HIST 25 - History of Women and Gender in the U.S.
HIST 25
3 units
History of Women and Gender in the U.S.
54 hours lecture
Grading: letter grade.
Description
This course is an intersectional survey of the history of women, gender, and sexuality in the United States from the pre-colonial period to the present. Emphasis is on the relevant political, economic, intellectual, and social roles filled by women, trans, and nonbinary people, reflecting the broad diversity of American society.
Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU; see counselor for limitations
Identifiers & Codes
Department: History, Political Science and Ethnic Studies
School: Social and Behavioral Sciences
Academic Level: Undergraduate
TOP Code: 220500 - History
CTE Status: No
SAM Code: E - Non-Occupational
CIP Code: 54.0101 - History, General.
Credit or Noncredit: Credit
Class Size Max, Units, Hours
Class Size Maximum: 40
Lecture Hours: 3
Supplemental Hours: 0
Credit Units: 3
Out of Class Hours: 6
Weekly In-Class Hours: 3
Teaching Units: 3
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
Total Contact Hours: 54
Requisites & Limitations on Enrollment
Catalog Information
Grade Mode: Letter Grade
Are there Materials Fees for the course? No
Is the course repeatable? No
Student Learning Outcomes & Course Objectives
Student Learning Outcomes:
- 1. Explain and analyze the processes of historical change as they relate to United States women's history.
- 2. Organize historical thinking and writing about women in the United States by using facts, ideas and events to ask questions, assemble evidence, and support conclusions with clarity and coherence.
Course Objectives:
1. Evaluate and analyze cultural patterns relating to the essential social, economic, political, religious and intellectual institutions that are the foundations of American culture and its social construction of gender.
2. Recognize and describe regional variations among American cultures in their treatment and expectations of women, over time and space.
3. Describe and identify cause and effect relationships involving historical events related to women in American history.
4. Evaluate and analyze primary sources including maps, graphs, images and textual sources regarding American women's history.
5. Demonstrate the ability to form complex historical questions from issues, to analyze and interpret evidence, to formulate relevant theses in response to those questions, and to compose cogent arguments in support of theses as regards women's history.
6. Evaluate and analyze complex and contradictory historical issues related to the subject of women's history.
7. Assess and compare developments in women's history within an historical context.
2. Recognize and describe regional variations among American cultures in their treatment and expectations of women, over time and space.
3. Describe and identify cause and effect relationships involving historical events related to women in American history.
4. Evaluate and analyze primary sources including maps, graphs, images and textual sources regarding American women's history.
5. Demonstrate the ability to form complex historical questions from issues, to analyze and interpret evidence, to formulate relevant theses in response to those questions, and to compose cogent arguments in support of theses as regards women's history.
6. Evaluate and analyze complex and contradictory historical issues related to the subject of women's history.
7. Assess and compare developments in women's history within an historical context.
Course Content
Course Content:
I. Fundamental Concepts of Gender and Intersectionality
1 Hour(s)
II. Gender and Sexuality in Early America
A. Pre-European Contact: Gender and Sexuality in Indigenous Societies
B. The Seventeenth Century: Gender and Sexuality in Colonial Societies
1. Spanish Colonies
2. French Colonies
3. British Colonies
4. Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
C. The Eighteenth Century: Women in the American Revolution
1. Attention should be paid to the contributions of Patriot, Loyalist, Indigenous, and enslaved women.
B. The Seventeenth Century: Gender and Sexuality in Colonial Societies
1. Spanish Colonies
2. French Colonies
3. British Colonies
4. Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
C. The Eighteenth Century: Women in the American Revolution
1. Attention should be paid to the contributions of Patriot, Loyalist, Indigenous, and enslaved women.
9 Hour(s)
III. Post-Revolution and the Early 19th Century
A. Gender Ideologies in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries
1. Women and the New Nation
2. True Womanhood
3. The limitations of ideology
B. Women and Reform Movements, 1800-1860
1. Foundations in religion and British models
2. Women reformers
3. The impact of reform on women
C. First Wave Feminism
1. Roots of the movement
2. The mainstream movement
3. First wave feminism and women of color
D. Women in the Civil War
1. Women's contributions to the war
2. Gender and the Reconstruction Amendments
3. Black women in the post-war south
4. White women in the post-war south
1. Women and the New Nation
2. True Womanhood
3. The limitations of ideology
B. Women and Reform Movements, 1800-1860
1. Foundations in religion and British models
2. Women reformers
3. The impact of reform on women
C. First Wave Feminism
1. Roots of the movement
2. The mainstream movement
3. First wave feminism and women of color
D. Women in the Civil War
1. Women's contributions to the war
2. Gender and the Reconstruction Amendments
3. Black women in the post-war south
4. White women in the post-war south
9 Hour(s)
IV. Post-Civil War and the Early Twentieth Century - each section should pay careful attention to the diversity of race and the varied experiences of gender.
A. Women After the Civil War
1. Western expansion's impact on Indigenous, Mexican, and White women
B. The Progressive Movement and Reform
1. Women's impact on the Progressive Movement
2. The Progressive Movement's impact on women of color
C. The Intersectional Fight for Suffrage
1. The build up to the 19th Amendment
2. The contributions of women of color and queer women
3. Suffrage achieved
D. WWI
1. The contributions of American women abroad and on the homefront
E. The 1920s
1. How did WWI impact the lives of women after the war?
2. Women and LGBTQIA+ folks during the Harlem Renaissance
1. Western expansion's impact on Indigenous, Mexican, and White women
B. The Progressive Movement and Reform
1. Women's impact on the Progressive Movement
2. The Progressive Movement's impact on women of color
C. The Intersectional Fight for Suffrage
1. The build up to the 19th Amendment
2. The contributions of women of color and queer women
3. Suffrage achieved
D. WWI
1. The contributions of American women abroad and on the homefront
E. The 1920s
1. How did WWI impact the lives of women after the war?
2. Women and LGBTQIA+ folks during the Harlem Renaissance
12 Hour(s)
V. From Depression to the Post-War Period - each section should pay careful attention to the diversity of race and the varied experiences of gender.
A. The Great Depression
1. The impact of the global economic crisis on American women
B. WWII on the Home Front and Abroad
1. Women's contributions to the war effort at home
2. Opportunities and limitations for women of color at home
3. Women's contributions to the war effort through the military
4. Opportunities and limitations for women of color and LGBTQIA+ folks in the military
C. The 1950s
1. The impact of the global economic crisis on American women
B. WWII on the Home Front and Abroad
1. Women's contributions to the war effort at home
2. Opportunities and limitations for women of color at home
3. Women's contributions to the war effort through the military
4. Opportunities and limitations for women of color and LGBTQIA+ folks in the military
C. The 1950s
6 Hour(s)
VI. The Social Movements of the 1960s and 1970s - each section should pay careful attention to the diversity of race and the varied experiences of gender.
A. The Civil Rights Movement
1. The contributions of women and the LGBTQIA+ community
2. The roots of 2nd Wave Feminism
B. An Intersectional Study of 2nd Wave Feminism
1. The fight for equality
2. Women's Liberation
3. Intersectional feminism in the 2nd Wave
C. The LGBTQIA Movement
1. The roles of women in the Gay Liberation Movement
1. The contributions of women and the LGBTQIA+ community
2. The roots of 2nd Wave Feminism
B. An Intersectional Study of 2nd Wave Feminism
1. The fight for equality
2. Women's Liberation
3. Intersectional feminism in the 2nd Wave
C. The LGBTQIA Movement
1. The roles of women in the Gay Liberation Movement
8 Hour(s)
VII. The 1980s to the Present - each section should pay careful attention to the diversity of race and the varied experiences of gender.
A. Reproductive Justice
B. The Equal Rights Amendment and the Backlash
C. Gender and Sexuality in the 80s and 90s
D. 3rd Wave Feminism
E. Modern Issues
B. The Equal Rights Amendment and the Backlash
C. Gender and Sexuality in the 80s and 90s
D. 3rd Wave Feminism
E. Modern Issues
9 Hour(s)
Methods of Instruction & Active Learning
Instructional Method(s):
- Other
Examples: History 25 lends itself to the following: A combination of lecture and discussion on the course subjects to introduce content, to review and expand upon material covered in the assigned texts, and to clarify key events and concepts; instructor-generated large and small group discussion that allow students to concentrate on selected topics and give students opportunities to work in collaboration; whiteboard, streaming videos, podcasts, DVDs, slides, and PowerPoint presentations may be employed to clarify terms, provide maps, the arts, artifacts, charts, graphs, and other relevant images.
Students are encouraged to participate actively in the course by asking and answering questions during the lecture presentation and by contributing to group discussions. Assignments utilizing digital technologies may be integrated into class discussion.
Assignment for In and Out of Class
Assignment Types:
- Substantial college level writing assignment, such as: essay(s), written homework, term/research paper, and/or other (Required).
- Substantial college level reading assignment, such as: textbook, journal article(s), literature, and/or other (specify)
- Group Assignment
- Reading Assignment
Examples: Students are to produce written work that helps them achieve course objectives and outcomes, such as essays, primary source document analyses, research paper, book review, podcast analyses, visual source analyses, or portfolios.
College level reading from a textbook will be assigned on a weekly basis. Students will also be required to read other primary and/or secondary sources related to the history of gender, women, and sexuality. Academic podcasts may also be used.
Students may be asked to engage in various group activities including discussion, demonstrations, and presentations.
Readings including textbook, monographs, primary sources, articles, and academic podcasts will be assigned to add depth and detail to lecture material.
Methods of Evaluation
Written Evaluations:
- Essay Exam(s)
- Term or Other Paper(s)
- Reading Report(s)
Computational or Non-Computational Problem Solving Demonstrations:
- Exam(s)
- Quizzes
- Other
Further Methods of Evaluation:
- Objective examinations, such as: multiple choice, true/false, matching items, completion
Examples: Essay exams may be used to assess the student's ability to form important historical questions, develop a thesis, and argue the thesis using well-considered and well-understood evidence. The student is asked to exhibit a thorough and sophisticated understanding of the inter-relationships among events and/or concepts, the essential institutions of the society under study, and exhibit a good comprehension of content material.
Essay questions will measure all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. A rubric will be used to evaluate student essays.
Document analyses will ask the student to evaluate primary source documents analytically and critically by answering the following questions: who was the author and when was the source written, who was the intended audience, what was the strategy of the author, what assumptions did the author make, what is the author's bias, what does the document reveal about the author and his/her society?
The student is asked to exhibit a thorough and sophisticated understanding of the inter-relationships among events and/or concepts, the essential institutions of the society under study, and exhibit a good comprehension of content material.
Papers will be evaluated according to the scoring rubric adopted by the history faculty for evaluating essays, based on four categories of analysis: clarity, coherence, organization, and accuracy.
Document analyses will ask the student to evaluate primary source documents analytically and critically by answering the following questions: who was the author and when was the source written, who was the intended audience, what was the strategy of the author, what assumptions did the author make, what is the author's bias, what does the document reveal about the author and his/her society? The student is asked to exhibit a thorough and sophisticated understanding of the inter-relationships among events and/or concepts, the essential institutions of the society under study, and exhibit a good comprehension of content material. Papers will be evaluated according to the scoring rubric adopted by the history faculty for evaluating essays, based on four categories of analysis: clarity, coherence, organization, and accuracy.
Exams utilizing substantial essay questions may be given, focusing on content knowledge and critical thinking. Exams are evaluated on the student's ability to synthesize key concepts, form a strong thesis, and support the thesis in an essay of sufficient length to offer a full discussion.
Students may be asked to briefly define and identify key concepts, terms, and people, and/or be asked to select the best answers offered in a multiple choice format. They are evaluated on the ability to demonstrate understanding of the importance of concepts, terms, events and people.
Group assignments: Students may be required to engage in group work and assignments designed to encourage a collaborative effort in analyzing historical themes and course material. The student is asked to exhibit a thorough and sophisticated understanding of the inter-relationships among events and/or concepts, the essential institutions of the society under study, and exhibit a good comprehension of content material.
Students may be given multiple choice exams that will be used to evaluate a student's recall of key concepts and historical processes. These questions will also require students to use critical thinking abilities to assess the relationship of key historical events, interpretations and outcomes.
Students will be evaluated on their understanding and mastery of ideas, facts, events and people related to the course. Evaluation will be based on the correct answer.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibilty
The History and Ethnic Studies faculty utilize equitable teaching practices that promote inclusion by honoring and centering diverse perspectives, identities, abilities, and lived experiences. Our faculty employ culturally relevant material to promote active engagement, critical inquiry, and evidence-based historical thinking. We cultivate learning environments that encourage dialogue, reflection, and the development of informed, socially conscious perspectives.
This means that students will: 1) develop critical historical thinking skills grounded in evidence and multiple perspectives; 2) build a sense of belonging and validation of their identities and experiences; 3) take ownership of their learning through inquiry, reflection, and engagement; and 4) foster respect, solidarity, and appreciation for diverse communities.
Course instruction is accessible to all students, including those with disabilities, and is achieved through professional development support, and District accessibility procedures which guarantee accommodation so that all students can equally participate in learning opportunities.
The History and Ethnic Studies faculty affirm that access, inclusion, equity, and diversity are essential to meaningful learning, and commit to ongoing training to achieve these ends. Cyclical Routine Review of courses allows faculty to engage in regular reflection upon how each element of the course outline illustrates inclusion and engagement with diverse student bodies.
Representative Textbooks and Materials
Representative Textbook:
Through Women's Eyes. Ellen DuBois and Lynn Dumenil. 6th edition. Bedford/St. Martin. 2024.
The American Yawp. http://www.americanyawp.com/ (OER, Stanford University Press). 2023.
Recommended Textbook:
Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge. Erica Armstrong Dunbar. 37 Ink. 2017.
Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All. Martha S. Jones. Basic Books. 2020.
She the People: A Graphic History of Uprising, Breakdowns, Setbacks, Revolts, and Enduring Hope on the Unfinished Road to Women's Equality. Jen Deaderick. Seal Press. 2019.