Tace Hedrick
WST 3015 – Section 1358, MWF 4; TUR 1315
Amanda Davis
WST 3015 – Section 6895 T 9 and R 9-10; TUR 2306
Trysh Travis
WST 3015 – Section 4454 M 11-E2; MAT 0119 (Gordon Rule 4000)
3 Credits

Drawing on materials and methodologies from a variety of disciplines, this class explores the diverse experiences of women, both in past eras and in the present, in the U.S. and abroad. Required for the Women's Studies major and minor; fulfills the General Education requirement in international studies and diversity. (Gen Ed H, SS, D)

Transnational Feminisms

Anita Anantharam
WST 3415– Section 5401
T 2-3 and R 3; Lit 207, Weim 1094
3 Credits

This course places women and feminism in a transnational perspective, focusing on various theories and movements engendered by women in contemporary national contexts. Development, reproductive politics, women’s health, etc., will be examined. (Gen Ed H, SS, N)

U.S. Latina/Chicana Literature and Culture

WST 3930 – Section 0472
MWF 6; TUR 1315
3 Credits

From the late 1960s through the 1970s, a Chicana/o and U.S. Latino/a renaissance of the arts flowered, especially in the West, Southwest and on the East Coast, but the writings were relatively unknown outside of college ethnic literature courses. Then along came the so-called Latino explosion of the '90s, and the market value of certain U.S. Latina authors and artists began to increase. A select few Chicano and Latina writers have been drawn into the mainstream of United States publishing: writers like Sandra Cisneros, Cristina García, and Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez are, if not household names, at least better-known than their predecessors. In reading bestselling authors as well as less well-known writers as well as the work now known as "chica lit," we will examine the ways assumptions-esthetic, social, political, and market-driven-about ethnicity, race, and gender have changed (and in some ways remained the same) over the last decade or so, around 1998-2008. This course will require three take-home exams, regular reading quizzes, and study questions. (WST: H)

Cultural Production of Masculinities

Timothy Fogarty
WST 3930 – Section 1390
MWF 7; TUR 2336
3 Credits

Gender constructions are an integral component of cultural production and masculinities are the hegemonic genders of many contemporary cultures. This course will challenge us through readings, writings, class discussions and ethnographic interviews to understand the matrix of distinct values and practices that are embedded in various masculinities from around the world. (WST: SS, TPS)

Sex, Race, Gender, and Society

Kendal Broad
WST 3930– Section 1421
MWF 6; NRN0331
3 Credits

This course will examine social and cultural constructions of sexuality, race, gender, social class, and disability in the US. Central to that analysis will be a focus on issues of power, inequality and how oppressions interlock and intersect. (WST: SS, TPS)

African Women Writers

Rose Lugano
WST 3930 – Section 4929
T 7-8 and R 7; TUR 2349, TUR 2350
3 Credits

The course will enable students to explore African women writers and critics, look at their theoretical priorities, literary themes and cultural positions. It is designed to provide students with both a specific and a general view of the status, achievements and experiences of African women in fiction. Using different genres (novels and plays) we will endeavor to understand how women’s literary expression has been shaped by history, culture, and their experiences, as well as see how they are addressing issues of gender in their respective societies. Discussions will focus on issues of identity, oppression, resistance, exile, language, translation and colonialism, using as points of entry a diverse set of texts. Finally, students will examine how African women writers are using writing itself as a tool for social transformation and critique. (WST: H)

Motherhood in Modern Hebrew Fiction

Abraham Balaban
WST 3930 - Section 5331
T 5 and R 4-5; TUR 2349, TUR 2353
3 Credits

Israel was founded on expressed ideas of a complete equality between the sexes. Yet, until the last two decades of the twentieth century, Hebrew fiction was mainly a male domain, and women were rarely depicted as full blown human beings. In the last two decades a new wave of female writers started publishing their work, and the image of women has become much richer and more diverse. The rationale of the course is to explore the different manners women are depicted in Hebrew fiction throughout the twentieth century. Special attention is given to the changes that occurred in the last two decades, with the appearance of a new wave of female writers. NO HEBREW KNOWLEDGE IS REQUIRED. (WST: H)

Gender in the Hebrew Bible

Robert Kawashima
WST 3930 – Section 5542
T 4 and R 4-5; TUR 2346, TUR 2333
3 Credits

A critical examination of the literary representation and historical realities of gender and sexuality in ancient Israel through close readings of selected texts from the Hebrew Bible. (WST: H)

Sex in the Global City

Florence Babb
WST 3930 – Section 6674
WST 3930 - Section 8113
T 6 and R 6-7; LIT 0217, LIT 0233
T 6, R 6, R 7; LIT 0217, LIT 233, LIT 223
3 Credits

This course considers gender and urban space, drawing on feminist, anthropological, and other literature. We will read ethnographies (case studies) based in cities of the Global South and North in an effort to understand how urban lives vary depending on gender, social class, race, sexuality, and other social differences. Some of the themes we will examine include the following: the growth of urban centers and informal economic sectors as a result of neoliberalism and globalization; the emergence of youth cultures as populations expand; the growth of social movements including those representing interests of women and sexual minorities; the development of popular culture and new consumer practices. Students will have an opportunity to carry out research projects on the gendered effects of accelerated change in cities as diverse as New York, Bangkok, and Mexico City. (WST: H, SS, TPS, GID)

Women in French Literature Seminar

Sylvie Blum
WST 3930 – Section 7466
M 9-11 and W E1-E3; TUR 2334, TUR2322
3 Credits

The courses examines the representation of woman in literary, cultural and filmic texts based in 20th century France. There will be a segment devoted to expatriate female artists living in France in the interwar and post-WW2 period. Topics will include: visual representations, avant-garde cinema, experimental writing, fashion, performance, interwar period, postcolonial France, expatriate writers, early women directors and contemporary women directors. (WST: H)

Rethinking Globalization: Gender/Communities/Representation

Anita Anantharam
WST 4930 - Section 1902
WST 6935 - Section 4766
W 7-9; MAT 0113
3 Credits

Globalization is one of those buzzwords that has been debated and scrutinized heavily in recent years. The term has been used to designate a wide variety of practices from the movement of goods and capital, to the migration of people across national boundaries, to an imposed standardization of lifestyles. This class focuses on readings that are critical of the uneven effects of globalization and neoliberal global political economies. We will consider a variety of analytical and theoretical frameworks with the intention of developing nuanced approaches to today’s transnational political economies that are sensitive to gender issues, local and communal practices, and politics of representation. (WST: SS, GID)

Capstone Seminar in Women's Studies

Stephanie Evans
WST4935 - Section 8483
WST 6935- Section 2323
MWF 6; UST 108
3 Credits

This course (required for all majors) is the culmination of the Women’s Studies major. It explores some examples of past and present scholarship to reaffirm the interdisciplinary nature of the field and to highlight the relationships among feminist theory, intellectual practice, and social change. The bulk of the semester is devoted to a full-length independent project on a topic of student’s own choosing.

Internship

Faculty
Variable Credits 1-3
WST 4940 – Section Department Controlled
Can be repeated up to 6 credits

For advanced undergraduate students who desire to supplement the regular courses by independent reading or research. Online application.

Independent Study

Faculty
WST 4905 – Section Department Controlled
Can be repeated up to 6 credits

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and department chair and 1 Women's Studies course or course that counts for women's studies Independent reading or research under guidance. Online application.

Honor's Thesis

Faculty
WST 4970 – Section Department Controlled

Students register for this course when pursuing an Honors Thesis in the WST major. In accordance with the protocols established by WST and the Honors Program, students design and pursue an independent research project with guidance from an advisor. Further information is available here.

Gender & Cultural Politics in Latin America

Florence Babb
WST 6935 – Section 7835
M 8-10; UST 108
3 Credits

This graduate seminar will consider recent and innovative work that examines gender, culture, and politics in Latin America and the Caribbean. We will draw on literature from gender and cultural studies, anthropology, history, and other fields in order to consider changing political economies and cultures on the one hand and lived experiences of those of different gender, race, class, and sexual identities on the other hand. We will read about and discuss contemporary popular culture, everyday life, tourism, development, social movements, and globalization. The class will have a discussion format in which students participate actively.

Feminist Pedagogy (Feminist Challenges)

Trysh Travis
WST 6936 – Section 2255
T 8-10; UST 108
3 Credits

How is feminist teaching different from just plain good teaching? Do feminist women automatically become feminist teachers? How can feminist teaching benefit male students (and instructors)? Focusing on the United States, we will look briefly at the history of women’s education during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, then turn to examine the feminist critiques of traditional education that developed during the 1960s and ‘70s and the utopian visions of student-centered classrooms that arose out of that radical period. Feminist theories of curriculum development, instruction, and evaluation will be considered. The class will conclude by exploring the possibilities for transformative teaching within the corporate educational institution. This course is relevant for prospective educators in any subject area and at any level, K-16; individual students may tailor the research and writing assignments so that they are relevant to their subject specialty and to the age group with which they work.

Master's Internship

WST6946 -Section Department Controlled
For advanced students who desire to supplement the regular courses by independent reading or research. Online application .
Faculty

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