ANTHROPOLOGY 3200--Women’s Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Dr. Holly MathewsSpring 2016
Flanagan 207; 328-9452; T-Th 2:00
Office Hours:Monday 10-12; Tues-Thur 9:30-11:30 and 3:30-4 or by appointment
Course Objectives:by the end of this course, students should:
- Be familiar with the diversity of roles and statuses of women across time and place
- understand the importance of gender as a basic principle of social organization cross-culturally
- be able to delineate the different anthropological theories about the origins of gender differences and the reasons for the perpetuation of inequalities
- apply anthropological methods to investigate a major issue facing women globally
- understand how cultural beliefs and values shape people’s perceptions and impact global decisions and actions in order to formulate better solutions to women’s issues globally
- apply critical thinking skills to evaluate global events and issues from multiple perspectives
- be able to communicate effectively their informed opinions on women’s global issues through participation in a shared blog
Required Texts: There are five required ethnographies for this course and these are available in the student store and UBE. In addition, I will post some articles on blackboard for class.
Holloway, KrisMonique and the Mango Rains (Africa—maternal health)
Mam, SomalyRoad of Lost Innocence (SE Asia—sex trade)
Prieto, NormaBeautiful Flowers of the Maquiladora (Mexico—labor)
Shostak, MarjorieNisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman (Africa—
hunter/gatherer life)
Underhill, RuthPapago Woman (Native American—gender diversity)
Course Requirements: I have designed the course requirements to meet the objectives listed above and also to try and involve you in thinking about the materials to be read and discussed in class. These requirements are:
a) attendance and participation: It is important that you attend class regularly because
I will be lecturing on materials not covered in the readings. You will be responsible for these materials on the exams. We will also discuss the readings in class and cannot have
quality discussions if you are not present. I will take attendance and excessive unexcused absences will factor into your participation grade. Normally, two absences for whatever reason (equivalent to a week of class) should be sufficient.
From time to time during the semester, I will give you short homework assignments. In addition, we will have a joint blog for this class. Students are expected to monitor and post discussion items or comments on the blog weekly (at least two per week). Your participation grade derived from all of these activities will count for 15% of the final course grade. The blog address is
b)quizzes: We will have a quiz or take-home questions on each book required for the course. In some cases, I will break the books into parts. Dates for these are indicated
on the syllabus, and discussion questions on all the books are posted on blackboard to
help you with the reading.Quizzes will cover the main themes and events of books
to encourage students to read and as a check for understanding of the books.
Grades on these will be averaged together and will count for 20% of the final course grade. If you miss a quiz, you will only be allowed to take an essay make-up if you have a university approved excuse for the absence.
c)Exams: There will be a mid-term and final exam in the course. Each will count for 15% of the final course grade. The exams will be short answer and essay in format and will test you on both the lectures and the readings. Exam dates are listed on the attached course schedule. Make-up exams will only be given if arrangements are made in advance or if the student has a university-excused absence. The final will not be comprehensive.
d)paper and op-ed piece for blog:Each student will write one op-ed articles such as you might find in a newspaper or news magazine. Such an article can reach millions of readers, swaying hearts and changing minds. It can help reshape a public debate and affect policy. It also can bring you considerable recognition for less effort than it takes to write a professional monograph or journal article. These articles will be between 750-1000 words and should express your opinion on a key issue addressed in the course. These will be posted on the blog for this class, and students must also respond to any comments received on these pieces.
A good op-ed piece must be based on a knowledge of the issue—the facts as well as possible solutions and the feasibility of these. Therefore, this assignment has two parts. Students will pick an issue, research the issue and write a 5-6page, appropriately documented paper outlining the problem, the statistical information, what is known about causes and also possible solutions. Once these papers are completed, we will work on developing the op-ed piece—written for the general public. Students will write the pieces, we will read and critique them in class, then revise and then post them on the blog.
Grades on the background paper and revised op-ed piece will count for 30% of the final
course grade.
e)Outreach activities: A key principle of feminism is working to improve women’s lives. We will have some type of outreach opportunities in the class. ECU will sponsor activities for International Day of the Woman on Thursday, March 3rd, so helping with or attending these is one option. We might want to develop something for Anthropology Day in February or work with She’s the First to do a joint fund-raiser. Outreach will count for 5% of the final course grade.
Grading Scale: A = 94-100 percent; A- = 90-93; B+ = 87-89; B = 83-86; B- = 80-82; C+ = 77-79; C = 73-76; C- = 70-72; D+ = 67-69; D = 63-66; D- = 60-62; F is below 60 percent,
Blackboard: The blackboard site for this course has course materials posted. Under Course Syllabus, you will find the syllabus. Under Course Documents, you will find the articles to read and the specific assignments by due dates. I will also post supplementary course materials and power points to help you study.
Disabilities: East Carolina University seeks to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students requesting accommodations based on a disability must be registered with the Department for Disability Support Services located in Slay 138 ((252) 737-1016 (Voice/TTY)).If you have a disability and need accommodations for testing, it is your responsibility to notify me in advance so arrangements can be made.
East Carolina University Academic Integrity Policy
Cheating and plagiarism are serious issues at East Carolina University. Please read the academic integrity policy at the above web site as this will be enforced in this course.
Course Schedule:
DATE:TOPIC:READINGS:
Jan. 12-14The Problem of Women in AnthropologyRead paper guidelines
Introduction to bloggingBegin Mam book
Jan. 19-21“There is One Law for Women: Silence”Quiz/discussion of Mam book
The Case of Sex TraffickingPaper topics due 1/26
Jan. 26-28The Physical Basis for Sex Differences—How didQuiz/discussion of Shostak,
Gender Differences Evolve?chpts. 1-8
Feb. 2-4Life in Egalitarian Societies:Continue Shostak (9-15)
Feb. 9-11Gender Roles and Change among the !KungShostak, 9-Epilogue
First paper due 2/11 or 2/16
Feb. 16-18Domestic/Public Spheres and the FormationUnderhill, first half
of Personality
National Anthropology Day, Feb. 18
Feb. 23-25Radical Feminism: Alternative Gender CategoriesQuiz/discussion of Underhill.
and Systems of Meaning: How is Gender Identity second half
formed?
Mar. 1Mid-Term Exam
Mar. 3International Day of the Woman
Mar. 8-10Spring Break
Mar. 15-17Kinship and the Traffic in Women: Life in begin Holloway book
Patrilineal Societies
Discussion of op-ed (due 3/15); revisions to begin
Mar. 22-24Of Vigilence and Virgins: Women, Religion andHolloway
the State
Mar.29-31Patriarchy and Women’s Reproductive HealthQuiz/discussion of
Final op-eds due 3/31Holloway
Apl. 5-7Can the State Legislate Equality: Women inMosher on BB
Iraq and China
Apl.12-14Capitalism, Modernization and Women’sQuiz/discussion on Prieto Economic Equality
Apl. 19Women, War and Sexual ViolenceReading to be posted
The Case of Women as Refugees and Victims of War
Apl. 21International Struggles for Women’s RightsReading to be posted
and Human Rights: Is there a difference?
Apl. 28Final Exam; 2-4:30
Facebook page for ECU Women’s Studies Program:
United Nations Millennium Development Goals (to be met by 2015)
- Eradicate Hunger and Poverty
- Achieve Universal Primary Education (ensure that all boys and girls complete a full
course of primary schooling)
- Promote Gender Equality and Promote Women (eliminate gender disparity in primary
and secondary education, preferably by 2005 and all levels by 2015)
- Reduce Child Mortality
- Improve Maternal Health (reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality rate)
- Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
- Ensure Environmental Stability
- Develop a Global Partnership for Development
“Adult literacy and universal primary education—especially for girls and women—can reduce conflict by fueling economic development, helping stabilize population growth, and increasing civic participation. From basic human rights lessons in primary grades to development of leaders and professional in colleges and universities, the educational process leads to increased social capacity, tolerance, and a willingness to seek peaceful rather than violent solutions to conflict.”
When children, especially girls, attend school and adults, especially women, can read and write, significant progress occurs in the following areas:
Income
Health
Population Growth Rates
Infant and Maternal Mortality Rates
Food and Agriculture
AIDS and Other Infectious Diseases
Immunization and Vaccination Rates
Environmental Responsibility
Democracy
Worldwide, 875 million adults are illiterate (60% of these are women) and 115 million children do not attend school.
These people are concentrated in the more populous countries including India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico.
Graduating to a Pay-Gap: Earnings of Female College Graduates after Graduation: An AAUW Report