COURSE SYLLABUS

This course is a seminar within the Women’s Studies Minor and also serves as an elective in both Social Work and Psychology. The content is a blending of readings from journal articles, poetry, and prose. The purpose of the readings is to help participants reflect on their own personal experiences with women’s development and the external factors which shape and influence them. Each person will also keep a journal to help capture the meaning of the readings and the experience of the course.

Required Reading: Herman J. (1992) Trauma and Recovery. Basic Books.

September 9th: Introduction of course. Sharing of objectives and concepts related to women's adult development. The group will begin identifying concepts that have personal and/or professional meaning for each participant. Sharing of resources (books, articles and speakers.)


September 14th: Constraints of Culture: Discussion of Traditional Theory and its Treatment. Review of Freud, Horney, Adler, Mead, & Erikson, and others.
Reading:
Pierce Jennifer. L. (1989). The relation between emotion, work and hysteria: a feminist reinterpretation of Freud's studies on Hysteria. Women's Studies, 16, pp. 255- 270.
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Chudleigh, Lady Mary (1656-1710). To The Ladies.
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Barba, Sharon. A Cycle of Women From Rising Tides.
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Virginia Woolf A Room of One’s Own. End of Chapter One
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September 16th & 21st Voices of Diversity. Trials and challenges: strengths, resiliences and coping mechanisms.
Reading:
Robinson, Christine Renee. (1983). Black Women. A
Tradition of self-reliant strength. Women and Therapy
2-3), pp. 135-144.
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Walker, Alice. In Search of Our Mother’s Garden.
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Canaan, Andrea. “Browness.”
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Rushin, Donna Kate. “The Bridge Poem” 1983.
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Giovanni, Nikki. “Nikki Rosa” 1996.
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Morejon, Nancy. “Mother” from AIN’T I A WOMAN.
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September 23rd& 28th: Adolescence - "Stay out, stay under ...Finding, Losing, Hiding Voice. Socialization of girls and adolescents and its effect on development of adult women.
Readings:
Gilligan, C. Lyons, N. and Hammer, Trudy. (1990)
Making Connections. Prologue and Preface, pp. 1-29.

Kaplan, A. and Klein, Rona. (1985). "The Relational Self in Late Adolescent Women". Abstract from the Stone Center of Wellesley College. Other version in "Women's Growth in Connection" (1983).

Piercy, Marge. Barbie Doll.

Wong, Nellie. When I was Growing Up.

Hyett, Barbara Helfgott. Girlfield, The Miss America
Parade.

The Bath. Barbara Helfgott Hyett

Tepperman, Jean. ”Witch”, from Ain’t I A Woman.

Brooks, Gwendolyn. A Song in the Front Yard

Olds, Sharon. Adolescence.

Lee, Mary Hope. “On Not Being”.

September 30th & Oct.5th: “Personal Visions/Personal Constraints” The experiences of women’s lives as described in poetry, fiction and their everyday existence. How women find meaning through personal, social and cultural roles.
Reading:
Aptheker, Bettina. (1989) Tapestries of Life - The Dailiness of Women's Lives. Chapter 2, pp. 37-74.

Giovanni, Nikki. Hands: For Mother’s Day. From:
THOSE WHO RIDE THE NIGHT WINDS, Quill, Wm. Morrow,
NY, 1983.

Wong, Nellie. Moving to Her new House. From AN EAR
TO THE GROUND, Univ. of Georgia Press, Athens, GA. 1989.

Rich, Adrienne. Last verse from Transcendental Etude
from THE DREAM OF A COMMON LANGUAGE, W.W., Norton, NY 1977.

Bhatt, Sujata. Muliebrity.

Home Place. From: FIVE WOMEN THAT I AM, Bell Books.

October 7th: – 1st ASSIGNMENT DUE –
Reading:
Judy Herman - Part I, pp. 1-129. Trauma & Recovery.
Discussion of Part I

October 7th: Further discussion of Herman’s book in reference to
How these issues continue to impact women’s lives within this country and globally.

October 12th & 14th: Women as Mothers: The joys, pains and responsibilities.
Readings:
Birns, Beverly (1985). The Mother Infant Tie: 50 years of Theory, Science and Science Fiction. The Stone Center.

Ruddick, Sara.(1989). Maternal Thinking. Part I,pp.3-27.

Helfgott-Hyett, Barbara - From Natural Law - For a Miscarried Child.

Steinbergh, Judy - From “Motherwriter”.

McKim, Elizabeth, - “My Ma”.

Hemschemeyer, Judith. “Anger was Hers”.

Tahnahga - “Giving Book” - “Suburban Indian Pride”.

“First Birth”

October 19th - Viewing of the Burning Times. Discussion of Women as Healers and Goddesses in Pre-Christian times –witchcraft and the response of society to Woman’s power.

October21st: Guest speaker: Robin Melevalin, Director of International Programs will discuss women’s issues globally reporting on the international conferences held in Kenya, China and Cuba.

October 26th & 28th: Women as Adults – Development of Self and Relationships to Others.
Reading:
Berzoff, Joan. Spring (1989) From Separation to Connection: Shifts of Understanding Women's Development.
Affilia, 4, No. 1, 45-58.

Berzoff, Joan (1990). Fusion and Heterosexual Women's
Friendships: Implications for Expanding Our Adult Develop-
mental Theories. Women and Therapy. Vol.8(4),93-107.

November 2nd: Mid-life Women:

Shomer, Enid. “A Woman at Forty”.

Dine, Carol. “Midlife”.

Aiesenberg, Nadya. “Middle Aged Love Song II”.

Rich, Adrienne. “The Middle Aged”.

McKim, Elizabeth. “Middle Age”.

Moraga, Cherie. “The Welder”.

November 4th: Research papers due: Discussion of topics and findings and questions raised. Class members will begin formulating interview questions with each other.

November 9th &10th: (Nov.11th no class: Nov 10th: Thursday classes meet)
Women’s Sexuality
Readings:
Kirkpatirck, Martha (1989) “Middle Age and the Lesbian Experience”. Women Studies Quarterly, pp. 87-96.

Piercy, Marge. “Morning Athletes”.

Rich, Adrienne. “Paula Becker to Clara Westhoff”.

November 16th, 18th and 23rd: Class Presentations

November 30th: Women and Aging.
Readings: Reinharz, Shulanit, Friends or Foes: “Gerontological and Feminist Theory”.

Sarton, May. “Toward Another Dimension”

Gunn Allen, Paula. “Indian Summer”

Agosin, Marjorie. “Mirror of Strength”

December2nd: Judy Herman’s book – Part II – pgs. 133-236.
Summary and Discussion.

December 7th:

Women’s Health Issues – Guest Speaker – Lydia Burack or the new director of the health center
Readings:
Each class member will read an article of her/his choice regarding a current health issue impacting women

December 9th: Women and Substance Abuse

Readings from Out of the Shadow

December 14th: Summary of semester. Where to go from here –
Institutional changes, etc.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

Journal Writing: Beginning the first week of the course and continuing throughout the semester, a personal journal will be kept by each participant. The journal will contain each person's thoughts, feelings, questions, and insights of issues relevant to women and to oneself. In addition to one's own expressions, journals may include articles, news events or poems which have meaning to the person. The first of each month the journal will be passed in to the instructor. At the end of the course, the journals will be summarized into main themes and shared with the discretion of each participant. The journal itself and the summary will be passed into the instructor on December 2nd
(15% of grade). After each section of readings, please add personal reflections as to what meaning the poems, articles, and/or class discussion had for you.

Readings: Write a paper in which you take the significant themes from Part I of Judy Herman’s book and summarize them. Discuss what questions were raised for you and in what ways this book added new learning, reinforced and/or changed previous learning. Due Oct. 7th-(15%).

Research paper & class presentation: Due November 4th. Review current literature on your chosen topic. Write a literature review highlighting a minimum of five themes which you will later discuss in your interviews. Connect these themes to the psychological and social impact they have on women’s development. Conclude your paper with a brief summary of changes you would make to more positively impact women’s lives.

Class Presentations: Nov 16th, 18th and 23rd
Participants who will be presenting in class will lead a 1/2 hour discussion reviewing the literature and identifying five themes as stated above. Presenters will cover the same content as those who wrote papers and will pass in an outline and references while others pass in a 6-8 page paper (30% of grade)

Interview summary: Due November 23rd: A brief 2-4 page summary of interviews with 2 adult women who specifically addressed your concept paper. (15% of grade) Point out each theme and describe how it was experienced by the women you interviewed. Compare these responses to what you learned in your research.

Class Participation:
Each participant is a valued member of the seminar group. Your presence, questions, impressions, comments all contribute to the learning experience of each of us. (10% of grade)

DUE December 2nd: Write a summary of the main themes covered in Part II Trauma and Recovery. Critique this book in terms of its usefulness to you as a person. What parts did you find difficult, disturbing, enlightening, etc.? Would you recommend this book to others? If so, why or why not? What questions would be useful for class discussion? (15% of grade)