> Dr. Joiner's Page
History 52-Role of Women in U.S. History
Fall, 2007- Section# 0742, 12:45-2:10 MW, Bungalow 1
Instructor: Dr. Ellen Joiner, Office: GC-205A. Phone: 310-233-4582
e-mail: joinere@lahc.edu
Office Hrs.: 8:30-9:30 MTWTh or by appointment
Do You Have an Education Plan?
Course Summary: This course will survey women's roles throughout U.S. History. Special emphasis will be placed on the construction of gender through work and family. The influence of race, ethnicity, and status on women will also be explored through an analysis of primary documentation.
Course Objectives:
1) Identify the dynamic of historical continuity and change within U.S. Women’s History.
2) Define gender and clarify its interaction with racial, ethnic, and status differences throughout U.S. Women’s History.
3) Identify and critically analyze individuals who have contributed to changing women’s status in U.S. History.
4) Identify and explain movements that have contributed to changing women’s status throughout U.S. History.
5) Analyze the role that American law has played in defining woman’s position in American society.
6) Explain the role of American institutions in defining women’s role in American society.
7) Differentiate between primary and secondary sources in U.S. Women’s History.
8) Locate sources pertinent to U.S. Women’s History in the college library and on the internet.
9) Identify evidence used to create and support an argument and conclusion in historical writing.
10) Construct a historical project demonstrating use of primary and secondary documents, analysis of evidence, organization, and correct citations.
Required Books:
Ellen Carol DuBois and Lynn Dumenil, Through Women’s Eyes An American History with Documents, Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005..
This book is required and should be purchased from the Harbor College Bookstore. Students should also purchase a three-ring notebook, dividers, and a package of Scantron forms (#882).
Course Requirements:
This course surveys women's experience in the United States as it develops as a nation and as a society. Before coming to class, students will be expected to read the assigned pages from Through Women’s Eyes and answer the chapter study sheets (vocabulary, identifications, and documents). The study sheets will be kept as part of a U.S. Women’s History journal that includes (1) answers to study sheets (2) class notes (3) personal observations/analyses of current women's issues- 2 -3 items/week (4) miscellaneous items-internet assignments, film notes. Journals will be collected and graded after each examination. (50 pts.) Once during the semester each student will present one observation from his or her journals. (10 pts.) There will be two examinations and a final (matching, true -false, multiple choice) (50 pts.) Examinations must be taken when scheduled. There are no make-up examinations. Two essays are also required in the course. The first essay which is described below deals with women and slavery. The second essay will include an oral interview and analysis. More information will follow for the second assignment.
Attendance:
The information presented in discussions and lectures will augment the material in the reading assignments. It is essential that the class together create an environment in which everyone can learn. Please use the restroom before coming to class and turn off all cell phones, or in the case of an emergency, place the phone on mute. Regular and prompt attendance and note taking on class discussions and films is very important to the successful completion of the course. More than two unexcused absences could result in a lowering of the grade or a student being dropped. If it is necessary to miss class, leave a message explaining the reason on my voice or e-mail.
Grading:
Grades will be calculated on a point and percentage basis. Journals will be handed in on the day of exams and are worth 50 pts. The first two examinations are worth 50 pts. each. The final is worth 80 pts. Each essay is also worth 50 pts. Grades will be determined on a percentage of the total points. 90% of the total points=A, 80%=B, 70%=C, 60%=D.
Schedule:
Wk. 1 Sept. 5 Course Introduction xxv-xxxiii
Wk. 2 Sept. 10 Women of the New World 2-14
Sept. 12 European and Native collisions 14-24
Wk.3 Sept. 17 New England and the Middle Colonies 24-69 c. 1
Sept. 19 Revolutionary Legacies 70-135 c.2
Wk. 4 Sept. 24 “True Womanhood” 136-145
Sept. 26 Womanhood and Industrialization 146-154
Wk. 5 Oct. 1 Womanhood and Slavery 154-201 c. 3
Oct. 3 Exam I (c. 1-3)
Wk. 6 Oct. 8 Westward Expansion 202-213
Oct. 10 Antebellum Reform & Women’s Rights 213-267 c. 4
Wk. 7 Oct. 15 Reconstruction- North and South 270-283 Essay 1
Oct. 17 Women of Work and Women of “Leisure” 283-339 c. 5
Wk. 8 Oct. 22 Women on the Move 340-361
Oct. 24 Women at the end of the 19th century 361-405 c. 6
Interview Questions
Wk. 9 Oct. 29 Exam 2 (c. 4-6)
Oct. 31 “Progressive” women 406-423
Wk. 10 Nov. 5 Women’s suffrage 424-479 c. 7
Nov. 7 The “Roaring” ‘20s 480-497
Oral Interview
Wk. 11 Nov. 12 Women and the Great Depression 497-507
Nov. 14 World War II and Rosie the Riveter 507-553 c. 8
Wk. 12 Nov. 19 1950s Gender Roles 554-574
Nov. 21 Movement for Civil Rights 574-586
Transcript of Interview
Wk. 13 Nov. 26 The Second Wave 587-627 c. 9
Nov. 28 Women’s Liberation 628-648
Wk. 14 Dec. 3 Traditional Womanhood 649-658
Dec. 5 Women’s Lives 658-664
Essay Analysis
Wk. 15 Dec. 10 A Third Wave 665-698
Dec. 12 Looking Back and Moving Forward
Wk. 16 Dec. 17 Monday- Final Examination 1-3
Essay Assignments:
Essay 1: Women and Slavery
memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html
Born in slavery- Slave Narratives from the Federal Writer’s Project, 1936-38
Read “An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives” by Norm R. Yetman, and then read “Slave Narratives during Slavery and After.” Browse the narratives by narrator and select one narrative from a female narrator. While reading the interview look for answers to the following questions: Where did the narrator live? What do we know about slavery in that area and at that time? How old was the narrator when she was a slave? What does the narrator tell about her work? Family relations? Religion? Social relations between slaves? Relationship with the master? Treatment of slaves (living conditions, food, clothing, education, punishment)? Attitudes toward slavery or freedom? After reading the account, organize the ideas that into an outline and develop a main idea or thesis statement for the essay. Based upon the outline and thesis statement, write a four-five page (typewritten/double spaced, size 12 font) essay that, based upon your reading of this document, evaluates women’s experience in slavery. The outline, thesis, and essay will be handed in together. After writing your paper, be sure to cite the sources that you used. These sources will be listed on the last sheet of the paper. If you are not certain how to cite a source go to lahc.edu/library Writing and Research Guides, Style Guides for MLA.
Essay 2: The second essay includes four parts: 1) questions for an oral interview, 2) the interview 3) a transcript of the interview, and 4) an outline, thesis statement, and four-five page essay that contextualizes and analyzes the interview. More details to follow.