Women's Studies 110D
Women, Culture, and Society
Instructor: Sharon Colingwood
This section of WS 110 is unlike all other sections. It is a distance course, but classes will meet in Second Life, an on-line 3D virtual environment. We do not meet in a classroom, we meet online. If you are on campus, you do not need to have your own computer to take this course, as a computer lab has been set up for independent study; however, the course does require general computer skills. At the very minimum, you should know how to upload and download files, cut and paste, and keep a coherent file structure. If you do not like working with computers, I would advise you to take another section of WS110.
Membership in Second Life is free, but the program requires a high-speed internet connection; if you would like to try the program, please go to http://secondlife.com to sign up and visit an orientation island. (Second Life is free to use) If you will not be working in a university computer lab, check the systems requirements page (http://secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.php) to be sure the computer you are using is adequate.
The course uses an interdisciplinary and multicultural approach to explore the realities of women in local, national and international contexts. Readings seen in class are designed to connect with practical work in Second Life. We will begin with a discussion of the philosophies of modern feminism, and we will test these philosophies in our study of law and public policy regarding issues of race, class, sexual orientation, economic equality, physical ability, violence, and the environment. Within Second Life, we will see how these issues are reflected in a virtual society where individuals can choose their identity, gender and race, and change them at will. We will also explore the possibilities of this new medium: Is a virtual environment a good base for feminist activism? Is sexual harassment present in Second Life? How does the "digital divide" affect women's participation in this new medium?
The course encourages the student to find and to better express her/his voice, through the development of rhetorical and writing skills. Students work in teams, each of which will focus on a general subject area. There is a strong emphasis on feminist process and on achieving consensus within the group as a whole, as well as on finding points of connection with the subject areas of other groups.
WS 110 fulfills the GEC requirement for Social Diversity and Social Science. You must be 18 to take this course.
Materials:
- You will need a headset to participate in classes (headphones and microphone).
- Our text, Reading Women's Lives, will be availble at the SBX bookstore. It's a special reader made for The Department of Women's Studies, and is used by all sections of WS 110. But it is different for each section. Please be sure that you buy the book listing my name on the cover page (Collingwood). If you are not in the Columbus area, you can call SBX at (614) 291-9528 to order your text and have it shipped. (sorry, they don't have website ordering)
The marks distribution of this class is below:
15% Participation
Participation in our class is more than merely being on-line. You will be expected to work in your group, perhaps to write an assessment of a reading, or even to come to a consensus on the issue being discussed on that day. Sometimes we go on field trips in Second Life; your group may be asked for a short written assessment of a field trip destination. Small assignments are also a part of your participation mark. For example, you may be asked to talk to your friends about their opinions on a given topic, and to bring this information to class. Attendance is important in our class, and class work missed through absence cannot be made up unless verified by a doctor's note or other certification. However, a certain amount of flexibility is built into our class through the "get out of jail free" option. Two "get out of jail free" days are allowed over the quarter to allow for the scheduling complications distance students often face. Remember that missing class may mean you are missing information that will be tested on the midterm or final. Be sure to check with other members of our group for notes. If you must be absent, send me an e-mail with "get out of jail" in the subject line. Please be considerate to the others in your group, and try not to be absent when they need your participation.
5% Quizzes
The reading quizzes are set up to assess your understanding (not your interpretation) of the texts we study. They are reasonably short, and they must be taken before the start of the relevant class. You can repeat a quiz three times before the start of class; it is relatively easy to get 100% on these quizzes.
5% Scavenger Hunt
The Scavenger Hunt is a media exercise we do at the beginning of the term to tie in with the media literacy segment of our course. For more information, see the "Scavenger Hunt" link in the sidebar.
30% Projects
Your project will consist of text and images which will be presented on our class wiki and in Second Life. There will be five groups in our class, each working in a different subject area. Each member of the group will work on a different, but related, topic. For example, if your group has chosen to work on violence, one member of your group might want to write on the appalling situation in Darfur, while someone else might write about activism against domestic violence in the U.S., and another person might be interested in studying the relationship between cruelty to animals and violence in the home.
20% Midterm
Your midterm is a take-home essay, and you have 24 hours to complete it. You will have the choice of receiving your midterm after class, or you may complete a different exam on Saturday. ONLY those who have signed up in advance may choose to take the Saturday exam. Sign up by sending me an e-mail.
25% Final
The final is an old-fashioned, pen-and-paper exam, given in a real-life classroom at OSU (See class outline for details). Out-of-state students may take the exam using a proctor, although there is a charge for this service.
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