Introduction to Women's Studies
WOST 207
Professor Astrid Henry
TR 3:30-4:45
This course will focus on the lives and work of American women, the significance and meaning of gender at different periods in American history, and the development of U.S. feminism and feminist theory. Central to this course will be the ways in which race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, and age and generational location shape women's experiences and the various socio-political meanings of gender in the U.S. 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.
Local/Global Feminisms
WOST 290
Professor Isis Nusair
MW 3:00-4:15
This class aims to provide students with the ability to understand, critique, and comparatively analyze the politics of gender in local/global contexts. The course will trace the development of feminist thinking and practice within national, international and transnational contexts, and will map the political agendas of women's and feminist movements in various countries around the world. The course focuses on how feminisms emerge in a particular context and the specific issues that galvanize women to act for change. The course explores the connections between feminism, colonization, nationalism, militarism, imperialism, and globalization, and analyzes the processes by which the agendas of women from the global north and global south come together or clash. The course will examine through case studies from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa the concerns and challenges facing the local/global women's and feminist movements in the 21st century.
The class is interdisciplinary and draws on writings by local and global activists and theorists. THEORY
Simone de Beauvoir
WOST 390
Professor Renee Kingcaid
MWF 2:00-2:50
In 1949, Simone de Beauvoir published The Second Sex, a two-volume essay that would become the ur-text of French feminism. In this course, we will read the most important sections of this work, as well as the first volume of her extensive autobiography, the Memoires of a Dutiful Daughter. Through these works and others, including novels, essays and correspondence, we will explore Beauvoir's analysis of woman as the 'object' in search of its 'subject-hood,' and evaluate her influence on, and continuing relevance to, contemporary feminist thought, both French and American. Taught in English.
Independent Study
WOST 497
Susan Alexander, Ann Clark, Laura Haigwood, Astrid Henry, and Phyllis Kaminski 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 Henry 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. Jointly supervised by a faculty member and a representative from the sponsoring agency. Open to junior or senior Women's Studies majors or minor who have taken at least two Women's Studies courses. Must be approved by Professor Henry. Graded S/U. May be repeated for up to three hours. A reflection paper appropriate to the nature of the internship will be required.
Gender and Race Issues in Management
BUAD 329
Staff
MW 4:30-5:45
This course explores the dynamics of race and gender in organizations. Attention is given to the concepts of institutional racism and sexism, socialization processes, cultural stereotypes, role theories, conflicts and stress, dual career marriages, and implications of organizational expectations on the individual. Open to non-business majors. Prerequisite: BUAD 221 or permission of instructor.
Images of Women
ENLT 203, section 03
Professor Kim Orlinjan
MW 2:00-3:15
In this course, we will examine the ways in which women, femininity, and gender roles are depicted in 20th-century American literature and popular culture. In addition to exploring texts written by women, we will read male-authored texts, examine film and television, and analyze advertisements. Some of the questions we will consider include: How are femininity and masculinity defined? In what ways does the text adhere to or defy traditional notions of gender? What are the cultural implications of the ways in which women are depicted? How are issues surrounding power and patriarchy connected to the ways that gender roles are delineated?
20th Century African-American Women's Literature
ENLT 365
Professor Kim Orlinjan
MW 4-5:15
In this course, we will explore the ways in which issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality intersect in 20th Century African American women's literature. We will ask questions such as: What do African American women have to say about how they experience "race" in the United States? What roles do public and private histories have in African American women's critique of racism or sexism? In what ways do historical moments/periods such as the Harlem Renaissance impact the writings of these women? How do the texts grapple with notions of individual and communal identity? Can we trace a trajectory in this literature? How do these texts articulate a Black feminism? What do they have to say about more general notions of feminism? We will read novels, poetry, memoirs, drama, essays, and music. The authors we will consider include Nella Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Lorraine Hansberry, Audre Lorde, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, June Jordan, Lucille Clifton, Rita Dove, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Macy Gray, and Lauryn Hill.
Reading Whiteness
ENLT 390, section 02
Professor Astrid Henry
TR 11:00-12:15
What does it mean to be white in the United States? Who is white? What is white privilege? How has whiteness been defined as a racial, cultural, and legal category? This course will explore these questions through introducing you to the diverse range of work being done in whiteness studies, a new academic field that critically examines the meaning of whiteness and white privilege. We will begin the course by reading texts that historicize the concept of whiteness as a racial identity in the U.S., tracing its cultural and legal meanings to the formation of the country and the institution of slavery. Building on this history, we will then read a wide range of texts across academic disciplines that address the meaning of whiteness and white privilege in the contemporary United States. Our readings will include autobiographies and novels, as well as essays from cultural studies, history, legal theory, philosophy, political science, and sociology.
Jane Austen
ENLT 417
Professor Laura Haigwood
TR 3:30-4:45
This course offers an intensive study of Jane Austen's fiction in the context of her life and times. We will read all of her major novels (with the exception of Northanger Abbey, which is covered in the Romantics survey), plus selected letters, biography, social context readings and criticism. We will work together toward four equally important goals: 1) to increase our understanding of the novel as a genre through careful study of the developing craft of a master novelist, 2) to develop experience in intensive study of a single author, 3) to confront and analyze Jane Austen's distinctively successful approach to the particular problems and issues involved in pursuing a career as a woman writer, and 4) to understand Jane Austen's technique, values and ideas as representative of the culture of Regency England, as well as to consider the reasons for her continuing popularity. Although our main emphasis will be on literature, we will also look at some film versions of Austen novels in order to discuss how they adapt her fiction to contemporary popular culture and to film as a medium.
Quest for Human Rights
JUST 301
Professor Marianne Farina
TR 2:00-3:15
This course will provide the students with an overview to the historical, theoretical and practical underpinnings that have shaped and continue to shape the development of human rights in both domestic and international arenas. We will discuss the origin of the human rights concept and how these ideas have been crafted into international declarations, domestic law and policies that enforce and monitor the human rights record of global, national and local communities. The class will also explore specific human rights issues concerning women, children, immigrants, refugees, the environment and other topics.
Spanish Women Writers - added 3/23/04
MLSP 424
Professor Jennifer Zachman
MWF 11:00-11:50
The course will involve the reading, analysis and interpretation of novels, short stories, poems, essays and dramas by Spanish women writers of the twentieth century. Through this analysis, students will explore the changing status of women in Spain over the course of the twentieth century and examine issues of personal identity, changing gender roles and literary movements. Another extremely important objective of the course is to explore the feminine or feminist discourse of the chosen texts and, in so doing, to examine the impact of feminist literary theory and Spanish feminism on Spanish women's writing.
Philosophy of Race and Gender
PHIL 390
Professor Amanda Walker
MW 5:00-6:15
This course will look closely at the ways in which oppressions operate at the intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality, and geo-political location. Central themes developed in this course include resistant practices, difference, "the personal as political," and other issues concerned with narrating collective approaches to experiences of oppression and resistance. Our readings will come from a diverse range of scholarly fields: feminist theories and philosophies, critical race theories, post- and trans-colonial theories and philosophies, political manifestoes, and performative narratives. This course will be of special interest to students committed to the significance of multiculturalism and justice in their personal lives, local situations, and global contexts. THEORY
Gender and Politics
POSC 365
Staff
T 6:00-8:30
This course will combine theoretical and empirical analysis of gender as a political issue. Case studies will permit comparative analysis of the diverse ways in which gender emerges as a political issue within distinct social, economic, cultural, and political contexts. This course will also assess the value of gender analysis in the field of political science. THEORY
Marriage and the Family
SOC 257
Professor Mary Ann Kanieski
MWF 1:00-1:50
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 cultural differences, class position, race, and sexualities.
