American Women in the 20th Century · Political Science
Midterm and Final (questions are right off the study guide) 2 papers (generous grading)
No midterm, a 2-page document analysis that gets turned into a five-page and then an eight-page research paper. Final.The reading is skippable.
Prof. Nadasen is a truly incredible teacher. Her lectures are fascinating and she is obviously passionate about her study. I am sad to be leaving her class at the end of the term and hope to take more from her in the future.
Professor Rosenberg is stylin'. There is a black skirt of hers that I *covet*. (And her boots! She has damn good taste in boots.) Oh, right, scholarship. This is very much an intro course -- I would class it as a 1000-level rather than a 3000-level -- and holds exactly zero surprises for anyone with a decent grounding in Second Wave feminism. But it rocks at intersectionality -- black women! Latina women! Asian women! -- which gets it major points. One thing that I am not sure I like is how front-and-center Prof. Rosenberg's personal obsessions are: her discussion of higher education and women is 90% about the process of founding Barnard College and making Columbia College co-ed, for example, or the entire class session about Pauli Murray, mostly because Rosenberg was writing a biography of her at the time. On the one hand, it was totally fascinating to find out about the insanity of the Columbia board of trustees and their blatant, blatant misogyny in the C.19. On the other, I swear to god there were other things going on which might actually be relevant to this history of -- what was that phrase, oh, I know: <em>American women in the twentieth century</em>, rather than a single isolated data point. The TA I had was totally useless, and discussion sections were painful and stupid, but that's the nature of the beast.
- Somewhat heavy reading - Short paper on intersectionality (5-6 pages) - Super short Op-ed (600-800 words) - Research Paper (7-8 pages) - Final (IDs and essay) (we did not have a midterm, unlike what it looks like for previous semesters)
Reading varies from week to week, but I would not call this a class with light reading. Not as excessive as some (and most of it is very interesting!), but it's not a breeze, either. There are three graded papers for this class, though each paper also requires a first draft which is not graded but given to the writing fellows. The papers build on each other, and, thus, you really only write on one topic the whole semester. Meeting with a writing fellow about each paper is a required component of the class and, though you may not get much out of these meetings, they are painless. Also, each revision does allow you to build on your argument and meet with Professor Rosenberg if things don't make sense. There is also a final, which is pretty difficult. But, once again, go to class, work hard, do the reading, and you'll be fine.
Professor Nadasen is so knowledgeable. You will walk out of class each day with a bunch of notes because she throws so much interesting information at you. She really pushes you to question the history of women and reconsider what the category of women means. She makes a point to question what we mean by "American " and by "women," so it is definitely not your traditional suffrage, Rosie the Riveter, 2nd wave feminism class. She also encourages questions and discussions with students which were interesting as well. If you like history and all forms of women, you should take this. Just be prepared for a lot of work and reading. If you put in the effort, then you should do fine!
I realize that Professor Rosenberg is not really in need of another wonderful review, but, honestly, she deserves it. This class was easily one of the best that I have taken in my life. Let's start with the subject matter... You may think that you understand American History and the role that women have played in it, but, if you take this class, you will quickly realize how much there is to learn. The information taught is not only interesting - it is relevant. You will learn things that apply to your every day life, you will be outraged at comments made and laws passed (some of which remain unresolved), you will learn about the history of Barnard and of Columbia, and, perhaps most importantly, you will learn to think (and write) like a true student of history. This is not to say, however, that the class is perfect. There is a lot of reading and, though most of it is interesting, lectures are not based on the reading and it is never discussed. Professor Rosenberg does not forbid discussion, but her lectures are clearly well planned and she does not really welcome it. That is not to say that you can't ask questions, though! And discussions do happen, just perhaps not as often as would be ideal. Okay, now on to what makes this class exceptional, rather than just great...Professor Rosenberg is truly an inspiration. She is brimming with knowledge, clear and well spoken, kind, and…
Midterm (IDs and Essay) Final (IDs and 2 essays) Readings due for each class, usually takes about 2 hours to do the readings for each class. Weekly 50 minute discussion section. 2 6-page papers.
Professor Nadasen was an amazing professor. Her style of teaching is simply just telling us information on the topic of that day, and she occasionally uses a powerpoint to show images or videos. Expect to take a lot of notes during her class. I would always have anywhere from 4-6 pages of handwritten notes after each of her classes. This is by no means a class that you can easily get an A in. I worked so hard to get the grade I earned. She gives you all of the test questions beforehand for the midterm and final and then she picks which ones of those she wants to put on the exam. These exams are all about memorization, so if this is not something that you're good at, I don't suggest taking the class.