Courses Spring 2010 Courses Fall 2009 Courses Summer 2009 Courses Spring 2009 Courses Fall 2008 Courses Summer 2008 Courses Spring 2008 Courses Outside Class Master List

Spring 2010 Courses

NOTE: Letters in parenthesis indicate how the class fills a distribution requirement in the WST General Concenrtation and/or whether it counts for the TPS or GID track in the major.  If a course fils a Gen Ed requirement, that is specified separately.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Women's Studies

Trysh Travis
WST 3015 – Section 1358
MWF 3; TUR 2322; 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 diversity. (Gen Ed:  H, SS, D; WST: Core)      

Transnational Feminism

Florence Babb
WST 3415 – Section 1956
MWF 5; TUR 2333; 3 Credits
This course, required for the Women's Studies major 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:  S, N; WST: Core)

Gender, Drink & Disorder in American Culture

Trysh Travis
WST 3930 – Section 0472
MWF 3; TUR 2336; 3 Credits
This class examines the evolution of drinking in the United States from the 19^th century to the present, focusing on the ways in which ideas—and ideals—of gender have shaped the desire to drink, the urge to control drinking, and our definitions of “drunkenness” and “sobriety.”  Situating American drinking habits within the rise of industrial capitalism and changing patterns of consumption, leisure, and home life, we will first examine the growth of idealized images of masculinity and femininity in the nineteenth century, with attention to the ways in which both public drunkenness and temperance advocacy relied on those images.  The course’s second half treats drinking in the twentieth century, looking at the growing acceptance of women’s drinking and alcohol consumption within the home, as well as at the rise of the idea of excessive drinking as a “disease” rather than a moral failing.  The class concludes with a look at the way gender and sexuality, as well as race and class, play out in campus alcohol culture. (WST: H,  SS)

Women's Autobiographies

Amanda Davis
WST 3930 – Section 1036
M 7-9; MCCA 2196; 3 Credits
This class will focus on a number of remarkable autobiographies by female authors, with a special focus on women's memoirs of activism and their accounts of living on various borders. We will read narratives of imprisonment, reservation life, and ongoing struggles for justice (and that is just to get us started).  Contemporary texts by women of color will be placed at the center of study, with close examination of how these authors explore and problematize issues surrounding subjectivity, power, identity, and resistance.  We will address such topics as why so many women have utilized autobiography to respond to key social and political events, as well as how these texts contribute to women's intellectual and activist history.  (WST: H)

Women of Color in the U.S.

Stephanie Evans         
WST 3930 – Section 1390
T 6, R 6-7; LIT 0205; 3 Credits
This course is designed to provide an overview of the intersection of race, ethnicity, sex, and gender presence, oppression, and creative resistance in the historical and contemporary experience of Native American, Asian American, African American, and Latina women. The course seeks to enhance understanding of how racism and sexism function in the political, social, and economic systems of the U.S. Women of color in the U.S. have formed communities of resistance that will be explored in their writings. (WST: H/SS)

Feminist Fictions

Tace Hedrick
WST 3930 – Section 1943
T 4, R 4-5; TUR 2346; 3 Credits
In this course, we will be reading fiction central to feminist movement from the 1970s to 2010. We will be examining how feminist concerns change over the last 40 years, narrative and genre strategies used by feminist writers, and how the definition of "feminist fiction" might have changed or stayed the same over these decades. (WST: H)

Gender and Nature

Whitney Sanford
WST 3930 – Section 4929
T 5-6: TUR 233; R 6: TUR 2336; 3 Credits
Between 1350 and 1650 the understanding of human identity, or “human nature,” underwent substantial changes within both the circles of the intellectual elite and in the broader culture.  Gender identity, a key component of the conception of human nature, was re-examined as well.  The reconsideration of gender, however, did not apply the new Renaissance emphasis on human dignity, creativity and autonomy equally to men and women, and western society has inherited often confusing and even contradictory interpretations of human nature and gender. Though our present rhetoric seldom presents it in this manner, many of our current presuppositions about gender, as well as the basic challenges to those assumptions, have their origin in the turbulent clash of ideas of the early modern period.  This course will explore the changing views of human nature and gender during this critical time period and give students the opportunity to investigate key topics. (WST: H)

Motherhood in Modern Hebrew Literature

Avraham, Balaban
WST 3930 – Section 5331
T 5: TUR 2306; R 4-5: TUR 2328; 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; GenEd: H, N)

Women in the "Other Europe"

Eva Wampuszyc
WST 3930 – Section 6261 (Honors)
MWF 5; TUR 2319; 3 Credits 

The study of women and the debate regarding women’s rights in East-Central Europe is particularly important for the new member states of the European Union as the EU develops ways for building a common European identity. While these new countries have successfully carried out economic, institutional, and political reforms, deeply rooted cultural biases related to gender roles and identities often remain unresolved and cause a gap in the cultural understanding between “East” and “West.” By studying the representation of women in film and literature in an interdisciplinary theoretical and historical context, this course will provide students with a unique opportunity to interrogate Western ideas of feminism.

Sociology of Gender

Kendal Broad-Wright
WST 3930 – Section 7220
T 4; R 4-5; CLB C130; 3 Credits
The course is designed as an overview for undergraduates of the sociological examination of gender, primarily focusing on U.S. society and culture.  Importantly, the sociology of gender complicates the idea that gender is simply “natural” or biologically determined.  This course will examine the theoretical and empirical literature that allows such analyses. We will begin the course by examining the basic theories and premises of a “sociology of gender,” centering our analysis on how gender is culturally and socially constructed. Next, we will examine how our identities and important social institutions are defined by (and actually help to define) gender. We will then discuss the way our everyday interactions are also gendered. We will end the class with discussion about how, and if, such a gendered society can be degendered. (WST: SS)

African Women Writers

Faye Harrison
WST 3930 – Section 7466
T 7-8: TUR 2305; R 7: TUR 2306; 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.  (H)

U.S. Literature & Sexuality to 1900

Jodi Rene Schorb
WST 4930 – Section 5359
T 9-11; TUR 2346; 3 Credits
This course considers how knowledge about early American sexuality and sexual history can enrich our understanding of earlier American literature. The long eighteenth century was particularly concerned with how individuals and specific populations (women, bachelors, the poor, slaves...) “use” their sexuality. Such concerns influence national debates around morality, slavery, the responsibilities of a “rising generation,” the role of the family, the value of thrift and temperance, and the potency of American economic, military and maritime power. After a theoretical introduction that explains how sexual knowledge is created and shaped through literature, the course moves through three main periods – early republic, antebellum, and early modern (marked by the rise of “sexology”) – analyzing a diverse range of genres (sermon, seduction novel, travel narrative, detective fiction, slave narrative, gothic fiction). Discussion will emphasize how American sexual history influences the form, structure, themes, and reception of our chosen texts. (WST: H)

Women In Film

Maureen Cheryn Turim
WST 4930 – Section 8445
T 4, R 4-5, T E1E; TUR 2322; 4 Credits
This course will examine how women have been represented in film, how they have participated in film production, and how they consume film images. We will look at various feminist approaches and the range of debates as to how to address these issues. The course will have several goals; to introduce you to the history of women in film, to increase your skills in reading film, in reading critical writing about film, and in understanding the relation between writing critical analysis and feminist theory. Emphasis will be on such basic issues as viewer identification and cultural context as currently formulated through various feminist and post-structuralist methodologies. We will explore how feminism intersects with psychoanalysis, ideology, deconstruction and related approaches. We will examine the conjuncture of theoretical issues with an experience of specific texts, and the function of these texts in the past and present workings of history.  (WST: H)

Honors in Paris: An Appetite for Paris: Gender, Gloablization and Food  (Study Abroad)

Anita Anantharam
WST 4956 – Section Departmentally Controlled 
Spring Semester 2010
If there is one thing that is both culturally specific and truly open to global experience at the same time, it is food. Food is not just a basic necessity to sustain life, but also the one thing that all humans and animals have in common: you need to eat to survive. Yet each culture’s attitudes towards food preparation and consumption tells us a great deal about that society’s socio-political organization and structure. Because foodways (the cultural, social and economic practices relating to production and consumption of food) transcend geographic boundaries, the politics of what we eat, where we eat it, and how we eat reflect deep-rooted gender, religious, racial, class, and national biases. By examining foodways historically, we can see how these issues have developed over time and across cultures in relation to political, social and economic changes. (WST: H, SS)

Identity, Politics, Education and Culture: African Americans in Paris (Study Abroad, Spring Break 2010, March 7-13)

Stephanie Evans
WST 4956 - Section Departmentally Controlled
This course will explore the African American presence in Paris. Since the mid-1700s scores of African Americans have visited, lived, and worked in France. Students will research the experiences and perceptions of Black Americans and study why and how a sustained pattern of visitation has occurred. Significant attention will be paid to how gender and sexuality were woven into Black experiences and interpretations of Black Parisian life.

Independent Study (Undergraduate)

STAFF
WST 4905 – Section Departmentally Controlled; Credits: 1-3 Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and program chair
For advanced undergraduate students who desire to supplement the regular courses by independent reading or research. Online application.

Internship (Undergraduate)

STAFF
WST 4940 – Section Departmentally Controlled; Credits 1-3
Prerequisite: Approval of the undergraduate coordinator.
This course is designed for students desiring practical experience in the community. Students intern with a local agency, group or business involved in women’s issues. Online application: http://www.wst.ufl.edu/Internships.htm.

Women's/Gender Honors Thesis

STAFF
WST 4970 – Section Departmentally Controlled; 3 Credits
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.

Advanced Feminist Theory

Tace Hedrick
WST 6508 – Section 2012
T 8-10; UST 0108; 3 Credits
Prereq: 6000 level course in feminist theory or equivalent. 
Contemporary theory with focus on common themes among academic disciplines. Since feminist theory is by its very nature interdisciplinary, this course is designed to acquaint students with some foundational feminist theory--in primary texts--across the disciplines: philosophy, art history, literary studies, sociology, anthropology, the sciences. By "foundational" I mean feminist thought which has been influential in shaping academic feminist scholarship since the so-called "second wave" of United States and European feminism, beginning (roughly) in the late 1940s and moving up to the present. Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, Whitney Chadwick, Janice Radway, Nancy Hartsock, bell hooks, Jane Gallop, Gayatri Spivak, Patricia Williams, Pat Hill Collins, Gayle Rubin will be some of the individuals discussed in the course. Course requirements include one 25-30 page final paper, 8 response papers, and one short presentation. 

Sex, Love & Globalization

Florence Babb
WST 6935 – Section 2323
M 8-10; UST 0108; 3 Credits
This graduate seminar will consider the diverse ways in which intimacy and power mix with sex and gender in an increasingly transnational world. We will read and discuss various theorizations and ethnographies by scholars in anthropology, history, and cultural studies, as well as in feminist studies. Topics will include, but won't be limited to, new forms of romance mediated by the Internet and global economy; non-heteronormative sexualities in diverse locales; diasporic cultures and intimacies; commoditized sex and romance in tourist circuits; and the impact of globalization on youth and family relationships. The course will focus on recent and innovative ethnographic writing based on studies carried out in the US and beyond, in areas of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and their diasporas. Videos and occasional recommended outside lectures will complement course material.

Sociology of Gender

Kendal Broad-Wright
WST 6935 – Section 7835
W 8-10; Ustler 108; 3 Credits
This course provides a graduate-level overview of gender scholarship in sociology, especially focusing on key work in the last twenty-five years. The course begins by engaging work that confronts some basic assumptions about gender (that it is based in biology and is simply a sex role) and examining early ways of defining gender sociologically (i.e., “doing gender”), paying attention to ways those initial understandings have been extended, critiqued and complicated. Next the course closely examines two crucial areas of gender scholarship (intersections analyses and masculinities studies) and considers the conceptual, methodological and empirical impact these areas have had.  In addition, the course will include critical analysis of recent sociological conceptualizations of gender (gender as an institution, practice, social structure, etc.). Finally, the last part of the course addresses two areas of feminist scholarship (understandings of gender performativity and transnational feminist approaches). In sum, this course provides an overview of the theoretical and empirical work of gender scholarship in sociology.

Trade and Human Rights in the Americas

Berta Hernandez, Stephen Powell
WST 6935 – Section 4957
M 7, T 7-8; HOL 355D; 3 Credits 
Although human rights law and trade law have developed well-established regimes through a series of negotiations on parallel tracks since World War II, there is increasing criticism from a variety of fronts that international trade rules are insensitive to basic human rights and that globalization has done little to alleviate the gap between rich and poor.  Must trade and human rights regimes necessarily conflict?  This seminar will explore the premises of the trade and human rights debate from the perspectives of both free trade advocates and human rights activists, with the purpose of imparting a better understanding of the rationales for both systems of law and the ways each is attempting to avoid a clash that could have profound impact on the protection of human rights and on the global market.  Using actual examples from the 35 nations of the Hemisphere, the seminar will examine the effect of international trade on human rights policies in the Americas, including conscripted child labor, sustainable development, health promotion, equality of women, trafficking, indigenous peoples, poverty, citizenship, and economic sanctions.

Independent Study  (Graduate)

STAFF
WST 6905 – Section departmentally controlled; Credits: 1-3
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.

Internship (Graduate)

STAFF
WST 6946 – Section Departmentally Controlled; Credits: 1-3
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and program chair
This course is designed for students desiring practical experience in the community. Students intern with a local agency, group or business involved in women’s issues. Online application: http://www.wst.ufl.edu/Internships.htm.

Master's Research

Faculty   
WST 6971 – Section Department Controlled
1-15 Credits

>> top