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HIS 236I: Women in Asian Civilizations |
Office: 308 Marting Hall |
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
Are Asian women oppressed? Decide for yourself. You will investigate the status of women comparatively with an emphasis on civilizations influenced by Confucianism and Communism (East Asia), Hinduism (India), and Islam (the Middle East). In addition to mainstream political and historical analysis, you will explore a variety of feminist perspectives to illuminate women’s roles in religious traditions, in the family, in the economy, in politics, paying special attention to the alternative models of liberation that Asian women have utilized over the past century. In addition, when you leave this class, you will be able to read primary documents, analyze sources for bias, and apply historical knowledge to solving contemporary problems.
HOW WILL I EVALUATE YOUR LEARNING?
Three Unit Exams (30% each): The class is divided into three units, each focusing on a different cultural area. At the end of each unit there will be an in-class exam with an objective section (multiple choice, true-false, etc.) and a two-page, doubbltake-home essay. Questions will be drawn from lecture material, readings, and discussions.
Quizzes and participation (10%): There will be brief, unannounced quizzes on reading assignments. These may be brief essay questions, or single multiple choice, true/false, or fill-in questions. We will discuss issues brought up by the readings and relevant current events. Your decision to take this class means that you agree to be present and prepared; if you come unprepared, you not only damage your own learning but deprive the rest of the class of learning from your unique insights. Discussions are your opportunity to guide the direction of the course and contribute to what we learn.
Extra Credit: I want to encourage you to do reading or watch documentaries on topics that we may not cover in class. I think it is important for you to be able to pursue subjects of your own interest. So I allow you to get up to five points of extra credit; see the External Links page on the Blackboard site for details and restrictions.
WHAT WILL YOU READ?
Bumiller, Elisabeth. May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons: A Journey Among the Women of India. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1990.
Chang, Jung. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. New York: Anchor Books, 1991.
Farman Farmaian, Sattareh. Daughter of Persia: A Woman’s Journey from Her Father’s Harem through the Islamic Revolution. New York: Anchor Books, 1992.
Additional Readings in Blackboard Course Documents.
WHAT DO I EXPECT OF YOU? I will do everything in my power to help you achieve the learning objectives for this class. But I can only do so much. I cannot open your head and dump knowledge into it. Ultimately, how much you learn depends on your own effort.
- I do not take attendance. Since I give frequent quizzes, if you miss a class, you will not only miss the lecture or discussion for that day but risk losing points on quizzes as well. I know that everyone gets sick or has an occasional emergency that prevents class attendance once in a while, but because of federal privacy laws, I do not collect excuses for absences. If you miss an occasional class, get the notes from a classmate and do an extra credit assignment to make up for the missed quiz. Keep in mind that only five points of extra credit are available, and that missing over three days of class could have a serious impact on your learning. If you have a serious illness or other problem that requires a lengthy absence, you must contact the Dean of Students and ask her to send an explanation to all your professors.
- Missed essays will receive a grade of zero. Note that a zero is worse, mathematically-speaking, than an F (anything below sixty percent). If an essay is due on a day when you must miss class, please use the digital drop box in Blackboard to turn it in (I accept MS Word and Corel WordPerfect formats). Please practice professional standards in your work and turn materials in on time.
- Students who know that they will miss the midterm or final exam due to planned absence may schedule a make-up.
- Any student with a documented disability (e.g., mobility, learning, psychological, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange accommodations must contact both me and Disability Services for Students (826-2188) at the beginning of the term.
- Plagiarism and cheating are ways of avoiding true learning. If you learn to rely on them in college, they will become bad habits that may embarrass or ruin you as a professional. If I suspect you of either, I will make you re-do the assignment until I am sure you have learned to do the work on your own. Deliberate violations of the “Policy on Academic Honesty” detailed in the Baldwin-Wallace College Catalog will be reported for disciplinary action. In that event, your case will be decided by college judicial authorities, which can take up to a year.
- I strongly encourage you to make use of my e-mail and office hours. This is the best way to ensure that I get to know you as a person, so that I am aware of your individual strengths and any difficulties you may experience. I offer help preparing essays or for exams, or if you would like help on a more regular basis, I can arrange for tutoring. If you need to meet with me outside of regular office hours, contact me to schedule an appointment.
Core Skills:
HIS 236I is writing-intensive, teaches critical thinking skills, and encourages students to work in small-group settings on collaborative in-class assignments.
COURSE SCHEDULE: Readings should be completed by the day for which they are assigned. The schedule may be adjusted throughout the semester to answer questions you bring up in class.
T 8/29 Introductions. Begin reading Wild Swans. You should read 25 pages every day.
Th 8/31 The Challenge of Western Feminism. Wild Swans, 1-42; Blackboard: Napoleonic Code; “Clash of Civilizations?” by Samuel Huntington. Discussion: (1) How does the Napoleonic Code regulate women’s status? (2) Do you agree or disagree with Samuel Huntington’s thesis? Why?
Unit One: East Asia
T 9/5 The Place of Women in Chinese Confucianism. Wild Swans, 42-114; Blackboard: “Bound Feet, Bare and Shod”; Discussion: (1) How did Jung Chang’s grandmother’s life illustrate Confucian ideals and social conditions for women? (2) What was life like under the Japanese occupation of Manchuria?
Th 9/7 Twentieth-century transformations: Nationalism and Communism. Wild Swans, 114-190. Discussion: (1) How did Jung’s mother’s life illustrate Communist ideals for women? (2) How did Jung’s father treat her mother (his wife)?
Evening assignment for Monday, 9/11: Attend Enduring Questions Lecture by Dr. Azar Nafisi, at 8 PM in the John Patrick Theater (Kleist). Dr. Nafisi’s life is an interesting parallel to that of Sattareh Farman Farmaian, whose book you will be reading later in the class. Both lived through and were persecuted during the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. Her talk is entitled “Clash of Civilizations Revisited: The Republic of the Imagination.” Attending this talk is required; there will be material related to it on your exam.
T 9/12 Wild Swans, 191-308. Video on Chinese Communism and discussion. Discussion: What did Jung’s own life experience tell you about the Cultural Revolution and its effect on Chinese youth, especially girls?
Th 9/14 Film and discussion: One Village in China (60 mins). Wild Swans, 308-361. Discussion: What happened to people accused of being “capitalist roaders” during the Cultural Revolution? What happened to Jung Chang’s mother?
T 9/19 The Lingering Cultural Imprint of Confucianism. Blackboard: “Mother and Child Disunion” by Bruce Bower; Wild Swans, 361-474. Discussion: (1) According to Wild Swans, what did it mean to be “white”? (2) Evaluate Jung Chang’s perspective on Communist China–would you consider her a reliable source? (3) What do Jung’s feelings about fashion or relations with boys suggest about the lingering cultural effects of Confucianism on contemporary China? (4) What relevance might the ideals of western feminism have in contemporary East Asian cultures? (5) What does Bower’s article suggest about the lingering cultural effects of Confucianism on contemporary Taiwanese culture?
Th 9/21 Japan. Blackboard: “I Forget I’m a Housewife,” from Secrets of Mariko. Discussion: How does the activity that Mariko takes part in challenge the traditional image of Japanese women?
T 9/26 Video on geishas and discussion. Blackboard: “Women get a bang out of breaking down Asian gender images,” and “A winning woman.” Finish Wild Swans. Discussion: (1) How did Jung Chang violate the rules for female contact with foreigners? (2) How did Jung Chang react to Mao’s death?
Th 9/28 Korea: nationalism and gender. Blackboard: “Re-membering the Korean Military Comfort Women,” by Hyunah Yang. Discussion: (1) Why did the Koreans remain silent about this issue for so long? When they did begin to talk about it, why did they focus on Japanese atrocities rather than abuse of women? (2) What are the basic ideas behind Korean nationalism and Korean identity?
T 10/3 First Unit Exam
Unit Two: Indian Hinduism
Th 10/5 Women in Ancient India. May You Be the Mother of A Hundred Sons, 3-middle of page 17; Blackboard: “The Status of Hindu Women in India: A Brief Introduction,” by Nancy Falk, “Hindu Female Archetypes,” and “Duties of the True Hindu Woman.” Discussion: (1) What roles does Hindu tradition prescribe for women? (2) How are these roles similar to/different from roles prescribed by Confucianism? (3) What is shakti and how is it dangerous?
T 10/10 Influences of the Mughals, the British, and the Reformers. Hundred Sons, 17-43. Blackboard: poems by Mirabai; “Rassundari Debi,” in Voices from Within by Malavika Karlekar. Discussion: (1) What is the “middle class” in India? (2) According to Bumiller, why do so many arranged marriages “work”? (3) What does the story of Krishna and Radha teach about marriage? (4) How are marriages arranged? (4) In what ways did religion and social status affect the life of Rassundari Debi, a Hindu woman of nineteenth-century India? (5) How would you interpret Mirabai’s poem?
Th 10/12 Indian women after Independence. Hundred Sons, 125-146, 230-256; Blackboard: “Women in Independent India,” by Geraldine Forbes; and “Revered or Raped?” Discussion: (1) In what ways has “progress” made things worse for India’s women after independence? (2) Who are Madhu Kishwar, Vina Mazumdar, and Ela Bhatt? (3) What is Manushi? (4) What is SEWA? (5) What are the main concerns of most Indian women (as opposed to those of American feminists)? (6) What is the Working Women’s Forum? (7) What problems did “urban groups” face? (8) What was the Chipko movement? (8) What did Dholakia say about “radical western feminism”? (9) Why did Kiran Bedi’s father think daughters were better than sons? (10) What personal sacrifice did Kiran Bedi have to make to pursue her career? (11) What is a kitty party? (12) What tragedy did Mrs. Rana live through? (13) How is Mrs. Rana’s daughter’s life different from her own? (13) Is Mrs. Rana “oppressed”?
T 10/17 Perspectives on Sati. Hundred Sons, 44-74. Blackboard: “The Iconographies of Sati,” by Paul B. Courtright. Discussion: (1) According to Bumiller, what happened to Surindar Kaur? (2) According to Bumiller, what happened to Roop Kanwar? (3) How frequent are “stove burnings”? (4) According to Courtwright, how did understandings of sati change over time? (5) How do you think sati should be viewed?
Th 10/19 Contemporary politics. Hundred Sons, 147-178; Blackboard: “Communalising Gender Engendering Community,” by Ratna Kapur and Brenda Cossman. Discussion: (1) According to Bumiller, how much did Indira Gandhi do to improve the status of women? (2) Who are Margaret Alva, Benazir Bhutto, and Shah Bano? (3) According to Bumiller, how have India’s leaders interpreted India’s status as a secular country (p. 169)? (4) What was unique about K. R. Gouri? (5) What is unique about the state of Kerala? (6) According to Kapur and Cossman, what are the BJP and RSS? (7) How does the BJP’s definition of secularism affect the status of minorities? (8) How does the BJP’s definition of equality affect the status of women? (9) Would you consider women who participate in this movement “feminist”? Why/why not?
T 10/24 Contrasts in Rural India. Videos: Saheri’s Choice (27 minutes) and Women of Kerala (27 minutes). Hundred Sons, 75-124, 257-281. Note: there is an error on p. 112: “Parsis” are Zoroastrians; they do not worship “a god named Zoroaster.” Zoroaster was their prophet; the god of Zoroastrianism is Ahura Mazda, god of light, and he is opposed by a force of darkness, Ahriman. Discussion: (1) When did abortion become legal in India? (2) What was the reason given by the poor of Tamil Nadu for killing baby girls? (3) How would you answer Bumiller’s question: “Is is intellectually consistent to be in favor of a woman’s right to choose yet opposed to sex-selective abortion?” (4) What is a laparoscopy used for, in this case? (5) Describe India’s population growth. (6) What was the main obstacle to India’s family planning program? (7) What is SEWA Rural? (8) Who are dais, and what problems/opportunities to they pose to the problem of infant mortality? (9) What is different about Kerala?
Th 10/26 Ideology. Hundred Sons, 179-200, 201-229, 282-289; Blackboard: “Why I do not Call Myself a Feminist,” by Madhu Kishwar. Discussion: (1) What kinds of roles do female film stars get? (2) Why do their singing voices all sound the same? (3) What was the “real” advantage of being an actress in India? (4) How does the author describe the people of Calcutta? Does this surprise you? Why/why not? (5) Define leitmotif. (6) Why didn’t Calcutta’s women intellectuals consider themselves feminists? (7) Why was the film Paroma so challenging to Indian society? (8) According to Gloria Steinem, what are the four “radicalizing phases” in a woman’s life? (9) How does Kishwar characterize western feminism? (10) What alternate model of women’s liberation does she suggest? (11) Be prepared to argue whether styles of feminism that focus on western themes of liberation deal with the kinds of problems South Asian women might face. There is no “correct” answer–just be prepared to defend your point of view with evidence.
T 10/31 Second Unit Exam
Unit Three: the Islamic Middle East Begin reading Daughter of Persia, by Sattareh Farman Farmaian.
Th 11/2 Blackboard: “Women in Islamic History,” by Indira Gesink, selections from the Qur’an and sayings of Muhammad. Discussion: (1) What was it like for women in pre-Islamic Arabia? (2) What rights, duties, and restrictions does Islam offer women?
T 11/7 Archetypes of Feminine Power in Islam. Daughter of Persia, 3-48; Blackboard: “A Feminist Interpretation of Women’s Rights in Islam,” by Fatima Mernissi. Discussion: (1) In what ways did Satti’s early life reflect principles of Islam? In what way was her life affected by her social status? (2) According to Mernissi, what source was used to prevent women from obtaining positions of power? Why does she think it is of questionable authority?
Th 11/9 Medieval Privilege: Economic and Sexual. Daughter of Persia, 49-75; Blackboard: “Love and Women,” by al-Jahiz; “Islamic Views on Sexuality” (al-Ghazali from the Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din). Discussion: (1) What social role did Khanom play in her community? (2) How important was the oldest son, Nosratdoleh, to Satti’s family? (3) How do you feel about Satti’s education? (4) According to al-Jahiz, what powers did women have? (5) Why does al-Ghazali recommend reciting prayers before and during intercourse? (6) What can we infer from al-Ghazali about attitudes toward privacy, women’s sexual needs, alternative sexual practices, birth control, and abortion?
T 11/14 Daughter of Persia, 75-156. Blackboard: “Om Gad,” by Nayra Atiya; “Religion and Female Genital Mutilation,” and “In Defense of Female Circumcision.” Discussion: (1) In what ways did religion and social status affect the life of Om Gad, a contemporary Muslim woman from Egypt? (2) In what ways did religion and social status affect the life of Satti, a girl from early twentieth-century Persia? (3) What does “zaifeh” mean? (4) How did Satti’s mother react to Reza Shah’s abolishment of the veil? Does her reaction surprise you? (5) Why would anyone defend female circumcision?
Th 11/16 Veiling and Othering. Video: A Veiled Revolution. Blackboard: “A Visit to a Tunisian Harem,” by Miss Smith; “Unveiling and veiling,” by Nazira Zein-ed-Din; “Halide Edib: Education, Generation, and Class in the Late Ottoman Empire,” and “A Lecture in the Club of the Umma Party (1909),” by ‘Bahithat al-Badiya’; “The Veiled Revolution,” by Elizabeth Fernea; review the verses of the Qur’an on modest dress. Daughter of Persia, 159-181. Discussion: (1) How did Miss Smith perceive the harem? Contrast with Satti’s memory of the andarun. (2) What are the arguments for and against veiling?
T 11/21 Modernization and Progress. Video: Arab Women at Work. Daughter of Persia, 181-285; Blackboard: “Entrepreneurial Women,” by Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid Marsot. Discussion: (1) We often assume that modernization and industrialization improve the lives of women. Has this proven to be the case in the Middle East, according to the examples given by Marsot? Why/why not? (2) Why was Satti’s daughter “stateless” in Iran? (3) In what way did the US intervene in Iranian politics in 1953 that might explain Iranian resentment of the US today? (4) What did Satti think were the real problems facing Iranian women, and how did she plan to address them? (5) What were the conditions like at the city orphanage in Aminabad? (6) How did Shala’s father use the Qur’an to convince his daughter to return to social work? (7) Why did Satti feel that she could not remarry? (8) Why did Khanom eventually accept the idea of birth control? (9) Who were Ayatollah Khomeini and ‘Ali Shariati? (10) What did the Shah do to “modernize” Iran? (11) What was west-toxication?
Th 11/23 Thanksgiving Break.
T 11/28 Women in Popular Culture. Video: Umm Kulthum, a Voice Like Egypt. Daughter of Persia, 286-328. Discussion: What is Satti’s reaction to the women who wear the chador during the Iranian Revolution, and what does this suggest about her attitude towards religion?
Th 12/3 Women in Political Islam. Blackboard: “An Islamic Activist: Zaynab al-Ghazali,” interview by Valerie Hoffman; Daughter of Persia, 329-352. Discussion: (1) From these readings, how would you describe women’s roles in politicized religious movements? (2) Are the views of such women “feminist” views? Why/why not? (3) What happens to Satti during the Revolution?
T 12/5 Islam, Revolution, and Women. Final discussion of Daughter of Persia, 329-394. (1) What charges are leveled against Satti by her captors? (2) What do you think the real reason was behind her arrest? (3) What does she do at the end of her story? (4) Ultimately, what larger conclusions can this book help us draw about the lives of Middle Eastern women?
Th 12/7 Final reflections. Blackboard: “Islam and Feminism,” by Haleh Afshar; review “Why I am Not a Feminist” by Madhu Kishwar and “Clash of Civilizations?” by Samuel Huntington. Look on-line to see if you can find any East Asian equivalent for Afshar’s and Kishwar’s point of view (if you do, print it out and bring to class). Discussion: (1) According to Afshar, how do Muslim feminists characterize western feminism? (2) What alternate models of women’s liberation does she discuss? (3) How do her ideas compare with those of Madhu Kishwar? (4) What is equality? (5) What should the objective of feminism be? (6) Is there a “clash of civilizations” in terms of women’s rights and women’s movements? Why/why not? Final take-home essay handed out, due by the last day of finals week.
Third Unit objective exam will take place during the final exam period, Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 1:00 PM.
275 Eastland Rd.