Satisfies Social Science General Education Requirement

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. Previous title: Bodies, Cultures, and Nations.