Women’s and Gender Studies
Courses Descriptions

Course Section Number: 0522-400
Title: FOUNDATIONS OF WOMEN AND GENDER STUDIES
This course will use an interdisciplinary perspective to provide an introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies. The course will focus on the rise of feminist consciousness in the western world from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century. It will consider the concept of patriarchy, its dominance for the past four millennia, and the multitude of efforts by women and men to conceptualize an alternative world view. The course will consider key historical patriarchal and feminist texts, study the rise of feminist thought, and consider the history of women’s activism and the women’s rights movement from the late 18th century through the second half of the 20th century. The course will also consider feminist theory and the rise of feminism. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Annually)

Course Section Number: 0522-401
Title: AMERICAN WOMEN: COLONIES TO 1848
This course considers the history of American women from the colonial era to the Seneca Falls Convention. We will examine the experiences of women of different races and classes across the country, looking at Puritans in Massachusetts and at planters’ daughters in the Carolinas; at female slaves in the deep South and at mill workers in the urban North. We will investigate the impact of the American Revolution movement, culminating in the convention at Seneca Falls. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with History, 0507-401 Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Annually)

Course Section Number: 0522-402
Title: AMERICAN WOMEN: 1848 TO NOW
This course considers the history of American women from the Seneca Falls Convention to the present. We will trace the impact of the first women’s rights convention and follow the story of the struggle for the vote. We will also consider the role of women in other important nineteenth century reform movements, including abolition, temperance, spiritualism, and progressivism. We will also look at the varied experience of women in the twentieth century from birth control to second wave feminism to co-education. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with History, 0507-402. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Annually)

Course Section Number: 0522-405
Title: WOMEN AND SCIENCE
This interdisciplinary women’s studies course links science, feminist theory, history, and biography in recognizing the importance of gender to the study and practice of science. The course focuses on four critical concerns: recognition of women pioneers in the sciences, analysis of the barriers women scientists have faced historically and presently, awareness of the historical roots and exclusions of women in science, and examination of how the practice of science particularly affects women. This course is relevant to non science majors as well as those majoring in the field. Part of the WGS concentration and minor and the science writing minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with Science, Technology and Society, 0508-581 Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-406
Title: FEMINIST THEORY
This course will introduce students to the foundations of feminism in political theory, and it will critically explore how feminist concepts can be expanded to take account of class, race, and sexuality. We will examine the differences between the categories of sex and gender and the ways in which feminist understandings of human experience have modified traditional philosophical accounts of reality, knowledge, morality, and justice. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with Philosophy 0509-454. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-407
Title: SEMINAR ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE
The course is intended to familiarize students with sexual crimes and violence as they interface with each phase of the criminal justice system including enforcement, adjudication, treatment and prevention. Discussion will include laws related to sex offenses, types of sex crime, child sexual abuse, the psychology and treatment of sex offenders, prevention and victim aftercare. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with Criminal Justice, major issues: seminar in sexual violence, 0501-405. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-408
Title: AMERICAN FILM IN THE STUDIO ERA
This course examines the history and aesthetics of the motion picture in the U.S. during the Classical Hollywood Studio period. Emphasis will be placed on the analysis of both the work of major American film makers and the evolution of major American film genres. Among the filmmakers to be studied are Griffith, Chaplin, Hawks, Ford, Capra, Welles, Hitchcock, Wilder and Kubrick. Genres to be covered include the melodrama, silent comedy, screwball comedy, western, thriller, film noir, and the gangster film. The films will be studied within the context of contemporary cultural and political events, and will be discussed from several viewpoints, including aesthetic, technical, social and economic. Part of the WGS minor only as an affiliated course. May also be taken as an elective. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-410
Title: INTRODUCTION TO GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER STUDIES
This introductory course examines a broad range of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues within the historical, psychological, racial, theological, cultural and legal contexts in which we live. Students will learn the historical and theoretical foundations of GLBT studies as well as the contemporary implications for family, work, religion and law for GLBT people and the mainstream society. Students will have the opportunity to compare the regulation of sexual orientation across different gender, race and socioeconomic communities. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May be used as an elective. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-415
Title: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The course will cover the history of domestic violence as a social problem, its dynamics, prevalence, outcomes, theories, research issues, and contemporary domestic violence policy. Special emphasis will be placed upon the cycle of violence, the effects of children’s exposure to family violence, and the intersectionality of race, gender, class and sexuality. It will include readings from the social sciences as well as literary texts. Part of the WGS concentration and minor and may be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with Criminal Justice, 0501-415. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-436
Title: WOMEN'S STORIES / WOMEN'S FILMS
This course will provide an introduction to women’s films through an exploration of narrative structure in films made by women. Through film screenings and class discussion, the course will examine the themes and issues of women’s narratives and how they are presented in the medium of film. The hero’s journey and traditional narrative structure will be contrasted with the heroine’s journey and the more personal story telling style of the feminine. The course will also examine differences between films made by women and films made by men about women. The course will introduce the work of feminist film critics and consider the relevance of those theories to women’s roles in current films. The course will view women’s storytelling in a context of feminine mythology and psychology. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. Cross-listed with CIAS 2065-553 and Fine Arts 0505-439. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-446
Title: WOMEN AND CRIME
Deals with women as criminal offenders and as victims of crime, focusing upon theories about women in crime, types of crimes committed patterns of criminality and the treatment of women offenders. Also examines the role of women as law enforcement officers, judges, lawyers and correctional officers in the criminal justice system. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with Criminal Justice, 0501-446. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-447
Title: WOMEN, WORK AND CULTURE
Broad sociological issues affecting women, work and culture are a result of the emerging global economy and technological revolution. The course will consider how the process of gender socialization is complicated by the way in which gender intersects with racial, class ethnic, sexual, and other identities. This course will present the major theoretical perspectives employed in sociology and women’s studies and consider how they related to the study of women, work and culture. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. (0510-210, 0515-210 or equivalent) Cross-listed with Sociology, 0515-447. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Annually)

Course Section Number: 0522-449
Title: HISTORY OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
This course will explore the gendered nature of Western science and technology. We will focus on three areas: the history of women’s participation in science and engineering since the birth of modern science in the seventeenth century; the historical roots of gender bias in the scientific enterprise; and current debates over whether women have changed science and engineering since the 1970’s. Special attention will be paid to the experience of women in engineering, one of the most male-dominated professions. The course will focus on minority and non-minority women in Western Europe and the United States and will occasionally employ cross-cultural contexts. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with Science, Technology and Society, 0508-449. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-450
Title: GENDER, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
This course explores feminist critiques of Western science and technology by investigating the ways in which gender, power and politics shape the content and context of science and technology. Particular attention is placed upon social and cultural dimensions of scientific and technological practices including the development of theory, method and application. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with science and technology studies, 0508-452. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-451
Title: GENDER AND SEXUALITY
This course explores issues of gender and sexuality in a global context. Students will be introduced to anthropological perspectives on the experience of men and women, as gendered subjects, in different societies and historical contexts such as colonialism, nationalism, and global capitalism. In turn, we will explore how cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity are configured by race, class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Course materials are drawn from an array of sources, reflecting various theoretical perspectives and ethnographic views from different parts of the world. Part of the WGS concentration and minor and may be taken as an elective. (0510-210 or 0515-210) Cross-listed with Anthropology, 0510-451. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Annually)

Course Section Number: 0522-452
Title: BODIES AND CULTURE
The body in culture, society, and history. Comparative approaches to the cultural construction of bodies, and the impact of ethnic, gender, racial differences on body practices (i.e. surgical alteration, mutilation, beautification, surrogacy, erotica). The formation of normative discourses of the body (regarding sexuality, AIDS/illness, reproduction, fat/food) in medical science, consumer culture, and the mass media. The course will be discussion and project oriented, encouraging students to acquire a range of analytic skills through a combination of text interpretation and research. Part of the WGS concentration and minor and may be taken as an elective. (0510-210 or 0515-210) Cross-listed with Anthropology, 0510-452. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Annually)

Course Section Number: 0522-453
Title: ECONOMIC ROLE OF WOMEN
This course applies economic theory to explain choices faced and selected by women concerning marriage, fertility and labor market participation, alongside government policies targeting those decisions Empirical research will be presented that describes the changing demographic profile of families, poverty and the labor force. Students in this course will gain experience evaluating how economic theory and practice fits into the larger social sciences goal of describing human behavior by focusing on the changing economic role of women. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with Economics, 0511-480. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-459
Title: TONI MORRISON
Through reading and discussion of Toni Morrison’s novels and feminist and African American critical theory, this course will allow students to follow the development of Morrison’s art and to approach her work from alternative critical perspectives. Particular attention will be paid to the role of narrative in African American Culture and to Morrison’s understanding of its literary, historical, and political functions. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. (0502-227 or equivalent). Cross-listed with Literature, 0504-459. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-460-70
Title: SPECIAL TOPICS: QUEERING GENDER
This course begins with the concept that sexuality, gender and gender identity is neither fixed nor innate. Many people who adopt a definition or expression of gender different from society often identify themselves as queer. The study of this movement is referred to as queer theory. This course examines the concepts of sex, gender and gender expression of straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic classes within the context of the larger society in which we live. Students will explore the unique political, legal and interpersonal challenges faced by those embracing queer identity as well as the diversity of gender identities and expressions. Listed under Fine Arts. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-480
Title: WOMEN AND THE VISUAL ARTS
Examines the image of women in the visual arts and the role of women image makers. Major topics include the variety of images of women, the evolution and change of these images over time, media images (as differentiated from fine art images) of women, images of women by women and by men, women’s images and the issues of their relationship to the images made by men, the nude and pornography, history of women artists, selected women artists and their work, relation of their work to the art of the period, current issues and status of women artists. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken elective. Cross-listed with Fine Arts, 0505-480. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-482
Title: WOMEN IN POLITICS
A study of feminist thought as it applies to the political, economic and social status of women and how it has been expressed through the women’s political movement. Students study a number of public policies as they apply to and affect women and examine the opportunities for women to participate in the political process. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. (0513-211, 214 or equivalent) Listed under Political Science. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-483
Title: PSYCHOLOGY OF GENDER
Examines the relevance and applicability of present psychological theory and research to the understanding of the development and behavior of women. Major topics covered include psychological and biological sex differences, psychological theories of women’s development, the relationship between female personality development and various sociocultural factors, women’s place in society, women and their bodies, and women and mental health. Part of the WGS concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. Cross-listed with Psychology, 0514-483. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0522-484
Title: AUTO/BIOGRAPHY
James Merrill said that we live in an age of ``me-moir'' in American culture - a claim challenged by the diversity of 21st century representations in art, film, literature. This interdisciplinary course explores a rich spectrum of contemporary life-writings, ranging from traditional autobiography to graphic memoir; from visual self-portraits to global film. Included will be works by international graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister; a film by Jane Campion; Pulitzer-prize winning journalism of David Finkel; Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Michael Ondaatje’s Running in the Family. Focus will be on the function of gender and language in constructing new modes of identity and community; the escalating quarrel between truth and fiction; the ``rogue'' role of memory; and the changing writer’s pact crafted with the reader. Emphasis on participation in class discussion, individual and group presentation and projects. Listed under Literature. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Occasionally)

Course Section Number: 0525-578
Title: WOMEN IN THE HISPANIC WORLD
This course explores the contributions to history, literature, art, and politics by a number of prominent Hispanic women from different centuries and nationalities. We will study writings and artwork by these women, read critical essays about their work, and analyze films inspired by their lives. The critical approach that will inform this course is feminist thought. Listed under Foreign Languages. Prerequisite(S): None. Co-requisite(s): None. Class 4, Credit 4 (offered: Fall)