Instructor: Dr. A. McCandless
Office: 327 Maybank / 210 B Randolph Hall
Telephone: 953-8025 / 953-5527
Office Hours: 8:00-9:15 TR or by appointment
E-mail: mccandlessa@cofc.edu
Web: https://www.cofc.edu/~mccandla/amym.htm
Purpose of the Course:
History 252 focuses on women and gender in Europe from ancient times
to the present. Researching women's history and including gender
as a historical construct not only help us preserve the distinctive contributions
of women to western civilization but also force us to rethink historical
categories of class, race, region, and periodization. Indeed, historians
Anderson and Zinsser have argued that "gender has been the most important
factor in shaping the lives of European women" (A
History of Their Own xv).
Readings:
Bridenthal et al., Becoming Visible: Women
in European History, 3rd edition
DiCaprio, Lives and Voices: Sources in
European Women's History
Robins, Women in Ancient Egypt
Woolf, A Room of One's Own
WWW documents as indicated
All readings are required and should be completed by the date indicated
in the syllabus.
Class Participation and Attendance:
Much of the historical material on women is very provocative, and you
will want to discuss the individuals and ideas introduced in the text and
readings. You cannot do this if you are a) absent, b) asleep, or
c) unprepared. Completion of assignments and participation in discussion
are important to the success of the class (and your grade). Quizzes
will be given periodically to encourage timely completion of reading assignments.
Since I drop the lowest quiz/worksheet grade, there will be no make-ups
for quizzes. A doctor's excuse is required to make up an exam. Students
are encouraged to relate their own research to topics covered in the lectures
and readings and to present portions of their work to the class.
Collective Biography Project (cbp):
Each student will prepare a collective biography which profiles the
life of a woman from a specific racial/ethnic background, social status,
time period, and region. The project is designed to familiarize students
with the diverse historical categories and sources which need to be considered
to understand the economic, social, political, and ideological factors
which make the female experience distinct. As the descriptor "collective"
suggests, the biography will focus on a "generic" individual within a particular
historical framework.
Students will examine the ways in which gender shapes the religious experiences, family life, economic roles, and political and legal status of their individuals. Research findings will be presented to the class and results turned in to the instructor in essay form. Each essay should be between three to five typewritten pages and will be due as follows:
Family Life -- September 23
Religious experiences -- October 14
Economic roles -- November 4
Legal and Political Status -- November 18
These segments will be integrated into a final paper due 2 December. The collective biography should be between 12-20 typewritten pages with footnotes or endnotes in the humanities format. Criteria for content and format are described in the paper worksheet.
Midterm Examination:
There will be a mid-term examination 28 September 2004. The exam
will include identifications, short answers, and essays taken from the
class discussions and readings.
Final Examination:
There will be a comprehensive final examination. The exam will
include identifications, short answers, and essays taken from the class
discussions and readings.
Grading:
Final grades will be calculated by averaging scores on the mid-term
examination (20 percent), collective biography project (40 percent--includes
grades on four topical essays and on the final paper), class participation
and attendance (20 percent--includes presentations of student research,
participation in discussions, quizzes and worksheets), and final examination
(20 percent). The following grading scale will be used: 90-100 =
A; 86-89 = B+; 80-85 = B; 76-79 = C+; 70-75 = C; 60-69 = D; 0-59 = F.
COURSE TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Aug 24 Course Introduction
Bridenthal 1-13; DiCaprio 1-8
Aug 26 The First Civilizations: Mesopotamia
Bridenthal 27-42; DiCaprio 9-34
https://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/1650nesilim.html
Aug 31 Film: Out of the
Past, The Hearth; choose cbp topic
worksheet
Sep 02 Discussion: Women
in Ancient Egypt
Robins
Sep 07 Discussion: Women
in Ancient Egypt
Robins
Sep 09 Film: History of
Drama, Classical Comedy, Aristophanes: Women in Power
https://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/wlgr/
Sep 14 Greek Images of Women
Bridenthal 48-69; DiCaprio 35-64
Sep 16 Women in Ancient Rome
Bridenthal 78-91; DiCaprio 65-84
Sep 21 Film: I, Claudius, Family Affairs
Sep 23 Individual Student Findings: Family Life
Cbp essays due on Family Life
Sep 28 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Sep 30 Women and Early Christianity
Bridenthal 91-100; DiCaprio 84-101
Oct 05 Women in the Early Middle Ages
Bridenthal 105-126; DiCaprio 102-139
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITH W
Oct 07 Women in the High and Late Middle Ages
Bridenthal 129-150; DiCaprio 140-162
Oct 12 Film: Joan of Arc
Oct 14 Individual Student Findings: Religion
Cbp essays due on Religion
Oct 19 FALL BREAK
Oct 21 Women in the Renaissance and Reformation
Bridenthal 153- 201; DiCaprio 163-174, 198-200
Oct 26 The Enlightenment and French Revolution
Bridenthal 233-292; DiCaprio 248-255
Oct 28 Coming of Industrialization
Bridenthal 295-325; DiCaprio 206-029, 275-80, 376-77
Nov 02 Individual Student Findings: Economic Roles
Nov 04 Film: Who's Counting?
Sex, Lies, and Global Economics
Cbp essays due on women's economic roles
Nov 09 European Feminisms
Bridenthal 327-387; DiCaprio 301-305, 344-351,
355-357, 360-370, 385-393
Nov 11 Discuss: A
Room of One's Own
Woolf
Nov 16 Film: Hedda Gabler
Nov 18 Individual Student Findings: Legal and
Political Status
Cbp papers due on legal and political status
Nov 23 Women, Colonialism, and War
Bridenthal 389-489; DiCaprio 413-420, 428-432, 440-453, 481-489, 497-502,
514-517, 522-526, 529-533, 539-542
Nov 25 THANKSGIVING
Nov 30 Women and Post-war Europe
Bridenthal 494-539; DiCaprio 544-553, 559-564, 573-577
Dec 02 Film: Kypseli;
Women in Contemporary Europe
DiCaprio 584-590, 594-616, 619-623, 626-629
Cbp final paper due
Dec 11 FINAL EXAMINATION, 8:00-11:00 a.m.