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College Catalog 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Courses
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Womens, Gender, and Sexuality Studies |
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WGSS 240 - Comparative Feminisms: Then and Today
Feminisms today show new ways of being and also carry the legacies of feminisms past. This course will explore the similarities and differences in feminist concepts and practices in the 20th and 21st centuries, through writings from North and South America, Western Europe, and South Asia. We will compare and contrast inside and also across generations. We will address issues such as racial/ethnic difference, political and sexual autonomy, nationalism, violence, and consumerism, through literature, film, music and other performative arts, and internet publishing. Some writers included are Gwendolyn Bennett, Victoria Ocampo, Grazia Deledda (from past generations) and shani jamila, Sonia Shah, and Adriana Lopez (from recent generations). Every other year. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 242 - Economics of Gender Cross-Listed as
This course uses economic theory to explore how gender differences lead to different economic outcomes for men and women, both within families and in the marketplace. Topics include applications of economic theory to 1) aspects of family life including marriage, cohabitation, fertility, and divorce, and 2) the interactions of men and women in firms and in markets. The course will combine theory, empirical work, and analysis of economic policies that affect men and women differently. Counts as Group E elective for the Economics major. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119 (with miminum grade of C-). (4 Credits)
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WGSS 250 - Race, Gender, and Medicine Cross-Listed as HIST 350
This seminar-style class examines the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality in the history of medicine and health in the U.S. Our diverse topics for study include eugenics, sexuality, midwifery, cultural/spiritual healing methods, pandemics, race- and gender-based ailments and medical experiments (such as the science and politics of the birth control pill and the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment), gender reassignment surgery, and sex-testing in the Olympics. This wide range of topics will prepare students to explore a research topic of their own choosing for a final paper. Offered alternate years. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 252 - Gender, Sexualities and Feminist Visual Culture Cross-Listed as ART 252
This course examines the ways in which gender and sexuality are understood in modern visual culture. It also covers a wide range of feminist approaches in the 20th and 21st century art and as they have been articulated in theory. Students explore social constructions of gender and sexualities, their visible and invisible representation, and discuss the impact of feminism and the changing role of women in society. The course will also cover some of the most recent global feminist trends and new directions in the feminist theory. Feminist work from Africa, India, Asia and Eastern and Central Europe and various marginalized cultural centers in Western Europe and the United States will be addressed. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 258 - Gender and Sexuality in China Cross-Listed as ASIA 258 and CHIN 258
How are masculinity and femininity defined and transformed in modern and contemporary Chinese culture? How is the culturally constructed gender related to a larger social context? Through a rigorous analysis of the content and structure of modern and contemporary novels and films, this course examines the literary representation of gender and sexuality and its relation to the tumultuous social transformations, and engages with a variety of themes including: May Fourth enlightenment, anti-Japanese war, Socialist construction, the Cultural Revolution, and the liberalization of the post-Mao era. This course seeks to help students develop critical views of Chinese society and culture from gendered perspective, and gain familiarity with major authors, genres, and literary movements. This course assumes no prior knowledge of China or Chinese, and all reading materials are in English. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 259 - Women, Gender, and the Family in Contemporary Europe Cross-Listed as HIST 259
This course will explore the ways in which the major events and processes in contemporary European history shaped the lives of women and families as well and the way that both individual women and women’s movements have shaped the history of contemporary Europe. Much of our discussion will revolve around the themes of equality and inequality and their evolution over the course of the last two centuries. Our exploration will begin with the French Revolution in 1789 and end with the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe in the late twentieth century. We will focus on issues such as family policy, reproductive rights, labor, immigration, women’s political representation, and LGBTQ equality in Europe. We will also explore the importance of children and childhood in the context of contemporary European society and the role that the state has played in shaping the lives of young people. Whenever possible, we will approach the topics at hand by exploring the voices of our historical actors themselves and we will consider the experiences of people from a wide range of identities. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 261 - Feminist Political Theory Cross-Listed as POLI 261
Analysis of contemporary feminist theories regarding gender identity, biological and socio-cultural influences on subjectivity and knowledge, and relations between the personal and the political. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 262 - Performing Feminisms Cross-Listed as
Feminisms in performance - whether on an actual theater stage or in offstage force fields of politics, history and culture - are the concern of this course. Through feminist, queer and performance theories of the body, representation, identification and spectatorship, and through the reading of plays, students will engage with the historic and contemporary practices of feminisms and performance-making. Attending performances, viewing films and performance documents will contribute to students’ capacities to write critically about feminist performance practices. Offered alternate spring semesters. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 263 - Muslim Women Writers Cross-Listed as ENGL 263 and INTL 263
Against the swirling backdrop of political discourses about women in the Islamic world, this course will engage with feminist and postcolonial debates through literary works by Muslim women writers. The course will begin with an exploration of key debates about women’s agency and freedom, the Islamic headscarf, and Qur’anic hermeneutics. With this in mind, we will turn to the fine details of literature and poetry by Muslim women. How do these authors constitute their worlds? How are gendered subjectivities constructed? And how do the gender politics of literary texts relate to the broader political and historical contexts from which they emerge? Themes will include an introduction to Muslim poetesses and Arabic poetic genres, the rise of the novel in the Arabic speaking world, and Muslim women’s literary production outside of the Middle East: from Senegal to South Asia, and beyond. Every year. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 264 - Psychology of Gender Cross-Listed as
This class is an introduction to feminist psychological theory and research dedicated to understanding and critiquing biological, psychological, social, and cultural meanings and implications of gender and its intersections with class, race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc. Examples of research and theory will come from a wide variety of areas in psychology and related disciplines, and will address such issues as socialization and social development, stereotypes, bodies and body image, social relationships, identity, language, violence, sexuality and sexual behavior, well-being, work, etc. We will also learn about the historical, cultural, and epistemological underpinnings of psychological research on gender. Counts as a UP3 course. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 294 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 300 - Advanced Feminist/Queer Theories and Methodologies Cross-Listed as
This course is an in-depth study of some specific theories and methodologies on which contemporary feminist and queer thinkers have based their analysis, critique, and reconstruction of men’s and women’s roles. Some guiding questions are: What is a Nation? Who are its citizens? How do language and gender roles shape the ways we imagine our roles as men and women? Do sexuality or economy affect how we subscribe to or resist political ideologies? In previous offerings, the course has explored the intersection of Postcolonialism (gendered critiques of colonizing sociopolitical and economic structures) with Postmodernism (gendered critiques of language, sexuality, culture, and nation). The course will include film, photography, music, and the writings of Butler, Foucault, Chodorow, Kristeva, hooks, Spivak, and Trinh, among others. It offers ways to create links with local community and social-work organizations. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of instructor, and at least one intermediate-level WGSS core course. WGSS 200 highly recommended. Every year. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 305 - Race, Sex and Work in the Global Economy Cross-Listed as AMST 305
This seminar presents feminist and queer studies of global capitalism, which examine power relations under contemporary globalization in terms of the racial and sexual dynamics of labor, citizenship, and migration. Course material considers the local and transnational dynamics of free trade, labor fragmentation, and structural adjustment, as these shape industrial and informal labor, and community organizing around gender, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS. The material foregrounds ethnographic analyses of the everyday conditions of people situated in struggles with the effects of global capitalism. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of instructor, and at least one intermediate-level WGSS core course. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 306 - Women’s Voices in Politics Cross-Listed as
This course examines significant women who have used various forms of persuasion to shape society and women’s role in Western history, politics, and culture. We concentrate on women’s efforts to participate in public affairs and the social, political, religious, scientific, and rhetorical obstacles that have restricted women’s access to public life. Students will analyze how women have used speaking, writing, and protesting in their attempts to overcome such obstacles, influence public policy and/or win elective office. The course pays particular attention to the experiences of female heads of state in countries throughout the world and how they have used their powers once in office. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 308 - Literature and Sexuality Cross-Listed as
This course examines ways in which literary works have represented desire and sexuality. It looks at how constructions of sexuality have defined and classified persons; at how those definitions and classes change; and at how they affect and create literary forms and traditions. Contemporary gay and lesbian writing, and the developing field of queer theory, will always form part, but rarely all, of the course. Poets, novelists, playwrights, memoirists and filmmakers may include Shakespeare, Donne, Tennyson, Whitman, Dickinson, or Henry James; Wilde, Hall, Stein, Lawrence, or Woolf; Nabokov, Tennessee Williams, Frank O’Hara, Baldwin, or Philip Roth; Cukor, Hitchcock, Julien, Frears, or Kureishi; White, Rich, Kushner, Monette, Lorde, Allison, Cruse, Morris, Winterson, Hemphill, or Bidart. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 310 - Gendered, Feminist, and Womanist Writings Cross-Listed as ENGL 362
This course investigates how women’s writing from different parts of the world (Asian, English, African-American, to name a few) convey visions of the present and future, of the real and the imagined, beliefs about masculinity and femininity, race and nation, socialist and capitalist philosophies, (post) modernity, the environment (ecotopia), and various technologies including cybernetics. Topics may change based on instructor. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of instructor, and at least one intermediate-level Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies course. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 315 - Comparative (Neo/Post) Modernities
This course addresses the major historical, political, and cultural formations of the ideas of Modernity in various eras and countries. Building on this concept, the course explores what the prefixes ‘post’ (as in ‘postmodernity’) and ‘neo’ (as in neo-modernity) mean in contemporary contexts, i.e., in the 20th and 21st centuries. Texts may include political speeches, historical analyses, literary genres, and representations from film, video, and music. Specific topics may change based on instructor. Prerequisite(s): junior standing or permission of instructor, and at least one intermediate-level WGSS core course. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 320 - Gender, Sexuality and Film Cross-Listed as
This course explores a variety of critical approaches to the representation of gender and sexuality in film and video, including psychoanalytic feminist film theory and criticism, gay and lesbian studies, queer theory, narrative analysis, ideological critique and cultural studies of gender and sexuality in relation to race, nation, and class. How have social constructs about gender and sexuality been promulgated and/or contested in film and video within both mainstream and avant-garde contexts of cultural production? How have these constructs functioned to uphold and/or challenge other forms of social stratification or privilege? In asking these questions, the course considers a wide range of issues, including drag, camp, spectatorship, identity and identification, the gaze, assimilation, social change, body politics, realism, and pornography. Written work emphasizes the close analysis of film texts. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing and previous experience with one of the following fields: Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, cultural studies and/or media studies, or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 325 - Conquering the Flesh: Renunciation of Food and Sex in the Christian Tradition Cross-Listed as RELI 325
This course explores how bodily practices of fasting and sexual abstinence have shaped Christian identities from the first century, C.E. to today. From Paul of Tarsus’ instructions about sexual discipline to the True Love Waits® campaign, from the desert fathers’ rigorous bodily regimens to the contemporary Christian diet movement, Christians have often understood the practice of renunciation as a necessary feature of spiritual perfection. In this course we will consider several ascetic movements in Christian history, including the development of ascetic practice in late antiquity, the rise of fasting practices among women in medieval Europe, and the culture of Christian dieting and chastity in the U.S. We will pay special attention to how Christian practices of piety both draw upon and contribute to cultural understandings of gender and the body. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 330 - Democracies, Feminisms, Capitalisms
Through the organizing notion of Object, we will study the intertwining of democracy and capitalism, with a brief historical overview of both but looking primarily at formations in the 20th and 21st centuries - from liberal nation-state versions through postsocialisms to neoliberal-neocolonial globalization. In this transnational comparative context, we will focus on how various feminisms have negotiated these intertwined political/economic theories, at once emerging from them, claiming a place in them, as well as self-defining against their different formations. We will explore how liberal, second- and third- wave, socialist, women of color, radical transnational, and indigenous feminisms deploy the notion of Object in addressing issues of citizenship, violence, labor, the environment, cultural representation, etc., as ways of tackling this complicated relationship with diverse forms of capitalism and democracy. Prerequisite(s): One 100- or 200- level Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies course. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 346 - Constructions of a Female Killer Cross-Listed as LATI 386 and SPAN 386
Explorations of the relationship between women and violence typically take place from the perspective of women as victims. However, how does the discourse change when the traditional paradigm is inverted and we explore women as perpetrators of violence? This seminar examines representations of women who kill in Latin American and Latino narratives (including novels, short stories, films, and newspapers). Drawing on feminist theory, media studies, criminology, and literary criticism, we will seek to understand the ways women’s violence has been read and framed in contemporary society as well as how their violence intersects with discussions of nationalism, race, class, and gender. This course satisfies the Area 2 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 307 or consent of the instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 354 - Music and Gender Cross-Listed as MUSI 354
This course explores issues concerning gender in a variety of American and European musical styles, with an emphasis on popular genres. Taking a topical approach, we will examine the ways in which gender is constructed in various musical contexts and explore the ways in which gender relates to and is informed by other apsects of identity formation, including class, race, and sexuality. We will investigate issues that have affected women’s participation in musical life, such as musical canons, gendered musical discourse, and gender stereotypes. In addition, we will explore contributions of trans* musicians, as well as issues that affect their musical lives. We will also interrogate constructions of gender, masculinity, and femininity as they relate to music. An ongoing goal will be to develop reading comprehension and critical thinking skills through a series of short summary/response papers and discussion in class. Finally, as this course emphasizes writing and research skills, several class periods will be devoted to research techniques and the writing process, and accordingly you will be required to write and revise a substantial paper. Once a year. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 364 - Lives in Context: Psychology and Social Structure Cross-Listed as PSYC 364
In this seminar we will explore the relationship between individual lives and broad social systems in the United States. We will read theory, research, and case material from psychology and related disciplines about individual and interpersonal implications of social organization/social structure (in the domains of social class, gender, race, physical ability, sexuality, etc., and their intersections). We will pay particular attention to how and why it matters psychologically that U.S. society is organized hierarchically. We will also address how to study the relation between individual lives and social structure. How can we really understand lives in their myriad contexts? What’s the best strategy for doing this? Is it even possible? What are some of the methodological, conceptual, and ethical dilemmas and challenges involved in such an undertaking? Because feminist psychologists have played a critical role in shaping methodology and research in these areas, we will read a considerable amount of work by feminist psychologists and other feminist academics. Counts toward the UP3 requirement. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 , PSYC 201 and one other intermediate psychology course. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 394 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 400 - Senior Seminar: Linking Theory and Practice
The relationship between academic theorizing and community organizing for positive social and political change is a vital, complex, and an ever-changing source of feminist inquiry. This course builds on that relationship by juxtaposing activist social work with theoretical writings on globalization, gender, race, class-relations, sexuality, community, democracy, and civil society, and exploring how these arenas inform and transform each other. The issues in this seminar are related ultimately to the student’s “location,” personally and professionally, at the threshold of the future, in search of a space of her/his own. One substantial research paper and a formal oral presentation on its ideas are the primary assignments. Prerequisite(s): At least three WGSS core courses and senior standing, or permission of instructor. Preferred: a working relationship with a local women’s or minority organization, established the spring or summer prior to enrollment in the course. Every year. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 405 - Senior Seminar: Topics
Capstone or integrative experience centering on a topic that will vary from year to year. The focus will be to develop a deeper understanding of theory and action in relation to women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Prerequisite(s): At least three WGSS core courses and senior standing, or permission of instructor. Spring semester. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 494 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 611 - Independent Project
Individual projects are supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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WGSS 611 - Independent Project
Individual projects are supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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WGSS 612 - Independent Project
Individual projects are supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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WGSS 613 - Independent Project
Individual projects are supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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WGSS 614 - Independent Project
Individual projects are supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 621 - Internship
Internships, supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty, bring together theoretical and practical concerns that are primarily connected with women or have feminist/queer studies as their central perspective. An internship outline plan will be developed individually between the student and the faculty sponsor. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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WGSS 622 - Internship
Internships, supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty, bring together theoretical and practical concerns that are primarily connected with women or have feminist/queer studies as their central perspective. An internship outline plan will be developed individually between the student and the faculty sponsor. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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WGSS 623 - Internship
Internships, supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty, bring together theoretical and practical concerns that are primarily connected with women or have feminist/queer studies as their central perspective. An internship outline plan will be developed individually between the student and the faculty sponsor. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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WGSS 624 - Internship
Internships, supervised by women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty, bring together theoretical and practical concerns that are primarily connected with women or have feminist/queer studies as their central perspective. An internship outline plan will be developed individually between the student and the faculty sponsor. Prerequisite(s): Two courses approved for credit in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 631 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. (1 Credits)
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WGSS 632 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. (2 Credits)
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WGSS 633 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. (3 Credits)
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WGSS 634 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. (4 Credits)
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WGSS 641 - Honors Independent
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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WGSS 642 - Honors Independent
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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WGSS 643 - Honors Independent
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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WGSS 644 - Honors Independent
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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