Topics in World Civilizations: Fabric of Society: Clothing, Gender, and World History

HIS102A-01W; Fall 2000
T/Th 8:30-9:45; SB 105A--Seminar Room
Final Exam: Thursday, December 14, 8:30-10:30
Professor Gayle V. Fischer
Office Hours

Reminder: The format of the class is open to change at my discretion. I will announce any changes to you in class.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will analyze clothing and how it has affected or been affected by social, cultural, and political events. Dress expresses personal style and character at the same time that it reveals the makeup, nature, and character of its society. What people wear impacts on their customs, economics, politics, and physical environment as much as those forces affect clothing. Sometimes articles of clothing or clothing styles are a material or visual manifestation of social and cultural issues and contribute significantly to our understanding of an event, person, or a moment in history. Clothing may also be used to announce political and social views the most obvious examples would be "national" or "folk" costumes and military uniforms. The story of clothing reflects the politics of gender and reveals the numerous tensions and struggles of colonization and westernization.

WORLD HISTORY CREDIT: This class fulfills the core requirement for World History II; it may also be taken as an elective.

WRITING-ENHANCED COURSES: Writing-enhanced courses use writing to promote the learning of course materials. The courses provide interaction between professor and students while students do assigned writing; in effect, the instructor acts as an expert and the student as an apprentice in a community of writers. Writing contributes significantly to each student's course grade. The courses require students to do a substantial amount of writing.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  1. Students will be able to distinguish between a primary and a secondary sources and will be able to analyze a primary source within its appropriate historical context.
  2. Students will be able to locate the thesis or argument in a secondary source they are reading and be able to offer an informed evaluation of that argument. Students will be able to construct a thesis/argument of their own, whether in writing or in class discussions, that is informed by what they find in whatever they are reading for the course.
  3. Students will develop the habit of returning to source materials again and again, to see whether what they learn in week five or week twelve somehow relates to what they learned in weeks two or eight.
  4. Students will improve their ability to communicate through writing. Students will increase their knowledge of world history through a variety of writing assignments.
  5. Students will increase their computer skills through online reading assignments, internet searches, and creating a web page.

REQUIRED TEXTS:
The following books are available at the SSC Bookstore:

GRADING POLICY AND ASSIGNMENTS:

POLICIES ON LATE PAPERS: Circumstances often conspire to make it impossible to turn in a paper on the required date. However, it is not fair to members of the class who do turn their work in on time to have late papers graded on the same scale. Therefore, any paper that is turned in late will be dropped a letter grade. For example, if a late paper earns a B-, the grade will be dropped to a C-. It is in your best interest to turn in all assignments on time. I will not accept any papers after a week from their original due date.

ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION: This class will be heavily discussion-oriented. There will be times when I will do "mini-lectures," but I expect each student to be ready for contributing insights and thoughtful questions at each class session. My style is to encourage critical thinking about the history and the texts we read-- which means I put a lot of power in your hands. Use that power to ask hard questions and attempt difficult answers. You will receive a daily attendance/ participation grade--a zero for an absence, a C for attending but not participating, an A for attending and participating. PLEASE attend and participate regularly.

READING SUMMARIES and SHORT PAPERS: Due at the beginning of each class (where noted in the course outline) is a typed reading summary about the scheduled reading. Bring TWO copies to class, one to hand in to the instructor, the other for you to use during class. I will not accept handwritten or late summaries. Put the usual information (your name, etc) at the top of the page then use the following format to write your summary:

Author: _________________________

Title: ________________________

Pages: _____________________

SUMMARY: In approximately 25 to 75 words write from memory, noting what you recall as the main ideas of the reading.

CONNECTIONS and APPLICATIONS: Write briefly about what the text means to you. Then create an essay question about the text.

Often we will use these summaries as the basis for discussion. The summaries will be graded in the following way:

25 points=excellent
20 points=close to the mark
15 points=good try
10 points=turned in the assignment

Over the course of the semester you will be asked to write several short papers (averaging 1-3 pages). See course outline for specific details.

WEB PROJECT: "Why Do Women and Men Wear Different Clothes? A World History Sourcebook." Our final exam is scheduled for: Thursday, December 14, 8:30-10:30. You MUST be there for the exam period. When making vacation plans or scheduling work or doctor appointments take this date and time into consideration. Failure to attend the final exam will result in an automatic F for the course. You will present your Web Project findings at the final exam.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. The work you submit for this course must be completely your own. All quotations from the words or thoughts of others should be acknowledged in the footnotes to your written assignments. Anything less is stealing. Be forewarned: I consider cheating to be a very serious and utterly avoidable offense. Expect no leniency from me in cases of suspected cheating/ plagiarism.If you are not sure what plagiarism is look at the Web Page "How Not to Plagiarize" from the University of Toronto.

EQUAL ACCESS STATEMENT: "Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act and the The Americans with Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic accommodations, aids and adjustments. Any student who has a documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid or adjustment should speak with the instructor immediately. Students with Disabilities who have not previously done so should provide documentation to and schedule an appointment with the Office for Students with Disabilities and obtain appropriate services."

A HEARING IMPAIRED PROFESSOR: Taking a class with a hearing-impaired professor can be a challenge. However, if you remember a few things there should be no problems. I wear a hearing aid, sometimes two. When you speak look directly at me. Do not cover your mouth when speaking. You may have to speak a little louder than usual. Be patient if I ask you to repeat yourself. If you think I haven't heard what you said or misunderstood, you are probably right--correct me. I will be more embarrassed if I am not corrected than if I am. I thank you for your patience.

Quick Links to Other Class Sites
Course Outline
Reading Summary
Web Project
Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Web-Site Approach to Web Project
Term Paper Approach to Web Project
Resources for Web Project:
       Africa
       Asia
       Europe
       Latin America
       Middle East
       General
Web Project Home Page

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