HIST 349-01, Black and White Women in the History of the South, Spring 2009

Abstract

For many students, studying southern women‟s history is both a personal and an intellectual encounter. This course moves chronologically from colonial settlement to the present. In each era, the intersection of race and gender has produced unique challenges, actions, reactions, and opportunities for women. Reading material will reflect a variety of voices and genres, including memoirs, analytical monographs, position papers, autobiographies, and films. This course focuses on the agency of African American women from the colonial period to the present. At the same time, it highlights the challenges and successes of women’s interracial work in the South. Study materials include autobiography, history, letters, film, and essays. Feminist and womanist movements have traditionally depended on cooperative rather than competitive work. Thus the research component in this course will be a group poster presentation which will be entered in URCAS. This course has been approved for the Gender Studies and Sexuality (formerly Women‟s Studies) minor and counts towards the major and minor in History. Students can expect to improve their skills in critical reading, supportive discussion, and analytical writing.