University of Massachusetts- Boston
Women's Studies
WOST 370 : Feminist Research Seminar
Spring 2004
Instructor:
Chris Bobel, Ph.D.
Office:
W-5-009
Phone:
617.287.6781 (with private voice mail)
Office Hours: T and TH 11:30-1:00
Email: chris.bobel@umb.edu
Course Description:
This course introduces students to the
theory and practice of Feminist Research. In short, the course will expose
students to doing research and thinking about
doing research from a uniquely feminist perspective.
At the theoretical level, we will question
the scientific method and its bedrock, positivism, discern method from
methodology, explore the notions of objectivity, bias and power in the research
process and ponder the ultimate questions of research for whom and for what. To
this end, we will combine reading and discussion of seminal (ovular?) classics
of feminist research and the down and dirty how to’s of doing a specific method
of research (ethnography).
At the practical level, the focus of this
course is on feminist qualitative methods of research and analysis,
particularly ethnographic methods of participant observation (observation and
study of people as they go about their everyday activities in natural social
settings) and in depth interviewing. The main objective is to teach you the
realities; practicalities, joys and limitations of doing this sort of research
from a feminist perspective. To facilitate this, you will be asked to read
about qualitative methods and to conduct your own research project. Your grade for the course will be based on a
paper due at the end of the semester in which you both share (in writing and an
informal presentation) your research in a systematic fashion and discuss some
of the methodological issues you faced in conducting the study. There will be regular assignments, in
addition to required reading, which are meant to serve as a precursor to the
major paper you will write. These
assignments are designed to provide a structure for moving you through the
research process from beginning to end within a semester’s time and give me a
chance to evaluate your work in progress and guide you to produce the kind of
paper you can be really proud of. Thus, it is important that these assignments
are completed on time. These assignments are described in the attached sheet.
Caution:
this course will be labor intensive complete with high expectations. I will
shepherd you through the process of conducting your study from the very first
stages until the bitter end of writing your final paper, but the burden is on
YOU to produce the work. Out of class time (conducive to your own schedule) is
required for your fieldwork and interviewing. This is not an easy class. You
must be very committed and very serious. Assess for yourself if this is the
right course for you at this time.
Required Reading
·
Selections
from Reinharz, S, (1992). Feminist
Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (available at Healey
Reserve Desk)
·
Lofland,
J. & Lofland, L. (1995, 3rd Ed). Analyzing Social Settings: A Guide to Qualitative Observation and
Analysis. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
PLEASE BE SURE TO GET THE 3rd EDITION!!!!! (available at Healey
Reserve in case you don’t wish to buy the book).
·
Harding,
S. (Ed). (1987). Feminism and Methodology.
Bloomington, IN: University of Indiana Press. (available at Healey Reserve in
case you don’t wish to buy the book).
·
Bobel,
C. (2001). “Bounded Liberation: A
Focused Study of La Leche League” Gender
& Society. 15, 131-52. (available at Healey Reserve Desk).
·
Selections
from Hesse-Biber, S. & Yaiser, M. (Eds). (2004). Feminist Perspectives on Social Research. New York: Oxford University Press (available at Healey
Reserve Desk).
Attendance:
Because this course is
discussion-intensive, your ON TIME attendance and participation is essential.
You will be expected to attend each class and keep up with the weekly reading
assignments so you’ve got something learned to say (not to mention incorporate
the material into your project work). While I don’t formally take attendance or
mark tardies, I do NOTICE them. Chronic absences and lateness will be
considered when final grades are calculated. If you regularly attend and attend
on time, I may give you the point or 2 needed to boost you to the higher grade.
If attendance and punctuality were a problem for you, I will not give you this
boost.
As for classroom participation, I recognize
that a number of factors make it difficult for students to speak up in class.
And some of these factors, such as speaking English as a second language, can
be daunting. But, I believe that we as a community of learners, can take steps
to make the classroom a relativity safe place for EVERYONE to speak up if they
want to. We are all familiar with common obstacles to productive classroom
dialogue: 1) coming to class unprepared and 2) fear of sounding stupid. But, both obstacles are avoidable: the former
if each student keeps up with the reading, the latter if we collectively agree
to a few ground rules for democratic discussion.
The rules are as follows:
1. No attacks based on individual or group
characteristics such as gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, age or
English language skills
2. No esoteric terms or reference to materials
unless they are known to all (or the speaker is equipped to define/explain
their relevance).
3.
No individual or groups of individuals may dominate discussion. If you
are talkative and notice that you are taking a lot of “floor time”, pause
before you speak up and watch to see if someone else might like a chance. It is
my job to create balance in classroom discussion, so I will be helping out and
encouraging our more quiet classmates to “find their voice.”
Disability Accommodations:
Section 504 and the American with
Disabilities Act of 1990 offer guidelines for curriculum modifications and
adaptations for students with documented disabilities. Students may obtain
adaptation recommendations from the Lillian Semipro Ross Center, McCormack,
Floor 1, room 401, 617.287.7430. If you have a disability and require
appropriate accommodation, please notify me by the end of add/drop and seek
assistance from the Lillian Semper Ross Center.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:
Below is the University Policy on Academic
Standards and Cheating from UMB Undergraduate University Catalog. For further
details, refer to the section on plagiarism. I adhere to this policy, so take
note.
"The first obligation of students is
to pursue conscientiously the academic objective which they have determined for
themselves. Students are expected to conform to all regulations of the
University, of the College in which they are enrolled, and of the classes in
which they are registered. It is further expected that all examinations, texts,
written papers or other assignments completed as a part of academic programs are
the product of the student's own work and effort.
This means that students may not solicit or
use unauthorized material or assistance for their own benefit and my not offer
or give such assistance to another student. Every written report or similar
class assignment must indicate fully the sources from which the informant used
is obtained, and any verbatim quotations or paraphrases must be clearly
indicated as such and properly credited to the source from which they were
extracted or adapted."
Tentative
Course Schedule
Reading Legend
Reinharz= R
Lofland & Lofland=LL
Harding= H
Bobel= B
Hesse-Biber & Yaiser (HB& Y)
January 27 Course
Overview and Introductions
Starting Where You Are—class discussion
1st Assignment Assigned
January 29 Assignment 1 Due: Where are YOU?
LL: Intro and Ch. 1
HB
& Y: Ch. 1
ADD DROP DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 2
February 3 Is
there a Feminist Method? If so, What is it?
Discussion
of Model
H:
Ch 1/Intro
R:
Intro
B:
entire pc.
HB
& Y: Ch. 17
February 5 What
is Ethnography? Choosing a Site
R:
Ch. 3
LL:
Ch. 2
February 10 Assignment 2 Due: Site Selection and
Preliminary Questions
More Models of Feminist Research
H: Ch. 2
HB
& Y: Ch. 6
February 12 What
is Interviewing?
R:
Ch. 2
Assignment 2 Returned
February 17 Mechanics
of Participant Observation
Accessing
Your Site
LL:
Ch 3
HB
& Y: Ch. 11
February 19 More
Mechanics of PO
LL:
Ch. 4
HB&
Y: Ch. 20
Participant Observation Begins
February 24 Logging
Data
LL:
Ch 5
February 26 H: CH. 3
March 2 Coding Data
LL:
Ch. 6 & 7
Assignment Due: Sample of Field Notes
March 4 More
on Coding: Attempting to Make Sense of Lofland and Lofland’s “Topics”
LL: 6 &7 (if you haven’t done it
already)
March 9 Group
Library Visit
Meet on 4th floor, Healey Lib, in the
Center for Library Instruction (Have
you sent your literature areas to the Librarian?)
NO READING ASSIGNED
March 11 Interview
Protocols and Consent Forms (I will bring models to share plus
“Interviewing Basics” handout)
HB
& Y: Ch 13
(and review the previously assigned R: Ch.
2 and LL: Ch. 2)
Yeehaw!
Spring Break-- Week of March 13
TARGET:
All FIELD WORK COMPLETED BY END OF SPRING BREAK and INTERVIEWEES IDENTIFIED and
INTERVIEWS SCHEDULED FOR WEEK OF MARCH 22nd (you have an assignment re:
interviewing due on April 1st)
******SEND
ME YOUR CONSENT FORMS AND INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS ELECTRONICALLY.GIVE ME 24 HOURS
TO GET YOU FEEDBACK BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR 1st INTERVIEW*******
March 23 CONDUCT INTERVIEWS THIS WEEK!!
In Class Interviewing Workshop (mock interviews with one another)
NO READING ASSIGNED
Assignment
Due: Initial Content Analysis of Field Notes
March 25 Analyzing
Data
LL: Ch 9
BRING BOBEL’s piece on La Leche League to
class, please
WORK
ON INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS THIS WEEK!!
March 30 In
Class Analysis Workshop (bring your coded data to class)
No
Reading Assigned
YOU
SHOULD BE CONDUCTING YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW NOW AND ACTIVELY ANALYZING YOUR
DATA!
And
as your analysis develops, we will entertain some key issues in the classic
Feminist Methodology Literature in the remaining weeks of class
April 1 H:
Ch. 4 & 5
Assignment Due: Interviewing Memo
April 6 H:
Ch. 6
April 8: H:
Ch. 7
Assignment Due: Thematic Categories
April 13 H: Ch. 8
April 15 H:
Ch 9 & 10
April 20 Assignment Due: Refined Thematic Categories
and Connections to Relevant Literature
No Reading Assigned
April 22 Writing
it Up
Handout:
Skeleton Outline Model
LL:
Ch. 10
April 27 H:
Ch. 11 & 12
April 29 NO
Class. Meet 1 on 1 with Chris. 1/2 hour appointments to be scheduled between
11:15- 2:00
No reading assigned
May 4 Trouble
shooting Check In—What’s Getting In Your Way of Finishing?
LL: 218-229
NO FURTHER READING ASSIGNED.
READ WHAT YOU MISSED THAT WILL HELP YOU
WRITE YOUR PAPER.
May 6 Assignment
Due: ROUGH DRAFT
May 11 In
Class Editing Workshop
Course
Evaluations
Peer Reviews of Drafts Due Back to Authors
Final Project Due on May 18