Instructor: Dr. Sanjam Ahluwalia 
Office: LA 232 
Phone # : 3-8709 
E-mail:Sanjam.Ahluwalia@nau.edu

Class Meetings: TTH 2.20 - 3.35; LA 204
Office Hours: TTH 12.45 - 2.00, and by appointment 
 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will revisit the politically charged and intellectually animated debates around nationalist movements, ideas, and theories. We will examine how nationalist movements and discourses imagine and construct national identities in specific gendered, class, race, community, and caste terms over time and space. While paying close attention to women's roles, this course seeks to do much more than merely document women's presence within nationalist movements. Rather, we aim to understand the many negotiations, compromises, and concessions women enter into with dominant nationalisms to shape political agendas. In using gender as an analytical lens to re-evaluate nationalist politics, we will seek to understand how masculine and feminine ideals are constantly reworked to project images of strong, healthy, virile, and morally pure nations. In order to facilitate our understanding of nationalisms and their gendered manifestations, we will draw upon a variety of different works by feminist scholars, political scientists, literary critics, and historians. We will also review works of fiction and films to grasp the complex ways in which nationalist identities are gendered. Geographically, we will stretch our readings to include parts of Asia, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Europe, and United States. 
 

COURSE STRUCTURE AND APPROACH

The class will be a combination of lectures and discussions, with expectations of increasing student participation and performance. Each student, besides being required to engage with the readings, will also choose ONE theme from the syllabus to lead class discussion. Discussion leaders are urged to meet with me or discuss over email their presentation ahead of class. Given the nature of the course and our readings, this class will work best if we are all committed to timely completion of required readings and lively intellectual conversations. While encouraging debate and critical engagement with your colleagues and instructor in the class room, proper intellectual decorum should be maintained. Please take a few minutes to carefully read over the class room management statement attached at the end of this document. 

READINGS

Rokeya Shakawat Hossain, Sultana's Dream. (REQUIRED)

Edward Said, Out of Place. (REQUIRED)

Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas. (RECOMMENDED)

These texts have been ordered at the NAU Bookstore. 
 

A set of additional REQUIRED readings have been placed on electronic reserve at Cline Library. Please make sure you keep up with these readings by checking the syllabus for the weekly assigned articles. Remember 15% of your course grade depends on completing the readings and class participation. 
 

PROVISIONAL COURSE SCHEDULE: SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION

August 28 Class Introduction

Reading
Brenda Luana Machado Lee, "The Relationship the United States and the Native Hawaiian People: A Case of Spouse Abuse."

August 30-September 4 Rethinking Theories of Nationalism

Lecture August 30; Class Discussion September 4

Readings: E-reserve
Benedict Anderson, Imagined Community (Selections); Anne McClintock, "Family Feuds: Gender, Nationalism and the Family;" and Nira Yuval Davis, "Gender and Nation."
 

September 6-11 Reform and Recasting

Lecture September 6; Class Discussion September 11

Readings: E-reserve
Sumanta Banerjee, "Marginalization of Women in Popular Culture."

September 13-18

Film, Home and the World

September 25 & 27: NO CLASS!! I recommend you complete watching the film Home and the World.

October 2-4 Nationalist Politics and Woman's Question

Lecture October 2; Class Discussion October 4

Readings: E-reserve
Partha Chatterjee, "Nationalist Resolution of the Woman's Question;" Tanika Sarkar, "Nationalist Iconography;" Omnia El Shakry, "Schooled Mothers and Structured Play."

October 9-11 Women Imagine the Nation

Lecture October 9; Class Discussion October 11

Readings: Required text and E-reserve
Rokeya Shakawat Hossain, Sultana's Dream, PP 7-18; Margaret Jolly, "Motherlands? Some Notes on Women and Nationalism in India and Africa."

October 16-18 Empire, Nation, and Feminism

Lecture October 16; Class Discussion October 18

Readings: E-reserve and Web article
Antoinette Burton,"Reading Indian Women;" Lila Abu-Lughod, "Feminism, Nationalism, Modernity: Aysha Parla, doctoral candidate in Anthropology interviews Lila

Abu-Lughod, Professor of Anthropology and Middle East Studies at New York University."
http://isim.leidenuniv.nl/newsletter/2/research/1.html

October 23-30 Sex and War

Lecture October 23; Class Discussion and Film October 30

Readings: E-reserve
Mary L. Roberts," 'This Civilization No Longer has Sexes': La Garconne and Cultural Crisis in France after World War I;" Nelia Sancho,"The Comfort Women System During World War II ."

Film: Rosie the Riveter VT. 5426

Extra Credit, Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas. 

October 30-November1 Women on the Right

Lecture October 30; Class Discussion November 1

Readings: Handout in class
Victoria Enders, "Nationalism and Feminism: The Seccion Femenina of the Falange," S. Anitha, Vasudha, Kavitha, "Interviews with Women." 

November 6-8 Sexing the Nation

Lecture November 6; Class Discussion and Film November 8

Readings: E-reserve
Anuradha Kapur, "Deity to Crusader: The Changing Iconography of Ram."

Film, Father, Son, and Holy War

November 13-15 Family, Reproduction, and Nation

Lecture November 13; Class Discussion November 15

Readings: E-reserve
Loretta Ross, "African American women and Abortion, 1800-1970;" Gary Sigley,"Keep it in the Family: Government, Marriage, and Sex in Contemporary China."

November 20- December 4 Long Distance Nationalism and Gender Politics

Lecture November 20; Class Discussion November 27, and Film December 4

Readings: Required Text and E-reserve
Said, Out of Place; Salman Rushdie, "Imaginary Homeland."

Film, Under One Sky.
 

REQUIREMENTS

Class Participation: Class discussions will be central to the course and, should be attended faithfully. This includes attendance and active intellectual participation in class and small group discussions. It will also include media analysis. This will contribute 15% of your class grade. 

Informal Writing: You will be expected to submit written informal responses to the weekly readings. In this paper you should summarize the main arguments of the articles assigned and point out their strengths and limitations. These papers are due in class on the day of our discussions of the required readings. These papers should be 1-2 page long, double spaced, with one inch margins all around, and do NOT use a typeface or font above 12 points. The paper should be free of grammatical and spelling errors. Too many stylistic and spelling errors will lower your grade on these papers. Please put page numbers. No late papers will be accepted. By the end of the semester each student should have submitted a total of 6 informal typed papers. These papers will constitute 60% of the course grade. 

Lead Class Discussion: Students will do a short oral presentation on one of the readings for one of the themes. This will count towards 10% of the course grade. You may choose to lead class discussion on a theme for which you are not submitting a written response.

Book Review: This is the final requirement of the course and will make up the remaining 15% of the course grade. It will be a 4-5 pages typed critical review of Said's autobiography,Out of Place. In writing this review you should try to relate it to the themes covered in the course. More detailed instructions on the review will be discussed in class before the assignment is due. 

COURSE GRADES

Grades for the course will be calculated in the following way:

Class Participation 15%; Informal writing 60%; Leading Class Discussion 10%; and 

Final Paper 15%.

TOTAL FOR COURSE 100%

The grading scale for the course will be as follows: 

90%+ = A; 80 - 89%= B; 70-79%= C; 60-69%= D; below 60%= F.
 

COURSE POLICY

TURN IN ALL ASSIGNMENTS AND HEED ALL DUE DATES-- You are responsible for knowing all due dates including schedule changes. You will lose a letter grade for each (school) day your assignment is late.

ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY-- Your attendance and participation will not only affect the quality of this class, but it will also make a difference in your grade. After TWO absences you will lose a letter grade for each additional absence!! 

COMPLETE THE READINGS BEFORE THE CLASS IN WHICH THEY ARE DISCUSSED--Part of your grade will be based on participation.

PLAGIARISM-- Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. We will talk about appropriate use of other people's thoughts and ideas. Students should also familiarize themselves with these matters as defined by the university. See the current NAU Student Handbook.