The Women's and Gender Studies major and minor offer an opportunity for students to explore the differences in the roles of men and women in society and the related differences in their expectations and experiences of life. Additionally, the major and minor provide a comprehensive, coherent, and carefully chosen course of study that enables students to reach a more complete understanding of the history, position, and achievements of women in culture. Students will be introduced to the questions raised and methods used in the new scholarship on women and gender.

An interdisciplinary program of study, the Women's and Gender Studies major and minor also complement a wide range of other fields of study. Students planning careers in law, business, medicine, education, service, and the sciences find the study of gender in society useful.

A major in Women's and Gender Studies consists of 27 semester hours, including WGS 180, 201, 401, three hours of either WGS 485 or 490, and 15 hours of additional coursework. Of those 15 hours: nine must be at the 300 level or above, one course must fulfill the global/multicultural designation, and courses must be in more than one of the following areas: Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences.

Area designations for regularly offered courses are as follows. Students should consult the WGS program director for designations for “Special Topics” courses. Global/Multicultural: WGS 240, 389, 314 or approved WGS 285, 385, 485.

Humanities: WGS 240, 335, 363, 370, 377, 378, 389 or approved WGS 285, 385, 485. Social Sciences: WGS 270, 332, 314, 383, 334 or approved WGS 285, 385, 485. Natural Sciences: Approved WGS 285, 385, 485.

A minor in Women's and Gender Studies consists of 15 semester hours, including WGS 180, 201, 401, and at least two additional courses, one of which must be numbered 300 or above.

Students seeking Honors in Women's and Gender Studies may do so by fulfilling the following requirements: (1) A minimum average 3.50 GPA in the core WGS curriculum and cross-listed courses; (2) An overall minimum average 3.50 GPA; and (3) Successful completion of a Senior Research Project at a level judged worthy of honors by a panel of three faculty, with the director of the panel being a faculty member who teaches within the Women's and Gender Studies Program. Upon successful completion of the project, the student will receive 3 hours of credit for WGS 490.

Courses

WGS 180. Gendered Lives (3 hours)
An examination of how we live our lives as “men” and “women.” This course investigates the biological basis and cultural construction of gender, with particular attention to cross-cultural examples and the history of challenges to the status quo of gendered societies.

WGS 201.Women and Society (3 hours)
Prerequisite: WGS 180
An examination of the images, roles and contributions of women in scientific, historical, literary, religious, social, political, philosophical, and artistic contexts, to include contemporary issues. Includes an introduction to research methodologies appropriate for women's and gender studies.

WGS 240. Multicultural Women Writers (3 hours)
Prerequisite: FYS 101
An analysis of the writings of contemporary American women of diverse cultural backgrounds. Reading and discussing novels, short stories, and poetry, this course will explore the ways that these writers navigate being American and being culturally “other” within a homogenizing “melting pot” society.

WGS 270. Psychology of Gender (3 hours)
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or consent of instructor.
Examination of the theory and context in which the social construct of “gender” develops, and the impact this has on our perceptions of ourselves, how others perceive us, and how we relate to others. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of such experiences.

WGS 285. Special Topics (3 hours)
A study of some significant topic in women's and gender studies not covered in the regular offerings. May be repeated with different topics.

WGS 314.Women in Developing Countries (3 hours)
Prerequisite: POL 253/IAF 253
This course offers an opportunity to learn about the status of women in developing countries, in general, and the role of women in development, in particular. The course examines the substance and direction of interactions among women, their political structures, and economic systems throughout the developing world. Multiple perspectives and models are explored, including, but not limited to, dependency theory, modernization theory, globalization, feminist sociology, and post modernism.

WGS 332.Women and U.S. Politics (3 hours)
Prerequisite: POL 101
This course explores multidimensional aspects of gender and political life in America. Readings and class discussions will concentrate on the following themes: (1) how gender influences political behavior and public policy; (2) how women have challenged the political status quo; (3) the intersection of gender, race, class, and sexuality in the transformation of U.S. politics.

WGS 334. The Family (3 hours)
Prerequisite: SOC 101 or WGS 180
A study of family structure and functions including the changing role of the family in history; gender roles within the family; the economic, biological, and psychological aspects of the contemporary American family; and family disorganization and reorganization.

WGS 335.Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe (3 hours)
An examination of changing notions of gendered identity and authority with particular focus on ideas concerning the body, sexuality, and the family in European culture from the dawn of modernity during the Renaissance through the cataclysmic changes of the nineteenth-century Industrial Revolution. Topics include the lifecycles of early modern people, religious and medical theories relating to the body and sexuality, structures of family-life and attitudes towards domestic violence, as well as the impact of class, nationality, and ethnicity on gender and identity.

WGS 363.Women and Christianity (3 hours)
Prerequisite: CHR 101 or CHR 150, and WGS 180 or permission of the instructor.
A biblical, historical, and theological examination of the role of women within the Judaeo-Christian tradition.

WGS 370.Women in Art (3 hours)
The contributions of women in the field of art and the social context in which they have worked as well as the depiction of women in works of art are both considered in order to discover the criteria by which we judge works of art (and artists) and how visual images can reinforce or change our sense of reality, such as assumptions about gender roles. Offered alternate years.

WGS 377. U.S. Women's History, Colonial Era to the Present (3 hours)
A study of the meaning and place of women in U.S. society from the colonial era to the present by reading major secondary works and selected primary documents in the field. Students will address major themes in U.S. women's history, including family, sexuality, work, and reform, within the broader context of American history. In addition, this course addresses the historiography, implications, methodologies, and future directions of the discipline.

WGS 378. Images of Women in Literature (3 hours)
Prerequisite: FYS 101
A study of the literary representation of women, with emphasis on the lives and careers of women writers. Authors covered may include Austen, Bronte, Wharton, Woolf, Morrison, and others.

WGS 383. AIDS: Narratives of Disease (3 hours)
This interdisciplinary course gives students sufficient information for them to make informed decisions about their behaviors and their lives. Students will confront and grapple with the biological, social, historical, environmental, psychological, and cultural issues that the AIDS pandemic represents. The diverse populations affected by AIDS–gays, children, women, Africans–will be discussed. AIDS and other historic plagues raise numerous moral and ethical issues regarding public health, resource allocation, individual versus group rights, and the sweeping effects of trying to keep people healthy. Books, articles, speakers, films, and classroom discussion serve as the texts for the course.

WGS 385. Special Topics (3 hours)
Prerequisite: to be determined by the instructor.
A study of some significant topic in women's and gender studies that is not covered by the department's regular course offerings. May be repeated with different topics.

WGS 389. The Black Woman (3 hours)
An historical and literary examination of the black woman and her role in American culture.

WGS 390. WGS Preceptorship (2 hours)
Prerequisite: WGS 180
Selected upperclass students will serve as teaching facilitators in WGS 180. They will attend all classes, read the assigned work, and participate in class discussions. Each student will reflect on the preceptor experience by writing a learning journal during the semester. This course will be graded on an S/U basis, may be taken only once, and cannot be counted as one of the courses required for the WGS minor.

WGS 401. Gender Theory and Feminist Thought (3 hours)
Prerequisites: WGS 180, WGS 201, and one WGS course numbered above 300, or consent of instructor.
An interdisciplinary examination of theoretical perspectives in women's and gender studies, including the history of Western ideas on gender and the impact on traditional academic disciplines of the “new scholarship” on women and gender. Connections between critical theories and collective movements or social change will be emphasized.

WGS 480. Internship (3-12 hours)
Prerequisites: WGS 180 and 201 and consent of WGS Director.
Open to WGS majors and minors only. Does not count toward the major or minor. An internship offering majors and minors practical field work with local or national women-oriented organizations. Students are expected to work for the local or national agency for no fewer than 3 hours per week for each credit hour awarded. Graded on an S/U basis.

WGS 485. Seminar (3 hours)
Prerequisite: to be determined by instructor.
Structured seminar-style discussion involving intensive study of an issue or topic in women's and gender studies. May be repeated with different topics.

WGS 490. Directed Independent Study (1-3 hours)
Prerequisite: consent of the instructor.
An intensive reading and research project culminating in either a research paper or an annotated bibliography. May be repeated with different topics. (1-3 hours credit, depending upon the scope of the project).