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Fall 2008 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 of Women
Tim Fogarty
Trysh Travis
WST 3015 – Section 0853
WST 3015 – Section 1579 (Gordon Rule 4)
MWF 4; TUR 2336; 3 Credits
T 11-E2; MAT 0105; 3 Credits
The life experiences of women through the study of materials in the humanities, social and natural sciences and in the health professions. This is a required course for the Women’s Studies major and minor and it fulfills the general education requirement in diversity. It can also be taken as an elective. (Gen Ed: H, S, D; WST: Core)
Ecofeminism
Sandra Russo
WST 3349 – Section 6439
WST 6348 - Section 6444
M 9-11; PUGH 120; 3 Credits
Ecofeminism focuses on Western tradition's naturalization of
women and feminization of nature, drawing the conclusion that the
domination of women and the domination of nature are intimately
connected and mutually reinforcing. This hypothesized connection
of women and nature oppressions gives rise to a common formative
structure of "othering" shared by women, animals, nature, people of
color and ethnically colonized groups. The course surveys
ecofeminist theories, exploring the links between ecological values,
principles, activism, and feminisms. Spiritual, philosophical, and
activist perspectives are examined through interdisciplinary lens.
Teamwork, field trips, and a joint class project are important
components of the course. (WST: SS, GID)
Transnational Feminisms
Anita Anantharam
WST 3415 – Section 9628
T 3, R 3-4; TUR 2342; 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: S, N;
WST: Core)
Women and Film
Mauren Cheryn Turim
WST 3930 – Section 2535
M E1E3, T 4, R 4-5; 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)
Women's Poetry
Marsha C. Bryant
WST 3930 – Section 2550
T 7, R 7-8; TUR 2336; 3
Credits
The term “women’s poetry” isn’t as simple as it appears. It is the same thing as “feminist” poetry? Does domesticity restrict or expand women’s poetry? Does women’s poetry always challenge literary tradition, or counter popular culture? How does the “women’s poetry” label affect the ways we read, and how should it? In this course, we will study poetry by Edna Saint Vincent Millay, Gertrude Stein, H.D., Stevie Smith, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sylvia Plath, Rita Dove, Carol Ann Duffy, and one additional poet. We will also place the poems in biographical and cultural contexts. Your careful preparation for and participation in discussion are important for the success of this class. Assignments include an explication paper, a magazine paper, an anthology review, a panel presentation, and a parody. (WST: H)
Women of Color in the US
Stephanie Evans
WST 3930 – Section 4081
M,W,F 6 ; TUR 2333; 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)
Women and Poverty
Amanda Davis
WST 3930 – Section 4127
T 10-E1; TUR 2342; 3
Credits
This course will examine some of the varied effects of poverty
on women
and children in the wake of recent social, political and programming
shifts, as well as how poverty intersects with other systems of
inequality like racism and sexism. Our area of study in this course is
varied and complex, but so I hope will be our class discussions and our
approaches to better understanding the social, material, and political
dimensions of poverty. (WST: H/SS)
Women in Early America
Juliana Barr
WST 3930 – Section 4803
T, R 7, 7-8; LIT 121; 3
Credits
This
course will examine
questions of
identity, race, sexuality, and power as they shaped women’s lives from
first
contacts between Europeans and American Indians in the sixteenth
century
through the interactions of Anglo-, African-, and Native Americans in
the
nineteenth-century
(WST: H/SS)
Women in Modern Hebrew Fiction
Avraham Balaban
WST 3930 – Section 5044
T 5, TUR 1315; R 4-5,TUR 2333; 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)
Independent Study
Faculty
Variable Credits 1-3
WST 4905 – 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.
East/West Encounters
Anita Anantharam
WST 4930 - Section 4082
T 6, tur 2342; R 6-7, TUR 2350; 3 Credits
Can we imagine a history of the present without referring to
and
referencing Europe? Does the “post” in post-colonialism signify a break
with colonial history and thought? Or, do we see structural
similarities
between colonial pasts and the post-colonial present? Why does the
“trans” in transnational often imply an orientation to the West?
Through
a close study of works of history, colonialism, literature, and
critical
race theory, we will attempt find models for reconsidering the history
of ideas in the modern West—and explore how these ideas—of
universalism,
liberalism, and freedom—were/are used to justify racial, sexual,
national, and political domination. (WST: H/SS; GID)
Gender & Language
Martha J. Hardman
WST 4930 - Section 6138
T 7, AND 0019; R 7-8, AND 0019; 3 Credits
This course offers the student an opportunity to study how
language is used by women and men and about women and men in the
various domains of interaction (e.g. social, family, workplace) to
create and sustain status and power in society. It offers the chance
to: Study how sex and sexism are realized through language, investigate
the myths about language and woman's place, learn how gender and
politeness interact, ponder how women are derogated in language,
reflect on the repercussions of the generic masculine in grammar, study
how female-male miscommunication arises, come to terms with gendered
language and power in society, including the language of sexual
harassment, learn how girls and boys are linguistically socialized in
gendered ways, ponder the question of difference vs. dominance. (WST:
H, SS)
Women's/Gender Studies Honors Thesis
Faculty
WST 4970- Section department controlled
TBA; 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.
Internship
Faculty
WST 4940 – Section Department Controlled
Can be repeated up to 6 credits
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
Proseminar: Feminist Ethnography
Florence E. Babb
WST 5933– Section 0432
T 8-10; UST 0108; 3 Credits
This graduate seminar will consider issues in qualitative research methodology through reading and discussing feminist ethnographies as well as critical assessments of feminist scholarship and methods. We will ask challenging questions about interdisciplinarity and the ethics of field research, including the fundamental question of whether there is indeed a feminist ethnographic methodology. Moreover, we will discuss the feminist politics of ethnographic representation (by the researcher depicting the researched) and of positionality (of the researcher in relation to the researched). Case studies from a wide range of societies will present opportunities for students to consider the relative merits of various approaches in feminist anthropology and related fields in the social sciences. Seminar participants will be expected to try out their own feminist ethnographic writing, which will be shared with others in the course as a way to refine analytical and writing skills
Independent Study
Faculty
Variable Credits 1-3
WST 6905 – 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.
Masculinity & Suburbia
Trysh A. Travis
WST 6935– Section 0435
M 8-10; UST 0108; 3 Credits
This class explores the connections between normative masculinity--white, middle-class, able-bodied, heterosexual manhood--and the space of the American suburb. Tracing the development of the suburb from the early 19th century to the present, we will explore the way that changes in demographics, economics, technology, law, and the built environment have contributed to the creation of a masculine identity that has become both an ideal and a caricature in the contemporary U.S. Within this historical and material context, we will examine imaginative works that explore the interior life of the suburban man, asking how the authors that created them are influenced by and/or react against the larger culture around them.
Gender and Language
Martha J. Hardman
WST 6935- Section 6139
T 7, AND 0019; R 7-8, AND 0019; 3 Credits
This course offers the student an opportunity to study how
language is used by women and men and about women and men in the
various domains of interaction (e.g. social, family, workplace) to
create and sustain status and power in society. It offers the chance
to: Study how sex and sexism are realized through language, investigate
the myths about language and woman's place, learn how gender and
politeness interact, ponder how women are derogated in language,
reflect on the repercussions of the generic masculine in grammar, study
how female-male miscommunication arises, come to terms with gendered
language and power in society, including the language of sexual
harassment, learn how girls and boys are linguistically socialized in
gendered ways, ponder the question of difference vs. dominance. (WST:
H, SS)
Feminist Challenges: East-West Encounters: Gender, Migration,
and Postcolonialism
Anita Anantharam
WST 6936– Section 0298
T 6, TUR 2342; R 6-7; TUR 2350; 3 Credits
Internship
Faculty
1-3 Credits
WST 6946 – Section 0588
Can be repeated up to 6 credits
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and program chair
Practical experience in community. Internship with local agency, group, or business in women’s issues. Online Application
Master's Research
Faculty
WST 6971 – Section 6363
1-15 Credits
