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• Undergraduate Fall 2024
• Women's and Gender Studies

Undergraduate Women's and Gender Studies

2024 Fall Term

Class Schedule

INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES

WOMENST 100

An investigation of women's experience from the perspective of various disciplines. The course examines the ways gender interacts with ethnicity, race, class and sexuality and explores contemporary and historical issues related to women's lives. Included are such subjects as health and body image, violence against women, and women's achievements.

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INTRODUCTION TO LGBTQ STUDIES

WOMENST 120

An investigation of LGBTQ Studies from the perspective of various disciplines. The course examines the ways gender and sexuality interact with ethnicity, race, class, and ability and explores contemporary and historical issues related to LGBTQ lives. Included are such subjects as gender and sexuality as social constructions, violence and oppression, representation, history of LGBTQ movements and activism, and intersectional alliances.

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SEX, GENDER, AND HEALTH

WOMENST 180

This course explores the reproductive and sexual functions of human bodies, as well as the scientific and social influences on those bodies. By examining sex, reproduction, and aging, this course uses intersectional lenses to explore uneven access to sexual health resources and reproductive justice across cultures, ultimately demonstrating the achievements and limitations of women's health movements in the recent past.

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GENDER AND FILM

WOMENST 266

Students will learn to critically view, consider, and describe films, with special attention to representations of sexuality and gender. The course will include instruction in gender theory and methods for deploying gender analysis in the context of film studies.

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GENDER IN THE MIDDLE EAST THROUGH FILM & LITERATURE

WOMENST 285

This course explores gender issues in the Middle East through texts and films created by authors and filmmakers from the Middle East. The Arabic-Speaking World is a focus of the course, but materials from Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and others will also be explored. The course adopts an interdisciplinary approach. Besides primary sources, course materials include historical, critical and theoretical readings that bolster a deeper understanding of the specific issue or area under scrutiny. Agency, social and religious reform, masculinity, representation, citizenship, displacement, and nationalism are among the issues the course explores.

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GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN CROSS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

WOMENST 334

Anthropological approaches to the cross-cultural study of gender relations and sexuality with an emphasis on societies of the non-Western world. Topics vary.

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WOMEN IN MUSIC

WOMENST 345

This course explores a variety of issues concerning women musicians in Western art music, non-Western musics, and popular music. These may include: the contributions of women as performers, composers, conductors, patrons, and teachers; the portrayal of women in opera, musical theater, and music videos; the objectification of women in the marketing and consumption of music; expressions of gender and sexuality in music; and feminist perspectives in musical criticism.

Class Schedule

GENDER AND FAMILY IN JAPAN

WOMENST 347

This course will examine forms of masculinity, femininity, sexuality, and family in contemporary Japan, and their historical development. Students will learn how gender, sexuality, and family are historically and socially constructed, how they are recreated through social interaction, how power inequalities are embedded in gender and family relations, how these inequalities impact individuals (and vice versa).

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GENDER AND VIOLENCE

WOMENST 351

This course examines gender-based violence, focusing specifically on domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, sexual harassment, and human trafficking. Readings and course activities explore the gendered dimensions of violence and inequality within diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and across sexual identities and national and immigrant statuses. A community based learning project is required.

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FEMINIST AND QUEER THEORIES

WOMENST 390

This course covers the historical and contemporary development of feminist and queer theoretical thought. We will explore the rifts, debates, and coalitions that emerge from the variety of perspectives in feminist and queer theories. The range of course material and ideas allow students to develop their own feminist and queer lexicon and their own approach to feminist and queer thought, research, and activism.

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SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE WITH LGBTQ POPULATION

WOMENST 435

This course aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, and their diverse and intersectional identities as applied to direct social work practice, intervention, and policy. This course will examine a variety of areas of relevance to social work with LGBTQ populations including history, theory, and contemporary issues.

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GENDER, ETHNICITY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

WOMENST 481

An examination of the ways that sexism, racism, ethnic/class exploitation and environmental destruction are interrelated. Considers social and cultural forces that lead to limited and/or gendered concepts of nature, and explores alternative theoretical and activist perspectives (deep ecology, bioregionalism, ecofemisim, environmental justice, etc.) and responses to the environmental crisis.

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ADVANCED SEMINAR IN WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES

WOMENST 489

An intensive, integrative study of selected issues in Women's and Gender Studies, emphasizing critical thinking and research techniques. A substantial research paper is required.

Class Schedule

INDEPENDENT STUDY

WOMENST 498

Study of a selected topic or topics under the direction of a faculty member.