NEWS (Last Update: March 31)
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GENDER AND THE
GLOBAL ECONOMY
Spring 1998
Monday/Wednesday 4-5:15
Duane G 131
Instructor: Donna Rubinoff
Office: 311 Guggenheim Phone: 492-4279
E-mail: rubinoff@ucsu.colorado.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 9:30-11:30 a.m. or by appointment
Teaching Assistant: Caroline Nagel
Phone: 492-3248; E-mail: nagelc@sobek.colorado.edu
Office Hours: 3-3:50 MW--Guggenheim 101 or by appointment
Course Overview:
This
course critically examines women's and men's relationship with the global
political economy, with particular emphasis on "Third World" or
"non-Western" societies. We will analyze some of the key concepts
involved in globalization and development, gender and feminist theory, and
how they interact to produce social change within the economic sphere, with
specific emphasis on women's exploitation as well as their empowerment.
Particular attention will be paid to the role of transnational corporations.
Bretton Woods institutions, and global trade regimes; environmental crisis;
labor and grassroots organizing; and identity.
We will explore the systematic
nature of global processes and their relationship with gendered experiences
at scales ranging from the international to the community, household, and
the personal. Thus, we will come to understand theories and explanations
of these processes that incorporate both large scale structures and individual
human agency, as well as their interaction.
The course is based on participation--reading,
writing, discussing, viewing and thinking about the material. You will learn
the most if you are actively engaged, and for this reason the course is
structured with a variety of learning activities including games, films,
media analysis, lectures, and most importantly, discussions. It might seem
that there are a lot of different activities going on in this class, but
you will notice that there is no Final Exam, and that Mid-terms are in the
form of quizzes. Thus, your grade will be based primarily on on-going participation
rather than formal tests.
Regular weekly written homework
assignments are designed to get you to think about the material before you
come into the class, so that you will be prepared to participate. Furthermore,
several other elements of the class, such as a media analysis, a group project,
and a term paper assignment, are strands which build throughout the semester,
enabling you to develop your awareness until it coalesces at the end of
the semester.
If you have a learning or any
other kind of disability, please contact me immediately to arrange accommodations.
Course Grading and Requirements
Course grades will be based on the following:
Required Reading
The following two books will be available for purchase at the UMC Bookstore.
Emecheta, Buchi. 1988 (1979). The Joys of Motherhood. Flamingo Press. London.
Seager, Joni. 1997.The State of Women in the World Atlas. Penguin. London.
Note: these books are now in the Bookstore.
Most of the course readings will be articles or chapters from books. They will be available on reserve in Norlin Library, or I have provided citations if you want to check them out of the library.
Written Homework Assignments.
You will have ten of these assignments scattered throughout
the semester, moreso in the first half, allowing you extra time to work
on your term paper at the end.
General Written Assignments - These will be short 1-2 page typed papers responding to the recent readings and incorporating your critical analysis. We will discuss the format in class. They are to be 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins, double spaced.
Media Reviews - Same format as above. You will all be asked to chose one newspaper and follow it through the semester, reading it with an eye for the issues which we are discussing in class at the time. I will hand out a list of media on Wednesday. If you speak a language other than English, it would be great if you would follow a newspaper in another language.
Class Participation.
You are expected to attend classes and participate in discussions.
Your homework assignments should help you to be prepared.
Mid-Terms.
Each Mid-Term will be an essay test which will review the basic
concepts of the previous section.
Term Paper.
The term paper will be written using the book The Joys of
Motherhood, by Buchi Emecheta. It should be 6-8 pages, double spaced,
12 pt. font, 1 inch margins. You will use this piece of fiction to show
that you understand the principles and concepts taught in the class. We
will discuss this in detail at a later date.
Group Project.
This project will be an extension of the three part game we
play in class. You will critically evaluate the game for its incorporation
of gender concepts into the global economy message, and you will be asked
to make suggestions as to how you would adjust the game accordingly. You
will work with the groups with which you play the game. The goal is to come
up with some ideas, which we will then send to the NGO which has published
the game.
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