Catalog Description
- Transfer Status
- CSU/UC
- Unit(s)
- 3.00
- Lecture: 51.00 Contact hours/102.00 Out of class hours/153.00 Total hours/3.00 Unit(s)
- Total: 51.00 Contact hours/102.00 Out of class hours/153.00 Total hours/3.00 Unit(s)
Course Description: This course is a survey of the experiences of men and women in the American past from the pre-colonial era to the present. The course examines the ways that ideas about masculinity and femininity have shaped men's and women's participation in major political, economic, social, and cultural events and developments, and why and how ideas of manhood and womanhood change. The course also introduces students to the historical reasoning skills necessary to form their own understanding of the past, and of contemporary society.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
- identify how ideas about masculinity and femininity have shaped the historical experiences of men and women and their participation in important political, economic, social, and cultural events and developments.
- describe the complex interplay between biology, economic systems, political culture, race and ethnicity, religion, mass media, region, and personal choice and the varied roles of men and women in the American past.
- find and evaluate primary and secondary sources, analyze and synthesize information, and compose arguments grounded in knowledge of the past.
- consider the relevancy and use of history in contemporary society.
Course Content
Topic Titles / Suggested Time Topic
Lecture
| Topics | Lec Hrs |
|---|---|
Introduction to the Study of History | 3.00 |
Pre-Colonial America, Europe, and Africa | 3.00 |
Gender Roles in Colonial America: Native American, European, and African Men and Women | 3.00 |
Gender in the Era of the American Revolution | 3.00 |
Northern Men and Women in the Early National Period | 3.00 |
Southern Men and Women in the Early National Period | 3.00 |
The Civil War and Reconstruction: Masculinity, Femininity, and Citizenship Redefined | 3.00 |
Men and Women in the Nineteenth Century Trans-Mississippi West | 3.00 |
The Era of Industrialization | 3.00 |
The New Man and the New Woman in the Early Twentieth Century | 3.00 |
Men and Women in the Great Depression and World War II | 6.00 |
Men and Women in Cold War America | 3.00 |
Sixties Protest | 6.00 |
Men, Women, and Families in the Twenty-First Century | 3.00 |
1980s Cultural Battles in the Realm of Gender and Sexual Politics | 3.00 |
| Total Hours: | 51.00 |
Methods of Instruction
- Class Activities
- Collaborative Group Work
- Group Discussions
- Guest Speakers
- Homework: Students are required to complete two hours of outside-of-class homework for each hour of lecture
- Lecture
- Multimedia Presentations
- Homework: It is expected that a major part of that time will be spent in the reading and studying of monographs or articles, course readers, textbooks, literature, and/or primary source documents.
Methods of Evaluation
- Exams/Tests
- Quizzes
- Research Projects
- Oral Presentation
- Written Assignments
- Class Discussion
- The course includes a 2500 word writing requirement. The writing requirement may be fulfilled by any combination of essay or paragraph-length exam questions, formal essays or research papers, and/or in-class or out-of-class writing activities.
Examples of Assignments
Reading Assignments
- Read Lois Gould's 1972 fictional piece, "X: A Fabulous Child's Story." Arrive in class prepared to use the story as a launch board for exploring the idea of gender.
- Read the Introduction in Citizen Bachelors. Arrive in class ready to discuss these questions: What is the dilemma over the bachelor's existence? When, and in what context, did the dilemma first arise? What was the general view of bachelorhood prior to this? Why does the author argue that a reexamination of bachelorhood in early America is needed?
Writing Assignments
- Compose a 750-1000 word essay summarizing recent arguments both in support of and in opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment. Your essay should include specific references to contemporary sources. It should also reflect accurate knowledge of the origins of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1920s and its fate in subsequent decades.
- From the article, "Universal Suffrage and the Legacies of the Civil War," write a 750-1000 word essay that explores how women's rights activists, a group that had largely supported abolition and that in general supported universal suffrage, found themselves split over the 14th and 15th Amendments. What concerns divided women activists as they debated whether or not to enfranchise African American men? Be sure to identify individuals/groups on different sides of the divide, their arguments, and their strategy and tactics.
Out-of-Class Assignments
- Go to the "How to Use Primary Sources" page of the Primary Source Village website. Read through each page of the tutorial, examining the examples as you read. Then search online for a primary source on something specific that you encountered in this week's assigned reading. Write a full description of your primary source, following the steps outlined in the tutorial. Briefly describe how the primary source adds to your understanding of the topic. Provide a source citation for where you found the primary source, as well as citations for any other materials used to complete the assignment.
- Purchase a newspaper (print version, not online) during at least four different weeks of the semester. Read the news, opinion pieces, and obituaries – in search of stories that contain a reference of historic interest and/or that connect with ideas of gender explored in this class. Prepare a 4x6 index card with the following information about the article: title, author, source, date, summary (including historic reference or gender connection). Be prepared to share your news story in class.
Recommended Materials of Instruction
Wiesner-Hanks, M.E. (2021). Gender in History: Global Perspectives. Wiley-Blackwell, 3rd. 978-1119719205.
Jacobs, H.A. (2001). Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Dover, 2001. 978-0486419312.
Kimmel, M. (2017). Manhood in America: A Cultural History. Oxford University Press, 4th. 978-0190612535.
Hoffert, Sylvia D. (2019). A History of Gender in America: Essays, Documents, and Articles. Prentice Hall, 1st. 978-0130122254.
Minimum Qualifications
History (Masters Required)