Lisa Hammond Rashley
University of South Carolina Lancaster
English Department | 213 James Bradley Arts and Sciences Building
Post Office Box 889 | Lancaster, SC  29721
office phone:  803-313-7044 | fax:  803-313-7106
lrashley@gwm.sc.edu

Women’s Studies L111:  Women in Culture
Course Policy, Fall 1999

Course description, goals, and expectations


This course is a humanistic perspective of the images, roles and contributions of women in historical, literary, religious, social, political, philosophical, and artistic contexts, including contemporary issues. The mission of the Women's Studies program in teaching is to help students learn to think critically, to communicate effectively orally and in writing, to solve problems, and to interpret human experience. Specifically we will study the societal effects of gender on our lives and in our communities. Students are expected to participate actively in all aspects of the class.

Required texts and materials


Women in Culture: A Women's Studies Anthology, edited by Lucinda Joy Peach
Herland: A Lost Feminist Utopian Novel, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
some photocopying of materials in the library

Course assignments and grade distribution


Your final grade breaks down into the following distribution: 200 points Reading Responses
150 points Representations Presentations/Reports
200 points Research Project
100 points Final Essay Exam
50 points Participation
700 points Total possible for the class Individual point totals at the end of the semester will be divided by the total points possible to yield a percentage score, which will fall into the following scale:

A 100-90; B+ 89-86; B 85-80; C+ 79-76; C 75-70; D+ 69-66; D 65-60; F 59-0

Reading responses

You will write one- to two-page responses to our readings regularly over the course of the semester. A reading response is not a summary of your reading, but an analysis of it.

Representations Presentations/Reports

You will sign up for several report days of your own choosing this semester. On that day, you will bring in a cultural representation of gender, female, male, or both genders represented together. You will give a presentation to the class analyzing how gender expectations and images function in the representation you've chosen. You will also turn in a written report offering your interpretation and analysis. You will be given the opportunity to sign up for the days of your choice in the next week.

Research Project

You will turn in research paper of 1000 to 1500 words, or four to six pages towards the end of the semester. You will be given a wide range of topics to choose from for this assignment. Your paper will demonstrate critical thinking on topics related to our course issues.

Final Essay Exam

This essay exam will be comprehensive over the course of the semester.

Participation

To earn an A participation grade, you must attend fully, prepare fully, and demonstrate that preparation by contributing ideas to the class discussion. You should not only read the course texts fully and carefully, but also be prepared to discuss them in terms of the course themes. Your responses to the work and to other student ideas are insightful and constructive.

Failure to read the literature or complete assignments will detract from your participation grade. In most cases, a low participation grade is the result of many missed assignments and absences.

Attendance and late work


Late and missed work

No late papers or work will be accepted, and I also do not allow missed work to be made up. All work is late anytime after I take class assignments up, usually within the first ten minutes of class. You may always turn work in early, or you may arrange to have a classmate or friend turn work in for you if you must be absent. Notify me in advance if you foresee any difficulties.

Attendance

I expect you to attend every class meeting except in the event of personal illness or family emergency. I abide by the University's policy on attendance, which states that "Absence from more than 10 percent of the scheduled class sessions, whether excused or unexcused, is excessive and the instructor may choose to exact a grade penalty for such absences" (USCL Bulletin). Ten percent of our meetings is three classes. Any student missing four or more classes for any reason will have the final course grade lowered one grade level for each absence over three (in other words, on the fourth absence, the student's grade of B will be lowered to C+, on the fifth to C, and so on).

I also keep track of students arriving more than ten minutes late or departing more than ten minutes early; three such instances will equal one absence. In addition, I will at times cancel classes to meet with individual students for one-on-one conferencing about papers; if you miss your scheduled appointment, the missed appointment will count as a class absence.

Plagiarism and academic dishonesty


Plagiarism is using anyone else's work as if it were your own. If a student improperly uses someone's intellectual property, that act constitutes theft and is treated seriously. Students should see the University-wide Code of Student/Faculty Academic Responsibility for more details about possible penalties (USC Lancaster Student Handbook). Plagiarism is present when a writer copies word for word or paraphrases from an author without quotation marks or without naming the source of the text of the paper in a footnote, bibliography, or works cited, or when the writer turns in an assignment which has been written wholly or in part by someone else. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, ask me.

And a final note about exceptions


Exceptions to any of these policies may be made only for University-sponsored professional activities or in extremely well-documented cases of medical hardship and then only at the discretion of the instructor. Provide photocopies of any materials you expect to have a bearing on your case. See me in advance if at all possible—if not, immediately upon your return to classes—if you expect any consideration in this matter.
 
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