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Global Gender Studies: Courses
WS 101 Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduces students to basic concepts in women's studies. Covers the history of the women's movement and its relation to the rise of women's studies as a discipline. Examines and discusses a multiplicity of 'recurring themes' affecting differing women's lives; including the social construction of gender, the impact of race, sexuality, reproduction, work, education, media, material condition (class), and women's agency. Discusses current controversies among feminists, and the broader political arena. Discovers how studying women's history challenges traditional notions of women and traditional notions of history.
WS 126 Topics in Arts and Culture
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 149 Special Topics
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 167 Cross Cultural Topics
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 205 Women in the Global System
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Explores how the current expansion of the world market is overturning the seclusion of women in traditional societies and looks at the consequences of globalization on the lives of women throughout the world. Women in developing countries share common patterns of location and differentiation within the international division of labor. Examines how women are struggling to represent their identities in the midst of rapid changes in their societies. Examines why more and more women are becoming active in the international human rights movement. Looks at how women are attempting to shape the discourse of development in different regions of the world economy. Intended to develop a multidisciplinary approach to gender and more specifically, to understand how gender is constructed by political, economic, and cultural discourses in industrialized and industrializing societies, and to understand the differences between the lived experiences of women in these societies, the heterogeneous nature of women based on class, race, religion, and nationality, and how women's lives are changing in the context of the global economy.
WS 213 Women in Contemporary Society
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: none
Corequisites: none
Type: SEM
Explores the roles, functions, practices, and consciousness of women cross-culturally based in various U.S. communities. Focuses on the socio-cultural history of women's movements, issues and multiple oppressions. By understanding and examining race, class, gender, sexuality and nationality, students will learn how to think, read, and write in a critical and creative framework. Students will discover the importance of "re-claiming and education."
WS 222 Special Topics
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 225 Violence in a Gendered World
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Surveys components in the spectrum of gender-based violence, in the U.S. and in some other countries. Historical, legal, sociological, psychological, literary and first person accounts comprise the course readings. Students will gain an understanding of the dynamics of violence against women and children, social movements that attempt to ameliorate it, and how gender, race, class and theoretical grounding influence local, national and global efforts to end violence and empower women.
WS 227 Feminist Essay
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Examination of what constitutes a feminist essay and how the essay can be used as a tool for social and political change. Although course readings and discussions will focus on works by contemporary women writers, emphasis will be placed on the students' own writings. Each student will be expected to present current writing, pertinent to present study, to the group for discussion and feedback. A writing sample is required prior to admission to the seminar.
WS 228 Introduction to Feminist Theory
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Introduces to the complexity of feminist thought and theorizing through a discussion of many of the major schools of feminist thought and past and present debates within feminist theorizing as it has developed both within the United States, and abroad. A solid grasp of the core theories, their fundamental approaches, their insights into social phenomenon and the key criticisms of each, will allow the student to enter into and participate in the ongoing conversations that characterizes feminist thought. Feminist theory has always developed in tandem with feminist movements and activism. Thus, throughout the course, students will not only learn about feminist theories, but also apply the tenets of different theories to current issues and modern problems. Theories are not meant to be passive ideas unrelated to our everyday reality, but are meant to be used as tools to analyze the world around us. As a critical theory, feminist theory aims not only to produce knowledge, but also to provide a base for action. Feminist theories ask us to rethink what we mean by sex and gender, how we understand our sexuality, the roles, status, and ideals assigned to men and women in our societies and how we reward and punish individuals that question, challenge or deviate from these roles. Feminist theory engages with issues of social inequality, oppression, and sexism, and invites us to imagine strategies for creating a world where there is more equality and liberation.
WS 234 Women in the Middle East
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Roles of women in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey; women's emancipation movements in these countries; and the impact of Islamic tradition.
WS 238 Women, Work, and Family in the Twentieth Century
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Explores the experience of women of different race, class, and ethnic groups regarding changes in women's responsibilities in the family, participation in the labor force, and the development of new family forms. Illuminates contemporary issues regarding work, marriage, and family from a historical perspective.
WS 240 Women in Contemporary Asia
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Surveys contemporary issues for women in East Asia and South East Asia namely, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia Malaysia. One of the main objectives is to analyze the impact of development on various aspects of social life of women in Asia. Examines women's roles and opportunities in the process of development, including women of poor and working class households as well as women from middle class and professional backgrounds.
WS 241 Women in Developing Countries, Socio-economic and Political Perspectives
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: none
Corequisites: none
Type: SEM
Survey of women's socio-economic and political status in developing counties. Examination of policies and practices that shape their lives, as well as discourses that construct their experiences. Analyzes women's organizing, advocacy and social mobilization to engender change and equity. Introduction to a broad, interdisciplinary and international literature focusing on current and emerging issues related to women's work and globalization; poverty and inequality; displacement and environmental degradation; social practices such as female genital mutilation; and HIV/AIDS, within national, regional, and global contexts. Course will dwell on a variety of teaching material such as videos, life histories, case studies and policy documents combined with authoritative scholarly sources. The course will combine lectures and discussions, as well as creative projects to promote an interactive learning environment, and to encourage critical thinking among students in analyzing salient issues and theories pertinent to women's conditions in developing countries, and strategies to effect social change.
WS 247 Women in Latin America
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Women's political mobilization and its effects in Latin American countries. Explores how women in Latin America and the Caribbean have participated in the national movements, revolutions, rebellions, and social movements that have dominated Latin America's political, social, and economic development. Readings cover the incredible variety of women's participation by examining women's activism across time, space and political position. Women's struggles to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of others are a central component of the course. However, to avoid romanticizing women's activism, the course also discusses women's actions on behalf of political projects designed to uphold the interests of the elite and the status quo. Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, as elsewhere, live complicated lives, have complicated political goals and commitments, and have different access to political, social, and economic power depending upon their position within the class, racial, ethnic, religious, age, and gender hierarchies of their societies. Over the semester, we will analyze why women have been involved in political movements, the effects of women's activism on women's position within these societies, the changing relationship between men and women, contested understandings of gender relations, and the overall impact of these struggles on the Latin American and Caribbean countries.
WS 252 Social History of Women in United States, 1650-1875
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
History of women in the United States, emphasizing 'the common woman'; family life; industrialization; sex roles and sexuality; history of feminism. Reading involves autobiographies, popular fiction, and other firsthand historical accounts.
WS 254 Women and Image in Fine Arts
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Art is a part of the human civilization and it is influenced by the demands of society. Women always were the important art objects, but in different epochs artists treated them differently. By this difference we can see woman's role and place in the society. Discusses woman as art objects and artists.
WS 260 Women's Health: Problems and Practices
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Reviews the health care system in the U.S. and its treatment of women. Content includes a history of health care and the changing definition of "health", the current roles of women in this system, and the intersection of the legal system on women's bodies and women's health. Women in the 1970's and beyond started examining the politics of health care, which exploded into the millennium such as cost containment and restruction of services through managed care; newer and more expensive technologies; growing consumer dissatisfaction with the current system; and trends towards holistic and alternative care outside of the "mainstream" health care system. Develops an analysis of the current system with a rational plan for improving health care for all women. Addresses the roles that women have played in relation to health and health care, the history of women as healers, the shift to women as patients and consumers, and women as workers, both paid and unpaid, in the system of care.
WS 265 Sexuality and Orientation
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Examines the various constructions of women's sexualities: heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian. Readings from literature, feminist theory, queer theory, psychology and sociology in order to develop an understanding of how sexuality is constructed. Examines the impact of violence, gender, health, media reproduction, class, and race on women's sexualities.
WS 270 Asian American Studies: Asian American Women Writers
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduces students to some basic feminist critical theories, including French, Anglo-American, and "Third World" feminist assumptions and positions. Explores how women writers' and poets' creativity and technical strategies are related to the intersected issues of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and class, through closely examining works by Asian American women.
WS 301 Introduction to Indigenous Women
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Focuses on Native American women, beginning with the creation story and ending with the modern-day role of Haudenosaunee women.
WS 305 Gender and the Custodial State
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Focuses on historical and cross cultural components informing contemporary issues of women's imprisonment. With respect to the comtemporary scene, emphasizes the process by which women come to be incarcerated and differentials in treatment of incarcerated women. Examines institutional forces in contemporary corrections generally which may contribute to an understanding of women's imprisonment issues.
WS 308 Images of Women and Men in a Changing World
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Examines the history and development of gender imagery, historically to the current age of globalized mass-mediated images. Examines how mass media has influenced gender representation, socialization, and identity construction, primarily in the United States but also abroad. Analyzes the ways these representations implicate and are implicated and negotiated by gender, racial, class, ethnic, and religious minorities.
WS 312 Culture and Reproduction
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Explores the meanings and stratification of reproduction in our culture. Examines how culture constructs reproduction including controversial topics such as gay adoption, eugenics, reproductive technologies, teen sexuality and government's role in reproduction. Uses a variety of sources from the fields of public health, epidemiology, feminist criticism and the women's health movement to discover the history and current determinants of women's reproductive health and reproductive rights.
WS 315 Cross-Cultural Study of Women
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Analyzes the evolution and diversity of socially constructed gender differences and hierarchies viewed from comparative international and historical perspectives. The maintenance of gender inequalities in societal institutions, such as education, the family, politics and the economy will be explored. In addition, the course will focus on the prevailing cultural backlash of women and men in America in comparison to other societies. To explain gender differences and hierarchies, the course will consider a range of sociological, and other disciplinary perspectives including biological, psychological, and psychoanalytic. Course objectives will be achieved through lectures, readings, guest lecturers, films, and class discussions.
WS 323 Culture of Biology, Medicine, Gender and Race
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Ideas about "scientifically" established differences between women and men, people of color and whites, gays and straights are prevalent in popular culture. Examines how popular culture makes sense of these differences and how science has been shaped by our culture and likewise, how cultural-biases are reinforced by scientific lines of inquiry.
WS 324 Controlling Reproduction: Reproductive Rights, Policies, Practices, and Technologies
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Explores questions such as: What constitutes women's reproductive lives? How do women's reproductive lives impact gender status in society? How do women's reproductive lives differ by age, race, nationality and sexual preference? Who controls reproduction and the cultural discourse regarding reproduction? What public policies and practices foster or undermine reproductive freedoms? Why are reproductive rights integral to human rights?
WS 330 Global Women's Voices
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Analyzes the evolution and diversity of socially constructed gender differences and hierarchies viewed from comparative international and historical perspectives. The maintenance of gender inequalities in societal institutions, such as education, the family, politics and the economy will be explored. In addition, the course will focus on the prevailing cultural backlash of women and men in America in comparison to other societies. To explain gender differences and hierarchies, the course will consider a range of sociological, and other disciplinary perspectives including biological, psychological, and psychoanalytic. Course objectives will be achieved through lectures, readings, guest lecturers, films, and class discussions.
WS 335 Women and Literature
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Examination of issues of "difference" such as race, gender, class, and sexuality as imagined and narrated by contemporary women writers of speculative (science) fiction. We hope to interrogate the impact of 20th century resistance/social movements in particular, the civil rights, feminist, lesbian and gay, and human rights movements on women writers who've chosen to "write against the box" of prevailing literary expectation. We also hope to consider (1) how women writers of speculative fiction subvert, or resist, the status quo; (2) notions of speculative fiction as "escapist" (meaning, "less serious") literature; (3) the uses of speculative fiction as blueprints for imagining new social orders. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the distinctive features of contemporary women's speculative fiction, the impact of specific fiction to larger feminist agendas. Students who successfully complete this course should be able to describe, explain and give examples of concepts and terms such as "the fantastic imagination," "the politics of possibilities," and "imagined planets." Required reading will include works by Octavia Butler, Jewelle Gomez, Nalo Hopkinson, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Whenever appropriate, audio/visual aids may be deployed to enhance our appreciation of written texts.
WS 337 Coming of Age
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Contemporary adult literature has experienced an incredible boom in coming of age texts, especially in the popular memoir genre. What does it mean for girls to come of age in the U.S. and other countries? We will read a variety of adult coming of age texts in order to examine how girls from diverse backgrounds confront the social expectations of gender, race, class, culture, sexuality, and religion that determine their transitions from girlhood to womanhood.
WS 350 Gender Issues in Contemporary Africa
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
How do African women and men construct and reorder their lives on a daily basis? How do they negotiate their positions, ascribed gender roles and identities in familial, communal, and national spheres? What are the salient and socio-economic and political issues facing them? How do they emerge as agents of social change? Examines current policy frameworks and agendas such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and public policy responses to poverty, gender inequalities in democratic participation and socioeconomic development. Interrogates human rights issues and the rights of the girl child as they pertain to social practices such as female mutilation and child soldiers. Analyzes the changing dynamics of households due to the combined effects of transnational migration, HIV/AIDS and conflicts and their gender implications. Revisits opportunities for social change in the face of an increased pressure from globalization, environmental degradation, a growing retrenchment of the state, and many threats to human security. Interposing several theoretical lenses and building on an interdisciplinary approach, this seminar analyzes the agency roles of women and men in particular African countries. The course objects are to inspire analytical and critical thinking in students, to develop research and problem solving skills, and to challenge students to integrate multiple analytic perspectives.
WS 353 Law Interprets Gender: The United States Experience
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Introduces upper-level students to a legal examination of language and issues regarding gender and the law.
WS 356 Social History of Women, 1875-Present
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The making of women's lives in modern America: work and family, sexuality and politics, race and class. Lectures and readings in autobiographies and historical fiction.
WS 375 Topics in Women's Studies
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 376 Special Topics
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 379 Sex: Gender and Popular Culture
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: none
Corequisites: none
Type: SEM
The advent of television in 1950s America, coupled with technological advances in filmmaking popularized visual culture as a primary means of both naming and interrogating the ways in which we understand the social constructions of race, sex, gender, and sexuality. Feminist perspectives are ways ofexamining how these social constructions (and expectations) are shaped by popular culture, mainly television programming and films; and thus shape our ideas about ourselves and others as "feminine" and "masculine" and "sexual" beings. We discuss texts on and view episodes of popular television shows such as "Sex and the City," "The L Word," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Will and Grace." We also view several short films (as time permits). We consider a number of questions including (1) how does "entertainment" act as a substitute for the transmission of social knowledge?; (2) what are the advantages and disadvantages of popular culture in the construction of contemporary American life?; (3) how does popular culture define "racialized" bodies?; and (4) how does popular culture impact the consumption of American socio-cultural values, globally? Students will demonstrate knowledge of a broader understanding of the terms "popular culture," "entertainment," "women's television," and "mediated lives." Students who successfully complete this course should be able to articulate verbal and written alternative critiques to contemporary popular culture.
WS 382 Special Topics
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 387 Black Female in Literature
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Literature from African American women writers that explore their themes, images, and roles present in narratives, fiction, poetry, and plays. Our examination also includes selected works by African women.
WS 392 Junior Seminar in Women's Studies
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics will vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 400 Black Women Writers and the Reimagination of American Culture
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
In the 1970's, Black women writers established themselves as significant voices within contemporary American letters; marking what became known as "the second renaissance in Black women's literature." Since then, the impact of Black women writers has re-shaped the discourse defining Black women's lives and American culture. This seminar examines creative and critical literature written by major writers of poetry and fiction; illuminating the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, culture and class in the re-imagination of Black women's identities and American culture.
WS 401 Special Topics
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 402 Special Topics
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Topics vary according to faculty/instructors.
WS 409 Quantitative Methods in Social Research
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduction to basic statistical methods and their application to social science research focusing on gender issues. Students will have the opportunity to learn how to conduct basic statistical analyses and apply them to research topics such as gender and global health, maternal health, gender and global development, and contemporary democratization and women. In addition, students will acquire knowledge of how to extract data from existing databases as well as be guided in the collection of their own empirical data. Two types of statistical analyses will be used to assess samples of data: a broad range of descriptive statistics, and correlation and regressions models. This course is a hands-on experience and is held in a computer lab; therefore, students will have a good opportunity to become skilled and experienced in understanding and conducting basic statistical research. This course will also teach students how to interpret published empirical papers that use quantitative research methods. We will be learning applications through the use of the SPSS and ActivStats programs.
WS 414 Contemporary Global and Gender Issues
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
How is globalization (including capitalistic economic development) interconnected with gender? Surveys recent debates about global development and gender equality, examining current research in this important field. Assess the impact forces of global development have on gender relations; culture and cultural identity; women vs. men social, economic, and political opportunities; and maternal health. Using a broad scope of most current theoretical approaches from theoretical frameworks of diffusion, modernization, rational choice theory, the dependency and the world system theory, and cultural relativism perspective, this course examines current research in several pertinent areas of globalization through the lens of gender equality particularly the effects of global trends in culture, globalization of democracy and capitalist economy on national politics, economy and culture are analyzed in view of gender relations.
WS 415 Media, Gender and Society
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Looks at the history and development of gender imagery, from the age of oil painting to the current age of globalized mass mediated images. Examines the impact of mass media on gender representation, socialization, and identity construction in the United States as well as the rest of the world, and the way in which ethnic, geographic, cultural, racial, and religious differences affect the way gender images are received and used.
WS 421 Democracy and Gender
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
How is democratization interconnected with gender? Survey recent debates about diffusing democracy, examining current research in this important field. We assess the impact the forces of democratic trends have on gender relations; culture and cultural identity; women vs. men's social, economic, and political opportunities; and maternal health. In particular, using broad scope of most current theoretical approaches from theoretical frameworks of diffusion, modernization, democracy and development theory, the dependency and the world system theory, and cultural relativism perspective, this course examines current research in several pertinent areas of democratic processes though the lens of gender equality. In particular, the effects of global trends in culture, democracy and capitalist economy, cultural McDonalization are analyzed in view of gender relations. This is to compare the impact of national politics as it effects the social position and roles of women in comparison to men.
WS 425 Women's Movement, Contesting Identities and Global Change
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Provides an overview of women's movements from a global perspective, specially emphasizing organizational and empowerment strategies used by women in local struggles that aim at social change. We look at women's movements, in particular sites across the developing world, and assess women's share in demanding self-determination through various forms of activism against exploitation. The goal of the course is to help students sharpen their analytical skills in thinking about the oppressive economic and political forces at the national and international levels while at the same time learning more about those feminist struggles that confront forms of oppression.
WS 435 History of Working Women
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Traces the changes in women's work in the home, in the family, and in the labor force in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Focusing on working class women's experiences in the labor force, we explore the impact of urbanization and industrialization on women in different ethnic and racial communities, their experiences and conflicts with unions, and their contributions to labor struggles.
WS 447 Pedagogy and the Interrogation of Methodology
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Introduces students to the basic concepts and practices of feminist pedagogy. Reviews the intellectual roots of feminist pedagogy and examines the ways in which feminist pedagogy has changed over the past twenty-five years. In addition, we explore the connection between feminist pedagogy and social movements, paying special attention to the way feminist pedagogy addresses issues of class, race, and gender. Since the course intends to be useful in training future teachers, it has a practical component in which students design a small unit for a class and attempt to teach it.
WS 459 Television, Gender and Society
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Traces the rise of commercial television in the United States as a form, which has profoundly impacted upon the representation and social roles of women in the family and the workplace. We assume that television is a major cultural, social, and economic force in American society that has shaped and altered every aspect of our lives, and that as a social force it relies heavily on fixed notions of gender.
WS 464 History of the United States Feminist Movement
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Nineteenth- and twentieth-century feminist and womanist movements; sources of feminism; suffrage; women's clubs; temperance; womanism.
WS 466 Women, Work, and Social Change
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Introduction to the study of women, work and social change in developing countries, focusing not only on women workers in labor intensive manufacturing jobs but also on women engaged in other formal and informal sectors of the global economy. Examination of the many processes that generate and contribute to women's subordination, paying particular attention to the many ways in which women assert their own agency and autonomy, and have power to act on their own behalf. By utilizing a comparative cross-country framework, the class will address the larger issues of the feminization and globalization of poverty via the struggles of working women in relation to economic development and the struggles of women from all walks of life who are trying to effect social and political change in their own communities. The objective of this course is to provide a gendered perspective on work and social change in a localized context and to highlight the importance of women's agency through their experiences of work and living. We will learn how women can take responsibility, can struggle to make a difference, and can improve their own situations.
WS 487 International Organizations, Gender, and Development
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: Recommended - WS 241 or WS 240 or completion of a lower level theory course in another discipline
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
This seminar provides students critical frameworks of current and emerging theories, paradigms, and approaches on gender, development, and global change from an interdisciplinary perspective. Second, it provides students a forum to analyze and appraise development policies and practices from a gender perspective incorporating economic, social, cultural, and legal aspects of development. Third, it offers the opportunity to link theory and practice, as well as revisit the actual 'practice' of development through policy analysis, discursive analysis of development polices, project appraisal, critical assessment of international organizations agendas, and forms of resistance to globalization. This seminar emphasizes students' active participation and leadership in discussions and interactive scholarly groups. Students will gain exposure to the politics and economics of gender and development, the changing institutions and social context of development, and the mediating influence of international organizations such as the World Bank and the UN, to critically analyze and formulate strategies and actions plans for social change from a gender perspective.
WS 490 Senior Thesis
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Provides majors with the opportunity to develop a research paper that addresses the foundational intersecting discourses within the discipline: race, gender, sexuality, class/material condition, culture, language, and other indices of difference. The research paper(generally 30-50 pages in length) should reflect these larger discourses through the lens of a more specific topic. Required for majors only and consists of two sequential semesters of work in the student's senior year.
WS 494 Senior Capstone Course
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: Completion of year 1-3 major requirements.
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Course for senior-level majors intended to provide a learning experience that integrates knowledge from lower-level courses. The course is designed to provide an opportunity for seniors to put into practice theories and concepts developed in their coursework. Topics may vary.
WS 496 Women's Studies Internship
Credits: 1 - 16Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
Hands-on experience in the field. Provides an opportunity for majors to put into practice feminist theories and concepts developed in their coursework. In addition to valuable experiential learning, an internship can be used as the first step towards a career, an excellent addition to a resume, and a source for job contacts and future references. Internships are available, for example, at Planned Parenthood, Erie County Commission of the Status of Women, Everywoman Opportunity Center, Inc., or in an area of the student's major concentration and interest. Department registration required. Permission of the internship and advisor required.
WS 497 Departmental Honors Thesis or Project
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
The student and the faculty member agree to regular meetings during which they discuss the student's writing and progress toward completion of a specialized thesis or project. The student should expect to receive critical comments from the faculty member on her/his writing. The final product should be worthy of the designation of a thesis or project.
WS 498 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Students collaborate with faculty research mentors on an ongoing project in a faculty members' laboratory or conduct independent research under the guidance of a faculty member. This experience provides students with an inquiry-based learning opportunity and engages them as active learners in a research setting. Students will choose someone whose area of expertise is most suited to the student's interests, and student should discuss the possibility of working together prior to the semester.
WS 499 Independent Study
Credits: 1 - 16Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: department registration and permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Individualized student work under the guidance of a faculty member, intended to pursue topics not ordinarily offered through regular coursework. Individualized student work under the guidance of a faculty member, intended to pursue topics not ordinarily offered through regular coursework.
Last updated: Wednesday, 23-Apr-2008 15:43:13 EDT