Women of Color WGSS 318i Course Syllabus Spring 2013 Tu/Thu 9:30am-10:45am LA1-312 Mon 7-945pm LA1-310 Instructor:

Clarissa Rojas Office: F02-203 Office Hours: Tue/Thu 1-2pm, Thu 315-415pm, Wed 11-12pm Online clarissita@gmail.com Email:

EMAIL PROCEDURE: To ensure you receive a response, please list WGSS 318i/day(s) meets in subject line. Email will be checked weekly, and I can be accessed electronically during Online Office Hours. Course Description: Examines condition, position, experiences and accomplishments of U.S. women of color. Covers historical and contemporary issues using theoretical essays, personal narratives, historical documents, literature, and media images. This course introduces students to the socio-political imagination of U.S. women of color. Who are women of color? What does it mean to be a woman of color? What are the historical legacies and imaginations conjured by the term, identity and political intervention? This course examines various usages, approaches, and movements emergent through the enunciation of this term, its political legacies and evolving subjectivities. Generally, the term considers the intersection of two constantly morphing sets of social, cultural, political, and economic historical processes, that of race and gender; therefore, the category, U.S. women of color, is itself a contested site, alive and always in transition, responding to ever-changing sets of concerns and creating constant new renderings for how to transform the vestiges of that which oppresses us and produces violence against us. This course approaches the term, as referenced by the archive and histories emergent by those naming themselves, writing as, women of color, as also a kind of a collective dream, a recognition of the ways folks can create community across different sets of experiences; it is fueled by the understanding that our survival, as women of color, depends on a kind of coalitional consciousness that recognizes an urgent need for creativity and cultural vitality (as and) alongside political intervention in the midst of the many tragedies, genocides, incarcerations, deportations and illnesses our communities may face. Lastly, this offering is historically located in contemporary visions of what it means to be, to live as women of color at this particular moment, along with the wars we struggle against, the love we birth ourselves and survive through, and the violence we so vehemently seek to transform. This course relies heavily on active participation, for dialogue is both the seed and the fruit of intellectual inquiry. The course is designed to afford you the opportunity to practice the skills we identify as steps toward feminist critical race analysis. You are already in possession of a great many of these tools; the work of this course will be to make you more conscious of how and to what end you might use them. Course Goals: 1. Practice and develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills 2. Improve oral presentation skills 3. Explore interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the historical, political, and cultural aesthetics of women of color writing and intellectual work 4. Study key approaches to women of color feminisms and social movements 5. Critically assess violence against women of color and media representations of women of color Required Texts: Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology , INCITE!, South End Press, 2006 Arab and Arab American Feminisms, Nadine Naber, Evelyn Ansultany and Rabab Abdulhadi, Syracuse Press, 2012 Beyond the Frame, Angela Davis and Neferti Tadiar, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Optional Texts: Sister Outsider, Crossing Press Audre Lorde, any edition Course Expectations: building a collective learning community without community there is no liberationbut community must not mean a shedding of our differences, nor the pretense that these differences do not exist, Audre Lorde a community emerges as we practice deep listening, respect, support and generosity of spirit i ask that we commit to bringing the best of ourselves to best nurture and grow our learning community i am here for us. i seek to provide you with the tools and support necessary for you to thrive. You may find me during office hours. i am available for you; approach me with any question. you are here for us. attendance is required: how else can we actively and conscientiously participate in classroom discussions? completing the required reading and writing assignments will prepare you for thoughtful and fruitful discussion. self-aware, responsible, respectful and insightful contributions create the best conditions for our shared possibility for learning together. Twenty percent (20%) of final grade is based on your participation in class. Class attendance and contributions will be noted and used as the basis for determining this part of your grade. You are allowed one wellness absence and every unexcused absence thereafter will result in 5% deduction from your participation grade. Consider making a friend early in the semester who can share notes with you after your wellness absence. You may be asked to write in class a list of 2-3 insights, comments, questions, and/or concerns pertaining to the reading; your ability to keep up with the reading schedule and bring the text to class will also determine this grade. No computer or cell phone use allowed as they impact our abilities to be present and fully engaged with class; your grade will be affected if use persists. The remaining eighty points (80) of your final grade is based on a Testimonio/Reading Response Assignment (worth 25), a Summary/Analysis and Presentation Assignment (worth 25), and a Final Creative Project (worth 30). Students are required to keep copies of all assignments. It is the students responsibility to ensure coursework is received. No electronic submissions. Old school: paper. Grading Attendance and Participation Testimonio: Reading Response Assignment Student Summary/Analysis Presentation Assignment Final Creative Project 20 30

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Grading Assignments: The following general criteria will be used in the grading each assignment. 1. Follows directions and represents an understanding of the text(s). 2. Demonstrates ability to use the skills and concepts discussed in class. 3. Papers are turned in on the due date. 4. Assignments should be typed and double-spaced, 11-12 font. Scale 90 -100 = A 80 - 89 = B 70 - 79 = C 60 - 69 = D 59% and below= F Extra Credit: On occasion, I may offer extra credit. In order to access extra credit, write a one page summary of event/film/reading, and a one page analysis connecting it to course content. Each assignment is worth up to 2 points.

What? I can major in WGSS and take more classes like these and other super cool classes? To get more information on WGSS Major or Queer Studies Minor, come talk to me or any other WGSS Faculty or Staff. Accommodations, Academic Integrity/Honesty and Withdrawal Lets build a class committed to building an accessible learning community that facilitates the participation of students with disabilities. The university offers a host of resources for students with disabilities. To learn more, visit Disabled Student Services in Brotman Hall 270. Academic Integrity/Honesty is a university requirement. It asks you not to represent the work and words of someone else as your own. Properly credit through citation and reference, not just when using a quote but when referencing other peoples work in any way. It is the students responsibility to withdraw from classes before deadline; thereafter, it is permissible only for serious reasons (i.e. severe medical problems) and with Instructor, Chair and Dean consent.