I am sure that this textual approach, which by necessity is more topical and less comprehensive, could work as well with women's autobiographies, political tracts, an analysis of changing fashion through a slide show, all of which I use from time to time to balance the intellectual history. Ultimately it comes down to using a sharp editor's eye, choosing one's problems precisely, and leaving oneself to the flexibility to change some content in response to student's interests and issues. When and Where I Enter . A very effective strategy which I've used in both semester and quarter formats is an oral history assignment. The idea of being historians gets students excited.
Oral history brings up the issue of sources for women's history.
I have it due towards the end of the term so that they at least read something on the twentieth century when they start. 18 Jan 1996 I am currently teaching a survey of women's history in 10 weeks, for the third time. This quarter I am also covering the colonial era, so it's even more of a challenge. I assign a research paper, but it's difficult in ten weeks to expect very much. I give deadlines for topic, bibliography, draft to keep the students moving.