UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE WOMEN'S STUDIES 160: WINTER 1994 RESEARCH IN WOMEN'S STUDIES: METHODS AND SOURCES Time/Place: Monday and Wednesday: 9:00 - 10:20 a.m. Lab: Wednesday: 11:00 - 11:50 a.m. Library 460 and other locations as announced Instructors: Joan Ariel Ellen Broidy Women's Studies Librarian History/Film Studies Librarian 856-4970 856-5694 Office Hours: Ariel: Monday 12:30 - 1:30 : Library 384 Broidy: Wednesday 2:00 - 3:00 : Library 386 and by appointment [Preliminary note for WMST-L: I have included the course description, schedule, final project bibliographic essay assignment, and description of the group exhibit project. Other materials (bibliographies, practicums, etc. are available upon request). Do hope everyone understands that this is a BIBLIOGRAPHIC research methods course, not, for instance, feminist social science research methods. Joan Ariel jariel@uci.edu] ---------------------------- Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on the Road (1942) The fact is that science, and all scholarship, and all art are ideological; there is no neutrality in culture. Adrienne Rich, What Does a Woman Need to Know (1979) Purpose: An examination of theoretical and practical avenues to understanding and conducting library-based research in Women's Studies. Paying particular attention to the intersections between Women's Studies and Ethnic Studies, we will explore traditional structures and organization of knowledge and information, the impact of feminism on these structures, their implications for research in Women's Studies, and methods of access to information and scholarship on women and gender within a multicultural framework. Required for the major in Women's Studies, this course provides invaluable preparation for the senior thesis and ideally is taken in sequence before the senior seminar. Lecture, discussion, and required project-based weekly lab. Requirements include short oral and written report, collaborative group project, bibliographic essay, and final exam. Recommended prerequisite WS 139 (or taken concurrently). Objectives: 1) To gain a) insights into the organization of women's studies as a discipline, b) understanding of the generation, organization, and dissemination of information and scholarship, and c) conceptual and working knowledge of bibliographic tools and information resources for research in women's studies and related disciplines. 2) To develop the ability to identify and meet participants' own information needs, academic and personal. Course Organization and Requirements: This course is designed as a seminar with presentations, a cooperative group project, in addition to lecture and discussion. Attendance is required and will be taken at each seminar session. Thorough preparation, active participation, and timely submission of written assignments are required. Readings must be completed by class session on the date indicated. Grading: Course grades will be based on the following: 1) Class attendance and active participation 15% 2) Satisfactory and timely completion of practicums [4] 10% 3) Short Oral and Written Report 10% 4) Cooperative Exhibit Project 15% 5) Final Working Bibliography 5% 6) Final project: Bibliographic Essay 30% 7) Final Exam 15% Add/Drop Policy: A student may add or drop the course up to the end of the second week of classes with instructor's signature. Requests to add or drop after the second week will be granted only for exceptional circumstances. Required Textbooks and Course Reader: Women, Information Technology + Scholarship. Edited by H. Jeanie Taylor, Cheris Kramarae, and Maureen Ebben. Urbana, IL: Center for Advanced Study, 1993. Assignment: "WITS" Course Reader/Women's Studies 160: Research in Women's Studies. [Bookstore] Assignment: authors, titles, and pages listed. NOTE: Additional short readings may be required. Recommended (on reserve): Fink, Deborah. Process and Politics in Library Research. Chicago: American Library Association, 1989. Johnson, Jean. The Bedford Guide to the Research Process. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987. Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 5th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987. [also available in the Reference Room, call number: LB 2369 T8 1987 Ref.] Additional Supplies Required: 3-ring binder for informational handouts and bibliographies 4 X 6 index cards for bibliographic sources ********************************************************************* WOMEN'S STUDIES 160: RESEARCH METHODS AND SOURCES IN WOMEN'S STUDIES READER WINTER 1994 CONTENTS Cramer, Patricia and Ann Russo. "Toward a Multicentered Women's Studies in the 1990s." In The Knowledge Explosion: Generations of Feminist Scholarship, 99-117. New York: Teacher's College Press, 1992. Kramarae, Cheris and Dale Spender. "Exploding Knowledge." In The Knowledge Explosion: Generations of Feminist Scholarship, 1-24. New York: Teachers College Press, 1992. Searing, Susan E. "How Libraries Cope with Interdisciplinarity: The Case of Women's Studies." In Issues in Integrative Studies, 10 (1992): 7-25. Spender, Lynne. "Introduction," "Gatekeeping," and "The Printed Word." In Intruders on the Rights of Men: Women's Unpublished Heritage, ix-xii, 1-24. London & Boston: Pandora Press, 1983. Stimpson, Catharine R. with Nina Kressner Cobb. Women's Studies in the United States. New York: The Ford Foundation, 1986. ********************************************************** PRELIMINARY COURSE SCHEDULE [NOTE: Additional short readings may be assigned] I. INTRODUCTION 1: Mon. 1/10: Introduction: Seminar, Participants, Basic Concepts II. RESEARCH CONCEPTS, CONTEXTS, AND STRATEGIES 1: Wed. 1/12: Getting Started: Thesis Topic Selection, Exploration and Analysis Guest: Nancy Naples, Professor, WS Senior Seminar, Spring 1994 Reading: CR: Stimpson, "Women's Studies in the United States" Distribute: Practicum #1 Seminar Group Reports and Bibliographic Essays Assigned 2: Mon. 1/17: HOLIDAY 2: Wed. 1/19: Discipline Development and the Research Process Reading: Assigned bibliographic essay from list distributed in class; questions prepared for discussion DUE: Practicum #1 with 2 page preliminary topic statement 3: Mon. 1/24: Research Basics I: Sources and Strategies Reference Sources, Bibliographies, and Organizational Techniques Reading: CR: Cramer & Russo, "Toward a Multicentered Women's Studies in the 1990s" [pp. 99-117] Kramarae & Spender, "Exploding Knowledge" [pp. 1-24] Seminar Report, Group I: Intersections: Women's Studies/Ethnic Studies Distribute: Practicum #2 3: Wed. 1/26: Research Basics II: Online Catalogs: ANTPAC ROOM 568 LIBRARY Reading: CR: Searing, "How Libraries Cope with Interdisciplinarity" [pp. 7-25] Seminar Report, Group II: Women Online DUE in LAB: Interim exhibit planning report from group[s]: questions, problems 4: Mon. 1/31: MELVYL Catalog: Topic Searching and Advanced Techniques ROOM 568 LIBRARY DUE: Practicum #2 and Revised Research Topic/Problem Statement Distribute: Practicum #3 4: Wed. 2/2: Periodical Research I: Indexes and Abstracts Seminar Report, Group III: Indexing Feminist Scholarship 5: Mon. 2/7: NO CLASS; WORK ON PRACTICUM #3 AND MIDTERM PROJECT III. KEEPING CURRENT: NEW WORDS, NEW WORKS, NEW WORLDS 5: Wed. 2/9: Periodical Research II: Women Online [MELVYL] ROOM 568 LIBRARY DUE: Practicum #3 DUE in LAB: Interim exhibit planning reports 6: Mon. 2/14: Feminists in Cyberspace: Issues and Answers? Humanities Instruction Resources Center (HIRC), 263 HH Reading: WITS: "Women and Information Technologies: Creating a Cyberspace of Our Own," [pp. 15-27] "Women and Men on Electronic Networks: A Conversation or Monologue?" [pp. 52-61] "Linking Women: Computer Networks as a Feminist Resource" [pp.70-71] 6: Wed. 2/16: Individual Reports on Project Topics and Research [5 min] DUE: MIDTERM PROJECT: Final Topic/Problem Statement and Draft Bibliographic Essay highlighting at least 5 of the best sources on your topic. Distribute: Practicum #4 [6: Mon. 2/14 and Wed. 2/16: 8:00-9:00 am: Optional CD-Rom Lab by advance sign-ups] 7: Mon. 2/21: HOLIDAY 7: Wed. 2/23: Critical Evaluation of Sources: Book Reviews and Beyond DUE: Practicum #4 [7: Sat. Feb. 26: Mount Library Exhibit and Pizza Party] 8: Mon. 2/28: Government Publications DUE: Final Working Bibliography on Your Topic [15-20 items] 8: Wed. 3/2: Primary Sources and Special Collections Seminar Report, Group IV: Primary Sources and Archives IV. THE POLITICS OF INFORMATION: FEMINIST ISSUES, FEMINIST RESPONSES 9: Mon. 3/7: Gatekeeping and the Politics of Information Reading: CR: Spender, L: "Introduction," "Gatekeeping," and "The Printed Word" [pp. ix-xii, 1-24] WITS: Spender, D: "Changes in Academic Concepts of Privacy, Originality , and Ownership of Ideas" [pp. 63-64] 9: Wed. 3/9: Feminist Publishing and Information Networks Reading: WITS: Spender, "Electronic Scholarship: Perform or Perish?" [pp. 28-43] Seminar Report, Group V: Feminist Publishing/Networks 10: Mon. 3/14: Presentations of Final Projects FINAL PROJECTS DUE IN CLASS 10: Wed. 3/16: Final Exam ****************************************************************** Women's Studies 160 Research in Women's Studies Winter 1994 GROUP SEMINAR REPORTS/DISCUSSION [Readings are ON RESERVE.] Monday, January 24: GROUP I: INTERSECTIONS: WOMEN' STUDIES/ETHNIC STUDIES Bettina Aptheker. "How to Do Meaningful Work in Women's Studies." In Across Cultures: The Spectrum of Women's Lives, edited by Emily K. Abel and Majorie L. Pearson, 5-16. New York: Gordon and Breach, 1989. Barbara Christian. "But Who Do You Really Belong To -- Black Studies or Women's Studies?" In Across Cultures, 17-23. Patricia Zavella. "The Problematic Relationship of Feminism and Chicana Studies." In Across Cultures, 25- 32. Wednesday, January 26: GROUP II: WOMEN ONLINE Mary Ellen S. Capek, "Wired Words: Building a National and International Online Thesaurus and Database for Access to Women's Information Resources." In Communications at the Crossroads: The Gender Gap Connection edited by Ramona R. Rush and Donna Allen, 208-221. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1988. Wednesday, February 2: GROUP III: INDEXING FEMINIST SCHOLARSHIP Deborah Mesplay and Loretta Koch. "An Evaluation of Indexing Services for Women's Studies Periodical Literature." RQ 32:3 (Spring 1993): 404-410. Kristin Gerhard, Trudi E. Jacobson, and Susan G. Williamson. "Indexing Adequacy and Interdisciplinary Journals: The Case of Women's Studies." College and Research Libraries 54:2 (March 1993): 125- 135. Wednesday, February 23: GROUP IV: FEMINST BOOK REVIEWING Natalie Zemon Davis, Julia Penelope, Margery Wolf, Cynthia Neverdon-Morton, and Linda Gardiner. "A Symposium: Feminist Book Reviewing." Feminist Studies, 14:3 (Fall 1988): 601-622. Wednesday, March 2: GROUP V: PRIMARY SOURCES AND ARCHIVES Elizabeth Patterson. "Women's Studies Resources in Microform." Microform Review 15 (Spring 1986): 99-102 and "Women's Studies Resources in Microform: An Update." Microform Review 18 (Spring 1989):94- 97. Brenda Marston. "Women's History Archives: Documenting Women's Lives and Women's Organizations Today." Feminist Collections 10:1 (Fall 1988), 5-8. Wednesday, March 9: GROUP VI: FEMINIST PUBLISHING/NETWORKS Linda Steiner. "The History and Structure of Women's Alternative Media." In Women Making Meaning: New Feminist Directions in Communication, edited by Lana F. Rakow, 121-143. New York; London: Routledge, 1992. Barbara Smith. "A Press of Our Own: Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press." In Communications at the Crossroads: The Gender Gap Connection, edited by Ramona R. Rush and Donna Allen, 202-207. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex, 1989. ***************************************************************** Women's Studies 160 Research in Women's Studies Winter 1994 GROUP SEMINAR REPORTS This assignment is both an individual and a collaborative effort. Working in pre-assigned groups, every member of the group reads each article and the group comes to class prepared to make a fifteen minute presentation on the material. Since we cannot devote a great deal of time to the discussion, the group should determine in advance how they wish to present the material. One option might be to have each member of the group responsible for addressing two of the questions listed below. However you decide to structure the discussion, there are two key points to remember: 1) each member of the group is expected to handle a portion of the discussion (in other words, do not expect to appoint a spokesperson for the entire group), and 2) each person will have approximately five minutes for her or his part of the discussion. Use the following questions as a guide to help you structure your "presentation" of the seminar readings. They represent a small sampling of the range of possible questions you might consider as you prepare your discussion. 1. What can you tell the group about the author(s)? Is there any biographical information available that helps situate this author in relation to the article or chapter you've read? 2. What are the main points/argument of the piece(s)? Is there a clearly stated thesis or do you need to "read between the lines" to identify the most significant elements? 3. How successfully does the author(s) make her/his points? Even if you disagree, are you willing to concede that the argument is well made? 4. Does the author draw any conclusions, or is the article simply a statement of "fact" or recitation of events? 5. If conclusions are drawn, does the author provide sufficient evidence to support these conclusions? 6. How did this article/chapter further your understanding of or interest in 1) women's studies; 2) research strategies; 3) politics of information; 4) anything else you identify as important. ***************************************************************** Women's Studies 160 Research in Women's Studies Winter 1994 FINAL PROJECT: BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY The major project for the course is the creation of a bibliographic essay on a women's studies topic. Women's Studies majors are expected to work on their senior thesis topics. For others, while the choice of topic is yours, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of this structured research opportunity to combine this project with other academic work such as research project in another course. Development of the final project incorporates four major goals: 1) to develop and demonstrate your ability to define a research problem; 2) to formulate an effective search strategy; 3) to work creatively and critically with a variety of reference and information sources; and 4) to select, organize, describe, and critique the literature on your topic. The final bibliographic essay must include the following: 1) A one to two page introduction stating the research problem or topic. 2) A 10 - 12 page narrative discussion of the topic highlighting at least 10 of the best or most relevant sources, including books, journal and newspaper articles, government publications, relevant media, or other information sources. The essay should focus on your own review and critical evaluation of each item cited and the relationship of the items cited to the topic and to each other. 3) Proposed suggestions for further investigation were you [or someone else] to pursue this topic with at least six months to one year to spend. 4) A bibliography, in list form, citing all the works mentioned in your essay. This must include, in addition to the complete bibliographic citation: a) Source: Note how you initially identified the item -- e.g., ANTPAC, MELVYL, index [with index title and date]. b) Point of Entry: Note the subject heading or other access point [including call number range if your source is browsing]. c) Location and Call Number: note UCI Library location and call number; if you found the item in personal library, bookstore, etc. indicate if UCI also has, location, and call number. It is strongly advised that you follow the suggestions provided in "Organizational Techniques," in Process and Politics in Library Research by Deborah Fink (Chicago, 1989), pp. 90-94. ON RESERVE for WS 160. The final project is due IN CLASS, MONDAY, MARCH 14. NO LATE PROJECTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Interim components are due on the following dates: Wednesday, January 19 Preliminary topic statement Wednesday, February 2 Revised topic statement and prepared discussion on published bibliographic essay Wednesday, February 16 Midterm project-- Final topic statement and draft bibliographic essay highlighting at least 5 sources on your topic Monday, February 28 Final Working Bibliography [15-20 sources] ****************************************************************** Women's Studies 160 Research in Women's Studies Winter 1994 LAB PROJECT THE LIBRARY EXHIBIT March is National Women's History Month, a celebration and acknowledgement of women's struggles and achievement. For the past three years, the Library has had a major exhibit marking this special month. In 1991, a group of students and staff created an exhibit focusing on cross-cultural perspectives on women and work; in 1992, the exhibit highlighted the growth of and development of Women's Studies, internationally and on our own campus; and last year, students in WS 160 created an exhibit that questioned the limits of the much-vaunted 1992 "Year of the Woman." This year, the now-established tradition of a Women's History Month exhibit is, once again, an integral part of Women's Studies 160. Working cooperatively in a weekly lab set aside especially for this purpose, students will explore possible themes for an exhibit, develop a timetable, research necessary background information, collect display materials, and mount the exhibit. Course work (required readings, exercises, etc.) has been adjusted in order to allow time to devote to this project. A simple philosophy guides this assignment: libraries are more than collections of books and periodicals, the ostensible representations of "knowledge" and "culture." At their very best, libraries are public spaces where, in the course of searching for one kind of information, you are met with and challenged by a range of different ideas, viewpoints, and representation. An exhibit, especially one celebrating Women's History Month (or African History Month or Gay Pride, etc.), provides just that possibility to challenge traditional views of learning and of libraries. The creation of a library exhibit offers a unique opportunity to examine the wide range of materials available in the library (as well as to assess what may be missing in a traditional academic collection), and to experiment with creative ways to represent the richness of those materials. Creativity and collaboration are the critical elements in this exercise, whether at the earliest stages of brainstorming about possible themes and then later on, when collecting materials, visualizing the display, or finally mounting an exhibit. Use the following preliminary timetable to guide your work in lab; keep in mind, however, that the exhibit needs to be ready for mounting on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26. January 12 and 15: Brainstorming, conceptualizing. Form preliminary work groups (if you so desire) January 26: Interim exhibit planning report from group(s). February 9: Interim exhibit planning reports focusing on choice/availability of materials for exhibit. February 17 and 23: Final preparations for exhibit. February 26 (Saturday): Mount Library Exhibit -- and PIZZA PARTY!