| SEMINAR ON
GENDER
AND VIOLENCE
WS 267 |
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| Objectives
In this seminar, you will undertake an in-depth study of violence against women in America today, with a major part of your study taking place in a community service setting. This will be a service-learning seminar, which means that you won’t only study violence against women in the abstract (through readings and class discussions) but will also have your own encounters with issues of violence against women through your community service work. The two pillars of service-learning classrooms are experience (the service work) and reflection (readings, discussions, etc.), and this class will incorporate both so that you’ll learn not only the theories and contexts for violence against women in society but will also gain a “real world” understanding of the issues surrounding this topic through your work with survivors and perpetrators. This class will address violence in several different contexts, including domestic abuse, rape, and global violence against women. We’ll emphasize not only problems but also potential solutions; we’ll debate the most effective ways to address violence on a societal, institutional, and individual level, interrogating the “personal as political” as well larger power structures which shape our communities. Experience
In class we will discuss readings which theorize and contextualize violence against women, and we will attempt throughout the semester to bring your service experiences into conversation with these readings. You will gain a greater understanding through this conversation than you would through either reflection or action alone. Class participation: This class will require active and sustained class participation. If you aren’t ready to speak, listen, disagree, and argue when you come to class on any given day, then you aren’t prepared for class. The Women’s Studies classroom is a place that demands open, honest discussion; we will be covering material which may challenge your beliefs and values. Because this can be a difficult process, I expect that you will often argue with me and with each other. Disagreement is expected, encouraged, and necessary for growth; however, abusive and insulting language has no place in this class. While you may not agree with everything said, you owe it to each other to listen carefully and respectfully to other people’s views. Remember that you are never being graded on your views or your politics, only on the degree to which you have engaged with the readings and the discussions. Grades:
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