critical reading exercises     action project     cyberfeminism

Critical Reading Exercises will help
-to develop your critical reading skills,
-to encourage preparation (rather than just reading) of the course material,
-to facilitate student participation in class,
-to create the conditions for more student-directed discussion, and
-to deepen your understanding of making change and women's organizing.

Reading exercises are due on an ongoing basis throughout the year.
In total, you will do Reading Exercises [RE] for 10 weeks out of 17 possible choices. For four of the weeks, reading exercises are required from everyone [RRE]. You will choose the six additional weeks.
In the Fall semester, you will do 3 RRE plus 2 RE.
in the Winter semester, you will do 1 RRE plus 4 RE.

The weeks for the RRE and also the weeks from which you can choose RE are noted on the course outline.

*You will choose your topics for your RE at the beginning of the year.Use the list below to record your first choices. We will negotiate collectively to distribute the readings over the entire class.

*The RE are due the day of the discussion. These assignments will not be accepted late for any reasons. However, if you should be unable to complete one that you have signed up for, you can choose another in the same semester. No substitutions and no lates will be permitted for the RRE. So please plan your time accordingly.

*Although for some weeks you will do your RE on only one or a part of the assigned readings, allocate the time necessary to do all the reading for each week. In order to make this possible, there are no additional reading requirements for any of your assignments.
It is very important that you do all the required reading for Sept 23, Sept 30 and Oct 7.

*Below you will find instructions for RE on a single text, for RE on multiple texts, and for each of the RRE.

Grade: The RE and RRE are worth a total of 40% of your grade. Your grade on each one will take into account both substance (insight, depth of understanding etc) and presentation (writing style, grammar, clarity etc).

REQUIRED READING EXERCISES [RRE]
1. CLASSROOM AS A SITE OF POLITICAL PRACTICE [RRE] (Fall)
2. THEORY AND PRACTICE [RRE] (Fall)
3. WOMEN'S ORGANIZING AND PUBLIC POLICY [RRE] (Fall)
4. PEACE ORGANIZING THROUGH COALITIONS [RRE] (Winter)

RE EXERCISES FOR FALL SEMESTER: Pick TWO
INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN ORGANIZING #2 [RE]
RE on Einwhoner OR Ruffman

THE CURRENT CONJUNCTURE [RE]
RE on Hamilton OR Hamilton OR Gabriel

FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD WAVE FEMINISMS [RE]
RE on Hamilton plus Harris OR Hamilton plus Adamson

ORGANIZING DIVERSITY INSIDE THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT [RE]
RE on Pheterson plus Gershbain, Hildebrant and Feinberg
OR Thompson plus Drediger, Gayle-Duetsch and Feinberg

ELECTORAL STRATEGIES AND REPRESENTATION [P] [RE]
RE on Vickers and Pauktuutit
OR on Young and Pauktuutit

READING EXERCISES FOR WINTER SEMESTER: Pick FOUR
GRASSROOTS FEMINIST ORGANIZING [RE]
RE on Luxton OR Egan OR Denis OR Hewitt-White

MATERNALIST ORGANIZING [RE]
RE on Werbner OR Swerdlow OR Krauss

(*Last day to hand in Step 1 of Action Project)

ORGANIZING FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE [RE]
RE on Tirado and McDermott
OR on Jhabvala and de Angelis

ANTI-FEMINISM [RE] (also be sure to read handouts from REALWOMEN)
RE on Faludi
OR on Messner and Blee

SEPARATE ORGANIZING [RE]
RE on Briskin and Herizons OR Freedman and Herizons

DEMOCRATIZATION AND WAYS OF WORKING [RE]
RE on Freeman plus Kirk
OR on Freeman plus Arnott
OR on Freeman plus Miles

BEIJING [RE] (also be sure to read handouts from REALWOMEN)
RE on Bunch, Roberts, Ruffman, and Villiers
OR on Ruffman, Tohidi and Day

(*Last day to hand in Step 3 of Action Project).

POST BEIJING [RE]
RE on Miles, Day, Bazilla and "It's Time.."
OR on Philipose, Ababio, Rahlston and "It's Time.."

INSTRUCTIONS FOR READING EXERCISES ON A SINGLE TEXT

1) Write an annotation

An annotation summarizes the author's argument and her conclusion. An annotation does not include all the content or details. Rather it highlights the central point and thesis and is conceptual rather than descriptive.

In an annotation, you are 'speaking' in the voice of the author, using your own words but attempting to be true to the meaning and intention of the author. Your goal is not to evaluate but to represent fairly what the author has said and meant. Since you want to emphasize your own understanding and ability to explain the text, do not quote directly from the author.

ii) Identify and explain 1-2 important concepts which the author uses to develop and support her argument. Why do you find these concepts useful?

A concept helps to explain or make sense of data, detail, information, and experience. It is a general idea or notion that goes beyond the empirical and experiential, beyond what we can observe or directly experience. So for example, 'stereotyping' is a concept which can be used to interpret a range of specific experiences.

Concepts are the building blocks of theories. So, combining the concept of stereotyping with data on various forms of stereotyping (in advertising, for example) and institutional sites where it occurs, (in schools or families) provides the foundation for a theory to explain the devaluation of women's experiences.

Concepts are also 'portable', i.e., we can 'internalise' them as part of our knowledge base to help us make sense of other situations. So you might be studying another phenomenon and realize that the concept of 'stereotyping' helps to make sense of it.

Concepts should also be distinguished from 'method' which refers to how an author constructs her argument. For example, she may use comparison and contrast, an historical approach, qualitative data such as interviews, quantitative data such as statistics, personal experience, theoretical frameworks, the research of others, etc.

iii) Outline your most important insight from this reading (something you found interesting and provocative). In what ways did this insight shift, challenge, expand or support your thinking about women's organizing?

iv) Identify one statement, concept or argument that you do not understand. Try to explain what it is you don't understand.

v) Prepare one question you would like the class to discuss: a level 3, level 4 and/or 'experiential/point of view' question (see Guide to Writing Questions below).

Length: 2 pages TYPED, DOUBLE SPACED
HAND IN THE ORIGINAL AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. THIS IS FOR YOUR PROTECTION.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR READING EXERCISES ON MULTIPLE TEXTS

i) Describe the common subject matter of these texts. What does each article contribute to the study of this topic area? Explain why you think these articles have been grouped together under this specific topic? (For your information, the topic areas are listed on pg 2 above and on the course outline.)

ii) Identify and discuss one or more points of disagreement and/or differences in political strategy

Political strategy refers to how to make change around a particular issue. It emerges, in part, out of an analysis of a problem. So, for example, if you think women's low pay is a result of biological difference, you would not have many strategic options (unless you could change biology). But if you think that low pay is a result of weak government laws, then you could put forward a strategy to strengthen the laws. How you analyse a situation, then, has an impact on what strategies you will endorse, develop or imagine.

iii) Outline your most important insight from this material (something you found interesting and provocative). In what ways did this insight shift, challenge, expand or support your thinking about women's organizing?

iv) Identify one statement, concept or argument that you did not understand. Try to explain what it is you don't understand.

v) Prepare one question you would like the class to discuss: a level 3, level 4 and/or 'experiential/point of view' question (see Guide to Writing Questions below).

Length: 2 pages TYPED, DOUBLE SPACED
HAND IN THE ORIGINAL AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. THIS IS FOR YOUR PROTECTION.

REQUIRED READING EXERCISE [RRE]:
CLASSROOM AS A SITE OF POLITICAL PRACTICE

Briskin, Feminist Pedagogy
*Fleming et al, "Gender, Power and Silence in the Classroom."
*Trosset, "Obstacles to Open Discussion and Critical Thinking"

1. Carol Trosset's research revealed some interesting student attitudes toward discussion. Based on Trosset's article, analyse your own attitudes:

a) For you, is the purpose of discussion exploration or advocacy? Explain.

b) Is it important for a discussion to reach a consensus? Why or why not?

c) Would you subscribe to a position of radical relativism? Why or why not?

d) How important is 'comfort' and 'safety' for your learning? What does 'comfort' and safety' in the classroom actually look like for you?

e) When you work in small groups, do you prefer to be with students who have a similar perspective to you? Why or why not?

2. The article on "Gender, Power and Silence in the Classroom" was written by students at York and first published in 1991. To what extent do the incidents described in this article reflect your own experiences? To what extent do you think the situation has improved? Refer to specific examples in your answer.

3. In Feminist Pedagogy, I make the argument that feminist pedagogical strategies which reject teacher authority in favour of sharing power with students are important but also problematic. Summarize the argument.

To what extent have your Women Studies classes attempted to 'share power'? Describe both the successes, and the problems you have experienced with this approach.

4. Explain the distinction between non-sexism/non-racism and anti-sexism/anti-racism. Describe the political practice which emerges from each political position.

5. Based on your own priorities, and your reading of the summary of student comments from the "Developing Groundrules" exercise, identify three groundrules which you would like included in a class contract designed to make our classroom time as effective as possible.

LENGTH: 3 pages

TYPED and double-spaced. Hand in the original and keep a copy for yourself.

REQUIRED READING EXERCISE [RRE]: THEORY AND PRACTICE

Patricia Elliot and Nancy Mandell. "Feminist Theories."
Linda Briskin. "Socialist Feminism: from the standpoint of practice."

1. Elliot and Mandell outline a range of different feminist perspectives: liberal feminism, socialist feminism, radical feminism, anti-racist feminism, psychoanalytic feminism and postmodernist feminism.

Choose two of these feminisms (one of the first three and one of the second three). Explain and assess the strategic implications of each of these approaches. How does each handle issues of diversity among women?

What does it mean to talk about 'strategic implications'? All theories offer a perspective on how to make change, that is, a political strategy. Sometimes this perspective is made explicit, sometimes it is self evident, and sometimes it is buried and needs to be 'excavated'.

Political strategy emerges, in part, out of an analysis of a problem. So, for example, if you think women's low pay is a result of biological difference, you would not have many strategic options (unless you could change biology). But if you think low pay is a result of weak government laws, then you could put forward a strategy to strengthen the laws. How you analyse a situation, then, has an impact on what strategies you will endorse, develop or imagine.

The feminist approaches outlined in "Feminist Theories" have different analyses of what causes women's oppression. Your task is to explore what strategies emerge from their analyses. To put it another way, what kind of change do feminists who subscribe to each position think is possible and necessary (given their understanding of the problems women face,) and how do they think we should go about making such a change.

2. In my article, I suggest an alternative way of examining the range of feminisms based on a model of feminist practice (rather than theory). Explain the framework of disengagement and mainstreaming, and the risk each approach faces.

2a) Describe a mainstreaming and a disengagement strategy to deal with one of the following issues: sexual assault, job losses due to free trade, and cutbacks in social services.

How useful is the model of mainstreaming and disengagement to understand the change-making process?

3. "The question is not whether we have a theory, but how aware we are of the assumptions behind our actions, and how conscious we are of the choices we make -- daily -- among different theories."
Charlotte Bunch, "Not by Degrees... (1983)."

Describe the 'worldview' that informs your everyday life. Are you surprised by what emerged when you did this description? Why or why not?

Although we rarely attempt to name it fully or examine it directly, we all have a 'worldview' -- an understanding of the way the world works and how we think it ought to work -- which influences the way we live. To ensure that we are not simply motivated by commonsense and uninterrogated assumptions from the dominant ideology, we need to articulate consciously our own worldview and query the source of our ideas. Our informed worldview, then, can become a positioning from which we make sense of and interact with the world.

Length: 3 pages TYPED, DOUBLE SPACED
HAND IN THE ORIGINAL AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

REQUIRED READING EXERCISE [RRE]: WOMEN'S ORGANIZING AND PUBLIC POLICY

L. Pauline Rankin and Jill Vickers. Women's Movements and State Feminism: Integrating Diversity into Public Policy. Status of Women Canada, May 2001.

1. This text is interested in the relationship among public policy, state feminism and women's movements. Explain the concept of 'state feminism' and 'femocrat'. Describe the conclusions Rankin and Vickers draw about this relationship.

Are you persuaded by their presentation? What, if any, questions remain for you about the viability of state feminism as a vehicle for making public policy responsive to women's concerns?

2. This text raises the issue of diversity-sensitive public policy. What does 'diversity-sensitive public policy' mean? What have you learned about the process necessary to achieve such policy? Be specific about insights garnered from the text.

3. With reference to Roberta Hamilton, "The Canadian State: Feminist Perspectives" (kit), explain what conception of the state and government informs this text by Rankin and Vickers. On what grounds might Hamilton challenge Rankin and Vickers?

4. The authors suggest that globalization is having conflicting impacts on women, on public policy responsive to women's concerns and on women's ability to organize to effect responsive public policy. Describe the problems caused by globalization in these areas, and the possibilities opened up by processes of globalization.

5. Prepare one question you would like the class to discuss: a level 3, level 4 and/or 'experiental/point of view' question (see Guide to Writing Questions below).

Length: 2-3 pages TYPED, DOUBLE SPACED
HAND IN THE ORIGINAL AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

REQUIRED READING EXERCISE [RRE]:PEACE ORGANIZING THROUGH COALITIONS

Cynthia Cockburn The Space Between Us

The class will be divided into three groups, each reading the chapters about ONE of the conflict sites. Everyone should read the handout on the "Bat Shalom Address to the UN".

GROUP ONE: IRELAND
Read Introduction, Chapter One, Two, Three and Eight

GROUP TWO: ISRAEL/PALESTINE
Read Introduction, Chapter One, Four, Five and Eight

GROUP THREE: BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA
Read Introduction, Chapter One, Six, Seven and Eight

*Note: chapter one is the most difficult to read. Don't get stopped by it. Skip what you don't fully understand and re-read it after you have finished the other chapters.

1. Explain briefly the on-going conflict in the country you read about. What are the key ingredients that make the situation difficult to resolve?

These will be shared with students who were reading about a different conflict.

2. Explain how 'women' and issues of gender are relevant in the conflict you read about. Is there anything that is at stake for women specifically in this conflict?

3. Despite the terrible difficulties, women's organizing in these three countries has been remarkably successful. They have managed to develop alliances which work across differences. For the country you read about, explain how they did this.

4. Cockburn works extensively with concepts of identity. She distinguishes between collective identities, individual identities, identity hurt, identity processes, and coerced identities. In your own words, explain each of these concepts.

5. What have you learned from this book that is relevant to your personal/political/intellectual life?

LENGTH: 2-3 PAGES TYPED DOUBLE SPACED
PLEASE HAND IN THE ORIGINAL AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

APPENDIX

READING AND PREPARING

This assignment emphasizes the difference between reading and preparing texts. Students often read a course text from beginning to end in order to prepare for class. Much to their dismay, they probably forget much of what they have read.

An `active' approach to preparing a text is necessary. This means seeking out its internal logic, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and a developing a critical perspective on it. This assignment will develop these skills which are critical to university success.

Being an active reader not only improves your reading skills but also your preparedness for class discussion. In general, the more work students have done on the material outside of class, the more confident they are to share their thoughts and ask questions during the discussion. All research shows that students learn to clarify their thinking and develop a fluency with the material by participating in such discussions. Preparing the reading exercises should help you participate in class and facilitate your learning from other people's ideas.

READING THE TEXT: MAKING NOTES, HIGHLIGHTING, AND SUMMARIZING

As you proceed through a reading, you may have developed strategies to identify, mark, and summarize information you find important. The most popular way is to highlight the text or underline passages. In general, the process of marking the text is an important one.

However, some students highlight too much and too quickly. As soon as they notice something important, they will begin marking. Students may not have actually read and processed the material but they assume, that once marked, they will return to it later. Going back often doesn't happen because the volume of highlighted material overwhelms students.

A few suggestions can improve your marking strategies.

1. Start by reading the introductory and concluding paragraphs. This will prepare you for reading the more detailed argument and help you to understand the author's purpose.

2. Read an entire section between headings before highlighting. In this way, you can see the development of the whole idea. You will probably find a concise re-statement of the author's argument toward the end which will be especially helpful in writing an annotation.

3. Instead of underlining or highlighting across the page, make a vertical mark in the margin the length of the number of lines you want to note. This prevents interruption of your reading/thinking while still allowing you to identify that section for later consideration.

4. Circle any concepts you come across.

5. Use a question mark to identify any material you don't understand. Don't be stopped by your confusion. Often material at a later point will clarify.

Also when students have difficulties with a reading, they often think the problem is because they are not able to understand it. Sometimes the problem is a lack of clarity or a confusion in the text itself. Learning to identify such weaknesses is a key part of being a successful university scholar.

6. Use a * to mark points that provoked, challenged and/or intrigued you.

7. Using you own words in the margin to explain briefly an idea or note its importance is more effective than using the words of the author. Rephrasing ideas into your own words forces you to think the idea through and process its meaning.

ASKING QUESTIONS

An active text reading approach depends upon the ability to ask questions. Students often think that their role is to answer questions and that the role of teachers is to ask questions. This is not true. The effective student is able to ask questions -- not only of the teacher but also of the text (any written material). She learns to act like a teacher, has inside her head a voice asking questions.

Why is asking questions an important skill? The ability to ask questions is a test of your understanding of the material since it depends upon careful reading and comprehension. If the question is in relation to a lecture, it depends upon careful listening. Asking questions depends upon your ability to pick out the most important ideas, to focus on the construction of the argument, to identify potentially weak links in the evidence, and to make associations with other knowledge that you have already acquired, i.e., to make comparisons between texts.

Out of this question-asking process, you will develop your own point of view on the material -- the key to being a good scholar and certainly a successful student.

There are different kinds/levels of questions, each of which involves different skills.

Level One: Level one questioning involves recognition and recall. This means being able to locate and reproduce pieces of factual information. In general, level one questions ask, "What did the author say?" For example, `What three currents of feminism are described in Chapter One of Feminist Organizing For Change?' Usually there is only one right answer to this level of question.

Level Two: Level two questions require a greater contribution on the part of the learner than merely locating or recognizing directly stated information. Level two questions ask, "What did the author mean?" The reader must be able to comprehend and interpret the material, not just recall it. Level two questions ask you to identify and explain concepts, and the logic of arguments. For example, `Explain the difference between grassroots and institutionalized feminism.' Or `How does Feminist Organizing For Change explain women's reluctance to identify as feminists?'

Level Three: Level three questions involve the learner in analyzing facts and inferences. This type of critical comprehension requires the reader to apply, analyze, and synthesize material. It may involve evaluation of the material as well as the integration of material from several sources. For example, `Feminist Organizing for Change argues in favour of a socialist feminist approach. Are you persuaded? Why or why not?' Or 'How would you describe the feminist approach of the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics? Explain and justify your assessment.'

Level Four: Level four questions ask the learner to utilize new information in original ways. This level of understanding requires the greatest contribution on the part of the learner. Questions of this kind could be called `creative comprehension questions' or `complex problem solving.' For example, 'Feminist Organizing for Change suggests that certain historical, contextual and demographic factors provided the impetus for the second wave of the women's movement. What factors are impacting on the shape of the women's movement today?' Or 'What lessons from the second wave of the women's movement might be helpful to the women's movement today?'

Questions can also solicit points of view and emotional responses

Some questions are less analytical or text-based in their focus. They may draw on personal experience and attitudes. These questions ask learners whether the arguments and presentation in the texts are consistent with their own experience and whether the readings have expanded or shifted their understanding of that experience.

Other questions may ask about emotional responses to material: discomfort, anger, excitement, resistance, denial, enthusiasm etc.

Goal: To carry out and analyse an action aimed at challenging and/or protesting sexism, racism and/or homophobia.

This action project makes connections between theory (what we think), practice (what we do), and reflection (how our experiences impact what we 'know').

You can choose to do this action on your own or with a group (no more than three). Action by a collective tends to have more impact than an individual action.

For this project, re-read Hamilton, "The Women's Movement(s)" and Harris, "Riding My Own Tidal Wave" (kit).

This project is worth 30% of your final grade.

STEP 1: DEVELOPING A PLAN OF ACTION

i) Describe your planned action. Explain how and why it challenges sexism, racism and/or homophobia.

Include in your discussion
-when and where the action will happen,

-what you hope the outcomes will be, that is, your goals,

-if relevant, who your allies will be,

-who you expect will witness your action,

-what problems/resistance/opposition you anticipate and how you plan to deal with them.

ii) Consider the incident/pattern of sexism, racism and homophobia you plan to protest. Analyse why such incidents occur.

To answer this question, do not try to present a macro theory of sexism or racism, but consider the particulars of the situation you hope to challenge. The better your micro-analysis of the situation, the more effective your strategic response or political intervention will be.

iii) Embedded in your plan of action are some assumptions about how you think change happens. In order to make them explicit, describe and critically analyse these assumptions.

iv) In general, do you see yourself as an agent of change? If yes, in what ways? If no, why not?

GUIDELINES

1. Do not perform actions that reinforce stereotypes in any way.

2. Avoid any harm to yourself or others. The action must be non-violent and legal.

3. You will not be graded on the success of the action but on your thoughtful planning of it as recorded in Step One, your presentation to the class about it (Step Two), and your written reflections on it in Step Three.

Length: 5-7 pages TYPED Double Spaced

If you are working as a group, you can hand in one report for i) and ii). Each of you should answer iii) and iv) individually. Hand in all of your work together.

HAND IN THE ORIGINAL(S) AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. THIS IS FOR YOUR PROTECTION.

NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE ASKED TO HAND IN STEP ONE (the copy I grade) with STEP THREE.

Due: Jan 13

Grade: 10% of your final grade

STEP TWO: CLASS PRESENTATION

In your presentation:
*Briefly outline what you did, why you did it (your goals) and what happened.

*Assess the success of the intervention and analyse the problems you faced. What changes would you make if you were planning your action now? Why?

*Share your insights about organizing.

If you are working in a group, ALL GROUP MEMBERS SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE PRESENTATION. Strong group presentations depend on the work you do prior to your presentation. Preparation is key.

Members of the group may differ in their assessments of the action. Rather than attempting to come to some false consensus, outline and explain these disagreements in your presentation. They will provide a useful learning experience both for your group and for the class as a whole, and no doubt provoke interesting discussion.

Length: 15 minutes

Grade: 5% of your final grade

Date: either Feb 24 OR March 10

STEP THREE: INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN REPORT

1. Briefly outline what you did, why you did it (your goals) and what happened.

1a) Assess the success of the intervention and analyse the problems you faced. Re-read your Plan of Action and comment on it with post-action hindsight. What changes would you make if you were planning your action now? Why?

2. Re-read and comment on your answer to Step One (iii). To what extent have your views about how change occurs been modified, challenged or reinforced by this Action Project. Be specific. What have you learned about organizing and about making change?

3. Step One (iv) asked whether you see yourself as an agent of change. Re-read your answer and comment, given your experience of this Action Project. How have you been affected/changed by this experience?

4. Reflect on the relationship between theory and practice. In what ways did your reading and study in this course help you (or not) in this action?

Identify and explain two course concepts that informed your action and/or helped to make sense of it. Explain the relationship between your action and these concepts.

Link your action experience to two course readings (be specific). How do these readings help to deepen your understanding of your action, and the process of making change?

These questions are asking you to put your action into a larger context, that is, to use concepts, theories or descriptions of other organizing contexts from the course to make sense of what happened in your action. Your action then becomes a case study which you analyse with the help of the course material.

Use essay format for this report. This means using a thematic rather than narrative structure, and having an introduction and conclusion. Use proper referencing and include a full bibliography.

Length: 6-8 pages typed double spaced.
HAND IN THE ORIGINAL AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. THIS IS FOR YOUR PROTECTION.

HAND IN STEP ONE (the one I graded) with your report.

Grade: 15% of your final grade

Due: March 17

STEP 3A: GROUP EVALUATION

In addition to the individual report, those of you who worked in a group should prepare a comment on your group process.

Assess your own group process as an instance of 'organizing'. Comment on how your group organized itself, leadership practices, communication issues, and decision-making strategies.

Evaluate the process of working together as a group. What were the strengths of your group's process? How might you have worked together more effectively?

Since it may be difficult for me to assess fairly the contribution of each member to the group's work, the group should also make an assessment. Did all members of your group contribute equally? Should all members of your group be assigned the same grade for Step 1 and 2? If the group's decision is no, be sure to explain.

Length: 2 pages TYPED DOUBLE SPACED.
Please have each member of the group sign this report.
HAND IN THE ORIGINAL AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. THIS IS FOR YOUR PROTECTION.

DUE: March 17

APPENDICES

GROUP PROCESS
If you are working in a group, have regular meetings. Schedule a specific meeting early on to discuss decision-making strategies, group communication, and leadership practices in your group.

Note that each of you is accountable to your group. You have a responsibility to complete your tasks on time, to be available for meetings, and to share your work with others. If a member of your group is not fulfilling her responsibility, the group must openly deal with the problem.

Effective actions are built on the foundation of strong and co-operative group work. Groups include members with different perspectives, personalities, degrees of commitment as well as different academic abilities. Learning to work with these differences is an important skill and working effectively with groups is a critical part of any political practice. Don't underestimate the importance of group process to the success of your action.

CLASS PRESENTATIONS

Do not read your presentation. It is very difficult to listen to someone reading. Have well organized notes. If you are nervous, practice with your group partners. The more familiar the material and the better prepared you are, the less nervous you will be. Be sure to address your classmates directly.

In fact, the more you participate in class discussions on a regular basis, the easier it will be for you to do your presentation. Speaking in groups is a learned skill.

Keep within the time limit. It requires some discipline but it is a good exercise to have to choose what to include and what to leave out. Taking the time limit seriously will also ensure adequate time for class discussion.

Keep your audience in mind. Make the presentation interesting to the class. Be sure to give them all the information they will need in order to make sense of what you are saying. Handing out a one-page outline is an effective strategy to make your presentation 'listener-friendly'.

No interruptions. The presentation will not be interrupted with questions from the class. Perhaps this breaks some natural flow of interchange, but what is gained is more important. No interruptions allows presenters to sustain their argument, respects their struggle to organize a coherent and challenging presentation, and usually decreases anxiety.

For the audience, having to listen through the presentation encourages active listening. In fact, for many, listening is harder than speaking because active listening privileges another person's voice. When people are getting ready to speak, they move into their own voices and stop listening. The audience should take notes during the presentation and jot down questions and comments. Taking notes will help you to remember the presentation, and thus to participate more effectively in the discussion.

CYBERFEMINISM

Course website: http://www.arts.yorku.ca/sosc/lbriskin/courses/3125/index.html

Course listserv: ws3509@yorku.ca

In preparation for writing your report:

i) Sign up for one of these two news services. Each one sends out one email a week which contains news for women that is rarely reported the mainstream media.

NEWS WE CAN USE

to subscribe, send an email to
request-newswecanuse@newswecanuse.com

in the body of your message, put the word   subscribe

send the message from the email address to which you want the mailings sent

WOMENSENEWS

to subscribe, go to www.womensenews.org/subscribe

ii) Join an email discussion group for women activists.

The biggest Canadian discussion group for women activists is PAR-L (described in the Ollivier and Robbins article in the kit). See information in the purple PAR-L leaflet on how to join.

There are many other alternative kinds of discussion groups: on course website, click on Web Resources/Connecting Women On Line. You can also access the PAR-L website from here.

iii) Visit the course website.

Go to 'web resources' and browse through the various categories and sites. Each list can be printed separately.

1. ORGANIZATIONS/COALITIONS

This section contains links to local and national women's organizations, and coalitions of women's organizations in Canada and elsewhere. Some focus on providing services, some on advocacy and some on both. This information is presented in alphabetical order.

2. CANADIAN GOVERNMENT SITES

This section contains links to government sponsored sites: both research and political sites. This includes the parliamentary websites and site access for contacting federal, provincial and municipal politicians.

3. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZING

This section contains links to international bodies like the United Nations (UN) as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that focus on lobbying in the international arena. This information is presented in alphabetical order.

4. WOMEN'S STUDIES

This section contains links to the School of Women's Studies at York, a listing of women's studies programs in Canada and the United States, and women's studies organizations in Canada and internationally.

5. RESEARCH/INFORMATION

This section contains links to sites that provide information on issues such as violence against women, and current and historical research material from the Canadian government and other sites.

This information is presented in alphabetical order.

6. ON LINE JOURNALS

This section contains links to academic journals which are free to access on-line. Note that many journals are also available on line when you search the York University Library site (www.library.yorku.ca). To access the on-line versions, you need to search from a yorku.ca address. If you are using another server (like Rogers or Sympatico), write helpdesk@yorku.ca for some simple instructions about configuring your computer to provide you access to the on line journals.

7. CONNECTING WOMEN ONLINE/ALTERNATIVE NEWS

This section contains information about discussion groups/listservs/ electronic mailing lists you can join, zines, and alternative news services.

8. SEARCH ENGINES

This section contains links to a variety of engines used to search the internet. Try a variety of them to see which ones are most helpful to you.

9. THE INTERNET AND TECHNOTIPS

This section contains links to sites which provide direction about how to search the internet, evaluate websites, and reference internet material.

10. ANTI-FEMINISM/ANTI-CHOICE

This section contains links to anti-feminist, anti-choice and 'men's rights' sites. You may find some of this material disturbing. These sites are linked to the course website for research purposes. There is no endorsement of the material found on them. These sites require careful critical analysis to assess their political agenda. On these sites, you might find an address to email comments. I would discourage you from sending a message to any of these sites since you might open yourself up to some abusive replies.

iv) Read the texts in your course kit assigned for our discussion about cyberfeminism.

*Youngs, "Virtual Voices: Real Lives"

*Ollivier and Robbins, "Electronic Communications and Feminist Activism.."

*Scott-Dixon, "The All-Girl On-Line Revolution"

v) Visit www.womenspace.ca (linked on course website/web resources/#9 Sites about the internet.

Go to the section on WOMEN'S INTERNET CAMPAIGN. Read the material on 'women's activism' and 'activists speak out'

vi) Evaluate websites.

Read attached material on evaluating websites.

Also go to the library page (www.library.yorku.ca/home/eresources) and click on "evaluate internet resources" on the right hand side. This site from Widener University outlines how to distinguish advocacy, informational, news, business/marketing and personal web pages.

Using this information, walk through an evaluation of one site 

from the lists under #3.International Organizing OR #10. Anti-Feminism/Anti-Choice on the course website.

vii) Read attached material on citing internet and electronic sources.

For more information, go to the library page (www.library.yorku.ca/home/eresources) and click on "how to cite internet sources" on the right hand side. Be sure to follow these instructions in your report.

viii) Attend the library workshop on searching the internet

(during class time).

ix) Post a query/question/comment to the course listserv by Nov 11.

Your posting can be related to this assignment or to any issues that have been raised in course readings or discussion. You should also try to respond to the comments posted by others.

ARE YOU NEW TO THE INTERNET?

DO YOU NEED A CLASS BUDDY TO HELP YOU GET STARTED?

WRITTEN REPORT:

1. Introduction

2. (1-2 pgs)    Comment on your reactions to the information you are receiving from the news service, and the discussions that have been occurring on the listserv you joined.

Be sure to identify the listserv you joined and note whether you have actually posted to it. If you have posted to the listserv, comment on the reaction to your posting.

By the time you write this report you will have posted at least one message to the course listserv (ws3509@yorku.ca), and hopefully responded to the messages of others. What kind of reaction did you have to your posting--more or less than you anticipated? Comment.

Comment on the value of having a course listserv. How might we use it more effectively?

3. (2 pgs) From your research, what have you learned about how the internet can be used to promote change for women and encourage women's activism? Try to be quite specific in the uses to which the internet can be put.

Make reference to a minimum of eight sites that you visited, including www.womenspace.ca and at least one from list #1, #2, #3, #7, #9 and #10. These references constitute evidence for your arguments just as citations of scholarly material would in a research essay. Be sure to use proper referencing for internet sources.

4. (1 pg) Describe one activist intervention using the internet which our class on "Women Organizing" might undertake as a group. Describe one intervention you might undertake as an individual.

5. (1 pg) Describe your relationship to the internet prior to doing this assignment. In what ways has this assignment confirmed, changed and/or challenged your views about the internet?

6. Conclusion

Length: 8 pages typed double spaced

(see suggested length guidelines for each section above)

Grade: The report is worth 20% of your final grade.

Due: The last date the report will be accepted is Dec 2. Try to do it earlier..

PLEASE HAND IN THE ORIGINAL COPY OF YOUR ESSAY AND KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF. This is for your own protection.

ORAL PRESENTATION

Come prepared to comment briefly on

*what you have learned about how the internet can be used to promote change for women, and women's activism;

*how we might use the course listserv more effectively;

*the activist intervention the class might undertake; and

*any changes in your relationship to the internet.

Length: 5 mins

Due: Dec 2

Grade: If you miss the class where we discuss cyberfeminism and therefore do not do your oral presentation, you will lose 20% of your grade on this assignment.