Women’s Studies

WS 101S Introduction to Women’s Studies (4-0) 4
This course introduces students to the variety of multidisciplinary questions and practical concerns encompassed by Women’s Studies. The course provides an introduction to the history of feminism and seeks to establish a fundamental understanding of how and why feminist theoretical critique has occurred.

WS 280 Issues in Women’s Health (4-0) 4
This course will examine women’s health through the life span. Discussion will focus on the physical and emotional health of the maiden, woman, and crone. The course will also examine social and historical factors that have affected women as health care clients and providers. Though the course materials will concentrate on health in the Untied States, there will be some comparative readings about women and health in other cultures. Throughout the course particular attention will be paid to the interplay between women’s status in society and their role definitions as participants in the health care system.
Prerequisites: WS 101S.

WS 301 Feminist Studies: Theories and Methods (4-0) 4
This course provides an overview of the history and development of the project of feminist studies and an introduction to the concepts, methods, and discourse of feminist inquiry.
Prerequisites: Comp 150, Lib 150.

WS 320 Women’s Studies Practicum 4-8
This course provides students with experience in a community organization that serves the needs of women. Students will be involved in human services, applied feminist research, or other activities approved by the advisor and practicum coordinator. The emphasis is upon gaining experiential knowledge through active participation in feminist practice and analyzing this experience in a classroom setting. Practicum may be taken for 4 or 8 credits per term. See note on page ?? of Catalog.
Prerequisites: WS 101S and consent of instructor.

WS 332 Women in American History (4-0) 4
An analysis of women’s experience from the colonial period to the present. Focusing on the way gender has been defined and redefined, the course considers such issues as work, friendship and marriage, reproduction, the struggles for equality, and women’s culture. The influence of class, race, and ethnicity on women’s experiences will also be considered. Same as Hist 332. Credit will not be given for more than one of these courses. Fall term.
Prerequisites: Hist 280 or Hist 281R or consent of instructor.

WS 351 Gender and Work (4-0) 4
Work—in the paid labor force and in the home—is an important site of 20th-century feminist activism and scholarship because historically grounded notions of what is “women’s work” continue to powerfully condition women’s and men’s “places” in the paid labor force and in the home. Through an exploration of contemporary scholarship from Women’s Studies and other disciplines, this course will examine the construct of “women’s work” and the broad range of issues related to the gendering of work and work systems.
Prerequisites: WS 101S recommended; Comp 150, Lib 150 required.

WS 355 Anthropology of Gender (4-0) 4
An in-depth, cross-disciplinary analysis of the nature and origins of gender concepts cross-culturally, particularly as they relate to explaining gender hierarchy. Topics to be covered include the contributions of feminist thought to social scientific theories, the cultural construction of gender categories, and the relationship of gender to power. Same as Anth 355; credit will not be given for more than one of these courses.
Prerequisites: Anth 210R, WS 101S, or consent of instructor.

WS 365 Women and Development (3-0) 3
An overview of the central role women play in the development process in non-Western societies, and of their struggle to gain access to the most basic levels of power and governance around the world. The focus will be on women in developing countries, but reference to women in developed countries will also be made. Same as PS 365. Recommended: PS 280S.

WS 366 Women, Art and Visual Culture (4-0)4
This course provides an overview of contemporary art theory, representations of women, and the feminist critique of art. Students will read, research, and write about art and discuss the idea of “visual culture.” This is the same course as Art 366.

WS 495 Capstone Colloquium in Women’s Studies (2-0) 2
Advanced reading, writing, and seminar discussion centered on integrating the Women’s Studies experience with the student’s entire undergraduate educational experience. Emphasis will also be placed on looking beyond the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree to incorporating the Women’s Studies intellectual experience to practical life arenas.

WS 499 Independent Study in Women’s Studies 1-4
Individual research is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member.

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