Assignments

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Feminism in an International Context
Women Studies 305, Winter 2007

Participation & Engagement

Attendance and active participation in class discussions by all students will be crucial to the success of our class meetings. You are expected to complete the readings by the day they are listed in the syllabus and be prepared to discuss them in depth by raising relevant questions, concerns, insights, and responses. Students are encouraged to contribute postings to the on-line class EPost discussion board as another means of exchanging ideas and collectively reflecting upon issues raised in class. Your class participation grade is based on your preparation for and contributions to class discussion, and is judged not by the quantity of your comments but by their quality. This means that the more time you spend reading and thinking about the issues in the readings, the better your final grade will probably be. Occasionally you will be asked to write and turn in questions or reflections on our readings during class; these exercises will count toward your participation and engagement grade.

Class Facilitation

Students will sign up for one of four student presentation groups (each subdivided into three smaller groupings of 3-4 students). I will circulate a sign-up sheet on the second day of class, during which time you can choose the class you'd like to help facilitate. These groups will collectively lead a 15-minute class discussion or activity focused on one of the books covered in the course. Each group will be expected to generate reading responses and questions that they will post one day in advance (by 10:00 pm the night before) on the course EPost online discussion board. In addition to planning your facilitation, at the class meeting immediately following your presentation, each member of your group should submit a two-page reflection describing your group's objectives for your facilitation, your individual role in planning the activity, and your evaluation of your group's performance as a whole. Your class facilitation will be graded with a √+ (excellent), √ (good), or √- (does not fulfill assignment).

Midterm Exam

Students will take one in-class exam during the first 45 minutes of class on Tuesday, January 18. The exam will include definitions and short essay questions.

Website Analysis Paper

Students will write a five-page analysis of a website using feminist forms of cultural critique introduced in class. A handout with more details about the assignment will be distributed two weeks before the due date. [Website Analysis handout]

TIPS FOR WEB SEARCHING & ANALYSIS:

If you are using Google, use an advanced search.

In "find results," type in the keywords (i.e. women, feminism, feminists, health, body, work, country name, etc.) you want to search. Be aware that the types of keywords you choose will relate to certain types of sites (i.e. "food" or "security" are likely to be produce hits for UN or development-type organizations).
For domain, choose "only" and type ".org" into the box. This will limit your search to websites of organizations, effectively eliminating all commercial sites. This is a great way to search, for example, for NGOs.
You can also limit your search by language (if for example you can read a foreign language) or by country domain (i.e. ".uk" for United Kingdom).

Try searching by directory:

Google Directory Search
Yahoo Directory Search

Type in your keywords and choose "in Directory" from the drag-down box on the right.
By looking at and clicking on the nested category description listed beneath each website pulled up, you can broaden your search to similar types of websites.

Search the Librarian's Index to the Internet, a searchable, browsable collection of over 16,000 content-rich Websites.

When you run a search, you might end up on a page in the middle of the site. Always track back to the home page (if there isn't a home button, you can usually just truncate the web address to get there) in order to understand the overall context of what you have pulled up.

Look at "about our organization" or "about us" information to understand who publishes the site, their affiliations, and intended audience. Companies usually list their investors or annual reports, information that can be very telling.

Think about representational issues embedded within the search engines themselves. When you type in certain keywords, are you suprised by the kinds of websites they bring up? Compare the types of websites that come up in the main Google panel with the sites in the column on the right (companies and organizations who have paid for certain keywords). Who is being positioned or marketed to as an agent (with purchasing power) versus who is being positioned as an object? How is this positioning achieved? All of this is potential material for your analysis!

PAST WEBSITES SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS:

The following are website that students have used in the past for this assignment. I have grouped them in a provisional way by theme. There are obviously overlaps (I've included a few sites in more than one group) and other possible ways of categorizing. Think of this archive as a resource for thinking about the assignment and as a growing list that you can add to.

DISCLAIMER: Neither the students or instructor of this course necessarily endorse the following websites. They have been selected in conjunction with an assignment that asks students to analyze a website (related to gender issues within an international context) using feminist forms of cultural critique examined in class.

Anti-Violence and Exploitation
Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, S. Africa
People Opposing Women Abuse, S. Africa [SAMPLE PAPER #1]
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Polaris Project
Survivor Project
Wirringa Baiya: Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre

Health (see also Reproductive Issues below)
EngenderHealth
Family Health International
International Women's Health Coalition

Leadership
All-China Women's Federation
Feminist International Radio Endeavour/FIRE

Religiously Affiliated
Allaahuakbar.net
Ladies Against Feminism
Muslim Women's League
Na'amat-Israeli Women's Organization

Reproductive Issues
Catholics for a Free Choice
Centro Latinoamericano de Salud y Mujer
Ladies Against Feminism

Political/National Organizations
All-China Women's Federation
Na'amat-Israeli Women's Organization [SAMPLE PAPER #2]
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)

Sex/Gender/Sexuality
Romanceopedia.com, Being Intersexual
Muslim Hijras in India and Pakistan

Women's Rights (as Human Rights)
Association for Women's Rights in Development
Feminist Majority Foundation
Global Fund For Women [SAMPLE PAPER #3]
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)
South Asia Forum For Human Rights

STYLE GUIDES FOR REFERNCES:

The Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Guide
The American Anthropological Association (AAA) Style Guide

EPost Commentary

For the reading assigned for Thursday, February 1, students will post a two-paragraph response to reading questions that will be distributed in advance. These posts must be made by midnight on 2/1 to receive credit. Students will also post a 1-paragraph response to another student's posting. These posts must be made by midnight on 2/2 to receive credit. [Dangaremba/EPost handout]

Final Exam Essay

Your final examination will consist of essay questions that will be handed out on the last day of class. This exam will cover material from all units of our class. Your final exam essay in due by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 to the Women Studies main office (Padelford B110). No extensions can be granted.

Update

Please note the additional refinements, based on your input in class, that have been made to the Class Facilitation assignment. To see who is in your class facilitation group, see the class schedule.

Women Studies Writing Center

The CHID/AES/Women Studies Writing Center is staffed by trained peer tutors who are in advanced years in these three programs. We will help you with your written work at any stage, from understanding an assignment and brainstorming ideas through to constructing arguments and writing drafts. We are here to provide a sounding board and help you get your thoughts on paper in the appropriate form. We are not here to proofread or edit your work, but we will help you develop the skills and master the resources you will need to do this for yourself.

Assignments

[an error occurred while processing this directive] Home Syllabus Schedule Assignments Notes Links UW Women Studies	[an error occurred while processing this directive] Feminism in an International Context Women Studies 305, Winter 2007 Participation & Engagement Attendance and active participation in class discussions by all students will be crucial to the success of our class meetings. You are expected to complete the readings by the day they are listed in the syllabus and be prepared to discuss them in depth by raising relevant questions, concerns, insights, and responses. Students are encouraged to contribute postings to the on-line class EPost discussion board as another means of exchanging ideas and collectively reflecting upon issues raised in class. Your class participation grade is based on your preparation for and contributions to class discussion, and is judged not by the quantity of your comments but by their quality. This means that the more time you spend reading and thinking about the issues in the readings, the better your final grade will probably be. Occasionally you will be asked to write and turn in questions or reflections on our readings during class; these exercises will count toward your participation and engagement grade. Class Facilitation Students will sign up for one of four student presentation groups (each subdivided into three smaller groupings of 3-4 students). I will circulate a sign-up sheet on the second day of class, during which time you can choose the class you'd like to help facilitate. These groups will collectively lead a 15-minute class discussion or activity focused on one of the books covered in the course. Each group will be expected to generate reading responses and questions that they will post one day in advance (by 10:00 pm the night before) on the course EPost online discussion board. In addition to planning your facilitation, at the class meeting immediately following your presentation, each member of your group should submit a two-page reflection describing your group's objectives for your facilitation, your individual role in planning the activity, and your evaluation of your group's performance as a whole. Your class facilitation will be graded with a √+ (excellent), √ (good), or √- (does not fulfill assignment). Midterm Exam Students will take one in-class exam during the first 45 minutes of class on Tuesday, January 18. The exam will include definitions and short essay questions. Website Analysis Paper Students will write a five-page analysis of a website using feminist forms of cultural critique introduced in class. A handout with more details about the assignment will be distributed two weeks before the due date. [Website Analysis handout] TIPS FOR WEB SEARCHING & ANALYSIS: If you are using Google, use an advanced search. In "find results," type in the keywords (i.e. women, feminism, feminists, health, body, work, country name, etc.) you want to search. Be aware that the types of keywords you choose will relate to certain types of sites (i.e. "food" or "security" are likely to be produce hits for UN or development-type organizations). For domain, choose "only" and type ".org" into the box. This will limit your search to websites of organizations, effectively eliminating all commercial sites. This is a great way to search, for example, for NGOs. You can also limit your search by language (if for example you can read a foreign language) or by country domain (i.e. ".uk" for United Kingdom). Try searching by directory: Google Directory Search Yahoo Directory Search Type in your keywords and choose "in Directory" from the drag-down box on the right. By looking at and clicking on the nested category description listed beneath each website pulled up, you can broaden your search to similar types of websites. Search the Librarian's Index to the Internet, a searchable, browsable collection of over 16,000 content-rich Websites. When you run a search, you might end up on a page in the middle of the site. Always track back to the home page (if there isn't a home button, you can usually just truncate the web address to get there) in order to understand the overall context of what you have pulled up. Look at "about our organization" or "about us" information to understand who publishes the site, their affiliations, and intended audience. Companies usually list their investors or annual reports, information that can be very telling. Think about representational issues embedded within the search engines themselves. When you type in certain keywords, are you suprised by the kinds of websites they bring up? Compare the types of websites that come up in the main Google panel with the sites in the column on the right (companies and organizations who have paid for certain keywords). Who is being positioned or marketed to as an agent (with purchasing power) versus who is being positioned as an object? How is this positioning achieved? All of this is potential material for your analysis! PAST WEBSITES SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS: The following are website that students have used in the past for this assignment. I have grouped them in a provisional way by theme. There are obviously overlaps (I've included a few sites in more than one group) and other possible ways of categorizing. Think of this archive as a resource for thinking about the assignment and as a growing list that you can add to. DISCLAIMER: Neither the students or instructor of this course necessarily endorse the following websites. They have been selected in conjunction with an assignment that asks students to analyze a website (related to gender issues within an international context) using feminist forms of cultural critique examined in class. Anti-Violence and Exploitation Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, S. Africa People Opposing Women Abuse, S. Africa *[SAMPLE PAPER #1]* Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Polaris Project Survivor Project Wirringa Baiya: Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre Health (see also Reproductive Issues below) EngenderHealth Family Health International International Women's Health Coalition Leadership All-China Women's Federation Feminist International Radio Endeavour/FIRE Religiously Affiliated Allaahuakbar.net Ladies Against Feminism Muslim Women's League Na'amat-Israeli Women's Organization Reproductive Issues Catholics for a Free Choice Centro Latinoamericano de Salud y Mujer Ladies Against Feminism Political/National Organizations All-China Women's Federation Na'amat-Israeli Women's Organization *[SAMPLE PAPER #2]* Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) Sex/Gender/Sexuality Romanceopedia.com, Being Intersexual Muslim Hijras in India and Pakistan Women's Rights (as Human Rights) Association for Women's Rights in Development Feminist Majority Foundation Global Fund For Women *[SAMPLE PAPER #3]* Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) South Asia Forum For Human Rights STYLE GUIDES FOR REFERNCES: The Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Guide The American Anthropological Association (AAA) Style Guide EPost Commentary For the reading assigned for Thursday, February 1, students will post a two-paragraph response to reading questions that will be distributed in advance. These posts must be made by midnight on 2/1 to receive credit. Students will also post a 1-paragraph response to another student's posting. These posts must be made by midnight on 2/2 to receive credit. [Dangaremba/EPost handout] Final Exam Essay Your final examination will consist of essay questions that will be handed out on the last day of class. This exam will cover material from all units of our class. Your final exam essay in due by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 to the Women Studies main office (Padelford B110). No extensions can be granted.	Update Please note the additional refinements, based on your input in class, that have been made to the Class Facilitation assignment. To see who is in your class facilitation group, see the class schedule. Women Studies Writing Center The CHID/AES/Women Studies Writing Center is staffed by trained peer tutors who are in advanced years in these three programs. We will help you with your written work at any stage, from understanding an assignment and brainstorming ideas through to constructing arguments and writing drafts. We are here to provide a sounding board and help you get your thoughts on paper in the appropriate form. We are not here to proofread or edit your work, but we will help you develop the skills and master the resources you will need to do this for yourself.
Send mail to: swelland@u.washington.edu Last modified: 2/12/2007 8:42 AM [an error occurred while processing this directive] (Please note: every effort will be made to respond to email within 72 hours.)