Women's Studies 340 WOMEN IN MODERN EUROPEAN HISTORY Schedule Information Professor: Dr. Barbara Shaver San Diego State University Mondays 4:00-6:40 and 7:00-9:40 Introduction: San Diego State University was the first academic institution in the United States to offer Women's Studies as a major field of study. Today more than 350 programs offer thousands of courses in Women's Studies; clearly it is an integral part of the American college curriculum. Its purpose is to integrate women's experiences and perspectives into all analyses of human behavior, offering students a deeper understanding of humanity by expanding the purview of research and scholarship to include the entire human race. This is both practical and humane. All women work, just as all men work. But increasing numbers of women have entered the paid labor markets in this generation, and roles and expectations for both sexes are shifting. University graduates need to understand the roles that women have played in western society, and they need exposure to the new scholarship on women. Women's Studies courses help colleges and universities teach their women and men students about the ways in which women and men have sustained the family, the community, and the society in the past, and these courses also help prepare students for life in the new world of two-career families, shared household labor, and more involved father-child relationships. The new scholarship on women can transform the liberal education curriculum by giving shape and visibility to women's lives, past and present. As Peggy McIntosh has pointed out, "Society has been held together by groups of people who are not distinguished by genius, public achievement, power, or cultural innovation, but who weave and maintain the social fabric, living out of the limelight except in times of violence and disruption. . In fact, about nine-tenths of the world's population suddenly becomes visible when one takes the emphasis off the public lives of white western men, who are seen as cultural leaders, and includes those who for reasons of sex, race, class, national or religious background, were defined as lower caste." Women's Studies opens up a whole new world; women have always made and are making a very great difference in our culture. Now, finally, we are acknowledging this fact. This course, Women in Modern European History, will examine the cultural and economic roles of women in the modern period of history in Europe. Although we will examine briefly the historical background of these roles, emphasis will be placed on women in the late modern period, the era since the French revolution. Women of all cultures share common roles as individuals, and also as daughters, sisters, wives and mothers. But in addition, some women have lived what we regard as traditional lives within their cultures, while others have been leaders in initiating change; we might call them transitional women. In learning together about the roles expected of women in modern Europe, compared to the lives women hoped for themselves, we seek to give women some tools for communicating with each other, and it will also help men understand women's lives. Course Objectives To learn to think critically and comparatively about gender roles in modern society. To examine the social and intellectual history of women in the West. To learn about women s contributions to the history of the Western world. To evaluate changes in the roles of women and men caused by the forces of industrialization and urbanization. To discover how historians shape and interpret women's history. The Literature We will examine five pieces of literature: two books and three films. These materials have been selected with course objectives in mind, but with equal consideration for the burden of reading students are expected to assume when carrying a full schedule of classes. The films are an import-ant part of the literature we shall examine, and we shall discuss them in class. The Books Anderson, Bonnie 5. and Judith P. Zinsser. A History of Their Own, Vol. IS. New York: Harper & Row. Boxer, Marilyn J. and Jean 11. Quataert, eds. Connecting Spheres: Women in the Western World, 1500 to the Present. Oxford University Press, 1987. The Films The Lion in Winter is a film which sets the stage of the early modern period most effectively. It demonstrates now people lived and dressed, how and where and what they ate; and it also says a great deal about the status of women at that time. A Doll's House is the adaptation of the famous play by the great Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. This is a powerful story about a woman who lives a very traditional life in Europe at the end of the 19th century. It is especially remarkable because it was written by a man about the life of a woman at a time when few men paid much attention to the lives of women. The Yellow Wallpaper is the dramatic story of a woman who found that living the life that was expected of her was extremely difficult, and of what happened to her as a result. Although the story is autobiographical and is the story of an American woman, this adaptation is set in late 19th century England. Grading Students will be graded on the following bases: 1. The mid-term and the final exam - 50% Each of these examinations will have the same value. 2. Other assignments, including written assignments on the films and a geography exercise - 10%. 3. An oral and written presentation of a term research topic - 30%. 4. Class discussion - 10%. There are certain assignments for which participation in class discussions will be expected. Students should complete these assignments before coming to class in order to discuss them thoughtfully. Attendance Attendance is expected. The instructor realizes that there will be occasions when legitimate reasons prevent students from attending class, and I would appreciate being informed when this occurs. Students cannot participate or gain information from the class activities if they are not present. Communication with your Professor Dr. Barbara Shaver Mondays: 2:30-4:00 San Diego State University Adams Humanities 3174, telephone 594-1011 Tuesdays-Fridays: telephone 353-6922 CLASS SCHEDULE Women's Studies 340 Women in Modern European History Dr. Barbara Shaver Fall Semester 1993 August 30 Introduction to Course Film: The Lion in Winter September 6 Labor Day: NO CLASS September 13 Women in History: Building Western Traditions September 20 The Early Modern Period Renaissance and Reformation September 27 The Early Modern Period (Cont) Women and Work Male-Female Relationships Connecting Spheres, p. 19-95 October 4 The Late Modern Period Nationalism The Industrial and Scientific Revolutions The French Revolution Women as Revolutionaries October 11 Childhood - Motherhood A History of Her Own, p. 227-340 October 18 Personal Lives October 25 MIDTERM EXAM November 1 Film: A Doll's House November 8 Women and Work November 15 Women and Industrial Organization November 22 Women's Rights and Women's Place A 19th century status report A History of Her Own, p. 341-406 November 29 Film: The Yellow Wallpaper December 6 Domesticity The Feminist Movement Connecting Spheres, p. 187-256 December 13 FINAL EXAM