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SOC 215: Women in American Society

Course Description

This course will focus on the problems associated with the roles of women in American society and compare perspectives on the status of women across social institutions. Through a variety of selected readings, the course will provide an opportunity to investigate the ways in which women in American society have been impacted by sexism, classism, racism, and cultural differences in both the historical and contemporary eras. (3 credits)

Prerequisite

  • None

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate the ability to understand the intersection of gender, class, and race as forces impacting the status of women in society.
  2. Enact self-reflection in regard to women’s issues.
  3. Apply critical thinking to the topic of women’s issues.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which gender oppression may manifest itself in specific and general ways across social institutions in American society as well as the greater global community.
  5. Demonstrate an understanding of how historical effects of gender oppression impact us in the contemporary era.
  6. Conceptualize and frame personal, work-related, and/or social issues related to gender from the perspective of sociology.
  7. Collect, analyze and interpret data relevant to personal, work-related and/or social issues related to gender from the perspective of sociology.
  8. Identify the value of pro-active citizenship in the form of community/university service, and/or professional activities.
  9. Recognize and appreciate human difference on the basis of social class, race/ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, and the skills to apply their understanding in diverse social contexts.

Course Activities and Grading

AssignmentsWeight

Discussions (Weeks 1-6 and 8)

25%

Reaction Papers (Week 1, 3, 4 & 7)

30%

Interview Essay (Week 5)

15%

Biographical Analysis - Final Essay (Week 8)

30%

Total

100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

  • Skinner, E. (2011). Women and the national experience: Sources in women’s history. (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Course Schedule

Week

SLOs

Readings and Exercises

Assignments

1

1

Topics: Gender Patterns in the Colonial Era; From Revolution to Republic: Moral Motherhood and Civic Mission

  • Read and Review:
    • Preface & Chapters 1 & 2
  • Read assigned material
  • Participate in discussions
  • Submit Reaction Paper 1 Assignment

2

2

Topics: Mary Rowland’s Captivity; 1600s: A Frontier Society; Eliza Pinckney and Republican Motherhood; The 1700s: The Eve of Modernity

  • Read and Review:
    • Review Chapters 1 and 2
  • Read assigned material
  • Participate in discussions

3

3

Topics: Emerging Industrialization: Opportunity and Protest; Sarah Hale and the Ladies Magazine; Promoting the Woman’s Sphere, 1800-1860; Grimke Sisters Assail Slavery: 1830s; Benevolence, Reform, & Slavery, 1800-1860

  • Read and Review:
    • Chapter 3
  • Read assigned material
  • Participate in discussions
  • Submit Reaction Paper 2 Assignment

4

4

Topics: Moral Activism, Abolitionism, & Contest over Woman's “Place”; Woman's Rights; Civil War, Reconstruction & Gender Politics; Shirtwaist Strike of 1909; Women at Work, 1860-1920; Founding of Hull House; Rise of the New Woman

  • Read and Review:
    • Chapters 4, 5 and 6
  • Read assigned material
  • Participate in discussions
  • Submit Reaction Paper 3 Assignment

5

5

Topic: Building Sisterhood: Limits of Inclusion; Crisis of the NWSA; Feminism and Suffrage

  • Read and Review:
    • Chapter 7
  • Read assigned material
  • Participate in discussions
  • Submit Interview Essay Assignment

6

6

Topics: Industrial Expansion & the Woman Worker: Gender, Race, and Workplace; Maternal Politics, Protective Legislation, & Suffrage Victory; Direct Action: Margaret Sanger’s Crusade; The 1920s; Humanizing the New Deal; The 1930s & 1940s

  • Read and Review:
    • Chapters 10, 11, 12 and 13
  • Read assigned material
  • Participate in discussions

7

7

Topics: Post-Suffrage Trends; The Impact of the Depression & the New Deal; World War II & Postwar Trends; Feminist Revival & Women's Liberation; Early 1960s; 1950-1975; Thomas Hearings, 1991; In Search of Equality: Since 1975

  • Read and Review:
    • Chapter 22
  • Read assigned material
  • Submit Reaction Paper 4 Assignment
  • Submit Reaction Paper 5 Assignment

8

8

Topic: Sharing Your Biographical Analysis - Final Essay

  • Read assigned material
  • Participate in discussions
  • Submit Biographical Analysis - Final Essay
  • Complete Course Evaluation

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.