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[SAMPLE SYLLABUS EXCERPTED FROM APPENDIX D]
WOMEN'S STUDIES 798 - COLLOQUIUM
TOPIC: Black Foremothers
We will study the lives and works of several Black women who
were thinkers, writers and activists in the U.S. up to the
early twentieth century. We will also consider the
experiences of ordinary women of the tire.
Spring 1988 W 10:10 - 12:30
Prof. Barbara White Office Hours: Monday 10 - 11:30
and by appointment
Women's Studies Program/ 307A Library/ 862-2194
"Someone claimed, rhetorically, that we are the only `true
queens of the universe.' I do not want to be a queen, because
queens are oppressive, but even so the thought came to me
that any true queen know the names, words, and actions of the
other queens of her lineage and is very sharp about her
story." -- Alice Walker
TEXTS (all on reserve in library, some also on reserve in
Women's Studies Office as indicated by asterisks)
Addams, Jane, and Ida B. Wells. LYNCHING AND RAPE: AN
EXCHANGE OF VIEWS (out of print - copy available for $4 in
Women's Studies Office)*
Forten, Charlotte. JOURNAL (Norton)
Harper, Frances E.W. IOLA LEROY (Beacon)
Jacobs, Harriet A. INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF SLAVE GIRL
(Harvard University Press)
Loewenberg, Bert, and Ruth Bogin, eds. BLACK WOMEN IN l9TH-
CENTURY AMERICAN LIFE (Penn State University Press)
Sterling, Dorothy, ed. WE ARE YOUR SISTERS (Norton)
Stowe, Harriet B. UNCLE TOM'S CABIN (Harper-Row)
Taylor, Susie King. REMINISCENCES OF MY LIFE IN CAMP
(Marcus Wiener)
Walker, Margaret. JUBILEE (Bantam)
Williams, Sherley Ann. DESSA ROSE (Berkley)
Wilson, Harriet E. Adams. OUR NIG (Vintage)
COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1 (Jan. 20) Introduction
Reading: Alice Walker, "In Search of Our Mothers'
Gardens" (handout)
Poems from Black Sister (handout)
Week 2 (Jan. 27) Early Women in the North
Reading: Sterling, Ch. 8 & 9
from Ch. 11, pp. 153-159 (on
Maria Stewart)
Loewenberg, "Elleanor Eldridge," pp. 78-88
"Jarena Lee," pp. 135-141
"Ann Plato," pp. 174-180
"Maria Stewart,n pp. 183-200
"Nancy Prince," pp. 201-218
Week 3 (Feb. 3) Slaves and Resisters
Reading: Sterling, Ch. 1-7
Loewenberg, "Cornelia," pp. 48-53
"Ellen Craft,n pp. 104-123
"Harriet Tubman," pp. 219-221
Week 4 (Feb. lO) Harriet A. Jacobs
Reading: Sterling, Ch. 7
Jacobs, Incident in the Life of a slave
Girl
Week 5 (Feb. 17) Abolitionists and Other Activists
Reading: Sterling, Ch. 10-12
Loewenberg, "Sarah Parker Remond," pp. 222-
233
"Sojourner Truth," pp. 234-242
Week 6 (Feb. 24) A White Woman's View
Reading: Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin
Week 7 (March 2) Fiction Writers and Poets
Reading: Wilson, Our Nig
Frances E. W. Harper, "The Two Offers"
(handout)
Poems from Black Sister
Week 8 (March 8) Women in the War Years
Reading: Sterling, Ch. 13-16
Loewenberg, "Elizabeth Keckley," pp. 70-77
"Annie Louise Burton,"
pp. 95-103
Due: Involvement Project
Week 9 (March 23) Charlotte Forten
Reading: Forten, Journal
Week 10 (March 30) Susie King Taylor
Reading: Taylor, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp
Week 11 (April 6) Freedwomen
Reading: Sterling, Ch. 17-22
Due: Involvement Project
Week 12 (April 13) Frances E. W. Harper
Reading: Harper, Iola Lerov
Poems (handout)
Loewenberg, "Frances Ellen Watkins Harper,"
pp. 243-251
Week 13 (April 20) A New Generation
Reading: Addams and Wells, Lynching and Rape
Sterling, Epilogue pp. 479-495
Loewenberg, "Ida Wells-Barnett,"
pp. 252-262
"Fannie Barrier Williams,"
pp. 263-279
"Lucy Craft Laney," pp. 296-301
"Frances Jackson Coppin,"
pp. 302-316
"Anna Julia Cooper,"
pp. 317-331
Week 14 (April 27) Contemporary Perspectives
Reading: Walker, Jubilee
Week 15 (May 4) Contemporary Perspectives
Reading: Williams, Dessa Rose
Paper due May 9
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Response Log (13 weeks, Jan. 27 - April 27)
The response log is for recording your responses to the
assigned readings and class discussion. It provides an
opportunity to (a) clarify your thoughts concerning a
particular reading, author, or theme, (b) explore issues
raised in class in more depth; (c) evaluate the contemporary
significance or implications of what you've read; and (d)
pose questions or outline problems you would like to pursue
further.
Although you might find it helpful to make entries in the
Response Log more frequently, only one entry (of
approximately 2-4 handwritten pages) will be required each
week. This entry will be read by your instructor and other
members of the class. Please use a 3-ring folder or some
method whereby you can detach entries.
Due: Every Wednesday, Jan. 27 - April 27
2. Involvement Projects (2)
Women's Studies is not solely a classroom-based field of
study but recognizes the importance of involvement and outside
activities. Please attend one or two events (speaker, film,
reading, etc.) and/or take part in one or two participatory
activities (rally, group discussion, political organizing,
letter writing) having to do with women of color. After each
project, turn in a brief (about 2 pages, may be handwritten
summary of your experience: what you learned, how you felt,
and how it related didn't relate to issues of the course.
Due: March 9, April 6
3. Paper (1)
Please choose any topic relating to the subject of the
course and write a 5-lO page paper. It may be written
individually or jointly with other students. Although the paper itself
need not be long, it should have an excellent bibliography that lists
all significant sources of information available on the topic. The paper
should also be readable (coherently written, typed, and proofread).
Due: May 9
4. Research Exercises (5-6, as assigned)
Most of these are exercises in how to find information and will
necessitate a couple of hours in the library. Two will require class
presentation with a partner.
Due: Feb. 3, Feb. 17, Feb. 24, and as individually assigned
5. Class Participation
Including sharing your paper research with the class April 27 and May 4.
Books on Reserve
All required texts (see TEXTS), plus the following:
Andrews, William L. SISTERS OF THE SPIRIT
Hull, Gloria, et al. BUT SOME OF US ARE BRAVE
Lerner, Gerda. BLACK WOMEN IN WHITE AMERICA
Sterling, Dorothy. BLACK FOREMOTHERS
Stetson, Erlene. BLACK SISTER
Truth, Sojourner. NARRATIVE
Washington, Mary Helen. INVENTED LIVES