Upcoming Course Descriptions
Spring 2024
WS 2013 – GENDER & SOCIAL CHANGE
Introduction to multicultural-women's studies as an interdisciplinary field and how gender, race, class, nationality, sexuality, disability and other identity categories shape human experiences. Examination of social institutions, norms and practices for their impact on the status and roles of women; visions and strategies for social transformation.
WS 2033 – WOMANIST SPIRITUAL ACTIVISM
Introduction to interrelated roles of spiritual practice, imagination and creativity in personal well-being and struggles for social justice. Multicultural, indigenous and womanist approaches to wellness and social change.
WS 2053 – WOMEN & MEN IN ENGLISH, MATH, SCIENCE
Examines reasons why women and minorities are traditionally under-represented in the areas of engineering, mathematics and science and includes strategies for increasing their representation. Introduction to problem-solving strategies, useful for any discipline, which emphasize solutions incorporating both current and emerging technologies.
WS 2383 – GENDERED IMAGES IN DANCE PERFORMANCE
Survey of the development of gendered images in various dance genres and events embedded in U.S. culture and how movement expression inscribes markers of identity such as gender, race, ethnicity and sexuality in their inscription on the body in performance.
WS 2393 – INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE BY WOMEN
Introduction to important works of literature by women. May be organized by theme, topic, genre, ethnic group or nationality.
WS 2703 – GENDER & EDUCATION
An interdisciplinary examination of the relationship between gender and education in the U.S. Explores how gender relationships are created, maintained, enacted and transformed through educational structures, practices and institutions.
WS 3023 – U.S. WOMEN OF COLORS
Multidisciplinary, relational explorations of the histories, theories, cultures and lives of U.S. women from a wide variety of ethnic/cultural backgrounds. Themes of agency, survival, resistance and transformation. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
WS 3213 – WOMEN’S ROLES
Women's roles are examined in the context of social institutions such as the family, the economy and the government. Implications of sexual inequality, changing gender roles and diversity by race, ethnicity, class and age.
WS 3223 – WOMEN, CRIME & JUSTICE
Introduction to gender, crime and justice. Focus on women as offenders, as crime victims and as employees in criminal justice. Feminist and critical perspectives on women, girls and crime. Issues of gender inequality in criminal justice policy and practice.
WS 3343 – WOMEN IN THE VISUAL ARTS
A survey of women visual artists of the Western world and how their roles relate to those of women visual artists worldwide. An analysis, from a traditional and a feminist point of view, of the recording of the female artist's place in history.
WS 3393 – GENDER, IDENTITY AND THE LAW
Impact of gender, identity, race and class on legal status; evolution of the current legal environment, with an emphasis on parallels between gender discrimination and discrimination based on racial, ethnic and sexual identity; substantive law regarding working conditions, compensation, education, the family, reproductive rights and criminal law; feminist perspectives on legal reforms to improve the professional lives of individuals of all genders.
WS 3703 – WOMEN IN MUSIC
An examination of music from the historical, cultural and contemporary perspectives of women. Topics will include women as composers and performers, and the cultural values that have affected women's participation in musical life.
WS 3733 – PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN
Issues in the development and behavior of women, including theoretical perspectives, male-female differences, achievement, motivation, stereotype, androgyny, sexuality, career choices, mental health and disorders, psychotherapy, life-span and special sub-groups.
WS 3793 – FEMINIST RESEARCH METHODS
Introduction to strategies, concepts and methods for conducting feminist research.
WS 4013 – TEXTS, TRENDS & ISSUES IN WOMEN’S STUDIES:
BRIDGING SOCIAL AND PLANETARY JUSTICE – CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR ALL
Emphasizing the importance of finding solutions that simultaneously address the health of the planet and the well-being of all humans, in this class we will apply a framework of intersectional environmentalism to explore anthropocentrism, the interconnections between environmental injustice and social oppressions such as racism, sexism and classism, and the forces that can damage both the health of the planet and of humankind.
WS 4203 – FAMILY VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT
Practice implications of various forms of family violence and sexual assault with an emphasis on women as victims and survivors. Theoretical explanations, research literature, policies, treatment issues and prevention strategies in relation to child abuse, battering, incest and intimate sexual violence.
WS 4493 – FEMINIST THEORY
Explores the diversity of feminist theories and their applications to the social, political, and intellectual contexts of women's lives. Includes consideration of historical context for the development of the theoretical perspectives and critiques their analytical strengths and weaknesses. Attention also given to particular theorists.
WS 4903 – LATIN AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS
Seminars on topics related to womanist/feminist theories or current areas of inquiry in Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies.
WS 5193 – RIGHTS, RACE, SOCIAL JUSTICE
Interpretations of the utility of constitutional rights in movements for social justice, with special attention to struggles for racial equality. Readings in legal studies, social sciences, critical legal studies and critical race theory that address the relationship of legal rights and change.
WS 5293 – GLORIA ANZULDUA SEMINAR
Investigation of the theories and literature of Gloria E. Anzaldua, focusing on her contributions to feminist theory, queer theory, post structuralism and other contemporary theoretical movements in the social sciences and the humanities. Examination of Anzaldua's impact on Women's and Gender Studies, ethnic studies and other academic disciplines.
WS 5903 – ST: FOOD AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Food justice is a multifaceted concept that encompasses concern for land, water, nonhuman animals, people and the ways in which all interconnect. Our guiding question for this course is: how do we balance justice for all aspects of our complex, global food system? By considering forces such as food deserts, industrial farming practices, globalization and diet culture, we'll explore how our personal and structural relationships with food create injustices all along the food journey. We’ll ask how we can transform our current food system.
WS 6103 – NEW DIRECTIONS FEMININE/WOMAN THEORY
Recent controversies, significant research questions and new directions in feminist/womanist theorizing. Investigation of recent interventions in Women's and Gender Studies and feminist/womanist theories and theorizing.
Page last updated 11:25 AM, January 4, 2024