Fall 2009 Courses
Women's Studies Fall 2009 Courses
Introduction to Women’s Studies
Staff
WOST 207 or WOST 207W
TR 3:30-4:45 or MW 3:00-4:15 (W section)
This course will introduce students to key topics, concepts, approaches, and problems in Women's Studies as the field has developed over the past 40 years in the United States. We will focus on the lives, work, and beliefs of women in the United States but will adopt comparative and transnational perspectives at certain points. As part of the course, we will investigate the significance and meanings of gender at different periods in U.S. history and will explore the development of feminism and feminist theory. The ways in which race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, and age shape experience, culture, ideology, and politics will be central areas of inquiry. We will also address the means through which women have resisted inequality and effected social and political change. This course will be interdisciplinary in its approach, meaning that we will read feminist essays from a wide range of disciplines, including cultural studies, economics, history, philosophy, political theory, psychology, and sociology. Gen Ed.
Independent Study
WOST 497
Ann Clark, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Lily Hoang, Phyllis Kaminiski, Frances Kominkiewicz, Terri Russ, and Jennifer Zachman are among the Women's Studies faculty willing to direct independent study projects. Students interested should speak first to the Women's Studies faculty member who will guide the project, then contact Professor Jennifer Zachman to formalize the proposal and ensure proper registration.
Internship
WOST 499
Practical off-campus experience in a Women's Studies related field at an approved site. The internship will be jointly supervised by a faculty member and a representative from the sponsoring agency. Internships are open to junior or senior Women's Studies majors or minors who have taken at least two Women's Studies courses. Must be approved by Professor Jennifer Zachman. Graded S/U. May be repeated for up to three hours. A reflection paper appropriate to the nature of the internship will be required.
Advanced Writing Proficiency
WOST 998
Senior Comprehensive
WOST 999
Anthropology of Women
Professor Erin Cressy
ANTH 346
TR 9:30- 10:45
In Anthropology of Women we will analyze how gender, race, fear and violence impact the lives of women around the world. The role of women as leaders and activists in the face of such adversity will also be examined. We will focus on Rwanda, Iraq, and the United States. Information regarding The Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, two current hotspots of war and violence against women, will also be woven into our conversations.
Public Communication
Professor Terri Russ
COMM 369
TR 5:00-6:15
As a women’s studies course, we will be considering the numerous interconnections between gender and communication. We live our gender both through and within our communication. As gendered beings, when we communicate our gender influences how we communicate and how what we communicate is received. In addition to examining the role of gender in our communication, we will also consider how race, socioeconomic class, and sexuality work in connection with our gender to enable and constrain our communicative attempts. Through our work within a service agency specifically working with women, we will be able to come to a greater understanding of the ways that these social constructs play out in individual lives and impact identity.
Romantic Era Feminism
Professor Laura Haigwood
ENLT 384
TR 11:00-12:15
Women writers of the Romantic era did not call themselves “feminists,” but their vindication of the rights of woman inspired all subsequent “waves.” Responding to parallel political demands for democratic government and the abolition of slavery, Romantic women authors began a movement that – despite obstacles and backlashes – has blazed a steady trail into the present day. We will begin by reading Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility to situate educated, Romantic-era Englishwomen in their time and place. Our central focus will be the life and work of Mary Wollstonecraft, whose career exemplifies persistent tensions between “sense” and “sensibility” in feminist discourse and feminine experience. We will also read her contemporaries for a wide range of perspectives on women’s issues. The heartening fact that good men side with feminists against patriarchal oppression will be demonstrated by William Godwin and John Stuart Mill, among others.
Major Lit Figures: Jane Austen
Professor Laura Haigwood
ENLT 417
TR 2:00-3:15
This course offers an intensive study of Jane Austen’s fiction. We will read all of her finished novels, as well as some juvenilia and criticism, to increase our understanding of the novel as a genre through study of the developing craft of a master novelist, to analyze Jane Austen’s approach to the particular problems and issues involved in pursuing a career as a woman writer, to understand Austen’s values and ideas in the social and historical context of Regency England, and to consider the reasons for her continuing popularity.
Modern European Women
Professor Kelly Hamilton
HIST 370
TR 2:00-3:15
In this course, we will study how ethnicity, class, nationality, religion, and gender have shaped the identities of modern European women. Beginning in 1789 with the French Revolution, profound political, social, and economic changes reshaped nineteenth and twentieth century European women’s opportunities and expectations. Emancipation and empowerment came slowly, with education, access to the work place, and political and legal rights, particularly economic and legal rights within marriage, playing crucial roles in determining the quality of women’s lives. The political, legal, and social structures that determined women’s opportunities and social status will provide an important framework, but the major focus will be the fabric of these women’s lives. Thus, the powerful cultural images and social norms that affected women’s identities, including ideas concerning beauty, fashion, and behavior, will be important as well. The research project for this course will be an oral presentation of ten to fifteen minutes, accompanied by a five to six page essay.
Women’s Health
Professor Ella Harmeyer
NURS 222
MW 3:30-4:45
This class is designed to explore the concept of health and its significance for women. We will discuss the physical, emotional, social, and cultural factors that affect the health of women. Health promotion and healthy lifestyle choices are also a strong focus, along with women's responsibilities and leadership in health awareness. Non-nursing majors
Introduction to Feminist Philosophy
Professor Ann Clark
PHIL 243
TR 11:00-12:15
Why feminist theory? For people interested in sex and gender, feminist theory will be an exploration of multiple meanings of those concepts, how those multiple meanings have arisen and what presuppositions lie behind different interpretations. This knowledge enables one to sense complex consequences which are at stake for proponents of a particular meaning and thus both to choose and to understand. For people interested in philosophy, feminist theory will take you into new territory, show you deep assumptions and presuppositions in the parade of “neutral” accounts of the nature of persons offered by Western philosophy. This knowledge enables one to read philosophy with a new sensitivity and to understand history, aims and achievements of the original work now being produced by women philosophers the world round. Why do Where have these ideas come from? What are their consequences? What do they imply about relationships and communities in every day life? About differences in our relationships to knowledge, culture and art? About different views of freedom? Feminist theory integrates philosophical questions about freedom, knowledge and community with questions about the meanings of sex and gender. Readings will range from selected western philosophical texts from which much of 20th century thought about sex and gender begins. We will read second wave feminist philosophers thinking about the paradoxes involved in their own philosophical feminism. And we will end with readings from contemporary philosophers who no longer feel the need for critique, but are creatively re-imagining theory to respond to issues currently affecting all of us on the globe. Assignments will include journal writing, leading discussion of current issues and events from a feminist theory perspective, short essays, two substantial papers and two exams. THEORY people have the ideas about sex and gender that they do?
Psychology of Adult Development
Professor Rebecca Stoddart
PSYC 302
MW 11:00-12:15
Psyc 302 Starting with adolescence, the course examines issues and processes that influence development throughout adulthood. We will use Erik Erikson's and Carl Jung's theories as a basis for examining each stage of adulthood, and also use contemporary theories of adult development to supplement and critique these theories. A central focus is on gender differences both in the issues facing adults throughout the lifespan, and in the social and cultural supports available to men and women as they address these issues. Special attention is paid to issues of diversity, ie., how identity development unfolds for adolescents who are gay/lesbian; biracial youth; adolescents growing up in poverty and in the margins of our culture. The course is taught as a seminar; as such, students should be prepared to lead and participate in discussions of readings in each class. In addition to weekly journal writing, students will complete three reflection papers and an interview project, plus exams. Prerequisite: Psyc 301 or Psyc 305, or Women's Studies minor.
Stereotyping and Prejudice
Professor Bettina Spencer
PSYC 438
TR 2:00-3:15
In this course we will examine issues of stereotyping and prejudice from a social psychological perspective. Using a mix of quantitative journal articles, novels, and films, we will identify and explore why people stereotype, how prejudices form, the effects of prejudice, how to combat stereotyping, and how members of disadvantaged groups can psychologically protect themselves against the negative effects of stigma. Although we will think broadly about social groups in general, we will also focus on particular social groups as they pertain to ethnicity and race, gender, sexual orientation, and social class. We will specifically address the intersection of gender with other social identities, and will explore issues that are particular to women of color, lesbian, queer, and transgendered populations, and women of varying class statuses. Students should have an understanding of social psychology or have taken a course in research methods.
Sociology of Families
Professor Mary Ann Kanieski
SOC 257
MWF 1:00-1:50 & MWF 2:00-2:50
In this course, we will consider the various forms of families and their relationships to their social environments. For example, we will examine historical trends, economic pressures, and the impact of public policies. We will also consider life within families as we examine gender, childrearing, household labor, divorce, and family violence. Finally, we will always examine the ways in which family life varies because of gender, cultural differences, class position, race, and sexualities.
Sexuality, Intimacy, and Relationships
Professor Toni Henke-Wheeler
SW 341
W 6:00-8:30
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to examine human sexuality and intimacy within a lifespan, relational context. Students will address these topics through knowledge of the biological, social, spiritual, and psychological aspects of relationships, sexuality, and intimacy. We will also explore populations-at-risk–namely, those who are experiencing issues with intimacy, sexuality, and relationships. Perspectives from feminist literature will be used to strengthen the analysis. Psychosocial issues are emphasized.
