MCCCD Program Description

Women in Other Cultures

Course: ASB211

First Term: 2000 Fall

Lecture 3 Credit(s) 3 Period(s) 3 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S

Description: Cross-cultural analysis of the economic, social, political, and religious factors that affect women`s status in traditional and modern societies

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Explain core concepts and principles in the field of anthropology. (I) 2. Trace the historical development of cross-cultural studies of women`s roles. (I) 3. Identify and analyze the theoretical approaches within feminist anthropology. (I) 4. Contrast the concepts of sex and gender. (II) 5. Analyze theories relating to the biological and cultural basis of women`s and men`s roles in society. (II) 6. Analyze theories of gender stratification. (III) 7. Describe the cross-cultural variations in women`s economic roles. (IV) 8. Apply the concept of holism to explain the relationship between women`s economic roles in various subsistence systems to their other roles in society. (IV) 9. Analyze the relationship between kinship and marriage systems and women`s status. (V) 10. Analyze the relationship between gender stratification and cross-cultural variations in views of female sexuality. (V) 11. Describe cross-cultural variations in women`s religious roles. (VI) 12. Describe women`s participation in alternative religious movements. (VI) 13. Compare and contrast women`s political participation in societies with different degrees of social stratification. (VII) 14. Describe the impact of European contact, colonialism, and industrialization on women in the developing world. (VIII) 15. Analyze the impact of development policies on women in developing countries. (VIII)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Introduction to Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Studies of Women`s Roles A. Core concepts of anthropology 1. Culture 2. Social-structure 3. Holism 4. Ethnocentrism 5. Cultural relativism B. Development of anthropological interest in women and gender 1. Early women anthropologists 2. Origin and development of feminist anthropology II. Sex and Gender A. The nature/nurture debate: biological versus cultural determinants of human behavior in general and female and male behavior in particular B. Biological attributes of sex and the cultural construction of gender C. Core concepts of gender 1. Gender status 2. Gender role 3. Gender ideology 4. Gender stereotypes III. Theories of Gender Stratification A. Biologically based theories B. Theories based on cross-cultural comparison IV. Women`s Economic Roles A. Gendered division of labor 1. Biological basis 2. Productive and reproductive activities B. Subsistence systems and women`s economic roles 1. Foraging 2. Horticulture 3. Pastoralism 4. Intensive agriculture 5. Industrialism V. Kinship, Marriage, and Sexuality A. Descent systems and the social power of women and men B. Marriage practices C. Cultural variation in views of female sexuality VI. Women, Religion, and Ideology A. Women as religious specialists 1. Stratified societies 2. Egalitarian societies B. Women in the realm of the sacred 1. Goddesses 2. Myths 3. Gender ideology C. Women in religious movements 1. Revitalization movements 2. Alternative religions 3. Women`s spirituality movement 4. Spirit possession VII. Political Participation A. Egalitarian societies: concepts of women`s and men`s personal autonomy B. Ranked societies: shared power and authority in dual-sex political systems C. Stratified societies: women`s informal political influence VIII. Women and Development A. The impact of rural development policies on women B. Urban development: traditional and modern sectors of the economy

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: 6/23/1998

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.