Link Back To Pat Washington Homepage
Link to Women and Violence Course Syllabus
Link to Women and Violence Course Outline
Link to Sex and Power Syllabus
Link to Sex and Power Outline
(Classes scheduled January 27, 1997 through May 15, 1997)
Note: Students will have 25 minutes of class time to
Class Participation:
Students are expected to keep current with reading assignments and to be prepared to discuss them on the days they appear on the course outline. Class participation will be evaluated periodically throughout the semester. Students earn class participation grades by demonstrating that they (1) have carefully read the assigned readings by dates indicated on the course outline; (2) have analyzed the major issues raised in the assigned readings and can articulate those issues during class discussion; and (3) can discuss the relationship between the major issues raised in the assigned reading and other course materials. Overall course participation credit is derived from the average of interim participation grades.
Conference Participation in lieu of Exams 1 and 2:
On February 21 -23, 1997, The Women's Resource Center at SDSU will be hosting the "Sixth Annual National Conference on Campus Sexual Violence." The instructor for this course and another Women's Studies faculty member are organizing a panel entitled "Interpersonal and Culturally Homophobic Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men," scheduled to take place Saturday, February 22, 1997, from 10:00 am to 11:15 am.
Students enrolled in WS 496 may elect to substitute a conference paper and oral presentation on the panel for exams 1 and 2. A student who chooses this option must (1) submit a draft of the paper and a working bibliography to me (for feedback and suggestions) by February 6, 1997; (2) submit a revised draft of the paper by February 13, 1997; and (3) present the paper at the conference panel on Saturday, February 22, 1997. No late papers will be accepted for this option. Minimum paper guidelines: Paper must be 7 -10 double-spaced, typewritten pages, with bibliography and appropriate citations. Students may refer to course texts; however, there should be a minimum of 5 books and/or scholarly articles used in addition to texts used in the Women and Violence course. Paper should follow approved format for footnotes and bibliography (either social science or humanities form is acceptable; just be consistent).
Disability Access:
Students with disabilities who feel they may have access issues are invited to discuss their concerns with the instructor early in the semester. They are also urged to register with Disabled Student Services, ext. 46473, if they have not already done so.
Electronic Mail Listserver:
An electronic mail listserv has been established for this course (WS496@lists.sdsu. edu). All students are expected to subscribe to and participate actively in this electronic mail forum. Both class participation grades and quiz grades will be partially derived from work on the WS 496 listserv. There will be at least a two-week response time allotted for graded work assigned via e-mail.
Examinations:
A total of three examinations will be administered throughout the semester, each counting 25% of the student's final course grade. Each exam will be comprehensive or cumulative (i.e. it will test information covered up to that point in the semester). Information covered on exams may be taken directly from course readings, audiovisual materials, individual assignments, group presentations, guest lectures, class discussion, and related materials. Exam 1 is scheduled for March 4; exam 2 is scheduled for April 15; and exam 3 is scheduled for May 20th, during the final examination period. Exams 1, 2, & 3 will take approximately one hour and fifteen minutes each. Each examination will consist of essay, multiple choice, completion, and/or true/false questions. (See "Conference participation in lieu of exams 1 & 2" for alternative option).
Group Presentations:
Throughout the semester, groups of students will be required to conduct a 20-minute class presentation on selected topics. Presenters will also be responsible for facilitating a five-minute question and answer period at the conclusion of their presentation. Manner of presentation is flexible. Students are strongly encouraged to be creative, as long as their presentation is grounded in factual information about the subject matter.
Regardless of whether the presentation is about an individual or group, or historical or contemporary event, presenters must draw attention to some local, state, national, or individual forms of violence against (or by) women in the U.S. or abroad. Presenters must also identify individual and/or collective efforts to combat the form of violence they are addressing, and they must facilitate suitable class discussion around the presentation material.
By the third week of class, students must have self-selected into groups of five to six persons, for the purpose of working collectively to develop the group presentation. By the end of the fifth week of class, each group, as a whole, must submit 1 -2 typewritten pages featuring (a) group presentation topic, (b) preliminary list of references/resources, & (c) presentation objectives. Members of each group or a group representative must meet with the instructor or T.A. at least one week prior to presentation date. Points will be deducted from final presentation grade for failure to do so. Group presentations will be scheduled throughout the semester, starting with week IX. Order of presentation will be by lottery.
Any group presentations that have not been given by the final class of the semester will be given during the final examination period for this class.
Finally, each group must submit a typewritten 2 - 3 page summary of the group project to the instructor by the conclusion of the next class period after their presentation. The typewritten summary should include (1) the in-group grade described below; (2) a valid description of the major issues addressed within the presentation, an assessment of how effectively those issues were covered in the presentation, and an evaluation of class discussion which followed; and (3) three potential examination questions with correct answers--based on the information covered in the group presentation--that the group members would like the instructor to consider for course examinations. A portion of the instructor's grade for the group presentation will be based on the quality of the group's written project summary.
Grading of group presentations:
The group as a whole, as well as individuals within the group, will be evaluated by their non-group classmates and by the instructor (and T.A.). Non-group classmates will receive evaluation guidelines and grading forms, which must be completed, signed, dated, and returned to the instructor by the end of the class period during which the presentation being evaluated took place. Each group, as a whole, will also be asked to submit grades for individual group members, based on frank evaluations of each member's contributions to the group project. In-group participation grades should be submitted as part 1 of the group's required typewritten summary cited above. In effect, each individual receives three sets of grades for her or his group presentation: (1) the in-group grade, assigned by the group as a whole; (2) the average of grades assigned specifically to that individual by peers and instructor; and (3) the average of grades assigned to the group as a whole by peers and instructor.
These three sets of grades are then added together and averaged for the individual's final group presentation grade. Any student who has not participated in a group presentation by May 20 will receive an "F" for this particular course requirement.
Make-up Examination Policy:
(Also applies to other course assignments). There will be no make-up exams for this course unless student notifies instructor in advance of the exam and provides an officially documented reason for missed work.
Policy against Cheating and Plagiarism:
Copying or "borrowing" other people's thoughts, ideas, or writing without giving them credit in your writings (or oral comments) is a serious violation of academic standards. Any act of plagiarism committed by a student enrolled in this class will be treated in accordance with departmental and/or university regulations. Purchasing papers from "vendors" or submitting any other person's work as one's own -- even with that person's permission -- is also considered plagiarism and will be treated as such.
Quizzes:
Quizzes, announced and unannounced, will be administered throughout the semester, both in class and on the WS496 listserv. The primary purpose of the quizzes is to measure students' fulfillment of reading assignments, as well as to gauge their understanding of assigned texts. Nevertheless, some quizzes may also cover class discussion, audiovisuals and lecture materials. Overall quiz grade will be the average of interim quiz grades.