Word document: SDS Syllabus

Student Directed Seminar: Sexualized Violence in Universities

SOCI 433A 002

Term 2

Wednesdays 3-6pm

ANSO 119

 

Class Facilitator: Paz Villar                                        Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Becki Ross

Phone: 604-349-4453                                                 Email: becki.ross@ubc.ca

Email: pazestalejos@gmail.com

Course email: sds433a@gmail.com

 

Important:

Throughout this course we will discuss profound and sensitive issues related to sexualized violence. Even though this is an academic setting and not a therapeutic setting, students may choose to share difficult experiences in order to illustrate their positionality. We will work hard as a group to build a safe and respectful environment. At any point during the term you may contact the Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) and/or counselling services at UBC. You may find other community resources on the seminar’s blog: https://blogs.ubc.ca/sdssvu/community-resources/

Contacting Class Coordinator:

The best way to contact me is via email. I will make my best to respond to your email within 24 hours. In case of an emergency (ie. you must miss a class you are due to facilitate), please feel free to call or text me at the number noted above.

Course Website:

We will use a Google Docs folder to upload readings. We also have a Facebook group for more sharing information and news and as a complementary participation site.

Course Description and Rationale:

Female university students are the group at greatest risk of rape and other forms of sexual assault, four times more likely to be attacked than women the same age who are not university students. In this seminar, we will attempt to understand why the university campus is a dangerous place for women. Our objective will be to both develop a theoretical analysis and design final projects with the potential to impact positively our communities.

The topic is highly timely. The issue of sexualized violence in the context of universities has become very significant for UBC students these past years. The fraush chants on UBC campus (and other North American universities) and the sexual assault reports, have started a very important conversation about gender, sexuality, and power dynamics. This conversation has a great presence in the media (both mainstream and social networks) and it has mobilized students to participate in a variety of events (academic panels, protests, campaigns, etc). I want to bring this conversation to the classroom and apply our academic tools to analyse the culture around it.

Course Structure: – 14 weeks – 13 sessions – 2:50hs per session

This course will be structured as a seminar and meet once a week for 3 hours. Each student will be responsible for one class presentation and facilitation of class discussion. Each class will be structured around readings and discussion questions contributed by each class member. This class is heavily reading and discussion based. Every other week we will have a guest speaker or we will watch a movie related to the week’s topic. Every other week we will conduct a workshop where we will work on our final projects.

The class structure will be the following:

• First half of class:
  • 3:00 – 3:05: Check in
  • 3:05 – 3:35: Student presentation (30 min)
  • 3:30 – 4:10: Discussion of readings (40 min)
  • 4:10 – 4:20: Time to take notes for participation marks (10 min)
  • 4:20 – 4:30: Break (10 min)
• Second half of class:
  • 4:30 – 5:50: 6 movies/guest speakers (every other week)
  • 4:30 – 5:50: 6 workshops for final project (every other week)

Evaluation:

The graded requirements for this course will be weighted as follows:

• Presentation & Class Facilitation: 20%
• Participation: 20%
  • Discussion questions: 10%
  • Participation: 10%
• Reflection Papers: 20% (2 x 10%)
• Final Project: 30%
  • Proposal: 10%
  • Final project: 20%
• Evaluation assessment: 10%

Presentation & Class Facilitation (15%)

Each week, a seminar participant will be responsible for delivering the week’s material through a presentation and facilitation of a group discussion. Students will be randomly assigned a topic from the course content list. There are 5 topics: Power, Oppression, and University Culture, Rape Myths & Consent, LGBTQ, Masculinities, and Institutions). There will be two presentations per topic. Students will want to be in contact with the other student presenting on the same topic to make sure there is no repetition. Collaboration between students with the same topic is allowed but not required.

Presenters will:

• Assign 1 reading (in addition to the reading on the reading list) to the rest of class at least one week in advance (by midnight on the Wednesday prior) of their scheduled presentation date.
• Select and read a third reading that will not be assigned to the rest of the class.
• Prepare a 30-minute presentation connecting all three readings (may include additional information).
• Develop discussion questions and facilitate the class discussion following their presentation.

Grading presentations: Each presentation will be evaluated by the rest of the class.

Participation (20%)

Because this is a democratic learning environment, participation is one of the most important aspects of this seminar. The participation grade will be divided in two parts:

• Submission of two discussion questions per week based on readings (10%): Submission of discussion questions will help us engage more personally with the week’s readings before arriving to class and therefore we will be better prepared for discussion. Discussion questions will be submitted directly to the week’s facilitator by each Monday at midnight.
• Class Participation* (10%): Good participation is more about the quality of our contributions than about the quantity. We will use a Facebook closed group to share information and as an online forum. This platform gives students the opportunity to make contributions outside of class time. Comments and responses published on the online forum will also count towards participation

Grading participation:

• There is a spreadsheet on the Google Docs folder for the course. Each facilitator is asked to mark on the spreadsheet who has submitted questions. Students will be given 2 points if discussion questions are submitted on time, 1 point if they are submitted late, and 0 points if they are not submitted at all.
• Each student will be assigned three anonymous participation evaluators. Evaluators will take notes on the students’ participation guided by a participation rubric. In the middle of the term (week 6), evaluators will provide a participation report including a tentative grade and feedback on how to improve. This should give students the opportunity to make changes if necessary. The final participation mark will include reflections on how feedback was incorporated. There are 10 minutes assigned for evaluators to take notes on participation before taking the mid-class break. Participation rubrics will focus on the following:
• Class attendance
• Contributions to decisions about class content, grading, and structure
• Demonstrated reading and understanding of readings
• Ability to link readings to previously read material and discussions
• Ability to link readings to current events and/or news
• Ability to listen to other students and build on/challenge respectfully their contributions

Reflection Papers (2×10%)

Each student will write 2 papers reflecting on something of interest or relevance to them from the course readings, class presentations, movie/guest speaker of the week, and community events. Each paper will be between 3 and 5 pages (double-spaced on Times New Roman size 12). Students must submit a printed copy of their papers in class. Reflection papers will attempt to answer questions such as: What did I learn? Why does this learning matter? What will I do in light of this learning? How were my beliefs and attitudes changed or affirmed by what I learned? Further questions to consider might include: What stereotypes do I hold and how did I develop them? How did my experience of relative privilege influence my response to what I learned?

Grading Reflection Papers: Each reflection paper will be evaluated by 3 anonymous students. The lowest grade received will be dropped and the other 2 will be averaged.

Final Project (30%)

Final projects will be partly developed in class workshops and we will have the option to work individually or in teams. The goal is to produce a project that will have both academic value and potential community application. We will work in groups (option to work individually) and develop these projects in class workshops (every other week)

Options for final projects include (but are not limited to) a report of best practices from other universities, a paper based on volunteer work for an organization of relevance to the course (SASC, SAAM, WAVA), a critical analysis of university news articles, conducting a survey for an organization on campus, an analysis of policies and practices of residences, fraternities, and sororities, and other similar projects.

As a class we will set a due date for the final project proposal (10%) and the final grading guidelines for the final projects (20%). Findings and conclusions will be presented to the rest of the class and community guests on the last workshop session on Wednesday, April 8.

Evaluation Assessment (10%)

This component has been included to provide accountability for our peer-evaluations. Evaluators are expected to provide meaningful, detailed and timely feedback to students including clear justification for marks given. Fellow evaluators will assess each other on the feedback and justification of marks. Students will be provided with grading rubrics for each assignment on which they will base their evaluations. There is also an Evaluation Assessment rubric. In a student-directed seminar, we are all in the unique position to be able to provide our fellow students with the kind of feedback we would like to receive. It is important to be respectful, detailed and thorough, and to justify one’s comments and final mark

**See rubrics for a detailed breakdown of grading**

Extensions, Missed Papers, and Absences

Submissions may be rescheduled for students who are ill, in which case students are expected to contact the course facilitator (Paz Villar) within 24 hours of the due date and provide a Doctor’s note. The papers of students who do not contact the coordinator will be considered late and will receive a late penalty of 5% per day.

Please do not hold one-on-one discussions with your assigned evaluators regarding lateness or extensions, bearing in mind that it may be uncomfortable for them to decline your request. Because this course is peer-evaluated, it is important that we respect our fellow students’ time and schedules. Handing in papers late will impact the schedules of the students due to mark them. Therefore, please try to avoid requesting an extension unless absolutely necessary (ie. illness, emergency or religious obligation) and ensure the discussion is held with the coordinator who can make alternative grading arrangements where necessary.

Grade Disputing

• Presentation & Class Facilitation: Each class facilitation will be graded by the rest of the class. For this reason, there will be no re-assessments of class facilitation.
• Participation: Because class participation does not produce a concrete document that a third party could evaluate in the case of a conflict, there will be no disputing of class participation grades. The grading system takes into consideration the difficulty of evaluating participation. The mid-term report will provide an opportunity for students to know where they stand and respond to their evaluators via evaluator evaluations.
• Reflection Papers: Each paper will be graded by three students. Should the evaluated student not feel one or more of the grades they receive to be fair, they can ask for their paper to be evaluated by a fourth student. If they are unsatisfied with only one of their marks, the fourth student evaluator’s grade will be averaged with the other non-disputed grades. Should the student feel two or more grades received on a thought paper are unfair, the fourth student evaluator’s grade will replace all previously received grades. There can be no disputing the grade given by the fourth student evaluator; that grade will stand whether higher or lower than the grade being disputed. No further re-assessments will be permitted.

Timeline

INTRODUCTIONS

Week 1: January 7

• 3:00 – 3:30 Introductions
• 3:30 – 4:30 SASC workshop
• 4:30 – 5:50 Housekeeping

POWER, OPPRESSION, AND UNIVERSITY CULTURE

Week 2: January 14

• 3:00 – 3:30 Review Syllabus
• 3:30 – 4:00 Housekeeping
• 4:00 – 5:20 Guest speaker: Ashley Bentley
• 5:20 – 5:50 Class discussion
• Readings:
  • Chapter 1: Campus Party Culture from the book Fraternity gang rape: Sex, brotherhood, and privilege on campus by Peggy Sanday.
  • Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh

Week 3: January 21

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #1
• 4:30 – 5:50 Workshop #1
• Reading: Chris Brickell, “Sexuality and Dimensions of Power”, Sexuality & Culture (2009): 57-74

RAPE MYTHS & CONSENT

Week 4: January 28

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #2
• 4:30 – 5:50 Guest speaker: Tal Nitsán
• Reading: Chapter 5: “Working a Yes Out”: Fraternity Sexual Discourse from the book Fraternity gang rape: Sex, brotherhood, and privilege on campus by Peggy Sanday

Week 5: February 4

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #3
• 4:30 – 5:50 Workshop #2
• Reading: Boswell, A. Ayres, and Joan Z. Spade. “Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture: Why are some Fraternities More Dangerous Places for Women?” Gender and Society 10.2 (1996): 133-47.

LGBTQ

Week 6: February 11

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #4
• 4:30 – 5:50 Workshop #3
• Reading: TBA
• Participation mid-term report due

Week 7: Reading week

Week 8: February 25

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #5
• 4:30 – 5:50 Guest speaker: Becki Ross
• Reading: TBA

MASCULINITIES

Week 9: March 4

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #6
• 4:30 – 5:50 Movie: Tough Guise
• Reading: Chapter 3: “Bros before Hos”: The Guy Code from the book Guyland by Michael Kimmel

Week 10: March 11

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #7
• 4:30 – 5:50 Workshop #4
• Reading: Chapter 8: Constructing a Sexist Subjectivity from the book Fraternity gang rape: Sex, brotherhood, and privilege on campus by Peggy Sanday

INSTITUTIONS

Week 11: March 18

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #8
• 4:30 – 5:50 Movie: The invisible war
• Reading: Loe, Meika. “Working for Men-at the Intersection of Power, Gender, and Sexuality.” Sociological Inquiry 66.4 (1996): 399-422

Week 12: March 25

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #9
• 4:30 – 5:50 Workshop #5
• Reading: Chapter 6: Sports Crazy from the book Guyland by Michael Kimmel

REFLECTIONS

Week 13: April 1

• 3:00 – 4:10 Presentation & discussion #10

Week 14: April 8

• Presentation of final projects to class and community guests

**Links to assigned readings and additional readings can be found in the course blog: https://blogs.ubc.ca/sdssvu/**