Linda Briskin

women organizing

SOSC 3125.06
WMST 3509.06

 
 

1999-2000 Course materials

course director

required texts

schedule of readings

evaluation

class hours

course description

contents of reading kit

Course Director:

Professor Linda Briskin

Office: S728 Ross

Telephone: 736-5054 x 77824

 

Office Hours: Wed 10:30-11:15, or by appointment

 

Email: lbriskin@yorku.ca

 Class Hours:

Wed 11:30-2:30 S701 Ross

Pre-requisites: Students should have taken at least one women's studies course (at any level and in any department) before taking this course. If students do not have this pre-requisite, then they need permission of instructor to enrol.

Required Texts:

Adamson, Nancy, Linda Briskin & Margaret McPhail. Feminist Organizing for Change. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Briskin, Linda. Feminist Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning Liberation. Ottawa: Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, 1990/94.

Cockburn, Cynthia. The Space Between Us: Negotiating Gender and National Identities in Conflict. London: Zed, 1998.

Special Issue on "Post-Beijing" of Canadian Woman Studies, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Summer 1996).

A fall and a winter kit of articles will be available at Beta Reproductions in York Lanes. In the course outline, * indicates an article in the kit. See kit listing attached to the course outline.

Note that the books and one copy of the kit are on reserve in the library. This course also relies on the extensive use of documentary film.

Course Description

Women have a long tradition of organizing to improve the quality of their lives, to expand their rights and the rights of others, to resist oppression, to challenge and defend traditional values, and to change their societies. They have organized in revolutionary movements, trade unions, autonomous women's movements, in their communities and through mainstream political institutions.

This course documents and analyzes women's activism using historical and contemporary sources. It starts from the premise that gender, class, race, ability and sexual orientation influence organizational strategies and political perspectives. The course assumes that organizing must be explored in historically specific contexts but it also identifies certain recurring themes, dilemmas and contradictions.

This course will consider feminist and anti-feminist organizing; peace organizing among women; women's engagement with the state and government, around issues of the law, the constitution, representation and public policy; organizational strategies, such as separate structures and democratization; and women's involvement in national, international and revolutionary movements. It will offer students the possibility of doing projects which engage them directly in 'organizing.'

 

schedule of readings

SEMESTER 1

Unit One: Introduction

September 8

Introduction

NAC, "Shocking Pink Paper"

Sept 15

Introduction to Women Organizing, Part 1

West, "Reconstructing Social Protest"

*Christiansen-Ruffman, "Women's Conceptions of the Political"

Discuss Reading Exercises

Hand in Ground Rules Exercise

Sept 22

Introduction to Women Organizing Part 2

*Kirk and Okazawa-Rey, "Creating Change.."

*Feminist Organizing for Change, ch 4

Set up Presentation Groups

Sept 29

The Current Conjuncture

*Selections from Confronting the Cuts

*Brodie, "Canadian Women, Changing State Forms..."

Unit Two: Feminist Organizing 

Oct 6

Feminisms

Feminist Organizing for Change, chap 1-3

Set up Intervention Groups

Oct 13

Organizing and Diversity inside the Women's Movement: 1

*McIntosh, "White Privilege and Male Privilege

*Gershbain, "The Struggle Beneath the Struggle.."

*Drediger, "Discovering Disabled Women's History"

*Schuster, "Beyond Defense: considering next steps for bisexual liberation."

Film: Sisters in the Struggle (50 mins)

Group Meetings: presentation and intervention groups

OCT 18 is PERSON'S DAY

Oct 20

Organizing and Diversity inside the Women's Movement: 2

*Zinn and Dill, "Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism"

*Pheterson, "Alliances between Women"

*Egan et al, "The Politics of Transformation"

Contracts for essay and intervention projects due

Oct 27

Grassroots organizing: 1

Feminist Organizing for Change, ch. 5-6

Nov 3

Grassroots organizing: 1

*Antonyshyn et al, "Marching for Women's Lives"

*Selections from Confronting the Cuts

*Jeffcott and Yanz, "Bridging the GAP"

*"For Bread and Roses.."

*Women's March Against Poverty

Film: Women's March Against Poverty (51 minutes)

Nov 10

Classroom as a Site of Political Practice [P]

Briskin, Feminist Pedagogy

*hooks, "Toward a Revolutionary Feminist Pedagogy"

*Fleming et al, "Gender, Power and Silence in the Classroom."

*Kathlene, "Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg"

Film: Backlash to Change (33 mins)

Discuss Groundrules

Unit Three: Women Organizing

Nov 17

Peace Organizing [P]

*Strange, "Mothers on the March"

*Swerdlow, "Pure Milk, Not Poison"

*Fremon, "Tough Love"

*Carroll, "Feminism and Pacifism"

Film: The Voice of Women (52 min)

Last day to hand in Step Two of Organizing Project

Step One of essay due between Nov 17-Jan 5

Nov 24

Peace Organizing through Coalitions [P]

Cockburn, Cynthia. The Space Between Us: Negotiating Gender and National identities in Conflict.

Dec 1

Anti-feminism [P] [RE]

*Faludi, selections from Backlash (Chap 1/3)

*Messner, "The Limits of `The Male Sex Role'..."

*Luxton, "Feminism and Families"

*Selection from REALWOMEN documents

Film: Ballot Measure 9 (72 mins)

Questions due for presentation on Jan 5

SEMESTER 2

 

 

Unit 4: Government/State and Women's Organizing in Canada

Jan 5

Representation [P]

*Vickers, "Towards a Feminist Understanding of Representation"

*Tremblay, "Do Female MPs Substantively Represent Women?"

*Dominelli and Jonsdottir, "Feminist Political Organization in Iceland"

Last day to hand in Step One of Essay

Jan 12

The Constitution and The Law [P]

*Mossman, "The Paradox of Feminist Engagement with the Law"

*NWAC, "Aboriginal Women and the Constitutional Debates"

*Dumont, "Women of Quebec and the Contemporary Constitutional Issue"

*REALWOMEN OF CANADA, "Charter of Rights: Effects on Women and the Family"

Film: For Our Sisters, For Our Daughters (16 mins)

Jan 19

Assessing the Efficacy of Women's Organizing [P]

*MacIvor, "Women's Effects on Public Policy"

*Ursel, "Eliminating Violence Against Women..."

*Wekerle and Peake, "New Social Movements and Women's Urban Activism"

*Tyysk„, "Insiders and Outsiders..."

Unit Five: Organizational Transformations

Jan 26

Separate Organizing [P]

*Briskin, "Union Women and Separate Organizing"

*Freedman, "Separatism as Strategy..."

*Creet, "A Test of Unity"

*Zaborszky, "Feminist Politics..."

*Re-read Dominelli and Jonsdottir, "Feminist Political Organization in Iceland"

Feb 2

Democratization and Ways of Working

Feminist Organizing for Change, ch. 7

*Ristock, "Feminist Collectives"

*Kirk, "Our Greenham Common"

*Arnott, "Re-emerging Indigenous Structures... "

*Miles, "Lessons from a Young Feminist Collective

 

Unit Six: Women's Organizing in National, International, and Revolutionary Movements

Feb 9

In Revolutionary Movements [P]

*Frager, "Politicized Housewives in the Jewish Communist Movement of Toronto, 1923-33"

*Molyneux, "Women's Role in the Nicaraguan Revolutionary Process"

*Einhorn, "Socialist Emancipation: The Women's Movement in the German Democratic Republic"

Feb 16

Reading Week

Feb 23

In Societies In Transition [P]

*Frohmann and Vald‚s, "Democracy in the Country.."

*Kemp et al, "The Dawn of a New day: Redefining South African Feminism"

*Matynia, "Finding a Voice: Women in Postcommunist Central Europe" (bad copy in kit)

Film: Threads of Hope (51 mins)

Mar 1

PRESENTATIONS

Film: Union Maids (45 minutes)

Last day to hand in essay

MARCH 8 is INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Mar 8

Internationalism: 1 [P]

Selections from "Post-Beijing": Bunch et al, Roberts, Ruffman including Beijing Platform for Action, Isla et al (pp. 7-12, 25-28, 35-43, 116-121)

*Shiva, "Biopirates Plunder 'Green Gold'"

Mar 16

PRESENTATIONS

Film: Keepers of the Fire (55 mins)

March 22

Internationalism: 2

Selections from "Post-Beijing": Villiers, Tohidi, and Day (pp. 18-20, 30-34, 46-54)

*"NAWL Criticizes.."

*REALWOMEN, "The Struggle for the Family"

Film: Beyond Beijing (42 mins)

March 29

Conclusion: The Way Forward

Contents of Course Kit

SEMESTER ONE READING KIT

1. Guida West and Rhoda Blumberg. "Reconstructing Social Protest from a Feminist Perspective." In Women and Social Protest, eds. Guida West and Rhoda Blumberg. New York: Oxford, 1990, pp. 3-35.

2. Linda Christiansen-Ruffman "Women's Conceptions of the Political: Three Canadian Women's Organizations." In Feminist Organizations: Harvest of the New Women's Movement, eds. Myra Ferree and Patricia Martin. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, pp. 372-393.

3. Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Creating Change: Theory, Vision and Action." In Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Mountain View, Calif: Mayfield Publishing, 1998, pp. 450-459.

4. Selections from Ricciutelli, Luciana, June Larken and Eimear O'Neill, eds. Confronting the Cuts: A Sourcebook for Women in Ontario. Toronto: Inanna Publications, 1998, pp. 3-39, 59-61 and 198-200.

5. Janine Brodie. "Canadian Women, Changing State Forms, and Public Policy." In Women and Canadian Public Policy, ed. Janine Brodie. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996, pp. 1-28.

6. Peggy McIntosh. "White Privilege and Male Privilege." In Race, Class and Gender, eds. Margaret Andersen and Patricia Collins. Belmont: Wadsworth, 1992, pp. 70-81.

7. Nikki Gershbain and Aviva Rubin. "The Struggle Beneath the Struggle: Antisemitism in Toronto Feminist Anti-Racist Movements." Canadian Woman Studies, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Spring 1994), pp. 58-61.

8. Diane Drediger. "Discovering Disabled Women's History." In And Still We Rise, ed. Linda Carty. Toronto: Women's Press, 1993, pp. 173-187.

9. Rebecca Shuster. "Beyond Defense: considering next steps for bisexual liberation." In Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out, eds. Loraine Hutchins and Lani Kaahumanu. Boston: Alyson Publications, 1991, pp. 266-274.

10. Maxine Zinn and Bonnie Dill. "Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism." Feminist Studies, Vol. 22, No. 2(Summer 1996), pp. 321-331.

11. Gail Pheterson. "Alliances between Women." In Bridges of Power: Women's Multicultural Alliances, eds. Lisa Albrecht and Rose Brewer. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1990, pp. 34-48.

12. Carolyn Egan, Linda Gardner and Judy Pershad. "The Politics of Transformation: Struggles with Race, Class and Sexuality in the March 8th Coalition." In Social Movements Social Change, eds. Frank Cunningham et al. Toronto: Between the Lines, 1988, pp. 20-47.

13. Patricia Antonyshyn, B. Lee and Alex Merrill. "Marching for Women's Lives." In Social Movements Social Change, eds. Frank Cunningham et al. Toronto: Between the Lines, 1988, pp. 129-156.

14. Selections from Ricciutelli, Luciana, June Larken and Eimear O'Neill, eds. Confronting the Cuts: A Sourcebook for Women in Ontario. Toronto: Inanna Publications, 1998, pp. 159-172.

15. Bob Jeffcott and Lynda Yanz. "Bridging the GAP." Our Times, Feb 1997, pp. 24-28.

16. Denise Nadeau. "For Bread and Roses," and Francoise David, "15,000 Roses in Quebec." Kinesis, July/August 1995.

17. "Women's March Against Poverty." Sponsored by the Canadian Labour Congress and the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, 1996.

18. bell hooks. "Toward a Revolutionary Feminist Pedagogy." In Talking Back: thinking feminist, thinking black. Toronto: Between the Lines, 1988, pp. 49-54.

19. Fleming, Markita et al. "Gender, Power and Silence in the Classroom." Lexicon, March 6, 1991.

20. Lyn Kathlene. "Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg." Women's Review of Books, Vol. 9, No. 5 (Feb 1992), pp. 30-31.

21. Carolyn Strange. "Mothers on the March." In Women and Social Protest, eds. Guida West and Rhoda Blumberg. New York: Oxford, 1990, pp. 209-224.

22. Amy Swerdlow. "Pure Milk, Not Poison: Women Strike for Peace." In Rocking the Ship of State: Toward a Feminist Peace Politics, eds. Adrienne Harris and Ynestra King. Boulder: Westview Press, 1989, pp. 225-237.

23. Berenice Carroll. "Feminism and Pacifism: Historical and Theoretical Connections." In Women and Peace, eds. Ruth Pierson et al. London: Croom Helm, 1987, pp. 2-28.

24. Celeste Fremon. "Tough Love." UTNE Reader, March-April 1996, pp. 95-100.

24. Susan Faludi. selections from Backlash (chap 1 and 3). New York: Doubleday, 1991, pp. ix-xxiii and pp. 46-72.

25. Michael Messner. "The Limits of `The Male Sex Role': An Analysis of the Men's Liberation and Men's Rights Movements' Discourse." Gender and Society, Vol. 12, No. 3 (June 1998), pp. 255-276.

26. Meg Luxton. "Feminism and Families." In Feminism and Families: Critical Policies and Changing Practices, ed. Meg Luxton. Halifax: Fernwood, 1997, pp. 10-26.

27. REALWOMEN of Canada. "Who We Are" nd; "Position Papers" nd; "The Supreme Court of Canada Decision in Nesbit and Egan." Reality, Vol. 14, No. 4 (July/August 1995), pp. 1-4; "University of Ottawa: Indoctrination, not Education." Reality, Vol 14, No. 5 (Sept/Oct 1995), p. 18; "High Noon for Pay Equity." Reality, Vol XVI, No. 5 (Sept/Oct 1998), p. 11; "The Fall-out from Rosenberg." Reality, Vol XVI, No. 4 (July/Aug 1998), pp. 10-11.

SEMESTER TWO READING KIT

28. Jill Vickers. "Towards a Feminist Understanding of Representation." In In the Presence of Women: Representation in Canadian Governments, eds. Jane Arscott and Linda Trimble. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1997, pp. 20-46.

29. Manon Tremblay. "Do Female MPs Substantively Represent Women? A Study of Legislative Behaviour in Canada's 35th Parliament." Canadian Journal of Political Science, Vol. XXXI, Vol. 3 (September 1998), pp. 435-465."

30. Lena Dominelli and Gudrun Jonsdottir. "Feminist Political Organization in Iceland: Some Reflections on the Expereince of Kwenna Frambothid." Feminist Review, No. 30 (Autumn 1988), pp. 36-60.

31. Mary Jane Mossman. "The Paradox of Feminist Engagement with the Law." In Feminist Issues: Race, Class and Sexuality [Second Edition], ed. Nancy Mandell. Scarborough: Prentice Hall, 1998, pp. 180-207

32. Native Women's Association. "Aboriginal Women and the Constitutional Debates." Canadian Woman Studies, Vol. 12, No. 3 (Spring 1992), pp. 14-17.

33. Micheline Dumont. "Women of Quebec and the Contemporary Constitutional Issue." In Gender Politics in Contemporary Canada, ed. Francois-Pierre Gingras. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1995, pp. 153-174.

34. REALWOMEN of Canada. "Charter of Rights: Effects on Women and The Family." nd

35. Heather MacIvor. "Women's Effects on Public Policy." In Women and Politics in Canada. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1996, pp. 324-359.

36. Jane Ursel. "Eliminating Violence Against Women: Reform or Co- optation in State Institutions." In Power and Resistance, ed. Les Samuelson. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing, 1994, pp. 71-92.

37. Gerda Wekerle and Linda Peake. "New Social Movements and Women's Urban Activism." In City Lives and City Forms: Critical Research and Canadian Urbanism. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996, pp. 263-281.

38. Vappu Tyysk„. "Insiders and Outsiders: Women's Movements and Organizational Effectiveness." The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 35, No. 3 (August 1998), pp. 391-409.

39. Linda Briskin. "Union Women and Separate Organizing." In Women Challenging Unions: Feminism, Democracy and Militancy, eds. Linda Briskin and Patricia McDermott. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993, pp. 89-108.

40. Estelle Freedman. "Separatism as Strategy: Female Institution Building and American Feminism, 1879-1930." In Feminism and Community, eds. Penny Weiss and Marilyn Friedman. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1995, pp. 85-104.

41. Julia Creet. "A Test of Unity." In Lesbians in Canada, ed. Sharon Stone. Toronto: Between the Lines, 1990, pp. 183-197.

42. Dorothy Zaborszky. "Feminist Politics: The Feminist Party of Canada." Women's Studies International Forum, Vol. 10, No. 6 (1987), pp. 613-621.

43. Janice Ristock. "Feminist Collectives." In Women and Social Change, eds. Jeri Wine and Janice Ristock. Toronto: Lorimer, 1991, pp. 41-55.

44. Gwyn Kirk. "Our Greenham Common." In Rocking the Ship of State: Toward a Feminist Peace Politics, eds. Harris, Adrienne and Ynestra King, Boulder: Westview Press, 1989, pp. 263-280.

45. Jennifer Arnott. "Re-emerging Indigenous Structures and the Reassertion of the Integral Role of Women." In In the Presence of Women: Representation in Canadian Governments, eds. Jane Arscott and Linda Trimble. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1997, pp. 64-81.

46. Tiya Miles. "Lessons from a Young Feminist Collective." In Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation, ed. Barbara Findlen. Seattle: Seal Press, 1995, pp. 167-176.

47. Ruth Frager. "Politicized Housewives in the Jewish Communist Movement of Toronto, 1923-33." In Beyond the Vote: Canadian Women and Politics, eds. Linda Kealey and Joan Sangster. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989, pp. 258-275.

48. Maxine Molyneux. "Women's Role in the Nicaraguan Revolutionary Process." In Promissory Notes: Women in the Transition to Socialism, eds. Sonia Kruks, Rayna Rapp and Marilyn Young. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1989, pp. 127-147.

49. Barbara Einhorn. "Socialist Emancipation: The Women's Movement in the German Democratic Republic." In Promissory Notes: Women in the Transition to Socialism, eds. Sonia Kruks, Rayna Rapp and Marilyn Young. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1989, pp. 282-305.

50. Alicia Frohmann and Teresa Vald‚s. "Democracy in the Country and in the Home: The Women's Movement in Chile." In The Challenge of Local Feminisms: Women's Movements in Global Perspective, ed. Amrita Basu. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995, pp. 276-301.

51. Amanda Kemp et al. "The Dawn of a New Day: Redefining South African Feminism." In The Challenge of Local Feminisms: Women's Movements in Global Perspective, ed. Amrita Basu. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995, pp. 131-162.

52. Elizbieta Matynia. "Finding a Voice: Women in Postcommunist Central Europe." In The Challenge of Local Feminisms: Women's Movements in Global Perspective, ed. Amrita Basu. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995, pp. 374-404.

53. Vandana Shiva, "Biopirates Plunder 'Green Gold'." Kinesis, July/Aug 1998.

54. "Nawl Criticizes Canadian Governments.." Press releases and clippings, 1998-9.

55. REALWOMEN of Canada. "The Struggle for the Family." Reality, Vol 14, No. 5 (Sept/Oct 1995), p. 1-6.

EVALUATION

Reading Exercise

must be handed in the day of the presentation... no lates!

15%

Group Presentation/Group Evaluation

30% (questions 10%, presentation 10% and report 10%)

Class participation (5%) and attendance (10%)

*includes Groundrules assignment

15%

Major projects

40%

Students will have a choice of an individual essay or a group project around organizing an intervention.

ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. A significant portion of your grade is allocated to attendance and participation. The portion of the grade assigned for attendance will be calculated using a scale. For example, since 5 points are assigned for attendance, then missing no classes will give you a grade of 5; missing 2 classes a grade of 4, 5 classes a grade of 3.3, etc.

Attendance is given a separate percentage because it is an objective criteria and does not penalize a student who attends class regularly but who may not be an active contributor to class discussions. A student may also have good reasons for missing class on occasion. Assigning separate grades for attendance and participation means that a student is not penalized twice for these absences i.e. the assessment of participation rests on behaviour when present. The participation grade is not based on the number of times a student speaks, but reflects the assessment of her overall preparation, informed contribution to class discussion (i.e. evidence of having done the readings), and responsiveness to the presentations and comments of other students.

PENALTIES FOR LATE ASSIGNMENTS

Within a week late -5% points

Within two weeks late -10% points

If an assignment is going to be more than two weeks late, you must make special arrangements with me. Penalties may be waived if arrangements are made with me BEFORE the assignment is due.

You will have instructions for all your assignments within the first month of class. Please plan your time carefully. Do not leave your work for the last few days. Inevitably some crisis will occur. Avoid coming to me with excuses.

DO NOT HAND IN ASSIGNMENTS UNDER MY DOOR WITHOUT PERMISSION

Copyright © - Linda Briskin - All rights