Instructor: Dr. Sanjam Ahluwalia 

Office: LA 232

Phone # : 3-8709 

E-mail: Sanjam.Ahluwalia@nau.edu

Class Meetings: Wed 2.30 -5.00; LA 114

Office Hours: TTH 12.45 - 1.45, and by appointment

Course Prerequisites: None
 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will explore the politics of cultural representations of gender and ethnicity, through a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach. The course will focus on demonstrating how gender identities are intersected by variables of ethnicity, race, and class . To assist us in understanding how these various systems determine women's lives we will draw upon the experiences of women within different communities. Despite highlighting the distinct experiences of women within their respective communities the course will emphasize the complex heterogeneity of these social groups rather than impose an artificial uniformity on them.
 

This is a liberal studies course bearing the thematic focus "Valuing the Diversity of Human Experience." It falls within the "Cultural Understanding" distribution block. This course will address several of the essential skills which are features of the liberal studies program, including critical reading, critical and creative thinking, ethical reasoning, effective writing, and effective oral communication.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course seeks primarily to heighten our sensitivity to issues of diversity and difference within our world. An awareness and appreciation of differences will allow us to question main/malestream representations of social and cultural "others," both in print and media. To facilitate our understanding of the various cultural modes of exclusion experienced by women of color,"Third World" women, and women who belong to ethnic minority communities, we will use materials drawn from academic writings, biographical sketches, fiction, and films. This course seeks to make us conscious of identifying political implications underlying all forms of cultural representations. By focusing on experiences of women within distinct ethnic communities we will learn to identify and understand how race, class, and ethnic affiliations determine women's dominant and subordinate positions in society. 

The course meeting our Program's Mission's of "re-evaluation of sex and gender" will examine the quality, nature, and diversity of women's experiences. Students will perform this examination by critically reading essays on politics of representation, and on modalities of gender socialization within different ethnic groups such as American Indians, Asian Americans, Arab Americans and African Americans. We will also examine gender politics within families, the health care systems, and within the arena of global labor. 
 

By assessing differing and conflicting cultural understandings of the themes listed above we will develop critical reading and reasoning skills. By applying these skills to relevant women's studies essays, films, and other creative texts we will expand our understanding of diversity and culture more generally and be able to write effectively at the same time. Class presentations of book reviews will be an opportunity to improve our oral expression. The central feature of the class will be to examine and study the interplay of gender, culture, ethnicity, and diversity within different settings in our world. This understanding will be part of a dynamic process involving the interrelationship amongst ethical reasoning, critical reading, critical and creative thinking, followed by effective writing. At the end of the semester students will be able to identify and explain the various complex feminist concepts, issues, and concerns the class raises.
 

COURSE STRUCTURE AND APPROACH

The class will be a combination of lectures and discussions, with expectations of increasing student participation and performance. Students should feel free to speak their minds, but not at the expense of other's opinions and beliefs. 
 

READINGS

Inderpal Grewal and Caren Kaplan, An Introduction to Women's Studies: Gender in a Transnational World. (REQUIRED)

Eve Ensler, The Vagina Monologues. (REQUIRED)
 

Students will select one of the following recommended texts in consultation with the Instructor

D. Abu-Jaber, Arabian Jazz. 

Jamaica Kincaid,A Small Place. 

Meena Alexander, Fault Lines. 

Joy Harjo, The Woman Who Fell From the Sky. 

J.Kadi, Food for our Grandmothers
 

PROVISIONAL COURSE SCHEDULE: SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION
 

WEEK ONE: August 28: Class Introduction
 

WEEK TWO : September 4: Politics of Race, Class, and Gender

Primary Readings: Grewal & Kaplan, "Introduction," PP xvii-xxii; and "Making of Race, Sex and Empire," PP 53-77. Please pay close attention to questions raised in "Reflections on the Section," by the editors at the end of each section in the text book. Use these questions as a set of guidelines for writing your own response to the assigned readings. 
 

WEEK THREE: September 11: Revisiting 9/11 

Schedule to be announced. 
 

WEEK FOUR & FIVE: September 18 & 25: Embodiment

Primary Readings: Grewal and Kaplan, "Consumer Beauty Culture: Commodifying the Body," PP 365-392. 

Film:Skin Deep.
 

WEEK SIX: October 2:Power, Health, and Healing

Primary Readings: Grewal and Kaplan, "Strategizing Health Education," PP129-157. 
 

WEEK SEVEN: October 9: Reproductive Health or Demographic Surveillance?

Primary Readings: Grewal and Kaplan, "Population Control and Reproductive Rights: Technology and Power," PP 105-128.
 

WEEK EIGHT: October 16: Sexuality

Primary Readings: Eve Ensler, The Vagina Monologues. 
 

WEEK NINE & TEN: October 23 & 30 : Politics of Global Labor

Film: Global Assembly Line. October 23

Primary Readings: Grewal and Kaplan, "Women Work and Migration," PP 477-500. 

WEEK ELEVEN, TWELVE & THIRTEEN: November 6, 13 & 20 : Creating New Homelands

Primary Readings: Grewal and Kaplan, "Forced Relocations and Removals," PP 445-455 ( For November 6) and Grewal and Kalpan, "Diasporas," PP 457-475 (For November 13).

Film:Fresh Blood. November 20
 

WEEK FOURTEEN & FIFTEEN : November 27 & December 4: Students present their reviews of recommended texts.
 

DECEMBER 11: Written Review of one recommended text. Due in my office by 4.00 PM!
 

REQUIREMENTS & EVALUATION METHODS

Class Participation: (15%) This includes attendance and active intellectual participation in class and small group discussions. Students will be required to engage with weekly readings carefully and critically. It will also include media analysis. I'll be looking at your mastery of critical reasoning, critical reading, effective writing, and oral communication skills. Class discussions will be central to the course and, should be attended faithfully. This will contribute 15% of your class grade. All students should come prepared to answer questions from the assigned weekly readings, failing to do so will negatively impact the final grade in the course. 
 

Review Papers (50%) In addition to the readings you will also be expected to submit written responses to the weekly readings. These review 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. These papers are due in class on the day of our meetings. You will be evaluated for effective writing and reasoning. You will also be assessed for critical and ethical reasoning and thinking as part of your course grade. By the end of the semester each student should have submitted a total of 5 typed papers. No late submissions will be accepted. 

Book Presentation: (15%) This will give students a chance to discover and explore the role of women in other cultures. In the last 2 weeks each student will make an oral presentation of a recommended text. I will be looking for effective oral skills and ability to respond to any questions that your fellow students might ask of you about your reading of the text. This will count towards 15% of your course grade. 
 

Book Review: (20%) This is the final requirement of the course. It will be 4-5 pages of critical assessment of one of the recommended text that you choose to read as part of the course requirement. In writing this review you should try to relate it to the themes covered during the course. I will be looking for your critical thinking skills, effective writings skills as well as your critical reading skills of the various material you will draw upon for this paper. More detailed instructions on the paper will be discussed in class before the assignment is due. This assignment will count towards 20% of your grade.
 

COURSE GRADES

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

Class Participation 15%; Informal writing 50%; Book Presentation 15%; and Final Paper 20%.
 

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 to your grade. After ONE absence you will lose half a letter grade for each additional undocumented absence. If you are required to miss class due to medical reasons or for University related business, please make sure you submit appropriate written proof for it. 
 

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

PLAGIARISM-- Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will not be tolerated. We will talk about appropriate use of other people's thoughts and ideas in class. IT IS THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FAMILIARIZE HERSELF/HIMSELF WITH THE EXACT MEANING OF THESE TERMS. Please refer to the current NAU Student Handbook's section on academic dishonesty (Appendix F) for details.