High School Gender/Women's Studies

As we transition to High School, we are shifting from unit studies that were very free-form (pick a subject you are interested, mom will get you as many resources as she can find, spend a month exploring them, write a paper and create a project) to a syllabus structure with set topics.

From the list of options, he chose for the Fall: Women's Studies, Colonialism and Post-Colonialism, and Anti-Oppression/Anti-Racism

Here's the syllabus I created for Women's Studies:

High School Gender and Women’s Studies Syllabus:

Research the following:

1.       What is gender? What have been the changing understandings of gender and gender roles in American history?

2.       When did the Women’s movement first begin and who were the central figures? (Seneca Falls) What were the issues between the women’s movement and racial justice movements?

3.       How has women’s inequality been established/enforced throughout American History?

4.       What was the “2^nd Wave” of Feminism? Who were the central figures and events of this moment in history?

5.       What happened to the Equal Rights Amendment?

6.       What are the current trends and voices in Feminism and Gender Justice, around the world? (look for diverse voices representing women of color and trans people as well as white American women).

In your research use:

1.       At least two books considered classics in the field, such as:

a.       A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft

b.       Woman in the 19^th Century by Margaret Fuller

c.        Ain’t I a Woman? by Sojourner Truth

d.       The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

e.       Feminism is For Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks

f.        The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

2.       Find at least 4 gender or women’s studies TEDTalks and watch them

3.       And look into at least 4 websites (such as the following but not limited to them):

a.       http://www.womensmediacenter.com/

b.       http://www.feminist.org/

c.        http://www.nwsa.org/

d.       http://womenwatch.unwomen.org/

e.       http://www.library.illinois.edu/sshel/genderwomens/gwsweb.html

4.       Also, Interview at least 3 women or non-binary gendered people in your family or community about how they’ve experienced their gender in our society.

Final Paper:

The final paper should present your research findings and your thesis about gender discrimination in our society and where we should go from here.

Minimum length: 4 pages, single spaced, 12 point font

Include an annotated bibliography

Due Date: October 1, 2017, See Rubric for further expectations for grading