This one-time-only special topics course on sex work is a course that engages with some of my very favorite stuff to read and think about, and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to teach it for the first time this semester!
About the Course
Winter 2012’s version of WMST2207 will explore various issues related to sex work, including prostitution, trafficking in women and children, sex tourism, mail order brides, and erotic performances. Our goal will be to understand sex work as a significant political, economic and cultural issue. We will discuss the major debates that are currently raging in local, national, and global contexts about how best to address the exploitation of women and children (and, to a lesser extent, men and transgendered people) within the global sex industry.
***The Fine Print***
Understanding sex work requires working with explicit written and visual materials as well as frank discussions about sexual matters. If you choose to take this course,you must be prepared to engage with all the course materials as required.
Our Course Blog
This blog is our virtual home on the web, and you should bookmark this site immediately and refer to it at least a couple of times each week throughout the semester. This is where graphics, lecture materials and notes, communications, assignments, and other vital class information and presentations will be displayed. You can also learn a bit about me, your professor, by poking around on my website at www.freewebs.com/kw20784.
Blackboard
You should also make sure you have access to Blackboard and to our course Blackboard site. To access Blackboard, go to http://courseware.mymrc.ca (no www beforehand). You will need a login ID and a password. Please set this up as soon as possible, preferably before the first day of class, which is on Friday, September 10th.
Before the First Day of Class
Please be sure to get your hands on the required books. They can all be purchased from the MRU bookstore, but you should feel free to get them cheaper elsewhere. But if you're going to do that, make sure to order the correct editions and to get them as soon as possible. All of our required course texts are available at the Reserve desk in the MRU library. Remember, you’re required to read them, but not necessarily to buy them.
In addition, make sure you have access to the course syllabus on the first day of class. You can either download it from this blog (see the menu on the left) or bring your laptop and read it on-line. In the interest of saving some trees, I won't be handing out hard copies of the syllabus, so the most important thing you can do for the first day of class is make sure you have a copy of the syllabus, either on your laptop or in your hand. We'll be talking a lot about the syllabus on the first day of class, and you'll need to have it in front of you.
Course Prerequisite
Lastly, please be aware that as a 2000-level course, WMST2207 is not an introductory course. It is intended for second-year students who have already completed at least one full year of University-level coursework. Additionally, this course is student-driven seminar that builds upon the issues and concepts learned in prior Women’s Studies classes. It is therefore recommended, although not required, that you take WMST1172 or any other 2000-level WMST course before taking this course.
This information is not meant to intimidate you or scare you away. On the contrary, I want you to succeed, and staying in the course if you don't meet the recommended prerequisites may adversely affect your situation. Please think carefully about whether you're prepared to take this course, both in terms of foundational skills and knowledge in Women's Studies, as well as in terms of willingness and ability to make the time commitment that will be required.
If you have any questions about this, or about anything else, please feel free to send me an e-mail at kawilliams(at)mtroyal.ca.
I look forward to meeting you during class on Monday, and, in the meantime, enjoy your weekend!
