WSP 201/ANT 200: Feminisms in an International Context Spring, 1999

 Instructor: Beth Berila

Office: 208 Bowne Hall, 443-3707

E-mail: esberila@mailbox.syr.edu

Office Hours: Tues. 5-6; Wed. 10-11, and by appointment.

 Course Description:

  This course focuses on feminist issues in a global context. Women's positionalities in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality are very diverse, as are the culturally constructed meanings of those positionalities, which means that women's experiences differ greatly based on the specific social and historical contexts in which we live. In other words, women's experiences between and within countries differ, and this course will explore some of those differences. But while specific conditions of oppression manifest differently, they are structured in systematic ways. International power relations such as colonialism, global capitalism, sexual divisions of labour, and patriarchy create interdependent systems of oppression, so that some countries are overdeveloped only because they exploit the labour and resources of countries which then remain underdeveloped. This course will look at how these conditions affect women in various countries, and how different feminists critique and resist these structures of oppression. We will also interrogate constructions of "Third World" women that other them in ways which perpetuate global power dynamics and obscure the role of the West in producing such hierarchies. This course, then, foregrounds the historical and material conditions of women in both local and global contexts, ending with a look at some of the many strategies of resistance which contemporary feminist movements have developed.

I imagine that as a class we will have different backgrounds, familiarity, and positions regarding feminism, world history, economics, and the politics that pervade all of the above. I see that as a strength of this class: we each have something to offer and something to learn from each other, and I hope that as a class, we can develop a community in which we can all feel comfortable asking questions, interrogating concepts, and naming discomfort. If any of you have or think you have a learning disability, please talk with me immediately; letting your professors know who you are and how you learn is an important part of advocating for yourself as a student and a participant in the community. Indeed, I hope that this class will push us all to examine our roles in the local and global communities, in order to interrogate their implications and develop strategies for change.

Course Goal: The goal of this course is to understand global power relations in terms of gendered systems of oppression and examine how they manifest in particular contexts. We will study various feminist critiques of power and interrogate our own positions in relation to these systems. In doing so, we consider how to create a more equitable world by examining strategies for resistance enacted by contemporary international feminist movements and working toward additional strategies, both globally and locally.

Required Texts:

 --Cynthia Enloe, Bananas, Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics, available at Orange Bookstore.

 --Tsitsi Dangarenba, Nervous Conditions, available at Orange bookstore.

 --Course reader #3917, available at Campus Copies in Marshall Square Mall.

Grade Distribution:

 One response paper per unit (4 @ 12.5% each) 50%

 Lead class discussion with a mini-presentation and follow-up paper 15%

 Global Events Log 20%

 Participation/Attendance 15%

 You can keep track of your course grade by filling in the table below.

I will finalize the Participation/Attendance grade at the end of the semester, but there will be opportunities for us to communicate about it throughout the semester.

Response Paper 1 ______ x .125=

 Response Paper 2 ______ x .125=

 Response Paper 3 _______x .125=

 Response Paper 4 _______x .125=

 Discussion/Paper _______x .15=

 Global Events Log _______x .20=

 Participation/ _______ x .15=

Attendance

 Total=________

Assignments

 ***Please note that this is a writing and reading intensive course. That means that the workload is heavy at times, but we can talk about strategies for successfully handling that. If you find yourself having difficulty with any of the work, please talk with me immediately.

***This course does not require you to become a feminist. But it does require that you demonstrate that you understand feminist analysis, and so the papers must be written from a feminist perspective. Both the readings and class discussions can provide a model for the ways feminist theory can be used in your papers.

Response Papers

 These short papers are designed to give you a space to write your way to an understanding of some of the major concepts which we will study in each unit, and to give me a way to discern that understanding. Each response paper should focus on a central concept from the readings and class discussions in four of the five units. You should look at your work load and other responsibilities and plan which four sections you wish to write papers for. The deadlines listed in the syllabus are the final due dates, but you can hand in the paper for each section anytime throughout that section up until the due date listed. Each paper should be 3-5 pages in length, typed and double spaced, and must draw specifically on course material with proper in-text citations. Your papers should make connections between the various authors we read, the lectures and discussions in class, and the guest speakers and films, which is why you need to focus your papers. I will be happy to hear out your ideas for papers before you write them or provide feedback on drafts.

The papers are claims and implications papers that should:

(1) Explain a concept or theory through the claims made in the readings. For example, if you were writing a paper on capitalist patriarchy, one obvious place to go would be Maria Mies' definition of the term; you could then draw on other readings and class discussions to develop a complex understanding of capitalist patriarchy. You're welcome to quote the authors, but, as with any strong writing, you should then explain the quotes in your own words.

(2) Analyze the implications of the concept and feminist claims about it. In other words, you will need to do a feminist analysis of the consequences of that concept. In the example cited above, you might explore how capitalist patriarchy is at work in Nervous Conditions, or what its consequences are for women who work in Maquiladores. It will be extremely valuable for you to develop connections between concepts studies in the course, but be sure to emphasize depth and complex analysis in these papers, rather than trying to cover too much, which can set you up for superficial explanations. I strongly encourage you to visit my me during my office hours to talk with me about your paper ideas before and as you write them, or to discuss any other issues the course raises for you.

Leading class discussion with write-up:

Because we have a lot to learn from each other, each of you will be responsible for leading a class discussion with a partner from the class. The two of you can negotiate how you organize the discussion--such as whether you each want to take responsibility for a different portion of the reading for the day or whether you want to develop a presentation together; I encourage you to work together in ways that utilize your strengths and allow you to learn from each other.

 Leading a discussion will entail preparing a short summary of the material to be read for that day and posing two or three questions to guide our discussion of the material. Remember that asking good questions is just as important as knowing the answers--sometimes even more so. Your questions should thus be open-ended questions that may take-off from particular passages in the readings or ask us to interrogate the connections between the material we're reading for that day and something we've already read. We should all get in the habit of coming with such questions everyday, but each of you will formally lead one discussion. For the presentation, then, you will need to:

 (1) Conference with me before the class about your plans for the discussion and the questions you plan to pose.

 (2) Provide your classmates with any handouts or materials that would be helpful.

 (3) Present a short summary (10-15 min.) of the readings, then pose the questions you'd like us to discuss.

 (4) Follow-up the discussion with a paper in which you write-up the summary, do your own analysis of the questions you pose, and analyze the class discussion itself. I will provide a more specific handout about this paper as needed.

Global Events Log

This project will ask you to visit a couple of progressive news sources to learn about specific global events and analyze them in light of the theories and issues we discuss in class. The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize ourselves with alternative sources of news which often present different representations of events than do mainstream media. As we will discuss in this class, perspective and theoretical frameworks dramatically alter the significance of events. Early in the semester, you should begin browsing the sites that are suggested, so that you can share them with your classmates when they are relevant to our discussions. This is another way for us all to contribute to the class, since we are likely to find different information. The project will include an informal log and a formal paper in which you analyze the issues and will be due at the end of the semester. It will be explained more specifically in a handout that I will provide in the next couple of weeks.

Participation and Attendance

 In order for a community to develop and work in this class, we all need to be present, prepared, and actively contributing to the course. I understand that emergencies arise, and so two absences will be excused. After two absences, your participation grade will be lowered a third of a letter grade for each missed class. I strongly encourage you to contact myself or one of your classmates by phone or E-mail so that you can be aware of what you missed. Participation means ACTIVELY contributing to class discussions and thoughtfully listening to and responding to your classmates' comments. You need to come to class having carefully read the material and prepared to discuss at least one specific point or question each day. Because we learn in different ways and participate in different ways, I will periodically ask you to communicate with me about how you are participating.

 Course Calendar

**This schedule is subject to change and you are responsible for keeping up-to-date with any changes.

 ***CR mean that that reading can be found in the course reader.

 Introduction: Constructions of Race and Gender

 Week 1

 Wednesday, January 20

 Syllabus intro.

 Week 2

 Monday, January 25

 -- "Introduction," in Re-Orienting Western Feminism, p. 3-17.(CR)

 -- Pettman, "Women, Gender, and the State," p. 3-24.(CR)

Wednesday, January 27

--Pettman, "Women, Colonialism, and Racism," p. 25-44 (CR)

II. This Land Is My Land: Historical and Contemporary

Manifestations of Colonialism and Conquest

 Week 3

 Monday, February 1

 Paper due for Unit I.

 -- "Fracturing Binarisms," in Re-Orienting Western Feminism, p. 18,

34-56. (CR)

 --Mohanty, "Cartographies of Struggle," p. 1-20. (CR)

 --Read first 30 pages of Nervous Conditions.

Wednesday, February 3

 --Mohanty, "Cartographies of Struggle," p. 20-41. (CR)

 --30 pages of Nervous Conditions.

 Week 4

 Monday, February 8

 -- "Sexual Identities: Western Imperialism?" in Re-Orienting Western Feminism, p. 129-147. (CR)

 --Read 50 pages of Nervous Conditions.

 Wednesday, February 10

 -- "The Colonial Legacy: Gendered Laws in Jamaica," in Daughters of Caliban, p. 216-227. (CR)

 -- Finish Nervous Conditions.

 III. Money Makes the World Go Round: The Gender and Racial Exploitation of Global Capitalism

 A. Global Capitalism: SAPs and Economic Development/Underdevelopment

 Week 5

 Monday, February 15

 Paper Due for Unit II

 -- "The Creation of the World We Know: The World Economy and the Re-Creation of Gendered Identities," in Identity Politics and Women, p. 27-41. (CR)

 -- "Stories of Structural Adjustment (SOSA): The Human Cost of Structural Adjustment Policy (SAP) for Women," in Re-Creating Ourselves, p. 189-200. (CR)

 Wednesday, February 17

 --Enloe, "Carmen Miranda on My Mind," p. 124-150.

 B. Invisible Work: The Sexual Division of Labour  

Week 6

 Monday, February 22

 --Pettman, "The International Sexual Division of Labour," p. 157-177 (CR)

 -- "Asian Migrant Women in Japan," in Broken Silence, p. 143-154. (CR)

 Wednesday, February 24

 --Enloe, "Blue Jeans and Bankers," p. 151-176.

 Week 7

 Monday, March 1

 --Pettman, "The International Sexual Division of Labour," pg. 177-207. (CR)

 --Mies, p. 112-120. (CR)

Wednesday, March 3

 --Mies, p. 120-127. (CR)

 -- Menchu, "Conflict with the Landowners and the Creation of the CUC," p. 102-116. (CR)

 Week 8

 Monday, March 8

 --Mies, p. 127-141. (CR)

 -- "Solideu: An Embattled Maquiladora," p. 81-97 and "Maquila Muchaches: Pretty Young Maids," p. 36-45. (CR)

 Paper Due for Unit III

 IV. The Gendered State

 A. The "Discovery" of Exotic Lands: Tourism and the Commodification of Women

 Wednesday, March 10

 --Enloe, "On the Beach: Sexism and Tourism," p. 19-41.

 --June Jordan, "Report From the Bahamas," (2) (CR)

 Week 9

 Spring Break

 Week 10

 Monday, March 22

 --Enloe, "Base Women," p. 65-92

 Film: Enloe on prostitution and military bases.

  Wednesday, March 24

 -- "Prostitution and Sex Tourism," in Re-Orienting Western Feminism, p. 180-185. (CR)

 -- "Gender and Sexual Orientation in Indonesia," in Fantasizing the Feminine, p. 259-269. (CR)

 -- "Speaking with Two Lips to Recognize Third Genders," in Re-Orienting Western Feminism, p. 147-166. (CR)

 B. Your Country Needs You: Militarism and Masculinity

 Week 11

 Monday, March 29

 -- "Prostituted Bodies and Gendered States in U.S.-Korean Relations," in Dangerous Women, p. 141-174.(CR)

 -- "Re-membering Korean Military Comfort Women: Nationalism, Sexuality, and Silencing," in Dangerous Women, p. 123-40. (CR)

 Wednesday, March 31

 -- Pettman, "Women, Gender, and Masculinity," pgs. 42-64. (CR)

 -- Enloe, "Beyond ‘Rambo': Women and the Varieties of Militarized Masculinity," p. 71-93. (CR)

 Week 12

 Monday, April 5

 --Pettman, "Men, Masculinities, and War," 87-106. (CR)

 -- "Whose Honor? Whose Liberation?: Women and the Reconstruction of Politics in Kuwait," in Women and Resistance, p. 296-315. (CR)

 Wednesday, April 7

 -- "Making Female Bodies the Battlefield," pgs. 180-182. (CR)

 -- "Gender as Ethno-Marker: Rape, War, and Identity Politics in the Former Yugoslavia," in Identity Politics and Women, p. 76-96. (CR)

 Week 13

 Monday, April 12

 --Enloe, "Nationalism and Masculinity," pgs. 42-64.

 -- "Nationalism and Construction of Gender in Korea," in Dangerous Women, p. 9-32. (CR)

 Paper Due for Unit IV

 V. Cartographies of Struggle: Women and Resistance in Contemporary Feminist Movements

 Wednesday, April 14

 -- "Women and Revolution: A Framework for Analysis," in Women and Revolution, p. 3-30. (CR)

 Week 14

 Monday, April 19

 -- "Finding a Language: Feminism and Women' s Movements in Contemporary China," in Transitions, p. 11-20. (CR)

 --Menchu, "Political Activism in Other Communities," p. 163-172, and "Women and Political Commitment," p. 220-227. (CR)

 -- "Women and the Counter-Revolution in Chile," in Women and Revolution, p. 394-414. (CR)

  Wednesday, April 21

 -- "This, too, Is a Way of Fighting: Rural Women's Participation in Zimbabwe's Liberation War," in Women and Revolution, p. 63-88. (CR)

 Week 15

 Monday, April 26

 -- "Gendered Activism: Feminists and Islamists in Egypt," in Identity Politics and Women, p. 202-227. (CR)

 -- "Revolution, Islamist Reaction, and Women in Afghanistan," in Women and Revolution," p. 211-235. (CR)

 Wednesday, April 28

 -- "Sexuality and the Politics of Revolution in Iran," in Women and Revolution, p. 252-271. (CR)

 Week 16

 Monday, May 3

 "Women and Revolution: What Have We Learned?," in Women and Revolution, p. 426-440. (CR)

 Paper Due for Unit V