to fail the course. Active participation in large and small group discussion is necessary to receive full credit for the attendance and participation component of your grade. Short homework exercises count for part of this grade; you will have the opportunity to submit these 1-2 page exercises on five occasions. Four are required.
In order to receive a passing grade for this course, all assignments must be completed.
Grading is according to the following guidelines:
A - denotes work that is of exceptional quality. Exceptional quality is represented by evidence of engagement with information and ideas in course materials and lectures, and from other sources, thoroughness, careful thinking, integration of material across topics, logical reasoning, precise and artful writing.
B - denotes work that is above average vis-a-vis your peers' work and the expectations of the assignment.
C - denotes work that fulfills the course requirements in every way, but only adequately.
D - denotes work that does not adequately fulfill requirements, but still deserves credit.
F - denotes work that does not deserve credit. This includes plagiarism, or copying others' work and submitting it as your own. Do not Plagiarize! You must always cite your sources; even borrowing someone else's ideas can count as plagiarism if you don't cite the original source.
If you ever disagree with or have a question about a grade that you receive on a piece of work, first please read my comments carefully, weigh them against the assignment requirements, and if you are still unsure, make an appointment to discuss it with me. If you would like me to reread and reconsider the paper, or you think an error was made in grading, you may request a re-evaluation in writing within one week after the assignment is returned to you. Your reasons should be specific and supported by references to the grading criteria (above), to the expectations of the assignment, and to specific details from your paper.
MIT OpenCourseWare makes the materials used in the teaching of almost all of MIT's subjects available on the Web, free of charge. With more than 2,200 courses available, OCW is delivering on the promise of open sharing of knowledge.
© 2001–2015
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Your use of the MIT OpenCourseWare site and materials is subject to our Creative Commons License and other terms of use.
Subscribe to the OCW Newsletter
