Women's Studies (WS)

Director, Women's Studies Program: Marita McComiskey
Office: Room 426 Beach Hall

For major requirements, see the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of this Catalog.

103. Introduction to Women's Studies in the Social Sciences

First semester. Three credits. 

An introduction to research on women and gender in a variety of social science fields. Considers interpersonal relationships, socioeconomic status, power and authority as women experience them and explores the myths and realities of difference between women and men, and of differences among women of different race, class or ethnic backgrounds in the U.S.

104. Feminisms and the Arts

Either semester. Three credits. D' Alleva

Interdisciplinary exploration of the work of women artists in drama, the visual arts, music, literature, and/or film. Key issues of feminist criticism in the arts are discussed. CA 1. CA 4.

105. Gender in Everyday Life

Either semester. Three credits. 

Explores how the biological fact of sex is transformed into a system of gender stratification in our everyday lives. Examines the social position of women in the family, work, and politics while maintaining sensitivity to the diversity of women's experiences across class, racial-ethnic groups, cultures, and regions.  Experience in introductory research methods to analyze the social construction and structural organization of gender. CA 2. CA 4.

121. Women in History

(Also offered as HIST 121.) Either semester. Three credits.

The historical roots of challenges faced by contemporary women as revealed in the Western and/or non-Western experience: the political, economic, legal, religious, intellectual, and family life of women. CA 1. CA 4.

124. Gender in Global Perspective

Either semester. Three credits.

Exploration of the construction and reproduction of gender inequality in global perspective. Study of the social position and relations of women and men (political, economic, cultural and familial) in selected non-western societies. Diversity of women's and men's experiences across class, racial-ethnic groups, sexualities, cultures, and regions. 
CA 2. CA 4-INT.

193. Foreign Study

Either or both semesters. Credit and hours by arrangement. May be repeated for credit. Consent of program director required, normally before the student's departure

203. Women in Political Development

(Also offered as POLS 203.) Second semester. Three credits. Creevey

Analysis of the role of women in the process of development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The importance of gender to the understanding of development and modernization will be explored and the ways in which change in traditional societies has affected the position of women economically, socially, and politically will be examined.

204. Women and Politics

(Also offered as POLS 204). Either semester. Three credits.

An introduction to feminist thought, the study of women as political actors, the feminist movement and several public policy issues affecting women.

208. Gender and Sexuality in Modern Europe

(Also offered as HIST 208.) Either semester. Three credits. Shafer

The construction of gender difference and ideas about sexuality in western Europe since 1789. Masculinity and femininity; sexuality, identity and the state; European power and personhood in global context.

210. History of Women and Gender in Early America

(Also offered as HIST 210.) Either semester. Three credits. 

Compares the evolving gender systems of native American groups, transplanted Africans, and immigrant Europeans up to the early Nineteenth Century. Topics include women's work, marriage and divorce, witch-hunting, masculinity, and women's Revolutionary War roles.

215. History of Women and Gender in the United States, 1790-Present

(Also offered as HIST 215.) Either semester. Three credits. Not open to students who have taken HIST 202 or WS 202.

Women and gender in family, work, education, politics, and religion. Impact of age, race, ethnicity, region, class, and affectional preference on women's lives. Changing definitions of womanhood and manhood.

217. Women and Film

Either semester. Three credits.

Feminist analysis of Hollywood film. Investigates women's roles as filmmaker, writer, editor, and actress as well as messages communicated to female viewers.

231. Anthropological Perspectives on Women

(Also offered as ANTH 231.) Either semester. Three credits. Open to sophomores or higher. 

Major conceptual and historical problems in the study of gender in anthropology. Women's roles in different historical and contemporary settings and new understandings of family, kinship, power, and cultural ideologies.

241. Women and Health

(Also offered as SOCI 241.) Either semester. Three credits. Ratcliff

Social factors shaping women's health, health care, and their roles as health-care providers. 

245. Sociology of Sexualities

(Also offered as SOCI 245.) Either semester. Three credits. Open to sophomores or higher. Not open for credit to students who have taken SOCI 246 or 246W. Bernstein

Explores the social organization, construction, and politics of sexualities; particular focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer experiences and the intersection of sexualities, gender, race, and class. CA 4.

245W. Sociology of Sexualities

(Also offered as SOCI 245W.) Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. Open to sophomores or higher. Not open for credit to students who have taken SOCI 246 or 246W. CA 4.

246. Psychology of Women

(Also offered as PSYC 246).  Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: Three credits of 200-level psychology. Crawford

Gender roles, socialization, women and work, women's relationships, violence against women, and other topics. Theory and research. CA 4.

246W. Psychology of Women

(Also offered as PSYC 246W.) Prerequisite: Three credits of 200-level psychology; ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. CA 4.

247. Black Feminist Politics

(Also offered as POLS 247.) Either semester. Three credits.

An introduction to major philosophical and theoretical debates at the core of black feminist thought, emphasizing the ways in which interlocking systems of oppression uphold and sustain each other.

250. Feminisms

Three credits.  Prerequisites: WS 103, 104, or 124. 

Current feminist theories and related social and political issues.

251. Women and Body Art

Either semester. Three credits. 

Women's use of body art to express aspects of gender identity and interpretation of body art from a variety of cultures. "Body art" encompasses cosmetics, painting, hair styling, tattoo, scarification, clothing, ornaments, plastic surgery, and exercise. 

252. Genders and Sexualities

First semester. Three credits. 

Overview of lesbian , gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. 

255W. Sexual Citizenship

Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. Naples

Sexuality as a significant axis of citizenship. How sexual citizenship differs in national, historical, and international contexts. How its different constructions influence such issues as welfare, adoption, marriage, and immigration. CA 4-INT.

258. Latina Narrative

(Also offered as PRLS 230.) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250 or instructor consent. Gonzalez 

Feminist topics in contemporary Latina literature and cultural studies.

259. Fictions of Latino Masculinity

(Also offered as PRLS 231.) Either semester. Three credits.  Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250 or instructor consent. Gonzalez

Topics in Latino literature and cultural studies with an emphasis on masculinity and male authors. 

260. Latinas and Media

(Also offered as PRLS 264 and COMM 233.) Second semester. Three credits. Rios

The role of ethnicity and race in women's lives. Special attention to communication research on ethnic and racial minority women. CA 4.

261. Women's Studies Internship Program

Either semester. Three to nine credits. Hours by arrangement. Prerequisite: One Women's Studies course. To be taken concurrently with WS 262. Open only with consent of Women's Studies Internship Coordinator. Transfer students who wish to major in Women's Studies are not required to take Women's Studies Internship Program.

A field placement 9-18 hours per week in an organization related to the student's major field of study. Such work is overseen by the field work supervisor and the Women's Studies Internship Coordinator. 

262. Women's Studies Internship Seminar

Either semester. Three credits. Open only with consent of Women's Studies Internship Coordinator. McComiskey

A weekly seminar on women and work in which students integrate their field experience with readings, class discussion and guest lecturers.

263. Women and Violence

(Also offered as HRTS 263.) Either semester. Three credits. 

A discussion of the various forms of violence against women in our society, including rape, battering, incest and pornography; treats the social, political and personal meaning of violence.

264. Gender in the Workplace

First semester. Three credits.

An examination of the role of gender in shaping the American workplace and the lives of workers. Discussion of important issues such as comparable worth and sexual harassment drawing on research done in a variety of social science disciplines.

265W. Women's Studies Research Methodology

First semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: WS 103 or WS 104 or WS 124 or HIST 121; ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. Open only to WS majors. Women's Studies majors are strongly urged to take this course as early as possible and before PHIL 218.

Analyses of gender bias in research design and practice, problems of androcentric values, and over-generalization in research. Varieties of feminist research methods and their implications for the traditional disciplines. Student projects using different methodologies.

266. Women and Ethnicity: Changing Roles in a Changing Society

Either semester. Three credits.

An examination of the intersections of gender, race and culture as these are played out in women's studies, oral histories, and other forms of testimony. Readings and discussions will explore the myths and realities of Asian-American, Latin, and African-American women's experiences using a sociohistorical perspective.

267. Women and Poverty

Second semester. Three credits. 

Focus on poverty in the United States with special attention to its effects on women and their families, including emphasis on race and class differences, and on the policies that keep women in poverty and those that will bring them out of it.

268. Gender and Communication

(Also offered as COMM 245.) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: COMM 100 or instructor consent. Not open for credit to students who have passed COMS 226 or WS 278. 

Differences in male/female communication, and an examination of cultural assumptions regarding gender in the communication process. Critically analyze the theory, politics and practice of communication and gender. 

269. The Women's Movement

Either semester. Three credits. Not open for credit to students who have passed WS 278.

What is feminism? Who are the feminists and what do they want? How effective has the Women's Movement been in accomplishing its goals? What are the most controversial questions it has raised? Is the Women's Movement dead or dying? We will research and discuss questions like these both through examination of the writings and activities of the contemporary Women's Movement in the United States and through historical and international comparisons.

270. Women and Religion

(Also offered as ANTH 274.) Either semester. Three credits. Not open for credit to students who have passed WS 278 when offered as Women and Religion. Linnekin

Religion has been a source of personal empowerment and social change for women throughout history. This course will examine the various roles women have assumed in religion and its effects on their position in their personal lives and in society. 

271. Seminar on Rape Education and Awareness I

First semester. One credit. 

This course explores issues of sexual violence and trains those enrolled to facilitate rape awareness workshops for the campus community. Students are required to attend an intensive two-day training program and participate in weekly seminars.

272. Seminar on Rape Education and Awareness II

Second semester. One credit. Prerequisite: WS 271.

This course further explores broader issues of sexual violence and continues to train those enrolled to facilitate rape awareness workshops for the campus community. Students are required to participate in weekly seminars and facilitate rape awareness workshops.

273. Women in the Bible

(Also offered as ANTH 273). Either semester.  Three credits. Prerequisite: INTD 294

An introduction to Biblical interpretaion from a feminist perspective, examining how women are represented in the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament.  Issues of authorship, translation, point of view, cultural context and language.

289W. Senior Seminar in Women's Studies

Second semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. Recommended preparation: WS 265 and PHIL 218 or consent of instructor. For WS majors only. McComiskey

Capstone course integrating and analyzing Women's Studies theory and substance through research on a common topic and discussion of advanced texts.

290. Ethnicities, Sexualities, Modernisms

(Also offered as ARTH 290.) Either semester. Three credits. 

Topics in twentieth-century visual culture (film, advertising, fine arts, crafts, literatures), with emphasis upon matters related to social constructions of ethnicity and sexuality, and upon issues raised by feminist and postcolonial theories.

293. Foreign Study

Either or both semesters. Credit and hours by arrangement. May be repeated for credit. Consent of program director required, normally before the student's departure. May count toward the major with consent of the director.

295. Variable Topics

Either semester. Three credits. With a change of topic, may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.

298. Special Topics

Either semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. With a change in content, may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.

299. Independent Study

Either semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. This course may be repeated for credit with a change in subject matter. Open only with the consent of the instructor and Women's Studies Program Director.