CCBC, Essex Division of Wellness, Education, Behavioral &

WMST 101, Introduction to Womens Studies Social Sciences

Sections: EMA & ENA
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Welcome to WMST 101! We are about to begin what I hope will be a very interesting and eye opening
intellectual journey into the vast and varied field of womens studies. This syllabus contains essential
information about the course, so please read it carefully and make sure that you fully understand what is
expected of you in this class. There is an electronic copy on Blackboard. I suggest that you download a
copy to your home computer just in case you lose your hard copy.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides students with an introductory overview of the
interdisciplinary field of womens studies. It explores the status, achievements and experiences of women in
society, and critically examines their role in the media, popular culture, sports, education, the labor force, law
and politics, and marriage and family life. Past and current theories of gender, power, and equity are analyzed
from a multicultural point of view, emphasizing the contributions and experiences of women from different
class and racial backgrounds. Though the focus is primarily on the United States, we will look at some issues
from a global perspective. COURSE PRE-REQUISITES: English 101 (may be taken concurrently).

I. BASIC COURSE INFORMATION

A. INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Dawn M. Greeley

B. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION:

OFFICE: BESS Building, Room 222
OFFICE PHONE: (443) 840-1578
CAMPUS E-MAIL: dgreeley@ccbcmd.edu

C. OFFICE HOURS: If the following times do not fit your schedule, I am happy to
schedule an appointment to meet with you at another time.

Monday & Wednesday: 12:15-1:45
Tuesday & Thursday: 2:30-3:30
Friday: By appointment

D. DEPARTMENT PHONE NUMBER: (443) 840-1518

E. CLASS MEETING TIMES: EMA -- T/TH, 11:10-12:30, ENA-- T/TH, 12:45-2:10.

F. OUT OF CLASS WORK EXPECTIONS:

To be successful in this, or any, college course the expectation is that for every hour you spend in the
classroom, you should be doing a minimum of TWO hours of work outside the classroom. This means
that you should expect to devote approximately SIX hours per week, on average, to reading, studying
and/or working on assignments!

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G. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS/COURSE MATERIALS:

Shaw & Lee, Womens Voices, Feminist Visions, Sixth Edition (available in the campus
book store). Please note: earlier editions will NOT contain all of the required readings.

Blackboard Supplement: I will regularly post study guides, instructions for assignments and grades
on blackboard. You will be expected to use this site throughout the semester, so if you do not know how
to use Blackboard please come see me as soon as possible.

II. COURSE GOALS AND STRUCTURE

A. COURSE OBJECTIVES:

This course aims to explore and validate the experiences of women. It examines the unique role that
women have played in shaping history and culture, and critically evaluates the ways in which societal
expectations about gender have shaped and constrained womens choices and options. The course has
three main objectives. First, it aims to provide you with an understanding of the important ideas,
events, and individuals that have had a significant impact on the lives of women. Secondly, it aims
to acquaint you with theories and concepts relating to the study of gender and to the on-going struggle
for gender equality. Finally, it strives to promote the development of the skills and work habits that you need
to succeed when you transfer to a four year college or enter the job market; these include the ability to
think critically, express your ideas clearly, work effectively with others, organize & process information,
complete work on time, and to speak effectively in public. Upon successful completion of this course you
will be able to:

Discuss & analyze key issues, ideas and events that have shaped feminism.
Identify social, political and economic forces that have both shaped and altered the
sexual division of labor in the household and the workplace.
Demonstrate an understanding of past and current struggles for gender equality.
Discuss the contributions of women to social, economic & political development.
Identify and analyze the role of the media & popular culture in shaping gender relations.
Analyze the intersections of gender, race, class and sexual orientation.
Identify and critically examine your own assumptions & cultural biases about gender.

B. MAJOR TOPICS:

The development and evolution of the Womens Rights Movement; gender and power relationships in
the workplace & in the family; representations of gender in popular culture and the media;
womens health, safety and reproductive rights (including birth control, abortion, eating disorders,
rape and battering.)

C. RATIONAL: WHY TAKE WOMENS STUDIES?

In my view, the most compelling reason to take this class is that it helps you to better understand and
navigate the world in which we live. Like it or not, gender has been and remains a key aspect of our
social, economic, political and cultural life. It is one of the central categories around which societies
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in all times and in all places have organized themselves and divided labor, power and resources.
Gender divisions are indeed so much a fact of our everyday lives that we sometimes assume they are
natural and inevitable. This course helps shed light on the process through which gender roles are
culturally created and explores the impact that this gender differentiation has had, and continues to
have, on women and men. It is only through awareness of these patterns that we can challenge gender
stereotypes & discrimination and create a more equitable and just society. This course will allow you
to think more critically about issues of gender and to make more thoughtful and informed decisions
about your own life.

D. MY APPROACH TO WOMENS STUDIES:

Like most of the instructors who teach this class at CCBC, my doctorate is in a field other than
womens studies. In my case, it is in history. Though this is not a history class, my background and
interest in history naturally shapes the way I approach this class. I firmly believe that you cannot
truly understand issues affecting women today without some understanding of the history that a fair
amount of our time, especially in the first few weeks of class, talking about the past. My approach to
womens studies is also shaped by the fact that I am a feminist. There is considerable confusion and
misunderstanding around this term, and we will have many opportunities this semester to explore and
discuss what feminism is, and isnt. As you will soon discover, not all feminists agree on all issues and
I certainly do not consider feminism to be above criticism. You do not need to a feminist to do well
in this class. While I will not tell you what to think, I will insist that you do think. I will encourage
you to question your assumptions and consider alternative points of view.

E. TEACHING PHILOSOPHY & COURSE STRUCTURE:

I view learning as a cooperative process in which students play a vital and active role. My job, as I
see it, is not necessarily to bestow knowledge on you, but to provide you with the tools, information
and guidance that you need to acquire it for yourself. I firmly believe that an insight that you come to
on your own is more lasting and valuable than one that I give you. This course is structured to
promote critical thinking and reasoned analysis. While there will be some lecture, the class will rely
heavily on discussion, debate & analysis of readings, films, current events and student generated
projects & papers. Because not all students learn in the same way, I use a variety of different teaching
and testing methods (including strong use of visuals) to accommodate as many different learning
styles and preferences as possible.

F. MY STANDARDS:

I believe that EVERY STUDENT has something positive to contribute to this class, and I will strive to
help each of you work to your full academic potential so that you can earn the best grade you
possibly can. To this end, I will set high (but attainable) standards for you and expect college-level
work. I encourage you to set high standards for yourself and to push yourself to entertain new ideas,
improve your written and oral communication skills and do your very best work at all times.

III. EVALUATION

A. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
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CLASS PARTICIPATION/ENGAGEMENT (15% of your grade): You are expected to
attend class regularly and participate in class discussions and activities. You accumulate
participation/engagement points as follows:

* Engagement Survey (25 points): You are required to attend ONE campus or community
event dealing with topics/issues relevant to this class, and submit a short survey documenting and
describing your experience. Instructions & survey sheets will be posted on blackboard. I will
announce & post possible events as I learn of them.

* In-class Writing Assignments/Activities (30 points): I will frequently ask you to answer
questions (individually or as part of a group) about films, documents or images that I provide.
These assignments will NOT be announced in advance and CANNOT BE MADE UP WHEN
MISSED.

*Regular Attendance & Attentiveness (25 points): Every day that you are in class and are
attentive and actively engaged in class activities and/or group work, you will receive participation
points. If you are not engaged (sleeping, texting, doing non-course related work) you will not receive
participation points for that day. If your inattention is disruptive to me or the class, I will deduct
points from your participation grade. Habitual lateness will also reduce participation points.

* Contributing to Class Discussions (20 points): You can earn up to 20 additional
points by answering questions, offering thoughtful comments, and speaking up during class
discussions.

QUIZZES (15% of your grade): There will be FOUR quizzes based on assigned readings
from your text book. Quizzes will have an individual and a group component. A quiz study guide
which describes the quiz format in more detail and contains specific study questions will be posted on
Blackboard.

ACTION ASSIGNMENTS (25% of your grade): You are required to do THREE of
these short, hands-on research projects. They are designed to allow you to explore some of the real-
life implications of topics that we cover in class. Detailed written instructions will be posted on
Blackboard & explained in class.

READING REACTION ASSIGNMENTS (15% of your grade): You are required to
submit THREE of these short, written responses to selected assigned readings. Written
instructions will be posted on Blackboard and explained in class.

EXAMS (30% of your grade): There will be two exams. A unit exam worth 10% of your
total grade and a final exam, given during finals week worth 20% of your final grade. Both which will
combine short answer and essay type questions. A detailed study guide explaining the format and
content of each exam will be posted on Blackboard at least one week prior to each test.

B. GRADING POLICIES:

MISSED QUIZ POLICY: If you are absent on the day of a quiz you may do a make-up
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assignment which will involve writing a short paper (2-3 pages) summarizing/analyzing key points and
arguments from the assigned reading. See the quiz study guide posted on Blackboard for more
details.

MISSED DEBATE POLICY: If you are absent on the day of our class debate, you can make
up for the points you missed by writing a longer and more detailed debate paper examining both sides of
the issue see the debate instructions posted on Blackboard for details.

MAKE-UP EXAM POLICY: In cases of serious illness/injury, for which proper medical
documentation is provided, make-up exams will be given without penalty. In all other cases, I will deduct
a full letter grade from make-up exams. Make-up final exams will be given only with permission of the
instructor.

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY: All late assignments will be marked down by one full letter
grade, except in the case of serious illness/injury for which proper documentation is provided. Even with
the grade deduction, it is always better to hand in an assignment late than to not hand it in at all!

C. ATTENDANCE POLICY:

CCBC requires instructors to maintain attendance records. As indicated above, frequent absence
will have a negative impact on your participation grade. In my experience, students who are frequently
absent also tend to have lower grades on tests and written assignments because they miss vital information
and instructions.

D. AUDIT POLICY:

Any class can be taken as an audit. Course work and examinations are not required and no credit is
awarded. The student is to meet with the instructor and develop a plan of action to fulfill the specific
requirements for audit. Students who do not meet attendance & participation requirements of the instructor
will receive a final grade of W.

E. INCOMPLETE POLICY:

Incomplete grades will only be given in cases of emergencies and are subject to the instructors
discretion. It is the students responsibility to request an I grade before the final examination period.
Student and instructor must agree on the precise conditions for completion of the course requirements.
The course must be completed within 30 working days after the beginning of the next regular semester
(fall or spring). If the course is not completed by that time, the grade will automatically change to an F
or a U unless the instructor allows an extension.

F. PLAGIARISM POLICY:

Plagiarism, the act of passing someone elses work off as ones own, is a serious academic offense and
will be treated as such in this class. It may take the form of copying another students paper, or liberally
borrowing from books or the internet without proper quotation and citation. Students caught plagiarizing
or otherwise cheating will receive an automatic F for that assignment and may be reported to the
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Office of Judicial Affairs for possible disciplinary action.

IV. COURSE PROCEDURES
A. CLASSROOM CONDUCT POLICIES

YOUR RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES AS A STUDENT: You have a right to expect
that you will be treated like a mature adult & afforded dignity, respect & courtesy. I will come to
class prepared and be respectful of your time by beginning & ending on schedule; course requirements
and assignments will be clearly explained, in writing, and assignments/exams will be returned in a
timely fashion & will contain comments to help you understand your grade and improve future
performance; and I will be responsive to your questions and concerns about the course and your
grade, and will respond to e-mails and phone calls in a timely fashion. In return, I will expect you to
conduct yourself like a mature adult and to treat me and your classmates with courtesy & respect. You
are expected to come to class prepared and on time, and it is your responsibility to know when tests
are scheduled and when assignments are due by checking your syllabus & Blackboard regularly. It is
also your responsibility to acquaint yourself with, and to follow, the classroom policies & procedures
spelled out below.

CIVILITY IN THE CLASSROOM: I strive to create a classroom atmosphere in which all
students can learn. I want every student in my class to feel comfortable enough to ask questions, try out
ideas, express opinions and even make mistakes -- without fear of criticism or ridicule from me or their
fellow students. I encourage lively and spirited debate, but I insist upon civility. Learning to disagree
with others in a civil manner is a valuable skill that will serve you well in todays diverse, global job
market. Listening to people with whom we disagree and having our assumptions challenged, forces us
to better hone our own arguments & more clearly articulate and defend our own views. Being civil
entails not only being respectful of others, but also being attentive & engaged, and refraining from
disruptive behaviors that distract or annoy others.

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR POLICY: Students who violate the CCBC code of conduct
and/or the behavior guidelines outlined below are subject to disciplinary action. The following behaviors
are considered disruptive and ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN A COLLEGE CLASSROOM:

Talking, giggling and/or passing notes during class
Using abusive, offensive or threatening language
Ridiculing, harassing or physically threatening other students or faculty members
Sleeping/putting your head down during class
Using electronic devices or doing non-course related work during class

For minor infractions, a private warning will be given. If the behavior continues, I will file a complaint
with the Office of Judicial Affairs. Serious infractions will be immediately reported to public safety and to
Judicial Affairs and may result in suspension or expulsion from the college.

CELL PHONE POLICY: Cell phones distract me, you, and your classmates and should
NOT be used during class, except for legitimate class purposes. Please keep them turned off and in
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your book bag, purse or pocket not on your desk. You should not be answering calls or
reading/sending text messages during class (AND YES, I CAN SEE YOU). If you are a care-giver and
must keep your phone on, please keep it on vibrate.

LAP TOP/TABLET POLICY: Lap tops and tablets may be used solely for taking notes and
you must sit where you will not distract others. If you are surfing the web, answering e-mails and/or
distracting other students you will be asked to turn it off and may be prohibited from bringing it to class.

LATENESS/LEAVING EARLY POLICY: Coming in late and leaving early disrupts the
class, especially during quizzes, films & debates, so please avoid it whenever possible. Habitual
lateness/leaving early will affect your participation grade (3 lates equal 1 absence).

B. COLLEGE WIDE SYLLABUS POLICIES: For college wide policies related to Academic
Integrity and Classroom Behavior please go to the Syllabus Tab on the MyCCBC page.

C. STUDENT CONCERNS POLICY: Students should first attempt to take concerns to the faculty
member. If students are unable to resolve course related concerns with the instructor they should contact The
Womens Studies Program Coordinator, Ingrid Sabio-McLaughlin at (443-840-2217), ISabio@ccbcmd.edu

V. HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS

A. DEVELOP A REGULAR STUDY ROUTINE: It is much easier to keep up than to
catch up! To be successful in this class you will need to stay on top of the reading since many of our
classroom discussions, activities and assignments will be based on them. Make sure that you set aside
adequate time each week to thoroughly read assignments.

B. LEARN TO TAKE GOOD NOTES: To be useful, your notes must make sense to you and
should be written as much as possible in your own words. You should write down key facts, terms and
events, but your notes should also reflect your own analysis and insights. Always strive to understand
information and not just to copy it. I will post all the power points to Blackboard, so during class you
can focus on understanding the material. I also strongly recommend that you take notes on assigned readings.

C. ASK QUESTIONS: Asking questions is an essential part of learning, and you are here to learn!
I do not mind answering questions during lectures (as long as they are on topic), so please do not be afraid
to speak up if you do not understand something.

D. STRIVE TO IMPOVE YOUR WRITING: Strong writing skills are an asset in every
career field! No matter how strong, or weak, your current writing skills are, they can be improved with
effort and practice. Look at the comments and corrections made to your papers so that you do not continue
to make the same mistakes. I am happy to look at rough drafts and to help you improve weak assignments.
You can also get writing help from the writing center in E-339 (443) 840-1799.

E. ASK FOR HELP IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING: If you are having trouble, PLEASE COME SEE
ME, and do it sooner rather than later. I am happy to work with you to improve your grade. There are
also a number of free resources on campus that can also help you, including the Student Success Center, in
Room A-307, (443) 840-1820.
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VI. COURSE SCHEDULE

DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENTS

8/28 Introduction to the Class:
What is Womens Studies?

UNIT I: WOMENS RIGHTS & FEMINIST THEORY PAST AND PRESENT

9/2 Coming to Grips with the F Word: Chapter 1, pp. 1-13
Feminism & Its Critics

9/4 The First Wave of Feminism (1848-1920): Chapter 1, pp. 13-27
Seneca Falls & the Birth of The Womans Movement

9/9 Fighting for the Vote: The Suffrage Movement Reading 85, pp. 606-607
Film: One Woman, One Vote

9/11 From Suffrage to the Feminine Mystique: Reading Reaction #1 DUE
The Origins of the Second Wave on readings 3 & 4, pp.33-37.

9/16 The Second Wave of Feminism (1963-1980):
Womens Lib & the Sexual Revolution

9/18 The Backlash Against Feminism & the Action Assignment #1 Due
Rise of a Third Wave

9/23 Theories of Inequality: Privilege & Oppression Chapter 2, pp. 49-67, & Reading
13, pp. 86-93.

9/25 Gender as a Social Construct Chapter 3 (pp. 116-134)
QUIZ #1 on Readings 21 & 24

9/30 UNIT EXAM (Covering Unit I, Chapters 1-3) Study Guide on Blackboard

UNIT II: THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF GENDER IN POPULAR CULTURE

10/2 The Social Construction of Masculinity
Film: The Bro Code

10/7 Advertising & the Construction of Femininity Chapter 5 (pp. 250-275)
Film: Killing Us Softly

10/9 TV, Music and the Construction of Femininity QUIZ #2 on Readings 42
45 & 46, pp. 293-297.

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10/14 Gender Construction & Sports

10/16 Media Representations of Female Athletes Reading 27, pp.173-177
Film: Playing Unfair

10/21 How Disney Does Gender Action Assignment #2 DUE


UNIT III: WOMENS WORK IN AND OUTSIDE OF THE HOME

10/23 How the Social Construction of Femininity Limits Chapter 9 (pp. 470-498)
Womens Access to Economic & Political Power
Film: Miss Representation

10/28 Obstacles to Womens Advancement in the Reading Reaction #2 DUE on
Workplace Readings 71 & 75

10/30 Women in the Military

11/4 Sex Work & Sex Trafficking Reading 80, pp. 568-571
Film: Sex Slaves

11/6 Class Debate: Should Prostitution be Illegal? Reading 77, pp. 530-536
Action Assignment #3 DUE

UNIT IV: WOMENS BODIES: HEALTH, SAFETY & REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

11/11 Patriarchal Medicine & The Womens Chapter 7 (pp. 362-394) and
Health Movement Reading 29

11/13 Abortion as a Health & Rights Issue QUIZ #3 on Reading 61

11/18 The Struggle to Legalize Birth Control
Film: The Pill

11/20 Body Image: Eating Disorders & Cosmetic Surgery Reading Reaction #3 on
reading 29 & reading posted on
blackboard

11/25 Violence Against Women in the US:
Film: No Safe Place

11/27 NO CLASSES HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

12/2 Rape Culture QUIZ #4 on Readings 81 & 82

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12/4 Heterosexism & Violence against LBGT individuals QUIZ #5 on Readings 65 & 84

12/9 Envisioning Equality

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FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE -- BRING A BLUE BOOK

EMA: Tuesday, December 16
th
from 11:00 to 1:00

ENA: Thursday, December 11
th
from 12:00 to 2:00