WMST 228 Women in European History: 1750 to the Present

This course examines the lives of European women in the modern world from the mid-eighteenth century through the twenty first, with particular attention to women’s creative choices in navigating an oppressive gender system. Focus will be on the applicability of the standard periodization of European History to the lives of European women as they experienced the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and sexuality, and as they responded with risk-taking strategies for living lives of meaning. Scope will encompass the expanding economic, political, social, and legal opportunities available to women and their innovative strategies for taking advantage of these opportunities.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3

Course Objectives

1. 1. Analyze the experiences of European women within an oppressive gender system; explore
   innovative, creative, and risk-taking strategies invented by women to enable them to
   navigate systems of race, social class, gender, and sexuality, while pursuing meaningful
   lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.
2. 2. Analyze the applicability of the standard periodization of European history to the lives of
   European women; assess variations of the sexual division of labor as women creatively
   sought meaningful work and found innovative ways to adapt to new roles during the
   industrial and agricultural revolutions, wars, political revolutions, and the pursuit of equal
   rights, especially in campaigns for suffrage in Britain and France.
3. 3. Analyze fictional portrayals of women and their families, comparing them with what we
   know about actual women and their families.

Course Objectives

1. 1. Analyze the experiences of European women within an oppressive gender system; explore
   innovative, creative, and risk-taking strategies invented by women to enable them to
   navigate systems of race, social class, gender, and sexuality, while pursuing meaningful
   lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.
2. 2. Analyze the applicability of the standard periodization of European history to the lives of
   European women; assess variations of the sexual division of labor as women creatively
   sought meaningful work and found innovative ways to adapt to new roles during the
   industrial and agricultural revolutions, wars, political revolutions, and the pursuit of equal
   rights, especially in campaigns for suffrage in Britain and France.
3. 3. Analyze fictional portrayals of women and their families, comparing them with what we
   know about actual women and their families.