History of Women the United States, 1870 – Present
Spring 2023
CRN 36476
Tuesday and Thursday, noon – 1:20 pm, 145 Straub

Professor Ellen Herman
office: 280G Knight Law Center
e-mail: eherman@uoregon.edu
office hours: Mondays, noon – 2 pm in 280G Knight Law Center

GEs/Graders
Pierce Bateman: pbateman@uoregon.edu
office hours: Wednesdays from 12-2 pm in 340T McKenzie Hall

Victor Ochoa: vochoa@uoregon.edu
office hours: Mondays via zoom from 12-2 pm (by appointment) https://uoregon.zoom.us/j/96767292621?pwd=UWJlQWlmSUM2eW82cnR0eHlQdHN5dz09

Moeko Yamazaki: moekoy@uoregon.edu
office hours: Monday 2-3 pm and Wednesday 1-2 pm in 350H McKenzie Hall

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

HIST 309 is the second part of a two-quarter sequence on the history of women and gender in the United States. Its starting point is that the history of women and gender is central to U.S. history rather than something set apart from the major developments that have shaped the nation’s past. The course examines the historical significance of gender, for men and boys as well as women and girls, and explores its profound impact on Americans’ experiences as family members, workers, and citizens as well as on a wide range of institutions. The course will survey many different dimensions of gendered lives from Reconstruction to the present. As we read and think about change and continuity over the course of modern U.S. history, we will consider the following topics in relation to women and gender: migration and immigration; industrialization; reform movements; suffrage; labor; consumption; kinship; war; sexuality; reproduction and health; violence; feminism and anti-feminism. The course will emphasize diversity in the history of women and gender and profile individuals who illustrate the dynamic relationship between gender and other aspects of social identity, including race, ethnicity, class, national origin, sexual orientation, and age. The course is designed to move forward chronologically in time, but its thematic organization also means that we will sometimes move across time periods, compare different time periods, and question our assumptions about the meaning and inevitability of freedom, equality, and progress.

CLASS MODALITY AND FORMAT

This class takes place in person. There will be two lectures each week. Although this course requires no separate discussion sections, you can expect to participate in spontaneous small group discussions during class time. Please be sure to do the reading for class in advance and bring any reading notes with you.

WRITING REQUIREMENTS

Three short essay-writing assignments. Each one will explore and/or compare required readings, especially primary sources. Each essay should be 4 pages long, double-spaced. You will submit your work on Canvas.

Essay #1, due during week 4 on April 25, 2023, 2023 by noon.

Essay #2, due during week 7 on May 16, 2023 by noon.

Essay #3, due during week 10 on June 6, 2023 by noon.

There will be a final take-home exam that covers the major readings and themes of the course. The final exam will be posted on Canvas after the final class on Thursday, June 8, 2023. It will be due on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 by noon.

Please notice when the written work is due and plan your time accordingly.

READING REQUIREMENTS

Required reading does not mean required buying. The books listed below are on reserve in Knight Library. Shorter texts are all available on Canvas, linked to this syllabus, or both. You are expected to complete the required reading before class. Doing so will make the lectures more understandable and interesting. It will also help you with the writing assignments.

Required reading amounts to less than 100 pages each week. I know because I counted! The reading is not, however, always distributed evenly. Most weeks will have fewer pages; the weeks when we will be reading the McGuire and Zumas books will have more. Please look ahead in the syllabus and plan your time accordingly.

Danielle McGuire, At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance–A New History of the Civil Rights Movements from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power (Vintage, 2011).

Leni Zumas, Red Clocks (Little, Brown, 2018).

Recommended textbook:
Ellen Carol DuBois and Lynn Dumenil, Through Women’s Eyes: An American History With Documents, 5th edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019).

THINKING REQUIREMENTS AND COURSE OBJECTIVES

History is a discipline that requires discipline, no less than music, neuroscience, or architecture. That means you should expect this course to require real time and effort. But history repays those who devote time and effort to it many times over. If you work hard in this course, you will end the term knowing something about the chronology and significance of the various topics listed on this syllabus. You can also expect the following tangible benefits, all applicable in a very wide range of future occupations and careers:

• the habit of asking critical and imaginative questions frequently
• improved reading, writing, and analytical skills
• the ability to recognize and evaluate primary and secondary sources, with special attention to interpreting multiple, sometimes conflicting, examples of documentary evidence
• practice in thinking about change over time and considering how economic, political, cultural, and social forces interact to promote or inhibit change
• facility with revising your questions and rethinking your answers based on empirical and especially documentary evidence

My hope is that you will also experience the pleasures of learning. History promises to make us more interesting people and better informed, more insightful citizens of our communities and our world.

RULES

Accommodations
The University of Oregon seeks to create inclusive learning environments. Please let me know me if anything about the instruction or design of this course creates disability-related barriers to your participation. You are also encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Center in 164 Oregon Hall at 541-346-1155 or uoaec@uoregon.edu. If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please arrange to see me at the beginning of the term and request that the Accessible Education Center verify your disability.

Academic Honesty
If this course is to be a worthwhile educational experience, your work must be original. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are very serious infractions and will not be permitted. Students who are uncertain about what plagiarism is, or who have questions about how to cite published, electronic, or other sources should feel free to consult with the instructor. The UO Student Conduct Code, which includes a section on Academic Misconduct.

Attendance
Attendance will not be checked for every class, but it will be checked at several points during the term and that attendance record will be counted as one element in your final grade. Please be aware that many of the attendance policies that were adjusted university-wide during the pandemic are no longer in effect. Students with COVID are encouraged to seek guidance at UO’s COVID-19 Safety Resources webpage.

Classroom Community Expectations
All members of the class (students, GEs, and instructor) can expect to be treated respectfully. All of us should also expect to contribute to the learning community we create together. In practice, this means preparing for class, following instructions, and engaging thoughtfully with others so that we create a welcoming and inclusive environment for every member of the class. This does not mean that we will all agree. Remember that your view or experience is your view or experience, a partial vantage point on the whole, and not a general view or experience shared by everyone; nor are the views or experiences of others necessarily going to match your own. Communicating about our disagreements is as necessary a part of education as it is a part of democracy. We welcome disagreement in this class and will practice expressing disagreement without undermining, demeaning, or marginalizing others. In order to create an atmosphere conducive to learning, please also refrain from activities such as eating meals, texting, or checking social media during class time. Using computers to take notes is encouraged.

Encountering Offensive, Disturbing Material: Learning anything important about history means encountering people whose lives are very different than yours. That can be inspiring. It can also mean confronting ideas, values, language, and experiences that you may find offensive and disturbing. Doing that, and learning how to engage in civil conversation about things that matter, is part of what it means to become an educated person. This course is a place to practice that kind of thinking and talking. I encourage you to share your responses to assigned reading materials as well as to views expressed in the classroom. Read thoughtfully and listen carefully to other students. My door is always open to students who wish to discuss sensitive issues privately.

Lateness Policy: No late assignments will be accepted and no makeup exams will be given except in rare cases where special arrangements have been made in advance for reasons such as religious observance and disability. Students who miss deadlines for written assignments or the final exam will be given no credit for that assignment. If you anticipate difficulty meeting a deadline because of religious observance or disability, please talk to the instructor or one of the GEs in advance.

One last note: I apologize for having all these rules! Try to imagine the administrative challenges your instructor faces in managing this course in a way that complies with university regulations and is fair to all students. Please be patient with me and with your GEs!

GRADES

essays: 15% each
final exam: 40%
attendance: 15%

COURSE CALENDAR

Week 1

April 4, 2023: Introduction to the Course