Women's Studies (WMST)

Women's Studies Program

100 Representation of Women (3:3:0). Explores representations of women in advertising, television, film, photographs, cartoons, performance arts, literature, religious texts, and news media from various worldwide sources. Through interdisciplinary study students will evaluate the powerful effects these representations have on the political, economic, and social lives of women throughout the world.

200 Introduction to Women's Studies (3:3:0). Prerequisites: 30 credits. An interdisciplinary introduction to the field of women's studies, encompassing key concepts in the field, history of women's movements and women's studies in America, cross-cultural constructions of gender, and a thematic emphasis on the diversity of women's experience across class, race, and cultural lines.

300 Current Issues in Women's Studies (3:3:0). Study of selected topics central to contemporary women's studies. Topics vary but include subjects such as women and violence, women and international development, women's myth and ritual, the history and politics of sexuality, psychoanalysis, and religion.

301 Sociology of Sex Roles (3:3:0). Prerequisite: 60 credits or permission of instructor. Changing conceptions of sex roles, both female and male, in contemporary society. Using historical and comparative data, course considers the differential socialization of males and females in relation to the changing social structure in which it takes place.

302 Cultural Constructions of Sexualities (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Six credits of 200-level English courses. Introductory survey of cultural, literary, and theoretical constructions of sexuality that seeks to complicate traditionally fixed categories of identity. Examination of various representatives of human sexuality, with particular attention to its intersections with gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, and class.

303 Psychology of Women (3:3:0). Prerequisites: PSYC 100 and BIOL 103, 104, or permission of instructor. Behavior and attitudes of women, influence of sex chromosomes and sex hormones on behavior, influence of culture on sex role differentiation, and theories of sex role development.

304 Women and Media (3:3:0). Prerequisite: COMM 302 or permission of instructor. Introduction to the concepts of the power and influence of the mass media. Allows students to see themselves as products of media influence and gives them a sense of women's roles as media professionals, as well as consumers.

305 Women and Literature (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Six credits of 200-level English courses. An exploration of the experience of women as both authors of and subjects in imaginative literature. May be repeated once for credit when subtitle is different, with permission of department.

306 Topics in Communication and Gender (3:3:0). Prerequisite: 60 credits. Exploration of selected topics involving gender and communication. Topics covered may include women in media, women as rhetors, male/female communication, and communication and sex roles. Specific interests are examined in a seminar setting. Course may be repeated with approval of department.

330 Feminist Theory across the Disciplines (3:3:0). Prerequisite: WMST 200 or permission of instructor. Examination of feminist critique and transformation of the theories, methods, and methodologies of the sciences and humanities.

400 Internship in Women's Studies (1-3:0:0). Prerequisite: Completion of 60 credits, including WMST 200, or permission of instructor. Community- or campus-based service or experiential learning related to women's or gender issues. Independent course in which students develop, in consultation with a faculty member, individual contracts defining the learning and competencies they plan to gain from the experience. May be repeated for credit, up to six credits, but only three credits of WMST 400 or 401 may be applied toward the women's studies interdisciplinary minor.

401 Experiential Learning in Women's Studies (1-3:0:0). Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in a women's studies course. Community- or campus-based service or experiential learning as it relates to a specific WMST course, taken at the same time. Students develop, in consultation with the faculty member, individual contracts defining the learning and competencies they plan to gain from the experience. May be repeated for credit up to a total of six credits, but only three credits of WMST 400 or 401 may be applied toward the women's studies interdisciplinary minor.

490 Independent Study in Women's Studies (1-3:0:0). Prerequisite: Nine WMST credits including WMST 200, or permission of instructor. Reading or research on a specific topic related to women and/or gender issues, under the direction of a faculty member. May involve a combination of reading assignments, tutorials, papers, presentations, or off-campus activities. May be repeated for credit up to a total of six credits, but only three credits may be applied toward the women's studies interdisciplinary minor.

630 Feminist Theories across the Disciplines (3:3:0). This multidisciplinary course examines the central issues of feminist theory and explores the various strategies of feminist theorists. Analyzes the ways in which feminist theories have challenged established disciplinary boundaries and contested the traditional assumptions of the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences.

640 Women and Global Issues (3:3:0). Prerequisites: Graduate standing. This multidisciplinary course explores the complex issues women face in different regions of the world. Addresses women's diverse and shared global concerns and provides students with the tools to analyze and understand women in a global context.

690 Directed Readings and Research in Women's Studies (3:3:3-6). Prerequisite: Graduate standing and permission of instructor. Advanced individualized study of gender through readings, discussion, research, and/or projects under the direction and supervision of a member of the women's studies faculty. May be repeated for total of nine credits.

699 Capstone Portfolio (0:0:0). Prerequisites: Students must have completed their course work for the Women's Studies certificate or be in the last semester of their course work. Prior to graduation and in consultation with their advisor, students will reflect on and synthesize their work in the Women's Studies certificate program by selecting three items taken from their work in the program and discussing these items in a 7-10 page essay. Work selected may include the student's course papers, videos of their performance(s), photos of the exhibit(s), music recordings, and other items as agreed upon by the student and his or her advisor.