WGS
Independent Study Proposal Form
Fall 2008
- WGS 230: Issues in
Women's and Gender Studies
- HST 215: Women in
European History
- HST 231: History
of Women in America
- HST 256: Gender
History of South Asia
- PSC 212: Women and
Politics
- SOC 242: Sociology
of Gender
Spring 2009
Course Descriptions
for WGS Courses:
ECN
33 Economics of Gender
Prerequisite: ECN-11
Examination of the significance of gender differences in the U.S.
economy. Topics include differences in earnings and occupational
choice, discrimination, consequences of women's employment for the
family, and the feminization of poverty.
ENG
76 Literature by Women
Prerequisite: ENG-11 and completion of the general education requirement
in humanities (literature).
Study of women's literature as a distinct tradition. Reading of
major women writers from different periods and genres. Writers studied
include Wollstonecraft, Sojourner Truth, Rossetti, Stein, Richardson,
Woolf, Lessing, and Rich.
ENG
95 Female Gothic Literature
This course examines literary
works in the gothic tradition by women writers--works that not only
evoke horror but also unveil the oppression of women. Among the
issues these authors examine are arranged marriages, domestic imprisonment,
lack of property rights, limited educational and vocational opportunities,
and the physical, sexual, and psychological abuses of slavery.
HST
22 History of Women in America
Prerequisite: HST-11 or HUM-11.
The history of women in America from the colonial period to the
present. The focus is not on chronology, but on acquainting students
with topics which disclose significant events, issues and problems
in the changing experience of American women.
HST
26 Women in European History
Prerequisite: HST-11 or HUM-11.
Examination of the political, economic and social forces on women's
lives in European society. Starting with the dawn of civilization,
the course covers the Greco-Roman world, Medieval Europe, the Early
Modern period, and ends with modern industrial society.
HST
95 American Immigrant Women: Family, Life, and Labor
Prerequisite: HST-11 or HUM-11.
Study of immigrant women in the United States during peak periods
of immigration—the late nineteenth, early and late twentieth
century. Special emphasis on women’s work, labor and communal
activism, and familial relationships. Includes eastern and southern
European women, as well as Asian, Southeast Asian and Latina immigrants.
HSTA95
Gender in South Asia
Prerequisite: HST-11 or HUM-11.
This course examines gender categories and relations in South Asia
through writings and visual materials by/about men and women. Concepts
such as “tradition,” “modernity,” agency,
class, patriarchy and resistance are traced through nineteenth and
twentieth century South Asian history. Case studies may include
veiling, homosexuality, activism, and violence.
PHL
46 Philosophy of Gender
Prerequisite: PHL-20
Examination of competing feminist theories; for example, liberal
feminism, socialist or Marxist feminism, radical feminism and others.
The goal of the course is to analyze the philosophical assumptions
concerning women and women's situations that underlie each view,
to examine the philosophical traditions from which each theory is
developed and the philosophical theories in opposition.
PS
29 Women and Politics
Prerequisite: PS-11
Examination of the experience and role of women in the political
arena, including such topics as campaigns and elections, political
leadership, social movement participation, media coverage, public
policy formation and public opinion.
REL
35 Feminist Biblical Interpretation (WGS credit for 2005-06 only)
Prerequisite: REL 11, 12 or HUM 11
This course will survey a variety of feminist approaches to biblical
interpretation. While we will consider Hebrew Bible texts, primary
focus will be on the New Testament and early Christian literature.
We will focus on issues of gender analysis--for example, competing
definitions of masculinity in early Christianity; issues related
to women's history and women's leadership roles in early Christianity--for
example, Mary Magdalene's apostolic role; and issues related to
sexuality in the ancient world.
REL
38 Women and Religion
Prerequisite: REL-11, 12 or HUM-11
Investigation into the roles of women, feminine images, and women's
issues in religion, especially in the Christian tradition. Exploration
of the methods and thinking of feminist scholars in Bible, ethics,
theology, etc. and a discussion of contemporary women's spirituality.
REL
A95 Women and Power in Hinduism
Prerequisite: REL 11, 12 or HUM 11
Exploration into Hindu women’s religious lives and the female
nature of power in Hindu cosmology, mythology, and society. Close
attention is given to the complex interrelationships among mythic,
domestic, and economic gender hierarchies, particularly in the contemporary
cultural context.
SOC
31 Sociology of Contemporary Families
Prerequisite: SOC-11
This course explores the historical antecedents of our Western families,
as well as contemporary variation in family structure. It will examine
debates over the current crisis of the American family, and gender
in the institution of the family. Marriage, divorce, parenting,
step-families and work will also be covered.
SOC
42 Sociology of Gender
Prerequisite: SOC-11
Analysis of the role of gender in society. Exploration of the ways
gender differences are culturally reproduced transforming male and
female biology into masculinity and feminity. Historical cross-cultural
examples are examined as well as a discussion of the nature/nurture
debate. Consideration of the influence of the family, media and
language. Additional attention to the role of gender in the social
institution (e.g., education, work, health care).
SPN
56 Latin American Women Writers
Prerequisite: two courses numbered 21 or greater In Spanish.
Survey of literature by Latin American women from Colonial times
to the present, including all major genres. A study of the evolution
of women's thought from the private realm of convent and home to
the public arena of politics, women's rights and the environmental
movement.
WGS
30 Issues in Women's Studies
An interdisciplinary course that focuses on both classical and contemporary
issues in Women's Studies. A survey of feminist theory and historical
developments in the women's movement, it provides a foundation for
the understanding of contemporary women's issues, including education,
family, health, religion, economics and politics.
WGS
80 Directed Independent Study
Under the supervision of a Women's Studies faculty member, a student
may develop a proposal for extensive study on a topic of special
interest. The proposal must be approved by the Women's Studies oversight
committee. Project culminates in a paper, presentation, performance
or other appropriate activity.
WGS
95 Women, Eating, Food
Prerequisite: sophomore standing or above.
An exploration of ways in which women are associated with food and
eating, through issues such as vegetarianism as a feminist ethics,
the historical professionalization of cooking, the politics of breastfeeding,
dieting and eating disorders, the socioeconomics of hunger, the
cultural feminization of fat, and the gendering of agricultural
practices.
WGS
95 Women in Science
A study of the historical obstacles faced by women in science. Major
topics include the methods utilized to overcome obstacles, professional
relationships, and the “female perspective” in science.
Students will develop their own hypotheses about women in science
and test these hypotheses through discussion, selected readings,
and individual literature research.
|
