WS 530: Comparative study of women's movements worldwide in past and present, to include discussion of issues such as female bonding, leadership, and women's goals and strategies to achieve them within local, national, and global contexts.

The Course

The purpose of this course is to examine the multiple ways in which women have organized to improve their lives in a variety of geopolitical settings, primarily over the past 20 years. We will look at factors such as race, class or income level, ethnicity, religion, sexual preference and age as they intersect with particular circumstances to affect women's goals and political strategies in local, national and global contexts.

Students should be able to:

• Describe factors which have influenced the presence or absence of women's movements in a range of countries
  
• Analyze the composition and effectiveness of women's movements as defined variously in differing locales
  
• Synthesize materials >from varying sources to create a better understanding of conditions which cause women to organize
  
• Comprehend links between political/economic structures and social action
  
• Improve critical thinking and writing skills through reflection papers and a research project

Course Texts

• The Challenge of Local Feminisms: Women's Movements in Global Perspective. Amrita Basu, ed. Westview Press, 1995. (Challenge)

• Mapping the Women's Movement. Monica Threlfall, ed. Verso, 1996. (Mapping)

• Beyond Beijing: The Next Step for Women. Joan Chittister. Sheed & Ward, 1996. (Beyond)

• Feminist Chronicles, 1953-1993. Toni Carabillo, Judith Meuli, June Bundy Csida. Women's Graphics, 1993.

Course Requirements:

1. Critical Reading and Participation (50% of course credit) This is meant to be a forum for critical reading and exchange of ideas. You are expected to prepare a one/two page assessment of each week's readings (10 of these will be averaged to compute your grade in this section of the course). Each paper is due at class time the day we will be discussing that set of readings. No late papers will be accepted. Be sure to include:

1) A brief, critical (in the analytic sense) summary of author's views (what theoretical perspective dominates; what central questions inform the ideas presented)

2) Relate the reading(s) to the purposes of this seminar (comparison of central ideas)

3) Identify relevant questions for discussion. As we move through the course, you should also relate what you have read before to that week's materials

2. Research paper. (50% of course credit) You are expected to develop a substantial paper which examines a topic relevant to the course. Since we are looking at International Women's Movements, the range of topics is broad. Some possible areas might include:

• A specific geopolitical area of the world, focusing on women's movements. You will want to take into account differences among women as well as commonalities.

• A specific perspective on women's movements reflected in a non-US setting. Here you might look at nationalist movements, or radical collectives, or peace movements initiated/linked to feminism, for example.

• A thread or issue for feminists in more than one society. Here, you might look at work place organizing in more than one setting; or, you might trace political activity around sexuality, or around reproductive choice; or around economic opportunities.

• A historical comparison of women's movement activities in the U.S. and in another country.

Final papers must include current bibliography (at least five scholarly sources beyond texts), and should be no longer than 25 pages. Please schedule a conference early in the semester, as you must identify your topic by week four. Drafts are due week 11 (April 17). You are responsible for presentation and discussion of your topic before the group. Final papers are due the last class session. Late papers will not be accepted without prior consultation with me.

Jan 30 Week 1: Introduction to the course - Central Questions. Feb 06 Week 2: Beginning where we are and were in the United States Read: Mapping, Introduction and Brenner, "Best of Times..." . Feb 13 Week 3: Finding and Defining Women's Movements NOTE: 4-5:15 p.m., meet in Library Room 76 Read: Challenges, Introduction, and Wolfe, "Feminism Lives: Building a Multicultural Women's Movement in the U.S." . Feb 20 Week 4: Beginning Cross-National Perspectives - China Read: Challenges, Zhang, "Discovering the Positive Within the Negative" NOTE: Select Research Topic. Feb 27 Week 5: Other Asian Perspectives: India, Bangladesh and Phillipines Read: Challenges, Kumar, "From Chipko to Sati..." Jahan, "Men in Seclusion, Women in Public" and Santiago, "Rebirthing Babaye..." . Mar 06 Week 6: Africa and the Middle East Read: Challenges, Kemp et al, "The Dawn of a New Day..." Hubbard & Solomon, "The Many Faces of Feminism in Namibia" Oduol and Kabira, "The Mother of Warriors and Her Daughters" and Abdullah, "Wifeism and Activism" (International Women's Day, March 8) . Mar 13 Week 7: Latin America - Peru and Chile Read: Challenges, Blondet, "Out of the Kitchen and Onto the Streets" Frohmann and Valdes, "Democracy in the Country and in the Home". Mar 20 Week 8: Latin America - Brazil and Mexico Read: Challenges, Soares et al, "Brazilian Feminism and Women's Movements" and Lamas et al, "Building Bridges".

Apr 03 Week 9: Women's Movements in Eastern Europe Read: Challenges, Waters & Posadskaya, "Democracy Without Women is No Democracy" Matynia, "Finding a Voice" and Jenson, "Extending the Boundaries of Citizenship" and Mapping, Watson, "The Rise of Masculinism in Eastern Europe. Apr 10 Week 10: Women of Europe - France, Italy and Spain Read: Mapping, Jenson, "Representations of Difference" Threlfall, "Feminist Politics and Social Change in Spain" Beccalli, "The Modern Women's Movement in Italy". Apr 17 Week 11: Two Striking Contrasts: Japan and Ireland Read: Mapping, Mackie, "Feminist Critiques of Modern Japanese Politics" and Mahon, "Women's Rights and Catholicism in Ireland". NOTE: Research paper drafts are due Apr 24 Week 12: The Fourth United Nations Conference on Women Read: Beyond Beijing. Weeks 13, 14 and 15 are reserved for student presentations