AN N EA 15
Women and Power in Ancient World
Description: Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour. Examination of how feminine power confronts masculine dominance within complex social systems in ancient world. To gain political power, some female rulers used their sexuality to gain access to important men. Other women gained their position as regents and helpers of masculine kings who were too young to rule. Others denied their femininity in dress and manner, effectively androgynizing themselves or pretending to be men so that their femininity would not be obstacle to political rule. Many women only gained throne at end of dynasties after male line had run out entirely, or in midst of civil war when patrilineal successions were in disarray. Women were sometimes only effective leaders left in drawn-out battles against imperial aggression. No women were able to gain reigns of power through their bloodlines alone. Women's power was compromised from outset. Examination of root causes and results of this political inequality. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2017 - This class has good reviews, but Professor Cooney probably writes them herself. This is genuinely the worst class I've ever taken in my entire life. I am a south campus major and this class caused me more stress than my other classes. My TA, @Dani Candelora, was absolutely horrible. She accused me of academic dishonesty and was very impolite and rude to her students. That being said, the grade you get depends entirely on your TA. Cooney is very pretentious and only talks about her own experiences, not what we need to know for the midterm and final. Pretty much half the class is pointless because very few of the lectures pertain to what she actually tests you on. There were a lot of students who tried to kiss up to Cooney and talk about their own views on feminism, which none of the other students actually care about. The lectures are incredibly boring and truly pointless to attend. The final paper is ridiculous because no one teaches you how to do it, it's extremely long, and the process of choosing a topic is difficult. The topic she suggests are too specific and obscure, and the TAs claim most topics are too broad. She doesn't know much about India, China, and Persia but still tried to lecture about it. It looked extremely unprofessional. No matter what any of the other reviews say, I promise you will regret taking this class. It is absolutely horrible.
Winter 2017 - This class has good reviews, but Professor Cooney probably writes them herself. This is genuinely the worst class I've ever taken in my entire life. I am a south campus major and this class caused me more stress than my other classes. My TA, @Dani Candelora, was absolutely horrible. She accused me of academic dishonesty and was very impolite and rude to her students. That being said, the grade you get depends entirely on your TA. Cooney is very pretentious and only talks about her own experiences, not what we need to know for the midterm and final. Pretty much half the class is pointless because very few of the lectures pertain to what she actually tests you on. There were a lot of students who tried to kiss up to Cooney and talk about their own views on feminism, which none of the other students actually care about. The lectures are incredibly boring and truly pointless to attend. The final paper is ridiculous because no one teaches you how to do it, it's extremely long, and the process of choosing a topic is difficult. The topic she suggests are too specific and obscure, and the TAs claim most topics are too broad. She doesn't know much about India, China, and Persia but still tried to lecture about it. It looked extremely unprofessional. No matter what any of the other reviews say, I promise you will regret taking this class. It is absolutely horrible.