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Women's & Gender Studies, University of Missouri
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WGST Course Catalog

Below you will find descriptions of all courses offered by Women's & Gender Studies.
Please note: not all classes are offered every semester. To find current listings for each semester, consult the myZou system.
Topics Courses Offered Spring 2008
WGST 1001 - Topics in Women's and Gender Studies

Organized study of selected topics in Women's and Gender Studies. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester. Offerings in past years included: Black Women in American Politics; Latin American Women's Culture; Contemporary Chinese Women Writers. The last digit of the course number indicates which General Education category it fulfills. (Previously WGST 101.) Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 1100 - Self-Defense for Women

Teaches women how to protect themselves through verbal and physical techniques. Course encourages both physical and mental preparedness to increase awareness and empower students to meet daily emergencies. (Previously WGST 1.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 1120 - Bodies, Cultures and Nations

This course surveys a century of feminist politics and theory by asking students to think critically about the diverse ways in which human identity is gendered, and the historical development of gendered inequalities. Paying particular attention to the importance of race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality in the cultural construction of sexual difference, we will explore both our different experiences of gender and our common struggles. In so doing, we will critically examine a wide range of feminist and gender theories that analyze and contest oppressive social conditions in the United States and throughout the world. Interdisciplinary in focus, this course introduces key concepts and problems in Women's and Gender Studies through films, literary texts, manifestoes, theoretical and historical essays, popular culture, and writings from the girl zine movement. Class will include lecture and discussion sections. (Previously WGST 105. Previous title Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 1332/Black Studies 1332 - Social Perspectives on Women, Race and Class

Examines the multiple and intersecting layers of gendered life, focusing on the impact of gender, race, culture/ethnicity, and class on women over the course of their lives. Reviews the ways in which knowledge about women is created and contested; what some of this knowledge is; and how "information" and social institutions affect the different subgroups of women in this and other societies. Looks into the paradox of women as the creators, negotiators, and "victims" of social values and structures. No credit for students who have taken WGST or Black Studies 1334. (Previously WGST 111.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 1360/Sociology 1360 - The Female Experience: Body, Identity, Culture

This course examines the ways individuals come to understand what it means to be a woman in U.S. culture. We explore the diversity among women's experiences with special attention to the meanings of body image, sexuality, and race/ethnicity. The course also examines institutions in U.S. society that exert social control over women's bodies, especially the media, the legal system, and the medical professions. (Previously WGST 60.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2001 - Topics in Women's and Gender Studies

Organized study of selected topics in Women's and Gender Studies. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester. Offerings have included: Women in the Ancient World and European Women's History in the 20th Century. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. The last digit of the course number indicates which General Education category it fulfills. (Previously WGST 201.) Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

Fall 2008 - WGST 2001/Interdisciplinary Studies 2960 - Topics: Sexual Health Service Learning Course
Heather Eastman Mueller

The course will offer the student an opportunity to critically investigate sexuality as it exists within a cultural context including religion, politics, gender analysis, social justice, familial, and societal influences. Through assigned readings, reflection, experiential activities, and small group presentations, students will increase their awareness of sexual health issues, enhance self awareness and learn how to effectively educate their peers surrounding issues of sexual health.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

Summer 2008 - WGST 2003 - Topics: Mis(s) Education: Experts' Advice to Women and Girls
Veronica Medina

This course has been canceled.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2020 - Feminist Theory I

Introduces central themes and problems within feminist thought, including consciousness-raising, motherhood, class, race, sexuality, nationalism and transnational feminism. This course also focuses on building the skills necessary to reading and writing about theory. By surveying a series of debates critical to second-wave feminism, we will examine the difficulty of articulating what Simone de Beauvoir called the feminine "we" and move to the more recent articulation of the feminist (if not quite feminine) "we" by feminist theorists of transnational politics. Prerequisite: WGST 1120, 1332, or consent of instructor. (Previously WGST 220.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2030 - Gender in India: Colonial Histories, Post-Colonial Challenges

This course seeks to answer two broad questions: one, some of the realities of women's lives in India today, and second, how should we study those realities? In other words, how has/does gender impact women's lives in India? In order to map the status of women in today's India, we have to first know something about its long colonial history. Therefore the course will be divided into two sections: the first section will delve into some of the debates and discourse which have marked women's history in the colonial period. The second section will look at women in today's post-colonial India and try to evaluate how much women's real lives have changed after almost sixty years of independence from British colonial rule.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2040 - Women's Empowerment

Women's Empowerment is a popular catch phrase in politics and research, but what does it mean? How is it measured? If we define and measure it, but find it lacking, how do we empower individuals? This course examines definitions of measurements of and routes to women's empowerment in First World and Third World contexts.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2080 - Gender Freedom: Sexuality and Gender Beyond Borders

What is gender and how do we define its boundaries? How are "male" and "female" bodies and identities produced by culture? How do "outlaw genders" challenge our understanding of (and experience of) sex, gender, and sexuality? What does gender freedom look like?? These are a few of the questions we will explore in this cross-cultural course on gender and sexual diversity. Investigating the roles of race/ethnicity, class, region and sexuality in modern constructions of sexed bodies, we will study the diverse lives of gender variant people and how they have been represented in literature and film. Throughout the course, we will pay particular attention to those systems of gender-based oppression that suppress multiple gender identities and expressions. Readings and other course materials are interdisciplinary, including anthropological and historical perspectives, gender theory, literary texts, and documentary films. (Previous title: Outlaw Genders.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2180/English 2180 - Introduction to Women's Literature

A study of traditional and non-traditional literature written by women from the perspective of feminist themes: love, power, work, family and other relations. Recent offerings have included: 1) Asian American Women Writers, 2) Girl Sleuths, 3) Women, Dieting and Fat, and 4) Women, Literature and Medicine. No more than six hours may be taken in the Introduction to Women's Literature series. (Previously WGST 108.) Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2390/Spanish 2390 - Latin American Women's Culture

This course examines Latin American women across class, race, ethnicity and age, as producers of high and popular culture. We will be looking at how women have been seen in art, religion, popular and high culture and the ways in which women have seen themselves over time. A selection of films, documentaries, and audiovisual materials will accompany the reading material. Course is taught in English. (Previously WGST 122.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2400/History 2400 - Social History of U.S. Women

This course will trace the social history of women in what is now the United States, beginning with the era of the first contact between Native Americans and Europeans. We will focus on the changing limitations and possibilities facing American women, examining the shifting strategies of consent and resistance with which women confronted these circumstances. In the process, we will study women in the context of family, work, education and politics. While we will generalize about American women, we will also consider the diversity of their lives according to age, race, ethnicity, region and social class. Finally we will study changing definitions of what it means to be a woman and a man, considering the ways in which a gender-conscious perspective can enhance our historical understanding. (Previously WGST 125.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2410/History 2410 - African American Women in History

African American Women in History covers major social, economic, and political issues affecting black women since their introduction into English-speaking North America to the present. (Previously WGST 126.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2500/Philosophy 2500 - Philosophy and Gender

A critical examination of central ideas and themes in feminist philosophical thought. Topics may include: sex, marriage, parenthood, reproduction, body image, pornography, prostitution.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 2940 - Life, Work, Community

This course offers students an opportunity to learn about career and civic involvement opportunities. Students will explore the connection between academics and activism through the creation and implementation of a campus/community activist project. Students will also learn how to use their knowledge to enhance their career options, and will strengthen their career building skills such as interviewing, resume writing, and job searching. (This course is one credit hour.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3001 - Topics in Women's and Gender Studies

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of Women's and Gender Studies and/or experimental development of new content areas. Repeatable up to six credit hours. Offerings in recent years have included: History of Sexuality; Gender and Race in American Culture; and Women's Writing. The last digit of the course number indicates which General Education category it fulfills. Previously WGST 301.) Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

Fall 2008 - WGST 3004.1 - Topics: Nonprofit Work and the Pursuit of Social Justice
Dana Hughes

This course provides a history and overview of the work of nonprofit organizations. It will be framed in a social justice paradigm and will explore women's role in nonprofit organizations, why many women gravitate to nonprofits, and the implications of their work to achieve social justice through these organizations.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

Fall 2008 - WGST 3004.2 - Topics: Geography of Sexualities
Sam Bullington

This class is designed to explore the relationship of sexuality and space. We will be examining public/private distinctions, sacred/profane divisions, methodological considerations in studying sexuality and space (such as access, trust, and insider/outsider dynamics), and global issues around sexuality (such as mail order brides, sex tourism, and sexuality and militarization). We will explore the role of sexuality in colonization (especially the ways that racial and cultural differences were created and maintained through restrictions around sexuality) and the postcolonial implications for the developing world (such as the ways that the pathologization of African sexuality, as well as the assertion that homosexuality is "unAfrican" inform debates around AIDS in Africa). We will also examine the relationship of sexuality and nationalism as well as homosexuality and capitalism.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3080/English 3080 - Sexuality and Gender Theory

“Sexuality Studies: Theory, Culture, and Politics.” Debates about the politics of sexuality have been at the forefront of contemporary efforts to rethink concepts of identity, desire, and the body. This course seeks to provide a theoretical and cultural context for such debates by investigating the complex and often contradictory relationship between sexuality and society. After tracing the historical emergence of the modern sexual self, we will survey contemporary theories of sexuality and sexual representations, particularly as they intersect with systems of race, class, and gender. Topics will include sexuality and desire under capitalism; feminist theories of sexuality and the feminist "sex wars;" cultural representations of HIV/AIDS; racialized sexualities; sexual and gender diversity; gender performance; the politics of embodiment. Readings and other course materials range from theoretical and historical essays to literary texts, films, and popular culture. (Previously WGST 238.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3180/English 3180 - Historical Survey of Women Writers

This course will provide a rough overview of women's writings over time, beginning with examples of the earliest writings we have by women up to contemporary times. Students will read several short stories by women and several novels--European, Ethnic, and American. A variety of themes have been included in recent years. (Previously WGST 208.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3220/History 3220 - U.S. Women's Political History, 1880-Present

This course explores American women's engagement with the American political process over the course of the twentieth century, beginning in the years before women's suffrage. Through readings, discussions, and written assignments, we will address questions of women's political history including the following: In what ways did America's founding political ideas and institutions allow for the participation of women? How has this changed over time? On what grounds have women organized as a group? What political goals have women activists sought? How have class and race affected women's political identities? How is women's political activism best understood in relationship to the conventional political spectrum (left vs. right)? In what ways have women political activists affected political outcomes? What is the relationship of women's politics to feminism? Is "women politics" a useful concept? (Previously WGST 2230.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3320/Sociology 3320 - Sociology of Gender

Study of the ways in which femininities and masculinities are constructed in American society with particular attention to gender ideologies and the gendered nature of the social structure. Prerequisites: Sociology 1000, 1360, or equivalent. WGST 1120 is considered an equivalent. (Previously WGST 262.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3380/Spanish 3380 - Latin American Women Writers

We will study 19th and 20th century representative literary works by Latin American and Latina writers from a feminist perspective. The works will be read chronologically, and we will explore and discuss the shift in representing women and literary strategies used and developed by writers from Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela and the U.S. Reading and course work in English. Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing. (Previously WGST 226.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3430/History 3430 - Sex Radicals in U.S. History

This course will survey the history of sexual practices and norms from the colonial era to the present. We will be particularly concerned to locate the history of sexuality in changing social, economic and familial structures. The course will be divided into four sections: the initial period of European colonization and settlement, the emergence of a more market and urban oriented social order in the early nineteenth century, the massive expansion of the industrial capitalist system and state intervention at the turn of the century, and the post-industrial, "sexual revolution" of the mid-twentieth century. In each case we will discuss the experience of individuals or social groups who deviated from the sexual norms of the day, "sex radicals," for the ways in which they reveal the workings of the sexual order more generally at the time. (Previously taught as WGST 301.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3450 - Feminist Methodologies

This course is an opportunity to explore the difference that feminism makes in doing research. The aim is threefold. First, to consider challenges raised by feminist thinkers to standard views about knowledge. Second, to demonstrate a range of approaches within feminist scholarship. While we cannot possibly cover all the feminist approaches in the disciplines and interdisciplinary research, the hope is that students can begin to identify the research tools and strategies suited to questions they want to pursue. Third, we examine ways that feminist research can be used in collaboration with local groups and for advocacy.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST/Geography 3530 - Global Politics of HIV/AIDS

Highlights social, political, and geographical aspects of what is commonly viewed as a medical crisis, including global conflicts over meaning, morality, and resource allocation. Examines AIDS science--what we think we know about AIDS and the racial and gendered discourses underlying this knowledge--as well as the impacts of poverty and gendered inequalities on the spread of the epidemic. Considers global AIDS policy, the role of pharmaceuticals and universities in the production of essential medicines, and current transnational treatment access activism.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3570/History 3570 - European Women in the 19th Century

This course will trace the history of European women from 1789 to 1900 exploring the ways women experienced the political, social, and economic transformations of the 19th century. We will look at how the French revolution, industrialization, class-formation, and colonialism redefined the lives of European women. Themes emphasized in this course include changes in family structure, work and gender-politics through the last century. (Previously WGST 233.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3670 - Imagining Gender in a Global Context

This course introduces students to transnational feminist theories and practices. The course also invites students to consider how contemporary rhetorical theories can help us understand representational practices (images, texts, films, art, literature) and material circumstances related to globalization. We will spend the first half of the semester exploring how social class, gender, place/nation, (dis)ability, and sexuality complicate our understanding of globalization. The last half of the class will be spent investigating how contemporary feminist theory and practices not only provide an analytic lens to help us articulate the cultural work of globalization but also give us tools to create alternative and active responses to globalization. We will read contemporary feminist and rhetorical theory alongside several primary texts: the novels White Teeth and Oryx and Crake, World Bank promotional materials, US welfare policies, US Homeland Security initiatives, human rights/women's rights documents, and the films Real Women have Curves and Raising Victor Vargas (to name a few examples). Ultimately, our goal will be to expand the study of transnational feminism to critique and understand how institutional systems, individual identities, and local communities are linked by common practices. Students will be expected to write several reader/response papers, lead a class discussion, and workshop drafts of a larger seminar paper.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 3750/Rel St 3750 - Women and Religions

This course explores a distinctive mode of human creativity - religion. In particular, we will focus on the diversity and breadth of women's religious practice and thought in Goddess religions, Voodoo, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Native American religions. We will examine approaches to the study of religion, including psychological, anthropological, sociological, and phenomenological theories. In other words, we will talk about how to talk (and think) about religion. In addition, we will read diverse genres of religious expressions, including autobiography, theology, critical essays and ethnography. We will find out what religious women value about their religion and why they talk about it they way they do. We will discover how "outsiders" critique and/or value religion and why. We will analyze what these values tell us about human nature, society, and power. Prerequisite: sophomore standing; one prior course in Women's and Gender Studies or Religious Studies. (Previously WGST 263.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4001 - Topics in Women's and Gender Studies

Problems, topics, issues or review of research in any area of Women's and Gender Studies and/or experimental development of new content areas. Repeatable up to six credit hours. Offerings in recent years have included: Fairytales and Feminism; and Domestic Violence. The last digit of the course number indicates which General Education category it fulfills. Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

Fall 2008 - WGST 4004/History 4004.3 - Topics: Historical Perspectives on Adoption, Child Welfare and the Family
Catherine Rymph

This course will examine the relatively new field of the history of adoption in America. It will address topics such as: the changing legal and social meanings of adoption since the mid-19th century; the historical connections between adoption and issues of poverty, family, gender, race, sexuality, class, and fertility; changing understandings of identity within the "adoption triad;" and more recent issues such as transnational adoption. The course will be conducted as a readings seminar, with students expected to read actively and engage in discussion of weekly topics.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4020 - Feminist Theory II: Problems in Feminist Thought

Examines recent problems and critical debates within feminist theory. Topics vary from year to year, but have included Feminist Perspectives on Sexuality and Sexual Difference; Feminism, Nationalism, and Post-Colonial Thought, among others. Prerequisites: WGST 2020, or consent of instructor. (Previously WGST 320.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4110/Sociology 4110 - Feminist Research and Criticism

This course is centrally concerned with how feminists in the social sciences produce knowledge, what we do with that knowledge, and if the process is any different because we are feminists. We will examine feminist critiques of social science research methodogies, questions of feminist epistemology, and how feminists struggle with those questions in our work. We will be reading exemplars from anthropology, history, political science, psychology and sociology. Prerequisite: Sociology 2950 or equivalent. (Previously WGST 362.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4180/English 4180 - Major Women Writers

Readings and discussion of major women writers, typically two to four, from the perspective of feminist critical theory. Possibilities have included Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, Dorothy Richardson, Gertrude Stein, Janet Lewis, and Joyce Carol Oates. Repeatable up to six hours. (Previously WGST 308.) Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4181/English 4181 - Themes in Literature by Women

Examines works by a number of women writers with particular attention to their sociolpolitical context. Recent topics included Motherhood in Black Women's Literature. May repeat to six hours with department's consent. Prerequisite: junior standing. (Previously WGST 315.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4230/Soc 4230/Black Studies 4230 - Women, Development, and Globalization

Interest in "development" as a strategy to bring about proposed changes in nonWestern societies began in the 1940s and has continued to the present. This course will review critically the history and structure of the discourse and practices surrounding the development process, particularly as they have affected the lives of women. A major emphasis in the course will be the need to understand global connections between women and the ways both Western and nonWestern societies are implicated in development activities. Increasingly, globalization and its impact on development need to be addressed. This course will cover various issues associated with the impact of globalization on women in western and nonwestern nations. In reviewing the specifics of the development process, we will note how women are made invisible and visible, and how they are represented. Attention will be paid to women's own perspectives on "development" and local attempts to define and institute programs that can improve the quality of life. (Previously WGST 373.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4400/Social Work 4400 - Contemporary Issues in Domestic Violence

This course covers the history of the battered women's movement, violence theories, policy issues, prevention and intervention practice models for working with battered women, their children, and abusers. Contemporary issues such as teen dating violence, universal screening, healthcare issues, workplace violence and coordinated community approaches will be examined. (Previously WGST 388.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4420 - The Politics of Reproduction and Fertility Control

Focuses on the social construction and control of female reproductive capacities, keeping in mind the interacting interests of international institutions, the State, families, male partners, and different categories of women. We will examine belief systems, their production, and the social as well as medical practices involved in fertility behavior. The course explores among other things the notion of women as object and subject, fertility and infertility, pregnancy and surrogacy, and male/female parenting issues. Both theoretical and empirical material will be used to make USA and cross-cultural comparisons. Specific topics include definitions of the female body, reproductive health and historical trends in fertility, the promotion/use of contraceptive and abortion technology, medicalization of pregnancy and birth, teenage pregnancy, population control and development, motherhood, AIDS and reproduction, menopause, women and practitioners, legal/ethical issues, and empowering women. Prerequisite: Junior Standing (Previously WGST 370.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

Summer 2008 - WGST 4489/English 4489 - Major Anglophone Africana Women Writers,1890 - Present
Marlon Moore

Special Offering: Dykes, Butches, Femmes, and Bulldaggers: The Black Queer Woman in 20th-century US Culture
In this course we will examine lesbian, bisexual and other non-heteronormative representations of black women in the US. We will explore the socio-political impact of these depictions and investigate the ways geography, race consciousness, class politics and religion shape and/or complicate each text. We will study across literary and popular genres by and about black women, including theory, fiction, poetry, music, and film.

This is a discussion-based course. In order for the class to be successful, students must keep up with the assigned readings and come to class prepared to exchange ideas.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4480/Eng 4480/Black Studies 4480 - Major Anglophone Africana Women Writers

Readings and discussion of two or three major Anglophone Africana women writers, focusing on texts originally in English. Recent offerings have included: The Black Womanist Writer: Paule Marshall and Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston and Her Literary Sisters, and Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor. May repeat to six hours with department's consent. Maximum of six hours for 4180 and 4480. (Previously WGST 308A.) Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4600/Nursing 4600 - Women's Health

Selected issues relevant to women and health across the life span will be discussed from a historic, contemporary, and futuristic perspective. Social roles central to women's lives, transitions, and identity and their influence on the experience of health and illness will be foundational themes of the course. International social-political influences on women's lives and the implications for women's health will also be an underlying emphasis. The course will be divided into 3 sections: (a) influence of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and spirituality on health, (b) selected health issues of importance to women, and (c) special topics of interest to students in relation to women's health. Experiential and theoretical learning will be stressed. (Previously WGST 305.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4660/History 4660 - European Women in the 20th Century

The course explores the way European women experienced war, revolution, the rise of the welfare state, and migration in the course of the 20th century. We will examine how the events of the past century changed notions of work, motherhood, civic identity and political action. The course is designed to provide students with a historical perspective on issues of gender and identity currently facing the new European community. (Previously WGST 332.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4716/Journalism 4716 - Women and the Media

This class analyzes images of women in the media and studies women journalists in the workplace. We will focus on historical perspectives on women as journalists, and on issues usually not covered by mass media. Attention will be paid to minority as well as majority women. The class will read critically and discuss scholarly and journalistic work on 1) research on women and journalism, 2) images of women as depicted in the media, 3) media coverage of certain issues, and 4) international perspectives of women and the media. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Previously WGST 317.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4730/Political Science 4730 - Women and Politics

This course examines women's political participation and public policies towards women in countries around the world. Prerequisites: Political Science 1100; junior standing.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4750/Rel St 4750 Women, Religion and Culture

An advanced study of the role of women in religion, focusing on the methods of determining the significance of gender in religious life, sacred texts, symbols, rituals, and/or beliefs. The topic of women and religion will be examined through the lens of religious studies and folklore. We will study the roles of women and their expressive religious practices in Christianity and Native American traditions. Some of the topics will include women's altars, sermons, testimonies, rituals, storytelling, and theologies. Prerequisite: Religious Studies/Women's and Gender Studies 3750, Women and Religion, or permission of instructor. (Previously WGST 364.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4780/ English 4780 - Women's Folklore and Feminist Theory

This course examines a wide range of women's oral/verbal and material "arts," from a feminist perspective. Students will read scholarly articles and books devoted to the study of women's folklore and culture; students will also do class presentations on the theories that help us address women's culture. The course focuses on how women develop "arts" and practices that counter their subordinate positions in many cultures and fight oppressive traditions by developing women's spaces, language, and traditions that are more positive for women. (Previously WGST 386.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4830/ Psychology 4830 - Psychology of Women

This course introduces the student to the psychological, social, and cultural factors that shape the development and behavior of women in present society. Examination of psychological research and theory will focus on multicultural factors; that is gender as it relates to race, class, culture & ethnicity in the United States as well as other societies. While the discipline of psychology is the focus of this course, the study of gender and gender relations is of necessity multi-disciplinary and oriented to newer interpretations of gender. Attitudes, biases, and stereotypes will be explored in the light of present research. Some of the topics covered include: the social construction of gender, feminisms, media stereotypes, body image, identity and representation, women and work, marriage and family, women and psychological/physical health, sexuality, pregnancy, childbirth, violence against women, and science and gender bias among others.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4860/Poli Sci 4860 - Liberal Thought and the Ownership of the Self

In establishing the ground for its ideal of individual autonomy, seventeenth-century political philosophy redefined the dichotomy between body and soul as first and foremost a property relation whereby the latter owned the former. Since that time, liberal political thought has required the body to be the bearer of the rational political subject, the citizen. This course will examine the historical and conceptual development of this premise, as well as the reconceptualization of patriarchal thought that it entails. We will analyze a range of historical and contemporary incarnations of the claim to self-ownership in the writings of political theorists, nineteenth century American slaves, and early feminists, as well as contemporary challenges to it by feminist and post-structuralist thinkers. (Previously WGST 265.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4880/Poli Sci 4880 - Feminist Political Thought

In this course, we pose questions about how women may speak politically from within a language of politics that represents them as inimical to change and to public life. We will begin by reading and analyzing a variety of classic texts that establish a language about women's relationship to politics. Next, we will take up reinterpretations of these texts by feminist political theorists who write both to contest the premature foreclosure of women from politics, and also to establish a theoretical ground from which women may speak politically. (Previously WGST 366.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4940 - Internship in Women's and Gender Studies

Directed professional experience in appropriate feminist related agency or organization. Prerequisite: junior standing; departmental consent. Graded on S/U basis only.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 4965 - Special Readings in Women's and Gender Studies

Independent readings for 1-3 credit hours in Women's and Gender Studies for highly qualified and motivated students. Topic selected in consultation with supervisory faculty member. Repeatable up to 6 hours. Consent of department required. (Previously WGST 350.)

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WGST 4990 - Senior Research Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies

Seminar for senior students engaged in a research project that brings together individual concerns and the knowledge and critical skills acquired in Women's and Gender Studies courses by emphasizing the interaction of social conditions such as gender, class, ethnicity, race and sexuality. There will be a selection of readings that will lead students to develop a research topic, conduct research and write final monograph for submission at the end of the semester. Consent of department required. (Previously WGST 390.)

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WGST 7001 - Topics in Women's and Gender Studies

Graduate-level exploration of topics, issues or review of research in any area of Women's and Gender Studies and/or experimental development of new content areas. The last digit of the course number indicates the division of the course. Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 7020 - Feminist Theory II: Problems in Feminist Thought

Examines recent problems and critical debates within feminist theory. Topics vary from year to year, but have included Feminist Perspectives on Sexuality and Sexual Difference; Feminism, Nationalism, and Post-Colonial Thought, among others. Prerequisites: WGST 2020, or consent of instructor. (Previously WGST 320.)

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WGST 7110/Sociology 7110 - Feminist Research and Criticism

This course is centrally concerned with how feminists in the social sciences produce knowledge, what we do with that knowledge, and if the process is any different because we are feminists. We will examine feminist critiques of social science research methodogies, questions of feminist epistemology, and how feminists struggle with those questions in our work. We will be reading exemplars from anthropology, history, political science, psychology and sociology. Prerequisite: Sociology 2950 or equivalent. (Previously WGST 362.)

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WGST 7180/English 7180 - Major Women Writers

Readings and discussion of major women writers, typically two to four, from the perspective of feminist critical theory. Possibilities have included Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, Dorothy Richardson, Gertrude Stein, Janet Lewis, and Joyce Carol Oates. Repeatable up to six hours. (Previously WGST 308.) Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 7230/Soc 7230/Black Studies 7230 - Women, Development, and Globalization

Interest in "development" as a strategy to bring about proposed changes in nonWestern societies began in the 1940s and has continued to the present. This course will review critically the history and structure of the discourse and practices surrounding the development process, particularly as they have affected the lives of women. A major emphasis in the course will be the need to understand global connections between women and the ways both Western and nonWestern societies are implicated in development activities. Increasingly, globalization and its impact on development need to be addressed. This course will cover various issues associated with the impact of globalization on women in western and nonwestern nations. In reviewing the specifics of the development process, we will note how women are made invisible and visible, and how they are represented. Attention will be paid to women's own perspectives on "development" and local attempts to define and institute programs that can improve the quality of life. (Previously WGST 373.)

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WGST 7400/Social Work 7400 - Contemporary Issues in Domestic Violence

This course covers the history of the battered women's movement, violence theories, policy issues, prevention and intervention practice models for working with battered women, their children, and abusers. Contemporary issues such as teen dating violence, universal screening, healthcare issues, workplace violence and coordinated community approaches will be examined. (Previously WGST 388.)

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WGST 7420 - The Politics of Reproduction and Fertility Control

Focuses on the social construction and control of female reproductive capacities, keeping in mind the interacting interests of international institutions, the State, families, male partners, and different categories of women. We will examine belief systems, their production, and the social as well as medical practices involved in fertility behavior. The course explores among other things the notions of women as object and subject, fertility and infertility, pregnancy and surrogacy, and male/female parenting issues. Both theoretical and empirical material will be used to make USA and cross-cultural comparisons. Specific topics include definitions of the female body, reproductive health and historical trends in fertility, the promotion/use of contraceptive and abortion technology, medicalization of pregnancy and birth, teenage pregnancy, population control and development, motherhood, AIDS and reproduction, menopause, women and practitioners, legal/ethical issues, and empowering women. (Previously WGST 370.)

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WGST 7480/Eng 7480/Black Studies 7480 - Major Anglophone Africana Women Writers

Readings and discussion of two or three major Anglophone Africana women writers, focusing on texts originally in English. Recent offerings have included: The Black Womanist Writer: Paule Marshall and Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston and Her Literary Sisters, and Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor. May repeat to six hours with department's consent. Maximum of six hours for 4180 and 4480. (Previously WGST 308A.) Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 7600/Nursing 7600 - Women's Health

Selected issues relevant to women and health across the life span will be discussed from a historic, contemporary, and futuristic perspective. Social roles central to women's lives, transitions, and identity and their influence on the experience of health and illness will be foundational themes of the course. International social-political influences on women's lives and the implications for women's health will also be an underlying emphasis. The course will be divided into 3 sections: (a) influence of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and spirituality on health, (b) selected health issues of importance to women, and (c) special topics of interest to students in relation to women's health. Experiential and theoretical learning will be stressed. (Previously WGST 305.)

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WGST 7660/History 7660 - European Women in the 20th Century

The course explores the way European women experienced war, revolution, the rise of the welfare state, and migration in the course of the 20th century. We will examine how the events of the past century changed notions of work, motherhood, civic identity and political action. The course is designed to provide students with a historical perspective on issues of gender and identity currently facing the new European community. (Previously WGST 332.)

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WGST 7716/Journalism 7716 - Women and the Media

This class analyzes images of women in the media and studies women journalists in the workplace. We will focus on historical perspectives on women as journalists, and on issues usually not covered by mass media. Attention will be paid to minority as well as majority women. The class will read critically and discuss scholarly and journalistic work on 1) research on women and journalism, 2) images of women as depicted in the media, 3) media coverage of certain issues, and 4) international perspectives of women and the media. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Previously WGST 317.)

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WGST 7750/Rel St 7750 Women, Religion and Culture

An advanced study of the role of women in religion, focusing on the methods of determining the significance of gender in religious life, sacred texts, symbols, rituals, and/or beliefs. The topic of women and religion will be examined through the lens of religious studies and folklore. We will study the roles of women and their expressive religious practices in Christianity and Native American traditions. Some of the topics will include women's altars, sermons, testimonies, rituals, storytelling, and theologies. Prerequisite: Religious Studies/Women''s and Gender Studies 3750, Women and Religion, or permission of instructor. (Previously WGST 364.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 7780/ English 7780 - Women's Folklore and Feminist Theory

This course examines a wide range of women's oral/verbal and material "arts," from a feminist perspective. Students will read scholarly articles and books devoted to the study of women's folklore and culture; students will also do class presentations on the theories that help us address women's culture. The course focuses on how women develop "arts" and practices that counter their subordinate positions in many cultures and fight oppressive traditions by developing women's spaces, language, and traditions that are more positive for women. (Previously WGST 386.)

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WGST 7830/ Psychology 7830 - Psychology of Women

This course introduces the student to the psychological, social, and cultural factors that shape the development and behavior of women in present society. Examination of psychological research and theory will focus on multicultural factors; that is gender as it relates to race, class, culture & ethnicity in the United States as well as other societies. While the discipline of psychology is the focus of this course, the study of gender and gender relations is of necessity multi-disciplinary and oriented to newer interpretations of gender. Attitudes, biases, and stereotypes will be explored in the light of present research. Some of the topics covered include: the social construction of gender, feminisms, media stereotypes, body image, identity and representation, women and work, marriage and family, women and psychological/physical health, sexuality, pregnancy, childbirth, violence against women, and science and gender bias among others.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 7860 - Liberal Thought and the Ownership of the Self

In establishing the ground for its ideal of individual autonomy, seventeenth-century political philosophy redefined the dichotomy between body and soul as first and foremost a property relation whereby the latter owned the former. Since that time, liberal political thought has required the body to be the bearer of the rational political subject, the citizen. This course will examine the historical and conceptual development of this premise, as well as the reconceptualization of patriarchal thought that it entails. We will analyze a range of historical and contemporary incarnations of the claim to self-ownership in the writings of political theorists, nineteenth century American slaves, and early feminists, as well as contemporary challenges to it by feminist and post-structuralist thinkers. (Previously WGST 265.)

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WGST 7880 - Feminist Political Thought

In this course, we pose questions about how women may speak politically from within a language of politics that represents them as inimical to change and to public life. We will begin by reading and analyzing a variety of classic texts that establish a language about women's relationship to politics. Next, we will take up reinterpretations of these texts by feminist political theorists who write both to contest the premature foreclosure of women from politics, and also to establish a theoretical ground from which women may speak politically. (Previously WGST 366.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 8001 - Topics in Women's and Gender Studies

Graduate-level exploration of topics, issues or review of research in any area of Women's and Gender Studies and/or experimental development of new content areas. The last digit of the course number indicates the division of the course. Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

Summer 2008 - WGST 8005/English 8410 - Topics: Black Feminist/Womanist Thought, Theorizing the Dilemma of Race and Gender
April Langley

This course will investigate political, cultural, and historical aspects of a range of gender theories from the African Diaspora—from 18th- and 19th-century pre-womanist and feminist works to contemporary ones. Accordingly, race and gender will be studied as occupying shared and intersecting positions from the margins, periphery, and center. Thus, while the course will deal with theories of gender, we will do so with the understanding that both "womanist" and "feminist"—as descriptive, delimiting, and liminal terms—constitute a central component of the dilemma posed by debates in which theories of "race" and "gender" are simultaneously engaged. Importantly, neither womanist nor feminist is fully representative of the constructed and constitutive nature of race and gender as it applies to women of African descent and their struggles against multivalent oppressions—which include but are not limited to race, class, and gender. To that end, while we engage theoretical approaches primarily authored by women, we also study key texts in black male womanism/feminism. Further, while we examine scholarship primarily authored by black women from United States, key texts from the Caribbean and Africa (West, South, and Central) will constitute an essential component of our study as well. Indeed, our engagement with black feminist/womanist thought will contend with several inextricable issues: naming, the position/place of black men in black feminist studies, and the geo-political dilemmas posed by constructions of nationality, race, and cultural identity outside of U.S.-centric race/gender models. Readings will be taken from Joseph A. Adeleke, Michael Awkward, Anna Julia Cooper, Barbara Christian, Frances Smith Foster, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Clenora Hudson-Weems, bell hooks, Joy James, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi, Hortense Spillers, Maria Stewart, Sojourner Truth, and many others. Course requirements include: 2-page article review and presentation, annotated bibliography, prospectus, and seminar paper.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 8040 - Seminar: Problems & Issues in Feminist Scholarship

This course is a broad based exploration of a range of current feminist scholarship, both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Issues of identity and difference, community and change are explored through the complicating lenses of race and sexuality. Consent of instructor required. This is the interdisciplinary core course for the graduate minor in Women's and Gender Studies. For more information, see Graduate Minor. (Previously WGST 420.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 8965 - Problems in Women's and Gender Studies

Directed individual study on selected topics for qualified graduate students. Plan of study subject to approval by supervising faculty. Consent of department required. (Previously WGST 400.)

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

WGST 9440/ED LPA 9440 - Race, Gender, Ethnicity in Higher Education

This course is designed to focus on historical and current issues of race, gender, and ethnicity in colleges and universities. Issues faced by students, faculty, and staff will be included. Issues of access and equity will be explored, as will the salience of diversity in a higher education setting.

Top of page/ 1000-level / 2000-level / 3000-level / 4000-level / Graduate

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