This course will examine the contribution of women to Western European Society from the later classical era to the early twentieth century. It will also look beyond Europe's boundaries to trace developments in other continents and cultures. Women's roles, both within the family and in the wider social context, will be considered in relation to the major historical changes taking place. Working within an essentially chronological framework, the course will examine such themes as the evolution of women's legal rights; the role of religion in shaping women's lives; the development of ideas concerning the public versus the private sphere and the application of these divisions to women's activities. We will be particularly concerned to identify the historical evolution of concepts which either subordinated or liberated women. Our approach will be integrative; we will ground our analysis in considerations of class and race as well as gender.

Required Texts

Renate Bridenthal, Claudia Koonz and Susan Mosher Stuard, Becoming Visible; Women in European History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 3rd. Edition, 1998.

Custom Courseware: K.E. Garay, ed. Women's Role in Western Society Europe and Beyond. McMaster University, Hamilton, 1998.

CD-ROM: Sybils!2 An Interactive Exploration of Women in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Available from Dr. Garay

Learning Objectives

1. Gain an informed understanding of the role played by women in history.
2. Discover possible causes for the exclusion of women from the public sphere in earlier times and discuss the possible links with contemporary disadvantaging of women.
3.Gain a general overview of the major historical developments in western culture in order to provide context for women's activities and for attitudes towards them.
4. Develop an understanding of women's roles in cultures beyond the mainstream of Western European society.
5. Develop the ability to interrogate the historical evidence, looking for signs of racism, classism, and ageism as well as gender bias.
6. Develop the facility to work collaboratively in class, both in discussion groups and in the identification and development of the group project.
7. Gain an appreciation of Internet resource material which supports research on the history of women and develop familiarity with using CD-ROM technology for research purposes.

Learning Format

The class will meet for three hours on Wednesday evenings. After the first two weeks, part of each class will be held in a discussion group format, with class members leading discussion and analysis of documents included in the Custom Courseware collection. All class members will be expected to carefully read the documents assigned prior to each week's discussion. Early in the second term, the class will work together on a group project. The project will be designed, executed and evaluated by class members.

Course Outline

Please note that I will attempt to structure the course to reflect the interests and backgrounds of the students in the class, as well as using it to respond to issues affecting the lives of women which emerge in the news media as the class as in progress. Therefore this outline is to be taken only as a general guide and not as definitive or exclusive.