Instructor:  Dr. A. McCandless
Office:   327 Maybank / 210 B Randolph Hall
Telephone:  953-8025 / 953-5527
Office Hours: 8:00-9:15 TR or by appointment
E-mail: mccandlessa@cofc.edu
Web: https://www.cofc.edu/~mccandla/amym.htm
 
 

Purpose of the Course:
History 252 focuses on women and gender in Europe from ancient times to the present.  Researching women's history and including gender as a historical construct not only help us preserve the distinctive contributions of women to western civilization but also force us to rethink historical categories of class, race, region, and periodization.  Indeed, historians Anderson and Zinsser have argued that "gender has been the most important factor in shaping the lives of European women" (A History of Their Own xv).

Readings:
Bridenthal et al., Becoming Visible: Women in European History, 3rd edition
DiCaprio, Lives and Voices: Sources in European Women's History
Robins, Women in Ancient Egypt
Woolf, A Room of One's Own
WWW documents as indicated
All readings are required and should be completed by the date indicated in the syllabus.

Class Participation and Attendance:
Much of the historical material on women is very provocative, and you will want to discuss the individuals and ideas introduced in the text and readings.  You cannot do this if you are a) absent, b) asleep, or c) unprepared.  Completion of assignments and participation in discussion are important to the success of the class (and your grade).  Quizzes will be given periodically to encourage timely completion of reading assignments.  Since I drop the lowest quiz/worksheet grade, there will be no make-ups for quizzes.  A doctor's excuse is required to make up an exam. Students are encouraged to relate their own research to topics covered in the lectures and readings and to present portions of their work to the class.

Collective Biography Project (cbp):
Each student will prepare a collective biography which profiles the life of a woman from a specific racial/ethnic background, social status, time period, and region.  The project is designed to familiarize students with the diverse historical categories and sources which need to be considered to understand the economic, social, political, and ideological factors which make the female experience distinct.  As the descriptor "collective" suggests, the biography will focus on a "generic" individual within a particular historical framework.

Students will examine the ways in which gender shapes the religious experiences, family life, economic roles, and political and legal status of their individuals.  Research findings will be presented to the class and results turned in to the instructor in essay form.  Each essay should be between three to five typewritten pages and will be due as follows:

 Family Life -- September 23
 Religious experiences -- October 14
 Economic roles -- November 4
 Legal and Political Status -- November 18

These segments will be integrated into a final paper due 2 December.  The collective biography should be between 12-20 typewritten pages with footnotes or endnotes in the humanities format.  Criteria for content and format are described in the paper worksheet.

Midterm Examination:
There will be a mid-term examination 28 September 2004.  The exam will include identifications, short answers, and essays taken from the class discussions and readings.

Final Examination:
There will be a comprehensive final examination.  The exam will include identifications, short answers, and essays taken from the class discussions and readings.

Grading:
Final grades will be calculated by averaging scores on the mid-term examination (20 percent), collective biography project (40 percent--includes grades on four topical essays and on the final paper), class participation and attendance (20 percent--includes presentations of student research, participation in discussions, quizzes and worksheets), and final examination (20 percent). The following grading scale will be used:  90-100 = A; 86-89 = B+; 80-85 = B; 76-79 = C+; 70-75 = C; 60-69 = D; 0-59 = F.

Aug 24    Course Introduction
Bridenthal 1-13; DiCaprio 1-8

Aug 26    The First Civilizations: Mesopotamia
Bridenthal 27-42; DiCaprio 9-34
https://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/1650nesilim.html

Aug 31    Film: Out of the Past, The Hearth; choose cbp topic
worksheet

Sep 02    Discussion: Women in  Ancient Egypt
Robins

Sep 07    Discussion: Women in  Ancient Egypt
Robins

Sep 09    Film: History of Drama, Classical Comedy, Aristophanes: Women in Power
https://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/wlgr/

Sep 14    Greek Images of Women
Bridenthal 48-69;  DiCaprio 35-64

Sep 16    Women in Ancient Rome
Bridenthal 78-91; DiCaprio 65-84

Sep 21    Film: I, Claudius, Family Affairs

Sep 23   Individual Student Findings: Family Life
Cbp essays due on Family Life

Sep 28    MIDTERM EXAMINATION

Sep 30    Women and Early Christianity
Bridenthal 91-100;  DiCaprio 84-101

Oct 05    Women in the Early Middle Ages
Bridenthal 105-126; DiCaprio 102-139
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITH W

Oct 07    Women in the High and Late Middle Ages
Bridenthal 129-150; DiCaprio 140-162

Oct 12   Film: Joan of Arc

Oct 14    Individual Student Findings: Religion
Cbp essays due on Religion

Oct 19    FALL BREAK

Oct 21    Women in the Renaissance and Reformation
Bridenthal 153- 201; DiCaprio 163-174, 198-200

Oct 26   The Enlightenment and French Revolution
Bridenthal 233-292; DiCaprio 248-255

Oct 28   Coming of Industrialization
Bridenthal 295-325; DiCaprio 206-029, 275-80, 376-77

Nov 02    Individual Student Findings: Economic Roles

Nov 04    Film: Who's Counting? Sex, Lies, and Global Economics
Cbp essays due on  women's economic roles

Nov 09    European Feminisms
Bridenthal  327-387; DiCaprio 301-305, 344-351, 355-357, 360-370, 385-393

Nov 11    Discuss:  A Room of One's Own
Woolf

Nov 16    Film: Hedda Gabler

Nov 18    Individual Student Findings:  Legal and Political Status
Cbp  papers due on legal and political status

Nov 23      Women, Colonialism, and War
Bridenthal 389-489; DiCaprio 413-420, 428-432, 440-453, 481-489, 497-502, 514-517, 522-526, 529-533, 539-542

Nov 25    THANKSGIVING

Nov 30    Women and Post-war Europe
Bridenthal 494-539; DiCaprio 544-553, 559-564, 573-577

Dec 02    Film: Kypseli; Women in Contemporary Europe
DiCaprio 584-590, 594-616, 619-623, 626-629
Cbp final paper due

Dec 11    FINAL EXAMINATION, 8:00-11:00 a.m.

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