WGS 211: FOUNDATIONS IN WGS WRITING AND RESEARCH BLENDED COURSE

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE SPRING 2018, NWQ 1935, T/TH 2-3:15

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND POLICIES

COURSEDESCRIPTION

Hello!WelcometoWGS211!Ilookforwardtospendingthesemestertogetherdevelopingafeministlensthroughwhichtoresearchandconstructknowledge.Thiscoursewillexplorewhatismeantbyfeministresearch,howitispracticed,andhowfeministresearchmethodsaffectandinfluencescholarship.Webeginbyexaminingfoundationalissuesanddebatesregardingfeministresearchmethods,methodologyandepistemology.Further,wewillexaminecurrentfeministresearchpracticesandpracticecriticalwritingandthinkingnecessarytounderstandandproducefeministresearch.Sinceresearchisacraftbestlearnedthroughpractice,andsincetheideasandconceptswediscussinourreadingsandclassdiscussionswillbebetterunderstoodbydoingfeministresearch,asignificantportionofthiscoursewillbedevotedtoengagingintheresearchprocessourselves.Intheformofacriticallyresearchedpersonalnarrative,studentswillbeaskedtoresearchtheirownhistoriesandthewaysinwhichtheirexperiencesareinformedbyintersectionsofclass,race,gender,andsexuality.Researchprojectswillexaminewaysinwhichscholarshipinwomen’sandgenderstudieshasinfluencedareasofinterestspecifictothestudent.Additionally,yourfinalprojectswillserveasanadditionalcoursetextduringthefinaltwoweeksofthesemester.

BLENDEDCOURSE

Thisisa25%blendedcourse,whichmeanswewillholdaclassmeetingonlineonceeveryotherweek.Theseonlinemeetingswillbemostlydevotedtoonlinewritingworkshops.Participationinthebi-weeklyonlinediscussionforumswillcounttowardyourattendanceandparticipationgrade.Inordertobesuccessfulinthisblendedcourse,youwillneedtohaveregularandreliableaccesstotheInternet.

REQUIREDMATERIALS

RegularandreliableaccesstotheInternet

AllreadingsareavailableonD2L

Instructor:CaseyO’BrienPronouns:she,her,hersorthey,them,theirsOffice:Engelmann,B50FOfficeHrs:T/H3:30-4:30(orbyappt.)Email:caseyo@uwm.edu ClassList:wgs-211@uwm.eduText:414-736-3711

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COURSEGOALS

• Developanddemonstratecriticalreading,writing,andthinkingskills.• Examinefeministpracticesassociatedwithevolvingepistemologiesandresearch

strategies.• Becomefamiliarwithkeytheoreticalandmethodologicalissuesandconcernsinfeminist

scholarshipandinterdisciplinaryresearch.• Understandhowsubjectiveexperiencesinfluencetheresearchprocess.• Applyfeministtheoryandresearchmethodstothecomposingprocessofone’spersonal

narrative.• Transformfromobserversofhistoricalinformationintoproducersofprimarysource

material.• Developcriticalresearchskillsforexaminingwomen'sandgenderstudiesscholarshipfor

assessingthestatusofwomen,minorities,andfeministresearchinone’sownfieldofinterest.

GRADINGRUBRIC

GRADINGSCHEME100-94

90-93.9 87-89.9 84-86.9 80-83.9 77-79.9 74-76.9 70-73.9 67-69.9 64-66.9 60-63.9 <59.9

A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F

WORKLOAD

Thisisareadingandwritingintensivecourse.Ageneralguidelineisspending3hoursoutsideofclasspercredit,soyoushouldplantospendabout9hoursperweekonreadings,completingassignments,andpreparingforthisclass.

Activity EstimatedTimetoCompleteInclass:2.5hoursperweekx15weeks =37.5hourspersemesterOnlinediscussions:1.5x6onlinemeetings =9Requiredreading:2hoursperweekx16weeks =32hourspersemesterRequiredwriting:2hoursperweekx16weeks =32hourspersemester(includingclassassignments,readingresponses/analyses)FinalProject:2hoursperweekX16Weeks =32hourspersemesterFinalExamBlock =2hoursTotalAverage =144.5hours

20%AttendanceandClass/OnlineParticipation25%HomeworkAssignmentSequence15%CriticalIntersectionsPersonalNarrative(midterm)20%FinalResearchProject15%FinalPresentation5%FinalReflection

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ATTENDANCEANDPARTICIPATION:20%Participationneednotrequirespeakingineveryclassdiscussion,butdoesrequirebeingreadyandabletoparticipateinanydiscussion.Ifyoudonotparticipateverballytheentireterm,itwillbenoticedandtakenintoaccountinyourfinalgrade.Ifyouareconcernedaboutthisportionofyourgradepleasespeaktomepersonally. ThereasonIcountparticipationandattendanceassuchalargepercentageofyourgradeis,inpart,becauselearningisverymuchasocialprocess:welearnfromourinteractionswithothers,thequestionsweask,theresponseswehear,theconversationswehave.Forthisreason,discussionsinthecoursewillbestudent-generated.Bythat,Imeanyouwillberesponsibleforalargepartofdeterminingwherediscussionswillgoandwhatyoufindimportant,note-worthy,andwhy.Iwillcertainlybepartofdiscussionsandwillhelpguidethem,butIexpectyoutobepreparedtotakepartinthemeaning-makingprocess. Becausethisisablendedcourse,itwillbeimportantthatyouengageinbi-weeklyonlinediscussions.Sometimesthediscussionswillbeheldamongthelargegroup;othertimes,you’llbedirectedtoconductsmall-groupdiscussions.Whilethetimingismoreflexible(youdon’tneedtobeonlinefrom2:00-3:15),youshouldbesuretodevoteatleast1.25hourstotheonlineinteractionsthatwe’llholdeveryotherThursday. Additionally,sincethisisawriting-intensivecourse,fromtime-to-time,theprimarytextweexamineinclasswillthewritingthatyouandyourclassmatesproduceinresponsetoanessayorbookwe’veread.Theclasscommunityshouldbepreparedtodiscussanonymoussamplesoftheirownandtheirclassmates’writingwithasmuchthoughtandconsiderationaswewouldapublishedtext.Oftentheideasyouandyourclassmatesgenerateinclassandinwritingcanprovideentrypointsforcritiquinglargerissuesrelevanttowomen’sstudies. Youmaymissoneclass(eitherface-to-faceoronline)withnopenaltytoyourgrade.Afteroneabsence,yourgradewillbeaffected.

Beingpresentforaclassmeansbeingtherefortheentireclassperiod.Threelatearrivalsorearlyexits(1-19minutes)willcountasoneabsence.Atardyofmorethan20minuteswillbecountedasanabsence.

STAYINGINCONTACTDon’thesitatetocontactmeeitherbyemail,text,orinmyoffice.Myjobistohelpyouwiththeworkofthiscourse,andIamalwayshappytomeetwithstudentstodiscussideasaboutourclassreadings,yourprojects,andmore.Mycontactinformationislistedonthefirstpageofthissyllabus.Ifatanypointthroughoutthesemesteryouwouldliketosendanemailtotheentireclass,ourclassemailiswgs-211@uwm.edu.

RespectfulParticipation:Pleasekeepanopenmindandberespectfulofyourfellowclassmateswhentheyarespeaking.Partofbeingrespectfulincludesgivingyourundividedattentionduringclass.Pleasesilenceandputawayyourdevicesduringclass,unlessyouaredirectedtousethemforanactivity.Participationpointswillbedeductedforusingdevicesunrelatedtoclasswork.

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HOMEWORKASSIGNMENTSEQUENCE:25%

Throughouttheterm,Iwillassignasequenceofreadingandwritingassignmentsdesignedtoguideyouthroughvariouscriticalreading,writing,research,andreflectivepractices.Thereare20assignmentsinall.Youareresponsibleforthoughtfullycompletingthemandturningtheminontime.

AssignmentswiththeirduedateswillalwaysbepostedundertheContentà“Assignments”sectionofourD2Lsite.Youareresponsibleforreading,completing,andsubmittingtheassignmentontime.

Ifforsomereasonyoumustmissaclassmeeting,pleasecontactmesowecanmakearrangementsforyoutokeepupwithclasswork.

CRITICALINTERSECTIONSPERSONALNARRATIVE:15%

Thisassignmentasksyoutowriteapersonalnarrativeaboutaneventortimeperiodinyourlifeandcriticallyexamineitssignificanceonshapingyouridentity.Thepurposeofthisactivityisbothtothinkaboutandputintowritingwaysinwhichyoumightpositionyourselfinandamongstmultipleformsofsocialpowerandsocialinstitutions,includingsex,gender,race,class,ethnicity,ability,nationality,sexualidentity,andsoforth.Thisnarrativeshouldfurtherworktohelpyouunderstandthebackgroundyoubringtoyourreadingandwritingandalsothebiaswithwhichyouapproachyourownresearch.Wewillreadseveralexamplesofthiskindofwritingandwilldiscussstrategiesandapproachesyoumighttryoutforthisassignment.Aseparatehandoutwithmoreinformationwillbepassedoutinclass.FINALRESEARCHPROJECT:20%

Thisprojectshouldgrowoutofyourcriticalintersectionsnarrative,anditasksyoutopracticefeministresearchandresearchwritingmethodsasyouexamineandcriticallyengagewithandinterrogateyourexperiences,biases,andintersectionspresentinyournarrative.Thefinalresearchprojectshouldbeanessayrangingabout10-12pages(butmaybelonger)inlengthandshouldincludeaworkscitedpage.Youwillhavetheopportunitytoworkonthisprojectthroughoutthesemester.Aseparatehandoutwithmoreinformationwillbepassedoutinclass.FINALPRESENTATION:15%

Everyonewillpresentanexcerptfromtheirfinalprojectandfieldquestionsandcommentsabouttheirproject.Thesepresentationswillbe10-12minutesandarescheduledfor5/1-5/16.Aseparatehandoutwithmoreinformationwillbepassedoutinclass.

FINALREFLECTION:5%

Thefinalassignmentforourclassisawrittenreflectioninwhichyouthinkbackonyourexperiencesworkingonyourresearchprojectthissemester,thechallengesyoufaced,the

LateWorkPolicy:Idonotacceptlatework.However,IwilldropthelowestscorefromtheH.W.assignmentsequence,soifyouhappentomissoneassignmentandreceivea0,itwillbedroppedandnotfactoredintoyourgrade.

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experiencesthatwererewarding,theknowledgeyoucreated.Amoredetailedassignmentpromptwillbehandedout.ThisreflectionisdueintheD2LDropboxbymidnight,5/16.PLAGIARISM

Plagiarismisaseriousoffence.Plagiarismiswhenyoucopyanother’sworkandpassitoffasyourown.Studentsareexpectedtomaintainthehigheststandardsofhonestyandintegrityintheiracademicwork.Anyonewhoisfoundtoplagiarizeanother’sworkwillbedealtwithtothefullestextentinaccordancewithuniversitypolicy.Forfurtherinformationonuniversitypoliciesforplagiarism,pleaseseehttp://www.uwm.edu/Dept/secU/SyllabusLinks.pdf.ADMINISTRATIVEDROP

InaccordancewithUWMregistrationpolicy,Iwilldrop,withoutnotification,anystudentwhomissesthefirstfullweekofclasstoallowotherstoadd.

RESOURCES:

Women’sandGenderStudiesOffices:http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/womensstudies/Curtin,535or414-229-5918

UWM’sWomen’sResourceCenter:http://www4.uwm.edu/wrc/wrc_interim/interim/index.cfmUnion,WG93

UWM’sLGBTResourceCenter:http://www.aux.uwm.edu/lgbt/Union,WG89

UWM’sInclusiveExcellenceCenter:http://www.uwm.edu/inclusiveexcellenceUnion,W119

AcademicResourceCenter(ARC):Ifyourequirespecialaccommodations,besuretoemailorseemewithyourVISAstatementthefirstweekofclasssoarrangementscanbemade.Ifyouhaven’talready,contacttheAcademicResourceCenterathttp://uwm.edu/arc/or229-6287.

NorrisHealthCenter:http://uwm4.edu/norris/or229-4716

UniversityPolicies:http://uwm.edu/secu/wp-content/uploads/sites/122/2016/12/Syllabus-Links.pdf

PreferredNameatUWM:http://uwm.edu/registrar/students/student-preferred-name/

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Pleasewritequestions,comments,and/orreflectionsyouhaveaboutthesyllabusinthisbox.

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WGS211Spring2018CourseSchedule*

Belowlistsreadingsandmajorassignmentsdueateachclassmeeting.AllcoursereadingsareavailableinD2L.Alongwiththebelowreadings,theassignmentshandedoutaspartoftheassignmentsequenceshouldalsobeturnedinontimeaslistedoneachassignmentprompt.AllassignmentpromptswillbepostedtoourD2Lsite.

Week11/23: Classintroductions,coursedescription&syllabus1/25: JaneGallop:“CloseEncounters:EthicsofReading”Week21/30: SandraHarding:“IsThereaFeministMethod?” SharleneNagyHesse-Biber:“Re-InvitationtoFeministResearchPractices” 2/1: ONLINECLASS D2LDiscussion:Feministresearchpractices Week32/6: GesaKirsch:EthicalDilemmasinFeministResearch,IntroductionandChapter12/8: GesaKirsch:EthicalDilemmas,Chapters2&3Week42/13: AbigailBrooks:“FeministStandpointEpistemology” 2/15: ONLINECLASS D2LDiscussion JacquelineJonesRoyster:“AcademicDiscourses” carmenkynard:“NewLifeinThisDormantCreature”Week52/20: PatriciaHillCollins:“BlackFeministEpistemology,”BlackFeministThought 2/22: bellhooks:“KeepingClosetoHome:Class&Education” Week62/27: AlisonBechdel:“ThatOldCatastrophe,”FunHome3/1: ONLINECLASS WorkshopCriticalIntersectionsPersonalNarrative Week73/6: WendySharer:“TracesoftheFamiliar:FamilyArchivesasPrimarySourceMaterial”3/8: RuthBehar:“WritinginMyFather’sName” CriticalIntersectionsPersonalNarrativedue

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Week83/13: SharleneNagyHesse-BiberandDeborahPiatelli:“HolisticReflexivity” 3/15: ONLINECLASS CompleteMidtermSurvey Workshopprojectproposalandresearchquestion(s)inwritinggroups Week9 SPRINGBREAKWeek103/27: JudithPreissle:“FeministResearchEthics” Revisedresearchquestion(s)&annotatedbibliographydueinD2LDropbox3/29: ElizabethBell:“OperationalizingFeministResearch”Week114/3: Annotatedbibliographydue 4/5: ONLINECLASS OnlineWritingGroups—SynthesizeideasWeek124/10: Samplestudentpaper 4/12: In-classwritingworkshopWeek134/17: NancySommers:“BetweentheDrafts” 4/19: ONLINECLASS OnlineWritingGroupsWeek144/23: In-classwritingworkshop Discusssamplepaper Selectpresentationdates/times 4/26: In-classwritingworkshopWeeks15-165/1-5/16**:FinalProjectPresentations5/16:FinalReflectionsdueinD2LDropboxbymidnight*TheScheduleissubjecttochangewithpriornotice.**OurExamBlockisscheduledfor5/16,12:30-2:30inourclassroom,EngelmannB73