Letters in parentheses indicate how the class fills a distribution requirement in the WST General Concentration (SS=Social Science, HUM=Humanities, G&S=Gender & Science) and/or whether it counts for the Health Equity and Social Justice (HESJ), International Perspectives on Gender (IPG), or Theories and Politics of Sexuality (TPS ) tracks in the major. If a course fills a Gen Ed requirement, that is specified separately. Click on the hyperlinks below for a course syllabus.
Majors may count any one approved 2000-level class towards the WMS major. Minors may count one course as well. However, only WST 2322, 2611, 2612, and selected sections of IDS 2935 count towards the WMS minor; only WST 2611 or 2612, and selected sections of IDS 2935 count towards the TPS minor.
Introduction to Health Disparities
Examination of the multifaceted issue of health disparities based upon race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, education, sexuality, disability, physical and mental health, geography and other factors. Related issues include social determinants of health, cultural competency, health literacy, advocacy, social justice and health equity. (S and D)(WST: SS/G&S, HESJ; GenEd: S, D; HDS Minor: Core.)
WST 2322 – Sec 2322 – Class # 15650
The syllabus for this course can be found here.
WST 2322 – Sec 23DL – Class #20749 (Online)
The syllabus for this course can be found here.
Humanities Perspectives on Gender and Sexuality
WST 2611 – Section 2611 – Class # 15651
Close readings of cultural representations (in literature, the visual arts, movies, television, the Internet, etc.) facilitates the understanding of intersecting categories of identity such as gender, sexuality, class and race. Examines how such categories operate in everything from novels to YouTube to the evening news (WST: HUM; TPS; Gen Ed: H, D; Gordon Rule 2000)
The syllabus can be found here.
Social Science Perspectives on Gender and Sexuality
WST 2612 – Section 26EE – Class # 25016
The social construction of gender, sexuality, race, class and other identity categories. Readings focus on individuals, families and cultural groups, mainly in the U.S. but with attention to other nations. Subjects as intimate as the body and violence and as pervasive as politics and the law are included. The course emphasizes differences in daily life experiences of health care, education, sports and religion. Finally, it examines the potential of movements for social change. (WST: SS; TPS; Gen Ed: SS, D, Gordon Rule 2000)
The syllabus can be found here.
Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Women’s Studies
Drawing on materials and methodologies from a variety of disciplines, this class explores the diverse experiences of women, both in past eras and in the present, in the U.S. and abroad. Required for the Women’s Studies major and minor; fulfills the General Education requirement in diversity. Prerequisite: (3 credits of WST) or (sophomore standing). (WST: Core; Gen Ed: H, SS, D and Gordon Rule 4000)
WST 3015 – Section 3015 – Class # 17729
The syllabus can be found here.
WST 3015 – Section 315N- Class # 19957
The syllabus can be found here.
Women and Gender Analysis Through American Film: 1950-Present
WST 3335 – Section 3335 – Class # 17729
Traces how film and Hollywood cinema represent women, gender, and feminism over the past sixty years. Analyzes the relationship of film and the sociology and history of feminist movements. Addresses intersections of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and class found in American cinema. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher or instructor permission.(WST: Core; Gen Ed: H, D and Gordon Rule 2000).
Women, Leadership, and Diversity in the Global Environment
WST 3371 – Section 1ROL – Class # 22537 (Online)
WST 3371 – Section 2UFO – Class #22540 (Online)
Examines leadership concepts in general, and for women in particular. Covers leadership strategies in a historical framework, leadership dilemmas in various industries (locally and globally), and experiential and case-study based leadership.(WST: SS; IPG) Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or instructor permission.
The syllabus can be found here.
Transnational Feminism
WST3415 – Section 3415 – Class # 15314
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. (WST: Core, IPG; Gen Ed: S, N)
The syllabus can be found here.
Gender, Race and Science
WST3610 – Section 3610 – Class # 24333
Feminist theories of nature, science, and technology, and how gender and race are critical to the origins of science, the making of scientists, and the politics of contemporary practice. Prerequisite: (3 credits of WST) or (sophomore standing).
The syllabus can be found here.
History Of American Medicine: Race, Class, Gender, Science
WST3703– Section 3703 – Class # 21077 (Online)
Overview of the development of the medical profession in the US with attention to ways that class, gender, and race have shaped the idea of “scientific medicine.” Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or departmental permission. (WST: SS/HUM, HESJ)
The syllabus can be found here.
Sexual Ethics
WST380 – Section 3800 – Class # 24273
Approaches sexual ethics as the integration of care, respect, mutuality, and reciprocity into sexual practices. Critically interrogates socio-cultural discourses about sex/gender/sexuality and their contexts. Explores how gender, race, sexuality, and class construct sexual expectations and how sexual autonomy can be negotiated in contexts of unequal social structures and relations. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
The syllabus can be found here.
LGBTQ+ Movements and Critiques
WST4384 – Section 4384 – Class # 24332
Using examples of many forms of US LGBTQ+ social movement work, and critiques thereof, addresses the core questions: What is an LGBTQ+ movement? Are LGBTQ+, Queer, and Trans movements still relevant and possible today? Explores and examines these questions by reading and discussing research on how US LGBTQ+ movement work has been (and is) done, and critiqued, as well as how certain forms of it has been erased, elided, and (mis)understood. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
The syllabus can be found here.
Discrimination and Health
WST 4704 – Section 4704 – Class # 22772
Examines discrimination and health from a variety of perspectives. Explores links of discrimination experiences with health behaviors and outcomes, discrimination in healthcare settings, and routes to improving health at individual, group, and legislative levels. Addresses multiple forms of discrimination (e.g., race, sex, class, sexual orientation/gender identity) and their intersections. Prerequisite: PSY 2012 or any WST course or Sophomore standing or highter (WST: SS/G&S, TPS, HESJ )
The syllabus can be found here.
Independent Study
WST 4905 -Section Departmentally Controlled; Variable Credits 1-3; Can be repeated up to 6 credits
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and undergraduate coordinator
For advanced undergraduate students who desire to supplement the regular courses by independent reading or research. Online Application (PDF) .
Undergraduate Research in Women’s Studies
WST4911-Section Departmentally Controlled
Prerequisite: Permission of Undergraduate Coordinator. For advanced undergraduate students who desire to supplement the regular courses by independent reading or research. Click here for an application form.
Special Topics
Lectures and seminars covering selected topics of current interest in women’s studies and/or gender studies. Prerequisite: instructor permission.
TOPIC: Conflict Gender & Data
WST4930 – Section 49LG – Class # 22377
The syllabus can be found here.
TOPIC: Women and Politics
WST4930 – Section 49TC- Class # 23016
(WST: SS/G&S )
The syllabus can be found here.
Capstone Seminar
WST4935 – Section 4CAP- Class # 17744
This course, required for all majors, is the culmination of the Women’s Studies major. It explores some examples of past and present scholarship to reaffirm the interdisciplinary nature of the field and to highlight the relationships among feminist theory, intellectual practice, and social change. The bulk of the semester is devoted to a full-length independent project on a topic of student’s own choosing. (WST: Core for all specializations in major; pre-req: WST 3015)
The syllabus can be found here.
Internship
WST 4940 – Department Controlled
Variable Credits 1-3; Can be repeated up to 6 credits
Prerequisite: Permission of undergraduate coordinator. Designed for students desiring practical experience in the community. Students intern with a local agency, group or business involved in women’s issues. Click here for more information and an online application.
The syllabus can be found here.
Practicum in Health Disparities
WST 4941C – Section Departmentally Controlled
WST 4941C is a capstone experience for seniors who have taken WST2322,, Introduction to Health Disparities in Society. Students are matched with preceptors from community agencies working with under-served and disadvantaged populations. Students will learn about the agency and its organizational culture while applying concepts of cultural competence, linguistic appropriateness and health disparities. Prerequisite: WST 2322 and Health Disparities in Society minor. Contact Dr. Cinnamon Williams for more information. If you have a practicum site arranged, you can apply for the class here. (HDS Minor: Core; Pre-req: WST 2322).
The syllabus can be found here.
Women’s/Gender Honors Thesis
Joanna Neville
WST 4970- Section Departmentally Controlled – Variable 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.Prerequisite: WST 4935 and Women’s Studies major. Guidelines for the Honors Thesis are available here and the Application for the Honors Thesis is here (PDF).