Women helped make possible the agricultural, industrial, and technological revolutions which have reshaped economic life around the globe, and have contributed immeasurably to the intellectual and cultural heritage of the West. Nonetheless, the discipline of history frequently has not only failed to acknowledge women’s contributions in traditional narratives of the development of Europe: in seeking to formulate an accurate accounting of the past, historians often have overlooked the significance of the daily lives of ordinary people, particularly of women. Our study of European women’s history therefore accords much-deserved attention to important themes such as the changing organizations of families, shifting sexual divisions of labor, and new patterns of household consumption, all of which reveal a great deal about the origins of contemporary social practices. 

In particular, our study this semester highlights the historical balance between women's work and family roles and our discussion will examine both contemporary and historical issues surrounding women's family and work lives. In addition, in honor of women's history month, our study will forefront the history of modern women's cultural and artistic expression. The key purposes of this course are to uncover the history of women’s participation in the evolution of modern Europe, to explore current scholarly and theoretical interpretations in the field of women’s history, and, then, to re-examine the traditional assumptions, categories, and periodizations of European history in light of women’s historical experiences. 

Readings:
Required Texts: 
 

• Abrams and Harvey, eds., Gender Relations in German History.  Power, Agency, and Experience.
• Bridenthal, Stuard, Wiesner, eds. Becoming Visible.  Women in European History.  3rd Edition.
• Bock and James, eds. Beyond Equality & Difference.  Citizenship, Feminist Politics and Female Subjectivity.
• Simonton, A History of European Women's Work
• Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness.

Supplemental texts:
Bell and Offen, Women, the Family and Freeedom, vols. 1-2; Fout, Forbidden History; and Smith, Changing Lives and other optional and assigned class readings available on Library reserve. 

Students are responsible for accessing the course reading calendar and assignments on the official on-line syllabus. 

Course Format and Requirements:

Attendence: 
This course consists of short lectures and more lengthy discussion sessions, group activities, and student presentations. Student contributions therefore are integral to achieving the goals of the class. Prior to each meeting, read the daily reading assignments and consider the directed reading questions provided.  Regular attendance is essential because participation in class discussions will be graded: 

• Students are encouraged to submit 1-page electronic essay responses to the reading questions at least once a week, as part of their participation grade. Students who are late/absent should submit the essays from the missed classes within 5 days of their return to make up their work. 
• There may be one or more unannounced quizzes and in-class assignments, which unexcused students cannot make up.
• Students who are absent/late without submitting essays from the dates of missed classes will drop a full letter grade in the class for every 3 lates/absences.   Students who are absent/late more than 5 times automatically fail the class.
• Students who are unprepared or missing when their oral reports are due will receive zero credit on the assignment.

Written/Oral Assignments:
There will be midterm and final examinations based on the reading questions, as well as voluntary additional short written assignments and presentations.  In addition, all students will write 5 page essays about the Hall novel and are encouraged to discuss their findings in class. Please refer to the instructions for the Hall assignment for details. Students also will present an oral report at the end of the semester describing a short research project. 

Incomplete assignments are strongly discouraged and extensions are not automatic. Students with extenuating circumstances needing additional time to complete work must make arrangements with the instructor in advance of class deadlines. Unless other arrangements are made, late papers will receive zero credit. All assignments must be  completed on the date assigned.