Gender in the Rise of Western Civilization to 1750
HIS 115
Faculty Information
Dr. Sandra Slater
Maybank 313
Office Phone: 843-953-3622 (9-3622)
Email:
Course Objectives
Over the course of the semester we as a class will be discussing the role of women and gender in relation to the rise of Western Civilization. Studying the various roles of women and their relationships to men provide a unique lens through which to understand the rise of Europe and the Western world. The breadth of this course prohibits depth in all areas, but we will specifically engage women’s role in politics, society, culture, the arts, and war. You will be expected to engage a variety of works and ideas, contributing your own ideas and observations. This course will be a combination of lecture (PowerPoint) and discussion. You will be expected to have read the course material before attending class.
Required Readings
- Katherine L. French and Allyson M. Poska, Women & Gender in the Western Past, Vol.1
- Bonnie Anderson and Judith Zinnser, A History of their Own Vol. 1 (Oxford, 1999)
- Aristophanes, Lysistrata (Dover Thrift Edition)
- Natalie Zemon Davis, Women on the Margins: Three Seventeenth Century Lives
- Course Packet available on WebCT
Assignments/Grading
Exams45%
Aristophanes Paper15%
Women on Margins 15%
Class Journals15%
Participation10%
Exams (15% each)
Each exam (3) will encompass a defined chronological period. Each exam will be comprised of a short essay based on a smaller topic, individual, or theme as well as a longer essay designed to encourage thought on a larger scale, using context, analysis, and observation. For each essay (short and long) you may choose between two options revealed only at the exam. A list of potential essay questions will be distributed the week before each exam. I strongly encourage and advise study groups.
Paper (15% each)
We will be reading a Greek play (Aristophanes) and a biography by Natalie Zemon Davis. You will be expected to write a 1-3 page paper indicating how the texts reflect the political and civil values of that particular society. I strongly suggest you visit the Writing Lab as you will be graded on writing as well as content. You are to use no outside sources on each of these papers. You will have more specific instruction and thematic prompts in the weeks before the assignments are due.
Class Journals (15%)
You will be required to keep a journal (typed or written, preferable typed) in a separate folder or notebook. Each week you should write entries (1-2 pages) reviewing the course readings in preparation for class and discussion (i.e. these should be done BEFORE class) in order to facilitate dialogue. You will be graded based on content, clarity, organization, and depth of discussion. This journal is to help you organize your thoughts before attending class and to prepare you for your exams. These will be collected and graded at random in order to ensure that you are keeping up with your assignments.
Participation (10%)
The exchange of ideas is vital to education. Discussion is crucial to this course and you will be expected to contribute and participate weekly. Your Response Journal should aid in this process. Also, you may post ideas and questions to WebCT’s Discussion Board. Class participation may also be earned through online discussion.
Class Rules
- Please turn off cell phones, blackberrys, iphones, and other messaging devices
- Please be conscientious of others’ feelings in class, particularly with regard to sexist, racist, or homophobic content. Treat others respectfully.
- If you are caught sleeping in class, you will be counted absent for the day.
- Plagiarism will not be tolerated (see Honor Code below)
- I have an open door policy and encourage you all to visit me in my office to discuss your papers or any problems that may arise over the course of the semester.
- You must be prepared having done the course readings before class. I reserve the right to dismiss you from class for lack of preparation.
- Powerpoint presentations are not available for online download or email except in cases on extreme emergency and will be approved on an individual basis. It is your responsibility to take notes and organize materials in preparation for an exam.
- Do not begin leaving class before you are dismissed.
Attendance
You will be allowed no more than three unexcused absences over the course of the semester. You are responsible for keeping up with the course material. If you anticipate an absence, please let me know ahead of time. Quizzes cannot be made up. You are responsible for taking a missed exam as soon as possible; unnecessary lateness will result in a grade deduction. Excessive absences will inevitably affect your participation grade. If you miss class, be sure to join in online discussion.
Course Outline
Week OneThe Ancient Mediterranean, to 600 BCE
French, Chapter 1
Anderson, 3-24
Film: Cleopatra: First Woman of Power
Film: Nephertiti and the Lost Dynasty
Week TwoAncient Greece
French, Chapter 2
Anderson, 24-67
Week ThreeLysistrata
Week FourFilm: Warrior Queen Boudica
Week FiveAncient Rome
French, Chapter 3
Week SixWomen, Gender and the Rise of Christianity
French, Chapter 4
Anderson 67-87
Week SevenWomen in the Early and High Middle Ages
French, Chapter 5
Anderson, 87-119
Week EightWomen and Urban Life in the Late Middle Ages
French, Chapter 6
Anderson, 119-181
Week NineWomen and Gender in the Renaissance
CP: Elizabeth S. Cohen, “The Trials of Artemisia Gentileschi: A Rape as History,” The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 31, No. 1, Special Edition: Gender in Early Modern Europe (Spring, 2000), pp. 47-75 AVAILABLE ONLINE (JSTOR)
CP: Judith Brown, “Introduction,” to Immodest Acts: The Life of A Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy
Week Ten Early Modern Europe
French, Chapter 7
Anderson, 181-269
Week Eleven Court Society and Peasantry in the Early Modern World
Anderson, 270-432
Week TwelveGender and the New World
CP: Louise Montrose, “Gender in the Discourse of Discovery”
CP: Peter N. Stearns, “Europeans and Native Americans,” in Gender in World History
Week ThirteenNatalie Zemon Davis, Women on the Margins
Week FourteenWomen and the Enlightenment
CP: Barbara Taylor, “Feminists versus Gallants: Manners and Morals in Enlightenment Britain”
*Paper Due*