Instructor: Ann Hibner Koblitz

Office: Engineering A, 205

Phone: 480-965-8483

E-mail: koblitz@asu.edu

Office Hours: Tuesdays 4:00-5:50PM, Wednesdays 4:40-6:00PM; and by appointment (NOTE: I tend to spend a lot of time in my office. If the door is open, feel free to come in.)

Readings in Bookstore:

Jeanne Achterberg, Woman as Healer

John Riddle, Eve's Herbs

Bobette Perrone, H. Henrieta Stockel, Victoria Krueger, Medicine Women, Curanderas, and Women Doctors

Carol Shepherd McClain, ed. Women as Healers

Thomas Neville Bonner, To the Ends of the Earth: Women's Search for Medical Education

Readings available from me:

L. Timmel Duchamp, "The Man Who Plugged In"

Bert Hansen, "Public Careers and Private Sexuality"

Course Content and Goals:

This course will examine the roles of women as informal caregivers, healers, physicians, midwives, and nurses across cultures and historical periods. Among the topics to be addressed are: gender segregation by status and field, the impact of changing biological and medical theories of gender and race upon women's lives, medical professionalization and female marginalization, women and indigenous/non-western medical knowledge, feminist theories of gender and medicine, gender and biological determinism, biotechnology and reproductive rights, etc. We shall ask such questions as: How does gender relate to healing? Which cultural circumstances seem conducive to an acceptance of women as healers? Under what circumstances do women become formal, licensed physicians? How does the medical establishment react to attempts of women to enter its ranks? How have women carved places for themselves in the healing professions across cultures and time periods? How have women healers confronted/controlled/dealt with issues of sexuality and reproduction?

Format and Ground Rules:

This is a 300-level class which despite its size I hope to run in a discussion format. In the beginning I shall lecture some, but as time goes on and we get more into the readings, I shall expect you to become actively involved. Such classes can in some ways be more difficult than large lecture classes: it is more difficult to melt into the crowd, your peers immediately notice your absence or failure to do the readings, etc. The class can be immensely satisfying, however, provided that: 1) we all do the readings; 2) we all participate in class; 3) we come to class promptly and attend regularly; 4) we are all courteous and respectful to one another, even in cases of disagreement; 5) we keep our sense of humor.

NOTE: Please refrain from coming late, leaving early, and wandering in and out of the classroom at will. Also, please switch off all cell phones, pagers, PDTs, PDAs and alarm watches while in class.

Academic Honesty:

Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. You are expected to conduct yourself ethically during all activities associated with this class. Any attempt to represent the work of someone else as one's own or any other form of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of E (0 points) on the assignment. Please read the department's detailed policy on academic honesty attached to this syllabus.

NOTE WELL: The appropriation of information without proper citation from the Internet, the World Wide Web, and/or other electronic media constitutes a violation of our policy on academic honesty. If you are in doubt about the correctness of your methodology, please ask me in advance.

Course Requirements:

-- Class participation is worth a total of 30 points. Since participation is important, you must attend regularly, and join discussion frequently. You are allowed ONE free absence. After that, I shall deduct points from your participation grade for each unexcused absence. If you are absent five times or more, your participation grade will be an automatic E. NOTE: Attendance is not enough to guarantee a good participation grade. You must be actively engaged in the class, or at least coming to see me in office hours. Also, excellent class participation can erase an absence, BUT: two late appearances in class equal one absence.

-- You will be asked to help take responsibility for reading facilitation once or twice (depending on class size and your choice) during the course of the semester. Each presentation will be worth up to a total of 20 (40 if you do one) points, or 40 points for both. The criteria for a good presentation are: 1) you must involve the class as a whole in substantive discussion; 2) you must critically analyze as well as describe (i.e., you should assume that the class as a whole has read the assignment, and go on from there); 3) you must tie in your presentation to other readings, lectures, and course materials.

-- You have a choice of doing two shorter (4-6 pp.) papers (each worth a maximum of 40 points) or one longer (15 pp.) paper (worth up to 80 points). Suggestions for topics will be passed out soon. If you choose the alternative of the research paper, you must hand in a description of your topic and a bibliography on 5 March, when the first short paper is due. There is a 5-page handout on writing on the course website; details TBA. Please familiarize yourself with the information on the handout; if you make any of the errors outlined on those sheets you will be heavily penalized.

-- Each week I shall give a short quiz covering lecture and discussion of the previous week and/or the reading due since the last quiz. The quizzes will be graded on at least an 8 point scale, and you may receive 60 (or more) points total for the semester. You may choose to take as many or as few quizzes as you wish. In other words, if you do very well on the first 7 or 8 quizzes, you do not need to take any more of them. If you are having difficulties, however, you will want to continue to take them to build up points. Please come on time-- if you are more than five minutes late you will not be permitted to take that day's quiz.

-- Final group project: At the end of the semester, you may choose to get together with one to three of your classmates for some sort of a group project. This can be a debate, a role play, a presentation of some research topic, the exposition of a website, or whatever. The only criteria are that the project must be discussed with me in advance, you all must participate equally, and you must involve the class as a whole. The final group project is worth a maximum of 20 points.

Grading Scale:

180-200 = A

179-160 = B

159-140 = C

139-120 = D

Below 120 = E

Note that the total points possible for this course add up to 230 (plus any extra quizzes you might take). In other words, it is possible to get an A even if you have missed 50 or more points worth of assignments. For this reason, I do NOT accept late work under any circumstances, though there is a 48-hour grace period during which I accept written assignments with an automatic mark-down of 10 points. Late work must be received and date-stamped in the Women's Studies office (ECA 209) no later than 5PM on the Friday the week that the paper is due. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY, so plan carefully.

On the bright side: if you need to miss an assignment (or even, fates forfend, two) for some reason, you can theoretically still receive a B or possibly even an A if you do well on all other work.

Criteria for Grading:

A: Outstanding. Written work is careful and nuanced, conforms to standard written English, and displays consistency of usage and style. Student demonstrates near total familiarity with the readings. Student shows wide-ranging ability to make connections across readings and understand subtlety of argument. In addition, in classroom discussions s/he participates enthusiastically and with due attention to the readings.

B: Very good. Written work is clearly above average, with consistency of style and usage and only minor flaws. Participation is pertinent and thoughtful. The student demonstrates an ability to make linkages across disciplines and kinds of experience, and has clearly read all or nearly all of the assigned material.

C: Average. Directions followed. Student met minimal expectations, but missed assignments and did not always appear to keep up with the readings. Written work has many flaws. Student shows reasonable grasp of most concepts and demonstrates some ability to integrate experiences inside and outside of the classroom. There is at least some class participation.

D: Below expectations. Below what one would normally expect from a student at the 300-level. Writing has major problems that impede understanding. Student fails to participate appropriately in the classroom, fails to turn in work, has excessive absences.

E: Well below expectations. Written work consistently falls below the college level, directions are ignored or misunderstood, help is not sought, absences and missed assignments are frequent, participation is inappropriate or nonexistent. Shows little or no grasp of concepts, and is unable to relate material from inside and outside of the classroom.

Appeals:

It is a good idea to hold onto all graded work in case there is a question about your grade. Grades are NOT negotiable, and no extra credit (other than that built into the point scale above) will be given. If you dispute a grade given to you, written complaints can be submitted within one week of receiving the grade. Be forewarned, however, that a disputed grade is just as likely to be lowered as anything else.

Course Website:

Course materials, including the syllabus, essay suggestions, and writing guidelines, will be posted on the course website, at http://My.asu.edu Please make sure that you are enrolled.

CALENDAR AND SCHEDULE OF REQUIRED READINGS (readings are due on the dates noted)

Please note that there is considerable unevenness in the reading assignment length. That can't be helped if we want to preserve topical unity. Desired maximum number of presenters is listed in parenthesis after each date that a presentation is possible. Please try to adhere to this number.