Women's Studies - Winter 1998

Feminism is a form of subversion: it challenges assumptions about history, society, and personal relationships that are based on male dominance. By centering women's experience, feminism forces us to reconceptualize such basic concepts as power, politics, and work.

This course subverts the subversive: it introduces feminism by focusing on the third world. Instead of beginning with the development of feminism in North America and "looking out" to the third world, we will be centering third world feminism and "looking back in." My agenda in doing this is 1) to make it absolutely clear that there is no single definition of feminism, but rather that meanings of feminism are created in specific historical and local contexts; and 2) that feminisms have histories and meanings that extend far beyond the North American continent.

This course has no prerequisites. Students who have taken Women's Studies 1a may also take 1b for credit, as the content of the two courses is entirely different (and meant to be complementary).

Women's Studies l57, "Women and Radical Social Movements"

Instructor: Marge Frantz

Office Hours:
Tu-Th 2-3:45
l50 Stevenson

If you want to meet some amazing and inspiring women activists of the last l50 years, this is your class! We look at (thru reading and films) the abolitionists movement, the populist movement, the Wobblies, the Socialist and Communist movements, the civil rights movement, Native American, Chicano and Asian-American resistance movements, the women's movement, the gay and lesbian movement, the anti-nuke and environmental movements: how the various movements dealt with women and women's issues and how women participated.

How do we cover so much in one quarter? well, inadequately and too fast. But you can, for your special research, delve deeply into the movement and period of greatest interest to you.

I've taught the course for ten years now and have collected some great stories and songs--and some great TAs too! I've been in a lot of the movements myself and have tried to learn some useful lessons for future activism. If you're interested in exploring how to work for social justice, check it out. Feel free to see me in office hours this quarter, Wed. 3-5, l90 Kresge, for more info. Open to everyone, no prerequisites, no limits.

SOCIAL MOVEMENTS ARE EXCITING !!!!!!!!!!

Revised 7/13/04.