HIS-228
WOMEN IN PRE-INDUSTRIAL EUROPE

SPRING 2007
SSC 107
TR 12:00-1:20

Prof. ERIC J. CARLSON
Office: SSC 117
Office Hours: T2:30-3:30, W10:30-Noon
Phone 933-7692 E-mail: click here
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This course is about women's lives in preindustrial Europe. While we will study women in part as they were seen by those in control--women as objects--we will strive even more to recreate as fully as possible women's experiences from their own perspective--women as subjects of their own history. Studying people as subjects is a sign that we believe in their value as people, while to make them objects suggests that they are important only in relation to others. Nevertheless, since women were treated as objects in the past, to refuse to see this perspective is to ignore an important part of the reality with which every women in preindustrial Europe lived on a daily basis.

The first goal of the course is to learn as much as possible about past women's lives simply because it is a past worth studying--the story of half of humankind. However, you will find that what you learn about the past will also inform your understanding of the present. Some of the issues faced by women hundreds of years ago are still unresolved today; others have changed dramatically. Thus, another goal is to understand the present better by learning the origins of current issues and concerns. My perspective in teaching this course is explicitly feminist. I see the oppression of women to be a basic pattern in history, and I propose that we study it in order both to understand its origins and to identify ways of fighting it in the present. While women's past oppression provides a sense of unity to their experience, it would be wrong to think of western European women as a universal category with one common life experience. It is also a goal of this course to be aware of differences among women and to examine the sources of those differences: social status, age, marital status, religion, etc.

The History Department has asserted in our mission statement that we desire above all that our students learn to think historically, which we believe includes:

  • understanding change and continuity over time;
  • appreciating the importance of historical context;
  • knowing how to interpret and critique primary and secondary sources;
  • being able to construct arguments based on historical evidence;
  • understanding the varieties of approaches employed by historians;
  • developing an appreciation for the histories of different regions, societies and time periods;
  • developing an understanding of the past as the past and of its importance in the present.

This course has been designed explicitly with these things in mind. By the end of the semester, you should feel not only that you understand better what it means to be an historian but also that you can yourself begin to use the historian's skills and approaches.
Fundamental to a liberal arts education as understood by Gustavus Adolphus College is a commitment to encourage students to be critical thinkers who can communicate their ideas effectively in written and spoken language. In this course, through discussions, papers and exams, you will be challenged to continue the life-long process of growing as a critical thinker and communicator. By the end of the semester, you should feel that your mind has been stretched--that you have been challenged to think critically about ideas and sources. You should also feel that you have had the opportunity to improve both your writing and your speaking (formal and informal). As women in the past struggled to find a voice, and historians today struggle to find traces of those women's voices now, all students are called upon to find their own voices in this class and let those voices be heard and leave their mark.
Graded Requirements: As with much in life, the first thing you need to do is show up. Attendance is expected at all class meetings. (My attendance policy is printed below.) But just showing up isn't enough! Informed participation in all class discussions is essential to the process of active learning. The reading on which discussions will be based will be indicated in the calendar below. I reserve the right to use some form of in-class writing to check on your preparation. Your participation in class will be worth 25% of your final grade. There will be one exam, also worth 25%; there is no final exam. You will also write several short papers as well as a longer final project. (Click here for the paper assignments.) I will drop the lowest grade that you receive on one of the short papers; the remaining papers will be worth 25% of your final course grade, as will the final project.

Fair warning: Failure to take all exams, submit all required papers, and/or a pattern of failure to complete reading assignments, attend class, or engage in informed participation will result in an F for the course. If you have a problem, please see me before it becomes a crisis!

detail from Judith Beheading Holofernes
by Artemesia Gentileschi

Attendance Policy: Everyone is allowed three absences--the equivalent of one week of class--without any negative consequences. You do not have to explain the reason for your absences to me, though I do appreciate the courtesy of advance warning (even ten minutes before class by phone or e-mail) so that I don't wait for you before beginning the day's activities. If you will miss more than three classes, to avoid a grade penalty you must document that the absences are required by illness or personal/family emergency, or participation in a college-sponsored activity. Please, don't be offended if I ask for documentation. (The supervising faculty member is required by college policy to provide you with a letter for your instructors spelling out the dates, times and details of necessary absences for such activities.) Make-up exams and extra time to submit papers are possible in cases of excused absences.


Self-Portrait of Sofonisba Anguissola
 Additional Policies:

1. The college's expectations concerning academic honesty, printed in the current academic catalog, are enforced in this class. Violations will result in my filing a report with the Dean's office and may result in a failing grade.

2. If you have a diagnosed learning disability or any health situation (physical or mental) that might have an impact on your ability to complete your assignments, it is your responsibility to let me know about it at the beginning of the semester. I will make every reasonable accommodation.

3. Cell phones should be turned off during class. If you are expecting an urgent call, set the phone to alert you silently, and let me know that you may have to leave during class to take the call, and sit by the door for a graceful exit.
4. If you borrow course materials from me or the library, you are expected to return them unmarked and undamaged. You will not receive a grade for HIS-228 until all borrowed materials have been returned, or damaged materials replaced.

5. Late arrival is sometimes unavoidable, and I prefer that you come late than not at all. However, late arrival is distracting and should be avoided. If it becomes a pattern, you may be locked out of the class and/or have your grade reduced. If you come late, please enter quietly and sit by the door.


BOOKS

WARD, JENNIFER, Women in Medieval Europe 1200-1500

WIESNER, MERRY E., Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe (second edition)

HARLINE, CRAIG, The Burdens of Sister Margaret (abridged edition)

McINTOSH, MARJORIE KENISTON, Working Women in English Society 1300-1620

MURPHY, CAROLINE P., The Pope's Daughter: The Extraordinary Life of Felice della Rovere

OZMENT, STEVEN, The Bürgermeister's Daughter: Scandal in a Sixteenth-Century German Town

ROPER, LYNDAL, Witch Craze: Terror and Fantasy in Baroque Germany

SPEARING, ELIZABETH (ed.), Medieval Writings on Female Spirituality
CALENDAR FOR THE SEMESTER
2/6/07 Introduction: Women's History and Feminism
2/8/07 'Official' Views of Women:
Religion and Law		 Ward 1-13; Wiesner 13-41
Tertullian, "The Appearance of Women"
Jerome, Letter 22 and Letter 128
Augustine, "On Marriage and Concupiscence"
2/13/07 'Official' Views: Women's Bodies

Upbringing and Education

 Excerpts from Aristotle, Hippocrates, Galen

Ward 14-25; Wiesner 51-70, 143-52
2/15/07 Marriage and Family Ward 26-62; Wiesner 71-94
2/20/07 Economic Roles Ward 63-109; Wiesner 102-34
2/22/07 Power and Privilege Ward 110-32; Wiesner 152-71, 291-306
2/27/07 The Arts Ward 133-53; Wiesner 175-202
3/1/07 Medieval Religious Life Ward 154-208
3/6/07 Religion for Lay Women

The Reformation and its effects

 Ward 209-37

Wiesner 213-49
3/8/07 Women on the Margins Ward 238-51; Wiesner 249-54, 264-83
3/13/07 MIDTERM EXAM DUE (click here for exam questions)
3/15/07 Bürgermeister's Daughter, 1-101
3/20/07 Bürgermeister's Daughter, 102-194
3/22/07 Pope's Daughter, 1-86
3/27/07 Pope's Daughter, 89-225
3/29/07 Pope's Daughter, 229-315
SPRING AND EASTER BREAK
4/10/07 Flex Day
4/12/07 Working Women, 3-84
4/17/07 Working Women, 85-181
4/19/07 Working Women, 182-253
4/24/07 Female Spirituality, TBA
4/26/07 Female Spirituality, TBA
5/1/07 Burdens of Sister Margaret, vii-xi, 1-100
5/3/07 Burdens of Sister Margaret, 101-224
5/8/07 Flex Day
5/10/07 Witch Craze, TBA
5/15/07 Witch Craze, TBA
The designated final exam period, Monday 5/21 from 3:30-5:30, will be used for final project presentations and discussion. Final projects will be due at that time.