HST 3324.501
Women in Modern European Society

Spring 1999
Mondays 7:00-9:45 p.m.

This course will examine the varied historical experiences of women in European societies over the past 200 years. Beginning with the age of the French Revolution, we will attempt to construct an understanding of the lives of women of different eras, different nations and different social classes.

We will consider the multiple relations of women to the family, work, and politics. Our aim will be to identify both how modern European societies have defined the "proper" role of women and how women have collectively and individually adapted, challenged and transformed such definitions.

REQUIRED TEXTS (available at UTD Bookstore or Off Campus Books):

• Margaret Davies, ed., Life As We Have Known It
• Margaret Drabble, The Millstone
• Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton
• Alexandra Kollontai, Love of Worker Bees
• Helen Zenna Smith, Not So Quiet
• Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas

Additional texts are gathered in a READER available for purchase at Off Campus Books.

REQUIREMENTS/EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Weekly readings; class attendance and participation (20%); course journal (15%); two 3-5 page papers (40%); final examination (25%).

PLEASE NOTE: More than three absences, regular tardiness or failure to participate in class discussions will result in a lower final grade.

HST 3324: Women in Modern European Society

JOURNAL REQUIREMENTS

Your journal is due at the beginning of class on February 15th, March 22nd, and April 26th.

1. You must write an entry for each of the 8 reading assignments. When the assignment includes a number of documents, you should try to address them as a whole; you can, however, make reference to specific texts you find noteworthy.
2. You must also write an entry for each of the first 6 films.
3. You must, over the course of your journal, write additional entries for at least 6 class meetings. These may address lectures, discusssions or your second thoughts about earlier entries.

Your journal entries should be between 50 and 100 words. I do not expect perfectly polished prose. You should type your entries. Place each entry on a separate sheet of paper and identify its source with a title across the top. Place the entries in a folder with your name on it. Your entries for the readings should be written before the class in which we discuss the texts.

The purpose of a journal is to give you the freedom to express your initial reaction to the course materials. At the same time, your journal should show a growing intellectual sophistication about the material. Avoid the "isn't this awful" response and do not summarize the material. Instead, try to understand and to contextualize the material and its implications for women's lives. You may compare readings and draw upon previously discussed material to understand each text. You may also apply the readings to a current situation or a personal experience. I will specifically be looking for an intellectual effort to understand and situate the material within a historical context. I will also be looking for improvement in your understanding of the material.

FINAL STUDY GUIDE

GROUND RULES

1. The final examination will be held on May 3^rd in our usual classroom at the usual hour of 7:00 p.m. You will have 2 hours to complete the exam.

2. I will provide blue books. Please write in pen.

3. You will be allowed to use 2 pages of notes.

4. Any behavior that I decide resembles cheating will lead to your being tossed out of the exam.

PART I: Identifications (30%)

Of the following list, ten IDs will appear on the final. You will be obliged to answer all ten briefly. A good ID will include: who or what this refers to; a date for this person, place or thing (within 10 years); a geographical location, if appropriate; and the significance of the ID. Full sentences are not required.

EXAMPLE:

Women’s march on Versaille (France, October 5, 1789). A crowd of 8-10,000 armed Parisian women march to demand that the king guarantee the bread supply and force him to return to Paris. This changes the direction of the French Revolution and demonstrates women’s unique political role.

Charter of Labor Nepwoman

Club des citoyennes républicaines Married Women’s Property Bill

Colonial Nursing Association superfluous women

Contagious Diseases Act Women’s Bookshop of Milan

Equal Remuneration Convention Women’s Cooperative Guild

Greenham Common Women’s Social & Political Union

La Garçonne Zhenotdel

household economy

PART II: SHORT ESSAY (70%)

You will be required to answer both of the following questions. You should write a short (500-750 word) essay in response to each question. Each answer will be worth 35% of your grade. Your answers should draw, as appropriate, on the lectures, at least three different weeks’ readings, and at least two films. You cannot use the same readings or films in both essays. Please be as concrete and specific as you can. Do not write introductory paragraphs and start with your essay with your thesis statement. You must write in complete, grammatically correct sentences but some allowance will be made for spelling and punctuation errors.

1. To what extent can the period covered by the course (approximately 1750-1990) be considered a period of "progress" for European women? Be sure to make specific references to the advancesm, retreats, or continuities in the experiences of European women.

2. Were the day-to-day experiences of European women altered more significantly in the course of the nineteenth or the twentieth century? Justify your choice. (Here it would be especially useful to distinguish between women of different classes.)