Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Students analyze the varieties of women's experiences in contemporary American and global society, consider how gender relations may be changing, and investigate the historical, social, political, economic, and cultural forces that shape our lives relative to gender. We will explore relations of inequity organized along lines of race, ethnicity, nationality, class, sexuality, ability, appearance, age, and other categories of difference, in addition to gender, and consider how such categories of difference impede human flourishing. This exploration will culminate in the consideration of feminist theories of intersectionality and praxis to support the flourishing of all.

Various departments offer topics courses which are applicable to women's studies. Check with the coordinator for current offerings on the schedule.

A study of the body as an expressive instrument, a site of social conditioning, and a means of shaping and conveying identity. It uses specific dance cultures to illustrate a set of dynamics ranging from desire and exoticism to empowerment and assertion of cultural or national identity. Our study of dance as a cultural phenomenon leads us to investigate history, politics, social dynamics, and the shifting categories of race, class, gender, sexuality, spirituality, and culture.

Examines fiction and poetry by women writers paired with their nonfiction prose about the writing process and the place of art in their lives and communities. This course focuses on close reading and analysis of literature by a diverse list of women writing in English and pays particular attention to the writers' responses to the social, economic, and political contexts in which they worked.

Addresses concepts, methods, and theories exploring social and cultural life across time and space, including the changing concept of culture itself. The course is an introduction to ethnographic fieldwork methods and to the practice of anthropology, with attention to the impact of contemporary social forces on the diverse societies that make up the modern world.

Examines the historical and cultural understandings of women in religions of the world. The course emphasizes the work of contemporary women thinkers who are exploring various dimensions of the question of women’s presence, exclusion and contribution to religion. Through historical and comparative study the course will provide both a critical and a constructive understanding of the contributions that women make to religions, as well as the influence of religions on the situation of women in the world. This course will acknowledge the heritage of women’s strength, resistance and celebration in responding to exclusion and oppression and look at some of the ways in which women today are seeking full and authentic participation in the life of their religious traditions and their communities.

Examines the life and work of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, with emphasis on close study of her autobiography. The course places the life and work of this major figure in the historical and cultural context of the Civil Rights Movement and the history of social movements in the United States.

This course introduces students to mass-mediated representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality. We survey historically and/or culturally significant artifacts in this course in order to interpret evolving representations.

Various departments offer topics courses which are applicable to women's studies. Check with the coordinator for current offerings on the schedule.

Independent Study.

Focuses specifically on the investigation of culture at a level of depth suited to juniors and seniors. Participants investigate language, culture, media, representation, and power through a variety of disciplinary and theoretical lenses. Frameworks to be analyzed include subaltern, transcultural, and dependency theory alongside Western theories and tools such as postcolonial, poststructuralist, Marxist, and feminist theory.

Examines socially engaged visual art through historical and contemporary lenses. Looking at a range of works from the art of John Heartfield and Kathë Kollwitz in response to war in Germany to anonymous contemporary artists commenting on systems of oppression like The Guerilla Girls and Banksy, students will employ critical analysis through reading, writing and discussion. Examining how or why art could be considered "an instrument of war," as Picasso so famously intoned, will be a primary focus as students culminate their studies through researching a contemporary issue and creating work in response.

Examines significant topics in African American history from the period of forced migration to the Americas through Reconstruction. Analyzes the roles African Americans of different classes and genders have played in shaping U.S. history.

Examines significant topics in African American history from Reconstruction through the current experience of diverse members of the African Diaspora living in the U.S. Analyzes the roles African Americans of different classes and genders have played in shaping U.S. history.

Introduces students to the research methods, findings, and theories of psychology of gender. Students examine evidence for gender differences and similarities in cognitive abilities, personality, social behavior and mental health, and explore nature and nurture explanations. Gender stereotypes and their impact are discussed. Women's and men's experiences in the workplace, in relationships, and in parenting are major focuses.

Explores how European imperialist accounts of experiences by non-European women have been crucial to the formation of culturally dominant ideas about feminism, globalization and the legacy of the colonial state throughout the so-called "Third World." Beginning with a critical and historical overview of feminist theory and practice, the course will trace recent studies, both historical and ethnographic, of how terms such as "women," "religion" and "the body" were radically changed by the colonial projects of the 19th century (e.g. in South Asia and Africa)-projects that are intimately related to contemporary debates on transnational women's movements and globalization.

Introduces the history of Islam and the modern world from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798 to the present day. The course traces the history of Islam as one of the Abrahamic religions and explores the theological tensions within the many Islamic traditions (in theology and philosophy, mysticism and law). We will focus on the impact of WWI on the Middle East as well as the legacy of colonialism in the Islamic world, including the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of Arab nationalism, and the origins of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. In the concluding section, we will also take a critical and historical look at sex and gender in Islam, focusing on the widespread belief in Europe and the United States that Muslim women are in need of rescue by the West.

Various departments offer topics courses which are applicable to women's studies. Check with the coordinator for current offerings on the schedule.

Independent study.

Provides students with an opportunity to build on coursework in the minor through one of two tracks. The first track is advised by the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Director and involves fieldwork in an off-campus organization relevant to the minor. The second track is advised by a Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies faculty member and involves generation of scholarship relevant to the minor. In addition to site or scholarship work, both tracks require a brief proposal, monthly class discussions with the Director and other enrolled students, a 15-20 page paper, and an oral presentation. WGS 4555 is the capstone course for minors.

Various departments offer topics courses which are applicable to women's studies. Check with the coordinator for current offerings on the schedule.

Independent Study.