HI 282

HI 282

The course formerly known as Venus, the Virgin and the Venerable Mother, now known as

Women in Early World History

Winter 2010

Dr. Erika Lindgren 314 Luther Hall

352-8201 erika.lindgren@wartburg.edu http://faculty.wartburg.edu/lindgrene

Office Hours: MWF 9:05-10:05 and by appointment

This course looks at the role of women’s contributions and their relative status in various cultures through primary source reading and research. The main focus will be on the ancient Mediterranean, early China and Japan, the early Islamic World and medieval Europe.

Fulfils DAC.

Course Goals: By the end of the term you should be able to:

1. Express a broad understanding of why and how women’s experiences varied across several early world cultures. This is the “Big Picture.”

2. Show knowledge of the key historical figures, events, ideas, and institutions that shaped women’s experiences.

3. Read, discuss, and write about primary source documents.

4. Read, discuss, and write about scholarly articles

5. Understand how historians practice their craft.

6. Uncover some of the links between our current society and that of the past.

7. Have some fun!

Books:

Amt, Women’s Lives in Medieval Europe, 2^nd ed. (Routledge, 2009)

Clay, Paul, and Senecal, Envisioning Women in World History, vol. 1 (McGraw-Hill, 2009)

Lefkowitz and Fant, Women’s Life in Greece and Rome, 3^rd ed. (John Hopkins, 2005).

Rothschild, Wu Zhao (Longman, 2008)

Seidensticker, trans., The Gossamer Years (Tuttle, 1964)

Assignments:

Readings and participation: All students must keep up on the reading and be prepared for class. All students are expected to participate in class discussion [just showing up does not count for much!]. Participation can include sending email questions to the professor, searching out extra information for the class, and quizzes if the class fails to engage in discussion.

Exams: There are 3 exams in this class. Two will be in class exams with a varied format. The final exam will be a take home exam that will also include a discussion during the final activity period.

Class presentations: Each student will give five class presentations. These presentations will be either over sources from one of the source books or about a scholarly article. See separate guidelines for oral presentations.

Reflective Essay: Each student will submit at the end of the semester a short reflective essay that considers the issue of diversity and how they as an individual engage with and reflect upon the early history of women.

Women’s history project challenge: This course coincides with Women’s History Month in March. Although the month focuses usually on American Women’s History, the instructor challenges the class to create and implement some type of project/program that will educate the campus community about early women’s history (non-American). There is no budget. Students will be required to evaluate the participation of the other group members.

Grading:

Exam 1 100

Exam 2 100

Final Exam 100

Class presentations (50 points each) 250

Reflective Essay 100

Women’s history project challenge 100

Participation 250

Special Needs:

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) provides protection from illegal discrimination for qualified individuals with disabilities. Students requesting instructional accommodations due to disabilities must arrange for such accommodations by contacting Pathways Associate for Testing and Advising Carla Coates. She can be reached at the Pathways Center, 314 Vogel Library, Wartburg College, Waverly, IA 50677, 352-8230, <Carla.coates@wartburg.edu>. Presenting documentation of a student’s disability early (before the beginning of classes) is helpful and often necessary to secure needed materials in a timely way. Accommodations should be requested PRIOR to affected assignment due dates. For more detailed information, please see http://www.wartburg.edu/pathways/testing/AccomodationProcessStudents.pdf

Honor Code/Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the representation of the work or ideas of others as your own. Plagiarism can result from failing to cite a source, giving sufficient credit to the original authors, closely paraphrasing without attribution, and direct copying. The Academic Policies Committee of Student Senate and the Honor Council have asked faculty to remind students that they have a “…responsibility to promote academic honesty by opposing cheating and plagiarism and reporting dishonest work”. All forms of plagiarism and cheating will result in severe academic penalties, including the possibility of failing the assignment and the class.

By attending Wartburg College, students are demonstrating their dedication to the Honor Code. The Honor Code reminds students of their responsibility to promote academic honesty by opposing cheating and plagiarism and reporting dishonest work. This is a reminder of your obligation to the Honor Code (from the policy developed by students and overseen by the Student Senate, the Honor Council, and the Academic Ombudsperson).

Classroom policies:

1. Arrive promptly

2. Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, beepers, and noisy watches.

3. You may only record my classes with my permission.

4. If you know you must leave early, let me know before class and sit near the door.

5. Limit exiting and reentering the classroom during the class period. It is disruptive to your fellow students and distracting to the professor.

6. Make sure you put your name on everything you turn in!

7. Follow the directions on all assignments! It will save headaches and heartaches.

8. I have nothing against food and drink in the classroom. Just make sure it is not too messy, smelly, or noisy- NO chips!! AND PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF!

Schedule of classes: Please come to class having read and thought about the material assigned for that day. [R] = on reserve, [O] = online, find a link through the syllabus on my webpage.

M 1/11 Introduction and terms

Women in Eurasia before 1000 BCE

W 1/13 Women in Early History: Trends

Read: Envisioning Women, 1-31

F 1/15 Women in Early History: Sources

Read: Online Sources and Handouts A Father's Advice Birth of Hatshepsut Code of the Nesilim Code of the Assyrians

Women in Ancient Greece

M 1/18 NO class MLK JR Day Short class

W 1/20 Greek Women: Trends

Read: Envisioning Women, 32-46

F 1/22 Sources