Sex, Gender and the Body is a course that engages with some of
my very favorite stuff to read and think about, and I'm really excited
to have the opportunity to teach this course again this semester!
Our Course Blog
This
blog is our virtual home on the web, and you should bookmark this site
immediately and refer to it at least a couple of times each week
throughout the semester. This is where graphics, lecture materials and
notes, communications, assignments, and other vital class information
and presentations will be displayed. You can also learn a bit about me,
your professor, by poking around on my website at www.freewebs.com/kw20784.
Blackboard
You should also make sure you have access to Blackboard and to our course Blackboard site. To access Blackboard, go to http://courseware.mymrc.ca
(no www beforehand). You will need a login ID and a password. Please
set this up as soon as possible, preferably before the first day of
class, which is on Friday, September 10th.
Before the First Day of Class
Please
be sure to get your hands on the required books. They can all be
purchased from the MRU bookstore, but you should feel free to get them
cheaper elsewhere. But if you're going to do that, make sure to order
the correct editions and to get them as soon as possible. Some of the
books (but not all) are available at the Reserve desk in the MRU
library.
In addition, make sure you have access to the
course syllabus on the first day of class. You can either download it
from this blog (see the menu on the left) or bring your laptop and read
it on-line. In the interest of saving some trees, I won't be handing out
hard copies of the syllabus, so the most important thing you can do for
the first day of class is make sure you have a copy of the syllabus,
either on your laptop or in your hand. We'll be talking a lot about the
syllabus on the first day of class, and you'll need to have it in front
of you.
Course Prerequisite
Lastly, please
be aware that WMST 3345 is a complex course in feminist and queer
theories intended for upper-level students (i.e., those in their third
and fourth years). It is an advanced, student-driven seminar that builds
upon the issues and concepts learned in prior Women’s Studies classes.
It is therefore strongly recommended, although not required, that you
take at least one other Women’s Studies course before taking this one.
Second,
the heavy reading load in WMST 3345 also requires an intense time
commitment as well as sophisticated critical thinking and analytical
abilities. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students in their
second year of study—even those who have taken Women’s Studies
before—wait until they have completed another full year of course work
before taking this course, as it is designed for third- and fourth-year
students.
This information is not meant to intimidate
you or scare you away. On the contrary, I want you to succeed, and
staying in the course if you don't meet the recommended prerequisites
may adversely affect your situation. Please think carefully about
whether you're prepared to take this course, both in terms of
foundational skills and knowledge in Women's Studies, as well as in
terms of willingness and ability to make the time commitment that will
be required.
If you have any questions about this, or about anything else, please feel free to send me an e-mail at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca.
I look forward to meeting you in class!
