| [Wheaton Home] [Academics] [Majors & Minors] |
| [Wheaton Home] [Academics] [Majors & Minors] |
|
The required reading from Amott and
Matthaei includes chapters 1 - 8 and chapter 10. This is the
most EXTENSIVE reading assignment for the semester and you really
need to do all of it to benefit from this part of the course
(the reading is longer than usual, but not difficult). You may
want to start reading the book IN ADVANCE of the presentations
so that you will be prepared for each day's discussion. Your
grade for the oral presentation will be based on your role as
a listener (see below) as well as your role as presenter.
Each student will (help) summarize for
the class one part of the reading from Amott and Matthaei and
will identify for the class a Web page that relates to their
presentation. You will organize your presentation with one or
two other class members. We will need ten pairs (or groups) to
cover the following ten topics. Be prepared to sign up for
your topic this Wednesday, January 29th. Feb. 5
Feb. 7
Feb. 10
Feb. 12
Feb. 14
Feb. 17
Presentations will be up to 15 minutes
in length. I will strictly enforce the time limit. Because
you won't have time to cover every detail from your part of the
reading in 15 minutes, you should identify the points you feel
are most important or interesting. Be sure to make a clear and
organized presentation so that your classmates can take notes
and learn from you. You need not organize the presentation chronologically
(for the histories). If you prefer, you could organize your presentation
thematically instead. Finally, prepare a one page handout
to photocopy and distribute to the class on the day of your presentation.
This handout could be an outline, or in any other format you
prefer. The handout should also include the ADDRESS FOR A WEB
SITE (or page) that relates closely to your topic. With the address
(URL), include a summary of what the web site is about and specify
HOW it relates to your topic. To ensure that all students get the
most possible out of every presentation, part of your grade for
the oral presentation assignment will be based on your participation
as an active listener. For each topic (not your own), you will
prepare in advance TWO QUESTIONS and/or COMMENTS based on your
reading of the relevant chapter. You will bring these to class on the
appropriate day. After each presentation, I will call on students
randomly to pose questions or make comments (I will call on each
of you at least once). At the end of every class, I'll collect
these questions/comments. The questions/comments should reveal
that you have THOUGHTFULLY read each chapter. 20% of your oral
presentation grade will be based on your written and spoken questions
and comments. Write a 5-6 page essay (about 1250 -
1500 words) which addresses one of the two sets of questions
explained below. For your essay, you will draw on any TWO of
the histories in Amott and Matthaei. The essay should be typed
and is due by 5 p.m. on Monday, February 24th. I will
penalize essays one-half letter grade for each day that passes
after the due date. 1) Use concrete examples from the two
histories to illustrate how gender, class, and race/ethnicity
shape peoples' experiences in the U.S. economy (be sure to give
examples of all THREE). In your opinion, would it be possible
and/or useful for economists to develop a general theory (explanation)
of how gender affects an individual's position in the economy
(i.e. a theory that would be adequate to explain the experiences
of every woman or man in the U.S.)? Carefully justify your answer. 2) Briefly describe Amott and Matthaei's
theoretical perspective. Give specific examples of how they use
this perspective to interpret or explain the experiences of women
in the two histories you read. How might the same historical
evidence be interpreted or explained differently using a different
theoretical perspective (e.g. a neoclassical or liberal perspective).
In your opinion, how could we determine which perspective is
superior? Oral Presentations: Your participation in this series of
presentations (as both listener and presenter) will account for
10% of your final grade in the course. The grade you receive
will be a weighted average of the following: 40% My evaluation of your group's presentation
40% Average student evaluation of your group's presentation 20%
Participation as a listener Essays: This essay will be treated as the first midterm exam. It will account for 20% of your final grade in the course. In assigning your grade for the essay, I will evaluate both content and writing style (i.e. the organization, clarity, and development of your arguments).
|