Global Gender Studies Undergraduate Course Catalog

101 Introduction to Global Gender Studies (3)
Introduces students to basic con-cepts in Global Gender Studies. Covers the history of the women's move-ment and, its relation to the rise of Global Gender Studies as a discipline; "sex role" socialization and the representation of women in cul-ture and the media; feminist/ womanist analysis of sexuality and "private" life; women's work, paid and unpaid; and the range of pub-lic policy issues concerning women and gender, from health and reproduction to politics and international affairs. LEC


205 Women in the Global System
Explores how the current expan-sion of the world market is over-turning the seclusion of women in traditional societies. Traditional women, women in expanding third-world countries, and women in the U.S. share common patterns of location and differentiation within the international division of labor. Women in the Global System seek to explore these changing patterns of women's lives and work. LEC
210 Women of Greece and Rome (3)
A study of the status of women in the ancient Greek and Roman world, with special emphasis on myth, literature, and art, the so-ciological and economic contexts, and the psychological effects of the system on both women and men. Building upon the perspec-tives of contemporary feminism, we examine the women of the male-dominated societies of Greece and Rome in order to un-derstand the origins of prejudice concerning women that are still with us today. LEC
212 American Jewish Woman (3)
First, we study the history and progress of the Jewish woman as she was described in biblical ac-counts through contemporary Jewish literature. Second, we examine the role of Jewish women in Jewish communal and synagogue life. And third, we discuss the ste-reotypes and role assignments with which Jewish women must deal. LEC
213 Women in Contemporary Society (4)
A basic introduction to the lives, roles, and consciousness of United States women. Commonalities among women and the differences of economic position, race, na-tional origin, sexual orientation, and age. Women in other coun-tries contrasted with women in America. An active learning pro-cess interweaving personal experi-ence and intellectual material. Provides a solid foundation for the study of women. SEM
215 Women's Language (3) Contrasts the prevalent myths with the linguistic reality about how men and women talk as un-covered by recent sociolinguistic research. Topics include choice of vocabulary, sentence "strength," empathy, hold the floor, and body language. The discussion examines relevant psycho-social factors that shape typical conversation behav-ior, placing special emphasis on family and classroom interactions, and the media. Suggests the impli-cations of certain linguistic pat-terns in work and personal life, concluding with recommendations for more effective language styles for women and for men. LEC
219 Women of Color and the American Experience (3) Explores the effects of racism, the institutionalization of racism, im-perialism, and the patriarchal sys-tem on women of color in the United States; how women resist and survive in a system with alien values; the role and forms of patri-archy in different cultural systems. SEM
225 Violence in a Gendered World (3)
Offers feminist analyses of rape, incest, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in a historical con-text as well as in the present. Stud-ies sexual assault as a constant presence in women's daily lives through readings; discussion; and individual projects, films, and speakers. Expects students to take initiative in understanding the is-sues. SEM
227 The Feminist Essay (3) Examines the premise that writing is serious play. In a workshop for-mat that stresses review and criticism (and praise) of student work, we investigate interdisciplinary and multigeneric strategies for writing, finally, what we really want to write. SEM
228 Introduction to Feminist Theory (3)
Introduces students to the most basic concepts and themes in con-temporary feminist theory-con-cepts of power, oppression, resistance and struggle, and how these concepts help to explain, and ultimately, to transform the social, economic and political relations between men and women. Care-fully explores the relations be-tween concepts of power and concepts of subjectivity, identity and desire; while focusing on the relations between men and women, also shows how relations structured by patriarchal power are involved in relations of class, race, and ethnic oppression. While seeking to explore the structures of power, the course also, more positively, provide alternatives and other concepts to challenge pre-vailing social models. LEC
234 Women in the Middle East (3)
Roles of women in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey; assessment of women's emancipation movements in these countries; impact of Islamic tradition. SEM
238 Women, Work, and Family in the Twentieth Century (3)
Explores the experience of women of different race, class, and ethnic groups regarding changes in women's responsibilities in the family, participation in the labor force, and the development of new family forms. The course illumi-nates contemporary issues regard-ing work, marriage, and family from a historical perspective. LEC
241 Women in Developing Countries, Socio-economic and Political Perspectives (3)
This course surveys women’s socio-economic and political status in developing countries. It examines policies and practices that shape their lives, as well the discourses that construct their experiences. It will also analyze women’s organizing, advocacy and social mobilization to engender change and equity. It is an introduction to a broad, interdisciplinary and international literature focusing on current and emerging issues related to women’s work and globalization; poverty and inequality; women, displacement and the environment; social practices such as female genital mutilation; and HIV/Aids, within national, regional, and global contexts.
This course will dwell on a variety of teaching material such as videos, life histories, case studies and policy documents with a mix of concepts, theories and empirical research. It will combine lectures and discussions, as well as projects to promote an interactive learning environment, and to encourage critical thinking among students in analyzing salient issues pertinent to women’s conditions in developing countries, and strategies to effect social change.
252 Social History of Women in United States, 1650-1875 (3)
History of women in the United States, emphasizing "the common woman"; family life; industrializa-tion; sex roles and sexuality; his-tory of feminism. Reading involves autobiographies, popular fiction, and other firsthand historical ac-counts. LEC
260 Women's Health: Problems and Practices (3)
Discussion of women's health is-sues and delivery of health ser-vices. SEM
265 Sexuality and Orientation (3) An exciting and contemporary course on the political, social, and economic issues facing lesbians. We develop a historical foundation from which we look at the following: relationships, coming out, legal issues, international per-spectives, lesbian-feminist theory, and culture. We also look at the advent of political organizations in the past forty years. Speakers and recent books and articles pro-vide personal and social perspec-tives; substantial reading and class discussions are the basis of this seminar. SEM
270 Asian American Studies: Asian American Women Writers (3)
Introduces students to some basic feminist critical theories, includ-ing French, Anglo-American, and "Third World" feminist assump-tions and positions. Explores how women writers' and poets' creativ-ity and technical strategies are re-lated to the intersected issues of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and class, through close examina-tion of works by Asian American women. LEC

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301 Introduction to Indigenous Women (3)
Focuses on Native American women, beginning with the cre-ation story and ending with the modern-day role of Haudenosaunee women. SEM
305 Gender and the Custodial State (3)
Examines the ways in which women are restricted from full participation in social life and process. Gives special attention to women in jail and in prison. Same as AMS308. LEC
308 Images of Women and Men in a Changing World (3)
Introduces students to the study of popular culture of various kinds as a powerful social and cultural force within which the representa-tion of women and gender and family roles has always played a major and informing role. Taking a historical perspective, the course traces the changing ways in which men and women have been pre-sented in the most prominent forms of mass media-advertising, pulp fiction, popular music, film, television, and music video-and looks at the ways in which changes in society have altered and compli-cated these images as well as the various theories and approaches which cultural writers have taken to analyze and critique these im-ages. LEC
315-316 Cross-Cultural Study of Women (3-3)
Political, economic, and social sys-tems of various non-Western soci-eties in relationship to the roles women take as reproducers of cul-tural values or as activists working for change. SEM
334 Women Writers Workshop: Poetry (4)
A workshop using feminist criti-cal standards to inspire women to believe in themselves as poets. Students discuss their own work in class and share with others their process as writers. Empha-sizes revision strategies to illus-trate that writing is a continuous process. A supportive atmosphere so that even a new writer can share work and receive criticism. SEM
353 Law Interprets Gender: The United States Experience (3)
Explores the relationships between the American legal system and women's oppression in American society. We examine first the his-torical roots of women's roles with respect to the law and move on to the way the legal system deals with legal issues current to women. Studies case law and statutory law in addition to historical primary-source and secondary-source essay materials. SEM
355 Theories of Feminism (3) Drawing on a range of cultural and ethnic experiences, this course examines some of the major trends in feminist/womanist tradi-tions and how these have been elaborated upon by contemporary feminist theories. SEM
356 Social History of Women, 1875-Present (3)
The making of women's lives in modern America: work and family, sexuality and politics, race and class. Lectures and readings in au-tobiographies and historical fic-tion. LEC
375 Global Gender Studies Topics (3)
Topics vary according to faculty/ instructors. SEM
379 Gender and Hollywood Films
Examines classic Hollywood film genres from the perspective of their social and cultural signifi-cance as the myths and legends that have defined American values and negotiated the various contra-dictions inherent in American so-ciety in ways which have served to resolve these conflicts and arrive as "happy endings." We also place the genres in the context of the
history of the film industry and its economic imperatives, and with each genre, look at the ways basic features have been forced to change, as changing social and gender norms have changed, even as the major idiological assump-tions of each have remained more or less stable.
382 Special Topics (3)
Topics vary according to faculty/ instructors. SEM
387 Black Female in Literature (3) Literature from African American women writers that explore their themes, images, and roles present in narratives, fiction, poetry, and plays. Our examination also in-cludes selected works by African women. SEM
392 Junior Seminar in Global Gender Studies (3)
In-depth reading and research on a selected topic in Global Gender Studies and/or Third World women's stud-ies. Topics vary depending upon professor's specific field of study. SEM

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401 Black Women Writers and the Re-Imagination of American Culture (3)
In the 1970s, Black women writers established themselves as signifi-cant voices within contemporary American letters; marking what became known as "the second re-naissance in Black women's litera-ture." Since then, the impact of Black women writers has re-shaped the discourse defining Black women's lives and American culture. This seminar undertakes an examination of creative and critical literature written by major writers of poetry and fiction; illu-minating the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, culture, and class in the re-imagination of Black women's identities and American culture. SEM
415 Media, Gender and Society (3)
Looks at the history and develop-ment of gender imagery, from the age of oil painting to the current age of globalized mass mediated images. Examines the impact of mass media on gender representa-tion, socialization, and identity construction in the United States as well as the rest of the world, and the way in which ethnic, geo-graphic, cultural, racial, and reli-gious differences affect the way gender images are received and used. LEC
435 History of Working Women (3)
Traces the changes in women's work in the home, in the family, and in the labor force in the nine-teenth and twentieth centuries. Focusing on the experience of working class women in the labor force, we explore the impact of ur-banization and industrialization on women in different ethnic and racial communities, their experi-ences and conflicts with unions, and their contributions to labor struggles. SEM
447 Pedagogy and the Interrogation of Methodology (4)
Introduces students to the basic concepts and practices of feminist pedagogy. Reviews the intellectual roots of feminist pedagogy and ex-amines the ways in which feminist pedagogy has changed over the past twenty-five years. In addition, we explore the connection be-tween feminist pedagogy and so-cial movements, paying special attention to the way feminist pedagogy addresses issues of class, race, and gender. Since the course intends to be useful in the training of future teachers, it has a practi-cal component in which students design a small unit for a class and attempt to teach it. SEM
459 Television, Gender and Society
Traces the rise of commercial tele-vision in the United States as a form, which has profoundly im-pacted upon the representation and social roles of women in the family and the workplace. It is as-sumed that television is a major cultural, social, and economic force in American society- that has shaped and altered every aspect of our lives, and that as a social force it relies heavily on fixed notions of gender. LEC
464 History of the United States Feminist Movement (3)
Nineteenth- and twentieth-cen-tury feminist and womanist move-ments; sources of feminism; suffrage; women's clubs; temper-ance; womanism. SEM
490 Senior Thesis (3)
Designated to encourage majors to explore a research topic in greater detail than could be done in other Global Gender Studies courses. Students select a subject depending on
whether they are working in the cultures and identities, women and global citizenship or the gen-der and public policy clusters.
495-496 Supervised Teaching (6)
Provides supervision for under-graduate teaching assistants in the course WS 213 Women in Con-temporary Society. Entails a weekly meeting which evaluates the past week's teaching and pre-pares for the forthcoming week. All participants in the class have gone through the proper training and are undergraduate teachers in Global Gender Studies. SEM
497 Global Gender Studies Internship (var)
Global Gender Studies offers supervi-sion and undergraduate credit for student internships in community and university organizations. TUT
499 Independent Study (Thesis Preparation) (3)
TUT

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