Women and Gender Studies Courses

WGST 130 Introduction to Women and Gender Studies

4 hours

The course introduces theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of women and men. It examines reasons for the increasing scholarly interest in gender and encourages students to reflect on the application of gender scholarship to their other academic courses. No prerequisite. (HB, W)

WGST 138 Human Sexuality

4 hours

A study of the field of human sexuality. The origins of sex roles, myths, stereotypes, and realities of this important aspect of life will be presented. The complexity of the sociological, psychological, biological, and legal components of the sexual being will also be included. The class is open to all students on campus. Students cannot receive credit for both WGST 138 and HLTH 232. (Same as NURS 138). (HB)

WGST 139, 239, 339, 439 Special Topics

Credit arr.

WGST 155 The Black Family

4 hours

Examination of the development of the black family from historical, sociological and literary perspectives. Includes assessment of the effects of urban poverty on family life. Varying patterns of family life in contemporary black America will be considered. (Same as AFRS 155.) (HB, Hist, Intcl)

WGST 185 First-year Seminar

4 hours

A variety of seminars for first-year students offered each January term.

WGST 186 Service Learning in Crisis Intervention

1 hour

Building on the knowledge and skills learned in SW/WGST 185 (Crisis Intervention: Interpersonal Violence), this course will provide students an opportunity to engage in a service-learning field experience and seminar. The field experience and seminar will allow students to blend their educational goals around the issues of interpersonal violence with the needs of local communities. Service-learning plans will be designed to meet the skills, abilities, and interests of the students while addressing community issues related to interpersonal violence. A minimum of 40 hours will be spent in a service-learning field placement. Under the guidance of the instructor, students will plan, prepare, implement, and evaluate their service learning. A two-hour seminar will be held every two weeks throughout the semester. (Same as SW 186.) Prerequisite: WGST 185 (Crisis Intervention: Interpersonal Violence) offered only to first-year students during January term, or consent of instructor.

WGST 201 American Diversity

4 hours

What is diversity? The course will examine this complex question, asking students to examine American cultural stories about differences such as race, ethnicity, class and gender, how difference is experienced by people themselves, and the implications of each of these for social equality and inequality. In the examination of social equality's promise and reality's fact, the course will pay particular attention to groups of people that have been marginalized in American society. (Same as ANTH 201.) (HBSSM, Intcl)

WGST 202 Gender and Culture

4 hours

Women and men alike are defined by cultural expectations and roles which often deny their full human needs and expressions. Selective cross-cultural readings, films, and novels will be used to explore the religious, ideological and cultural forces which shape women's and men's lives within different societies. (Same as ANTH 202.) (HBSSM, Intcl)

WGST 220 Women and Gender in the Classical World

4 hours

This course explores the constructions and representations of women and gender in ancient Greece and Rome through an examination of textual, art historical, and archaeological evidence. The course also addresses the intersections of women's and gender issues with issues of legal status, class, and ethnicity, and pays close attention to current scholarly methodologies and approaches to the subject. (Same as CLAS 220.) (HEPT)

WGST 225 Women in Science

4 hours

This course studies various topics in the sciences by looking at great discoveries of female scientists. The class will start by examining scientific methodology, research, and process as well as an introduction to the various fields of science. An in-depth project will be undertaken by groups of students to study both the science and other aspects of the life of famous female scientists. This class will include some student-led class discussions and oral presentations. (NWNL).

WGST 242 Sociology of Gender

4 hours

Examines the gendered structure of our everyday lives; makes gendered assumptions and practices explicit; and uncovers the impact of gender in the social world. Emphasis on historical and cross cultural constructions of gender that provide alternatives to gender inequality and a basis for social change. Prerequisite: SOC 101. (Same as SOC 242.) (HBSSM)

WGST 243 Time of Stalin: Literature and Memoirs

4 hours

This course, through the medium of literature and memoirs, focuses on Russia/Soviet Union in the early years after the Bolshevik Revolution (1917) until Gorbachev's glasnot and perestroika. Students will learn about the rise of Stalin, the time of terror and purges at the height of Stalin's regime (mid 1930s), WWII, the "Thaw" after Stalin's death in 1953, and the implications Stalinism has on present-day Russia. We will seek answers to the questions of how Stalin was allowed to rise to power, retain political control, and instigate policies that caused the deaths of approximately 20 million Soviet citizens—many of whom were Bolsheviks and loyal members of the Communist Party. Literary readings include memoirs, poetry, and novels. A significant part of the course concerns the role of women in the Bolshevik Revolution and their fate under Stalinism. This course fulfills requirements of international studies, women's and gender studies, and Russian studies. The course is taught in English and readings are in English. (Same as FCUL 243.) Offered alternate years. (HEPT, Hist, Intcl)

WGST 245 Literature by Women

4 hours

A study of how women writers from different historical periods use poems, stories, essays, and plays to address gender issues in the private and the public world. The course looks a how literature both presents and critiques culture and its construction of gender, as well as how it offers new visions and choices for women and men. Readings include such writers as Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Maxine Hong Kingston. Prerequisite: PAID 111. (Same as ENG 245.) (HEPT)

WGST 251 African-American Literature

4 hours

A survey of African-American literature. Primary emphasis will be on literature written since 1920 when the Harlem Renaissance began. Includes authors such as Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison and gives attention to theories of race and culture formation. Prerequisite: PAID 111. (Same as AFRS 236, ENG 251.) (HEPT, Intcl, E, W)

WGST 260 Feminist Philosophy

4 hours

Examination of feminist philosophies, including issues in epistemology, ethics, social philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of religion and historical interpretation. Focus on the challenges which feminist theory presents to traditional philosophical assumptions in the Western tradition. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy, or two courses in women's and gender studies. Offered alternate years. (Same as PHIL 260.) (HEPT)

WGST 285 Directed Study

2, 4 hours

An opportunity to pursue individualized or experiential learning with a faculty member in the January term, at the sophomore level, either within or outside the major.

WGST 290 Gender and Women’s History

4 hours

Faculty teaching this course will focus on the history of gender within their own period of expertise. The course will examine such gender questions as: Why and how should we study the history of gender? What do gender roles from the past tell us about our own gender experience? How do the historians of men and women as gendered persons intersect? The course will focus on these questions as they are related to the history of work, family, politics, and social behavior for the particular period and nation the instructor selects. (Same as HIST 290.) (HBSSM, Hist)

WGST 330 Gender, Health and Medicine

4 hours

This course will explore the cultural, historical, political and economic dimensions of health and medicine, paying particular attention to the way gender, race, ethnicity, and class shape health experiences. We will also examine inequalities in health care and health outcomes, especially how inequalities such as racism, poverty, and sexism can create and perpetuate poor health. Using cross-cultural examples from around the globe, we will examine such topics as: the politics of health care delivery; international health care policy and development programs; the medicalization of women's bodies; and community based health care activism. By comparing a diversity of health experiences across cultures we can carefully examine the ways in which culture helps constructs perceptions of health and effective delivery of health care. Offered alternate years. (HBSSM, Intcl)

WGST 337 God and Gender

4 hours

An investigation of how our understanding and experience of gender are connected to our views of God, human beings, and the natural world. The course explores the works of a variety of thinkers and pays special attention to issues raised by feminist theologians who stand both inside and outside the Christian tradition. Possible topics include: language about God, human sexuality, views of women in the Bible, the nature of biblical authority, the feminist movement, the men's movement, images of nature in Western religious thought, and the ordination of women. Offered alternate years. Prerequisite: one of REL 101, 111, or REL 112. (Same as REL 337.) (Rel, HE, Intcl)

WGST 342 Feminist Rhetorical Theories

4 hours

This course is a study of feminist rhetorical theories and expression. The class reads texts by feminist rhetorical theorists and rhetors. Special emphasis is placed on the intersection between social, cultural, and economic contexts, political influences, and rhetorical strategies of women rhetors challenging Western patriarchy. Prerequisites: WGST 130 or COMS 132. (Same as COMS 342.) Offered alternate years. (HBSSM, HE, Hist, W, S)

WGST 350 Gendered Activism in a Global Context

4 hours

This course will explore varied expressions of activism at the community, national, and transnational levels, asking in what ways activism can be gendered and what gendered activism actually means for the lives of men and women around the world. Our understanding of gendered activism is informed by a richly comparative perspective that deals with topics such as war, peace, poverty, and globalization, and draws from ethnographic materials that give voice to activists from diverse regions of the world. Offered alternate years. (HB, Intcl)

WGST 351 Women and Crime

4 hours

Examines women's experiences as both victims and perpetrators of crime and deviance, in the U.S. and internationally. Analyzes the history and theory of women's criminal activities, the social construction of women's victimization, and the impact of culture, structure, and inequality on women's behavior. Prerequisite: SOC 101. (Same as SOC 351). (HBSSM)

WGST 361 Chaucer and Medieval Literature

4 hours

From heroes fighting monsters to Arthurian romances, medieval literature is best known for its stories of chivalry. Less well-known but equally wonderful are the comic tales of sex in trees and greedy friars dividing a fart. We will read Beowulf, narrative poems about love and adventure by Marie de France, the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and much more, with in-depth attention to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Prerequisite: junior standing. (Same as ENG 361). (HEPT)

WGST 362 Gender and Sexuality In Asian Religions

4 hours

This course will explore the construction of gender and the role of sexuality in the religious traditions of South and East Asia. It will investigate gender and sexual politics in primary texts and institutional settings. In addition, the course will analyze feminist readings of scriptures and institutional policies from within and without the respective traditions. Particular emphasis will be given to Asian feminist theories. Prerequisite: one of REL 101, 111, or REL 112. (Same as REL 362.) (Rel, HEPT, Intcl)

WGST 370 Queer Theory

4 hours

This course examines the possibilities and limitations of queer theory, beginning with its history, antecedents, and the social context in which it emerged. Using primary texts, students will focus on new ways of thinking about identity that emphasize the openness, fluidity and performance of gender, sexuality, class and ethnicity. In the end, students will be asked to address the applicability of these theories for better understanding social identity and its consequences for individuals, groups, and society. Prerequisite: WGST 130. (HB)

WGST 381 Internship

2 hours

Each Women's and Gender Studies major will complete a 2-credit-hour internship. Students must have had at least two WGST courses before completing an internship. Internship opportunities will be approved for Women's and Gender Studies credit by the Women's and Gender Studies Board. Internships will be administered through the Career Center, with each intern having a faculty advisor chosen from the WGST Board or WGST faculty. Internships will be graded A-F.

WGST 395 Independent Study

1,2 or 4 hours

WGST 468 Seminar: Gender, Globalization and Development

4 hours

In this course we will examine the phenomena of globalization and development from a sociology of gender perspective. We will focus on the global intersections of contemporary societies and cultures, and the gendered dynamics therein. Questions we will raise include: How does globalization affect women's and men's lives? How is power distributed, and how does this impact development processes? What impact do gender dynamics play in the social institutions of development: economic, political, and cultural? (Same as SOC 468.) Prerequisite: SOC 101. (HBSSM, Intcl)

WGST 485 Senior Seminar

4 hours

An interdisciplinary seminar on women's social action and social change as it is understood and guided by feminist theories. The conflicts and contradictions among feminisms will be discussed and critically examined in terms of implications for the future of gender relations. Students will develop projects related to course materials. Prerequisites: WGST 130. (W)

WGST 490 Senior Project

1, 2, or 4 hours

WGST 493 Senior Honors Project

4 hours

A yearlong independent research project. Applications are completed on the "Honors Program" form available at the registrar's office, requiring the signatures of a faculty supervisor, the department head, the honors program director, and the registrar. Interdisciplinary projects require the signatures of two faculty supervisors. The project must be completed by the due date for senior projects. The completed project is evaluated by a review committee consisting of the faculty supervisor, another faculty member from the major department, and a faculty member from outside the major department. All projects must be presented publicly. Only projects awarded an "A-" or "A" qualify for "department honors" designation. The honors project fulfills the all-college senior project requirement.