Welcome and Ground Rules

Welcome to WS 222 - Intro to Global Women's Studies!

This class has the potential to be an excellent class. As a teacher, I can only do so much to make the class excellent (e.g., select readings, organize learning activities, be generally awesome). What really determines if a class is excellent is the engagement of the students.
As such, I need you to come to class prepared to participate and be fully present. Attendance and participation will be factored into your grade and is based on being on time, engaging in class discussions and activities, and staying until the end. Engaging in class discussions and activities doesn't always mean that you have to talk in class (it for sure doesn't mean being a class hog and talking so much that others can't get a word in edgewise). It does mean actively listening, asking questions (which I expect everyone to do at least twice during the semester--and I will keep track), and contributing to the class in meaningful ways. I don't bar technology from class. In fact, I appreciate it when folks can follow along and maybe look things up as we talk and share with the class. I do not, however, appreciate folks being absent via Facebook, or Tumblr, or email, or an assignment for another class. If you believe that you have important on-line duties to attend to, please take them outside of class so as not to distract people around you and me. You may think that you are being super sly, but you probably aren't, and you are probably hurting my feelings and bringing down the vibe of the class; so, either stop it or leave the class.

I am going to do my level best to learn everyone's name, and I hope you will work to learn the names of the people in class as well. That will help us create an atmosphere of trust and community. Some of the things we discuss in class are going to be difficult and sensitive, and the more we know one another and lean on one another, the better our experience in this class will be.

Ground Rules

Given the nature of this course, I want to suggest some rules to promote an atmosphere that will facilitate the learning process as well as respect the experiences of different groups in the classroom and the larger society. These principles will guide our class discussions and interactions. Consider the following ground rules (adapted from those by Margaret Andersen, University of Delaware) as we participate together in this class:

1. We acknowledge that racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, religious, and ability oppression exists in our society.
2. We acknowledge that one of the key elements of oppression is that we are all systematically taught misinformation about race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, and ability. This is true for both majority and minority group members. 
3. While we cannot be blamed for the misinformation that we have learned, we can and will be held responsible for repeating misinformation after we have learned otherwise. 
4. We will actively pursue information about racial, ethnic, religious, and economic groups, gender and sexual minorities, and people with disabilities. However, the basis for this information will not be on societal learned myths or stereotypes about these groups. 
5. We will share information and ideas with members of the class and we will never demean, devalue, or “put down” people for their experiences. 
6. We each have an obligation to combat actively the myths and stereotypes about race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, social class, and ability so that we can break down the barriers which impede group cooperation. 
7. We will assume that all of us, regardless of our racial identity, nationality, gender, sexuality, class, religion, ability, or cultural background, have been influenced by the racism, sexism, heterosexism, abilism, and other biases of our society and that individuals can actively change.
8. We will create a safe atmosphere for open discussion. At times, members of the class may wish to make comments that they do not want repeated outside of the classroom. If so, the student will preface his or her remarks with a request and the class will agree not to repeat the remarks.
9. We will try to see the world through the experiences of people who have different perspectives than our own. This will mean not assuming that one’s own perspective is the only or the best way to see and think.

Picture at top of page contains some outside recommendations on feminist literature