Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday 1/17
Business:
Talked about enrollment issues, future fem. theory courses, and an upcoming conference focusing on the subject of human trafficking (info to be posted on the blackboard). Prof. Banner made clear that the majority of her lectures will not be derived from the texts. Nor are they structured as bullet-points... The methodological differences between science and humanities will be discussed in lecture and in discussion section -- her strategy includes pop quizzes.
The students took an ungraded pop quiz from the reading.
* patriarchy
* feminism
* hegemonic masculinity
* enlightenment
There is an argument being made that patriarchy no longer exists.
Talked about cliterodectomy; began in tribal societies as a means to keep women under control. The subject would come up more if focus of course fell outside of America or western cultures. Women carry out and enforce practice, but women reinforce oppressive regime.
Ideas:
Are we a peaceful species? Are we determined by our genetics?
The TAs will talk about the Kinsey scale in section.
Back to the 18th century.
Constitution in America: "We hold these truths..."
Written by Jefferson. Know this as a member of the ongoing debate about what is constitutional. WOMEN are left out of the declaration. Indentured servants, children, also left out.
Discussion of founding fathers and their views of women, how they treated their wives.l she is biographically oriented.
Common law, precedent law established. Discussed how similar and dissimilar the legal systems in America, France and other cultures have been established and continue to operate.
Single Woman. You have full rights.
Covered Woman. Your entire self is determined by your husband. No rights to property, children. Those was broke down. Laws involving relationships are state laws.
Enlightenment.
Gave an overview. Framework. The great age if secularism in European culture. Enlightenment is anti-clerical. Deists... Agnostics. God is like a clockmaker. He made the heavens and the earth and let it run on its own. Philosophs. Major thinkers Voltaire, Diderot and Rousseau, Montesquieu. There are natural laws that govern individuals. Truths. Self evident. Endowed by our creator with natural rights. Inalienable means absolutely can't be taken away from them. Life. Liberty. The pursuit of happiness.
Out of this comes representative government... But they were not democratic (one man, one vote).
Salons.
Run by women aristocrats... Intellectual discussions. Marriages were arranged, older men, had affairs, some younger women had discreet affairs as well... Lacked puritanical lens.
Fathers appearances...
she believes that appearance matter.
Jefferson was 6 feet with flaming red hair... She's still working on what red hair means. Slave owner.
Franklin, medium height, great gourmet and connoisseur of "randy male culture." Known for his pornography. Wrote advice to a young man on choosing a mistress. Poor forms of birth control. Get a woman past menopause, besides which all cats look alike in the dark.
Adams was Puritan.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
1/15/13 Notes
The first class meeting included an overview of the syllabus and an autobiographical narrative of the professor's academic and personal life. Professor Banner was active in the Second Wave women's movement of the 1960's when she lived in New York City, knew Betty Friedan, helped found women's history as an area of study within the discipline of history, and has published nearly a dozen books, mainly on women's history and popular culture (two on Marilyn Monroe). The class will use her textbook, Women in Modern America, as its main text, supplemented by two novels and a course reader that includes an excerpt from one of Prof. Banner's Marilyn Monroe books. Students can also choose to write their term paper on her new research (Greta Garbo) or her autobiography (about her discovery of Islam).
The course itself moves chronologically, beginning with 19th century Victorianism and Progressivism and ending with mid-20th century Second Wave feminism. The Crisis in Masculinity, a history of sexuality and a discussion of sexual orientation, and a history of the 1950's/60's will also be covered. The professor will be defining terms such as feminism, methodology, disciplines, and interdisciplinarity at the next class session. She also said she would reveal her theoretical framework and the framework for the course next time. Basically she wants students to understand that each academic discipline has its own methodology, or approach to study and research, and that these methodologies differ. However programs such as Gender Studies (she teaches Gender Studies as well as history courses) and Thematic Option are interdisciplinary—scholars from various disciplines are part of these programs. I'm assuming she will talk about the ways these interdisciplinary methodologies differ from, or borrow from, methodologies that are strictly disciplinary. Because many of her books are about popular culture, I am hoping she will talk about cultural studies as an interdisicplinary methodology or at least discuss writing about popular culture; students will watch several films and read novels in the class, so having that understanding will be important to their success in writing about film and pop culture if they choose these as term paper topics. It also seems as though the professor's newest work has shifted into a more visual studies type of analysis, as she is writing about images of Greta Garbo. Again, I am hopeful we will hear about the different methodologies she has used or currently uses, which would be useful to Writing 140 students. The professor did stress her identity as a professional writer, researcher, and a publisher of many books, so that may be something we can reference in the writing classroom or ask her to talk more about.
The first class meeting included an overview of the syllabus and an autobiographical narrative of the professor's academic and personal life. Professor Banner was active in the Second Wave women's movement of the 1960's when she lived in New York City, knew Betty Friedan, helped found women's history as an area of study within the discipline of history, and has published nearly a dozen books, mainly on women's history and popular culture (two on Marilyn Monroe). The class will use her textbook, Women in Modern America, as its main text, supplemented by two novels and a course reader that includes an excerpt from one of Prof. Banner's Marilyn Monroe books. Students can also choose to write their term paper on her new research (Greta Garbo) or her autobiography (about her discovery of Islam).
The course itself moves chronologically, beginning with 19th century Victorianism and Progressivism and ending with mid-20th century Second Wave feminism. The Crisis in Masculinity, a history of sexuality and a discussion of sexual orientation, and a history of the 1950's/60's will also be covered. The professor will be defining terms such as feminism, methodology, disciplines, and interdisciplinarity at the next class session. She also said she would reveal her theoretical framework and the framework for the course next time. Basically she wants students to understand that each academic discipline has its own methodology, or approach to study and research, and that these methodologies differ. However programs such as Gender Studies (she teaches Gender Studies as well as history courses) and Thematic Option are interdisciplinary—scholars from various disciplines are part of these programs. I'm assuming she will talk about the ways these interdisciplinary methodologies differ from, or borrow from, methodologies that are strictly disciplinary. Because many of her books are about popular culture, I am hoping she will talk about cultural studies as an interdisicplinary methodology or at least discuss writing about popular culture; students will watch several films and read novels in the class, so having that understanding will be important to their success in writing about film and pop culture if they choose these as term paper topics. It also seems as though the professor's newest work has shifted into a more visual studies type of analysis, as she is writing about images of Greta Garbo. Again, I am hopeful we will hear about the different methodologies she has used or currently uses, which would be useful to Writing 140 students. The professor did stress her identity as a professional writer, researcher, and a publisher of many books, so that may be something we can reference in the writing classroom or ask her to talk more about.
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