Introduction to Women's Studies
WOST 207
Professor Amanda Littauer
TR 2:00-3:15
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
Susan Alexander, Ann Clark, Laura Haigwood, Amanda Littauer, and Catherine Pittman 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 Littauer 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 Littauer. Graded S/U. May be repeated for up to three hours. A reflection paper appropriate to the nature of the internship will be required.
Women's Voices in Modern and Contemporary American Poetry
ENLT 359
Professor Max Westler
TR 3:30-4:45
Most courses in Modern and Contemporary American Poetry have been dominated by male poets, a predominantly "masculine" point-of-view. But how and to what degree would our sense of that same hundred year span of American history be altered or amended if seen from a woman's point-of-view? That's exactly the question I hope to answer in this course where all the poets we read will be women: major figures like Emily Dickinson, Marianne Moore, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Gwendolyn Brooks, Elizabeth Bishop, and Sylvia Plath; but also lesser known poets such as Muriel Rukyeser, Lucille Clifton, Audre Lorde, June Jordan (and many others). There will be two short papers, and also mid-term and final examinations.
Jane Austen
ENLT 417
Professor Laura Haigwood
MW 3:00-4:15
This course offers an intensive study of Jane Austen's fiction in the context of her life and times. We will read all other major novels (with the exception of Northanger Abbey), working together toward four equally important goals: 1) to increase our understanding of the novel as a genre through study of the developing craft of a master novelist, 2) to develop experience in intensive study of a single author, 3) to analyze Jane Austen's approach to the particular problems and issues involved in pursuing a career as a
woman writer, and 4) to understand Jane Austen's values and ideas as representative 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 and discuss how they adapt her fiction to contemporary popular culture and to film as a medium.
Non-Western Women's History
HIST 390
Professor Edith Miguda
MW 3:30-4:45
The course explores diverse themes in the history of women of the global south including Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, across different historical periods in the twentieth century. Selected topics in the course will examine non-Western women's experiences in the past and analyze their contemporary situations at both national and global levels. We will explore case studies, study various countries and regions, and investigate the social, political, and economic underpinnings that have shaped the history of women in non-Western cultures and the agency of women from the global south in various historical periods. The course will
explore how colonialism, imperialism, and globalization of the world's economy and information exchange have contributed to the production of women of the global south as different across different historical periods. We will explore and critique various dualisms: such as, self and other, civilized and primitive, developed and developing, east and west, south and north, traditional and modern. Themes to be discussed will include class, race, and gender in the 20th century, women under colonialism and colonial resistance, women and nationalism, woman and the economy, women and religion, and non-western women in the
international/global women's movement.
Beyond the Veil: Women Interpret the (Other)Worldly
Dr. Colleen O'Brien
HUST 390
Tues/Thur 2-3:15
This course crosses centuries, genres, and continents to explore women’s representations of the “otherworldly”: religion, ghosts, mysticism, the gothic, and magic realism. Whether describing the ecstasy of mystical union, mysteries concealed behind veils, or syncretistic religious practices like Camdomble and Santeria, these representations engage cultural taboos, danger, and trauma.
Readings will include history, philosophy, literature and cultural studies texts produced by women from Africa, the Americas (U.S., Latin and Caribbean) and various other parts of the world. Assignments will include five short (2-3 pp.) essays, two longer (5-8 pp.) essays, quizzes, a presentation, and a final exam.
Women in Mathematics
MATH 272
Professor Colleen Hoover
M 4:00-6:00
This course will focus on the lives, times, and work of notable women in mathematics from Hypatia to Noether. We will also study recent history of American women in mathematics and the societal and cultural influences which cause women to leave mathematics at all levels. Students in turn assume leadership of discussion. Prerequisite: three college mathematics courses.
Women's Health
NURS 222
Professor Ella Harmeyer
TR 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
PHIL 243
Professor Ann Clark
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 people have the ideas about sex and gender that they 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
Reading and Interpreting Hebrew Bible Prophets
RLST 390
Professor Stacy Davis
TR 11:00-12:15
This course is a study of the fifteen prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible, written from the 8th century BCE to approximately the 4th century BCE. The books will be read in conversation with contemporary work on methods of biblical interpretation, with a sustained emphasis on the theory and practice of feminist biblical criticism. No prior knowledge either of the Hebrew Bible or feminist criticism is necessary. A number of prophetic books describe the relationship between humankind and God in gendered terms; God is the long-suffering but frustrated husband trying to maintain a relationship with his sexually unfaithful wife, Israel. The
texts present God with two alternatives–either God continues to plead with Israel to forsake her lovers or God allows her lovers to assault her and leave her for dead. Such patriarchal language and imagery present a challenge to embodied women who live in communities that call the Bible a sacred text. Feminist critics argue that no text is objective; in other words, no text contains the absolute truth. Therefore, all texts have something to say about God's character as described by the men who wrote the biblical texts and speak of God in male terms. The task of feminist critics is "to read behind what men have written. We must deal with texts that are not ours, texts that were not written for us or by others like us" (Fewell 1999: 270). This task will raise for us a
number of questions about who/what God is, how humans ought to relate to God, "appropriate" and "inappropriate" ethical behavior, and what it means to say that God rewards good and punishes evil (the theory of divine retribution).
Sociology of Families
SOC 257
Professor Mary Ann Kanieski
Sec 01: TR 9:30-10:45
Sec 02: TR 12:30-1:45
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.
Social Stratification: Issues in Class, Gender, and Race
SOC 360
Professor Susan Alexander
TR 11:00-12:15
This course identifies and investigates general principles of stratification, various theoretical explanations by which inequality emerges and is maintained, the relationship between class and other forms of inequality in the United States (namely, gender, race, and sexual orientation), and variations among the social classes. Through a reading of qualitative materials based upon field research methods, the course focuses on the particular role of women in each socioeconomic class and compares the roles of women in various classes. The goal is to enhance the student's understanding concerning both stratification in general and the interrelationship among class, gender, race, and sexual orientation in the United States. Prerequisite: SOC 153 and SOC 200, or WOST 207. THEORY
Gender and Crime
SOC 390, sec 01
Professor Carrie Erlin
M 6:00-8:45
This course will assess historical and modern research and theory on female criminality, the social contexts in which these theories and studies developed, and the application of this research to contemporary issues of gender and justice. Issues to be assessed include female participation in criminal activity, the status of women as property, the legal system as a means of social control, and the social barriers that still hinder full female access to the justice system.
Asian American Women: Identities and Cultures
SOC 390, sec 02
Professor Leslie Wang
TR 4:00-5:15
The course examines the multiple experiences among Asian American women. The ways in which Asian American women construct their multiple identities (ethnic, gender, class, sexual, family, generational, community, educational, language, religious) and shape their cultures will be analyzed through a sociological perspective. Both the commonalities and differences among Asian American ethnic groups and communities will be explored. Students will be given the opportunity to develop an appreciation of a subculture that is often misunderstood.
Sexuality, Intimacy, and Relationships Across the Lifespan
SW 341
TBA
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.
