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Gender Studies

 

The following course is required:

GST 2300 Introduction to Gender Studies (3 semester hours) An introduction to the way gender shapes individuals, social institutions and culture. Examines gender, class, sexuality, race/ethnicity, and nationality as interactive systems. Topics include biological arguments about gender and sexuality; the cultural construction of gender; the psychology of sex roles; the ways gender shapes families, workplaces and other social institutions. Satisfies the Core Curriculum Social and Behavioral Science requirement. (Same as SOC 2300) (3-0) Y

You must take Two of the following courses:

GST 3301 Psychology of Gender (3 semester hours) An overview of individualistic and interactional perspectives in biology, personality, and social relations. With a focus on the individual, gender in thought, emotion, personal relationships, and self-concept is explored. (Same as PSY 3324) (3-0) Y

GST 3302 Gender in Western Thought (3 semester hours) Identifies gendered approaches within the history of ideas, including philosophy, theology, and literature. Universal truths about human nature, particularly with regard to sex and gender, are located within the intellectual milieu of various writers and within the larger body of Western thought. (Same as ISAH 3394) (3-0) T

GST 3303 Gender, Society and Politics (3 semester hours) Addresses the influence of gender on the distribution of public goods and the way gender, interacting with race and class, shapes social, political, and economic institutions. Introduces students to traditional notions of rights and citizenship as conceptual underpinnings for contemporary political and legal debates (on welfare, reproductive rights, childcare, job segregation, women in the military, prostitution). (Same as SOC 3354 and GOVT 3354) (3-0) Y

And Nine hours from the following:

AMS 3300 American Popular Culture (3 semester hours) Examines American culture from the colonial period to the present through some of its most popular cultural forms: fiction, drama, film, advertising, music, fairs and festivals. Considers the economics of cultural production, ways of critically reading popular texts, and how consumers make use of popular culture. Pays particular attention to the ways gender, race, and class influence how popular texts are created and consumed. (3-0) Y

AMS 3318 Contemporary American Conflicts (3 semester hours) An investigation of the core tensions and strains in contemporary American society and culture with emphasis on individual freedoms vs. social responsibility, pluralism, social inequality, gender, and poverty and prosperity. (3-0) Y

AMS 4379 Topics in American Studies (3 semester hours) Subject matter will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit (9 hours maximum). (3-0) Y

BIS 4V04 Internship (1-6 semester hours) Placement in a faculty-supervised work situation in business, government, or social service agency, arts institution, or other setting appropriate to the student's concentration. Sites may be local, out of state, or abroad. An internship provides exposure to a professional working environment, application of theory to working realities, and an opportunity to test skills and clarify goals in a specific field. Experience gained may also serve as a work credential after graduation. ([1-6]-0) S

GOVT 3353 Law and Gender (3 semester hours) Examines how laws and legal institutions reflect and reproduce cultural notions of gender. Focuses on how legal equality and sex discrimination have been defined and challenged. Topics include rape law, reproductive issues, marriage and divorce, pornography, workplace regulations, and, generally, how gender and race ideologies interact in legal decision making. (Same as SOC 3353.) (3-0) R

GOVT 3355 Gender, Governance, and Leadership (3 semester hours) This course relates feminist theory and empirical studies to gender and gender power in political organizations and institutions. It examines masculinism as well as feminism as political ideologies. Similarities and differences in male and female leadership styles, expectations of government, and governance and public policy are explored. (3-0) T

GOVT 3356 Gender, Globalization, and Democratization (3 semester hours) This course examines how globalization is changing gender relations in the global political economy. It examines how political spaces are opened and closed to women, the role of the international human rights movement, and the process of democratization as it relates to gender in systematic ways. (Same as GEOG 3356, SOC 3356) (3-0) T

GOVT 3357 Gender and Political Economy (3 semester hours) This course introduces students to gender issues in political economy from a feminist perspective. It explores gender analytics and feminist approaches to macroeconomics; women's status and position in the U.S. economy; different perspectives on the household and how each impacts the way we view human capital; migration, democratization, and women's role in each; and globalization, gender regimes, and social change, highlighting women-friendly alternatives to analyzing political economies and globalization. (3-0) T

GOVT 4333 Sex and Politics (3 semester hours) This course examines the role of gender and sexuality in shaping our society. Topics include the biology, psychology and sociology of gender and sexuality in shaping the current debates about reproduction of equality. (Same as SOC 4333.) (3-0) T

GOVT 4334 Gay and Lesbian Politics (3 semester hours) This course examines the rise of the Gay Movement in the United States. It examines the origins of the movement, the shift towards militancy and the current issues facing gays and lesbians in the United States. Specific topics include Stonewall, gays in the military, AIDS, and the Gay Rights struggle in litigation. (Same as SOC 4334.) (3-0) R

GOVT 4338 Minority Politics (3 semester hours) Issues and politics affecting minority groups in the United States, with particular focus on blacks, Hispanics, women, and gays. (Same as SOC 4338.) (3-0) R

GOVT 4363 Affirmative Action Debate (3 semester hours) Examines the historical, social, political, and legal dimensions of debate over affirmative action in education and the workplace. Topics include the black-white test score gap, the evolution of legal doctrine, the efficacy of affirmative action, and political efforts to curb affirmative action. (Same as SOC 4363.) (3-0) T

GOVT 4364 Civil Rights Law and Society (3 semester hours) Examines the development of civil rights law, and how social ideologies are reflected and reproduced in race and sex discrimination law. Explores how power is exercised through law, and how legal change is pursued as a strategy for social reform. Topics include antislavery and the judicial process, the Reconstruction Amendments, the role of the Supreme Court in U.S. society, school segregation cases, and hate speech. (Same as SOC 4364.) (3-0) Y

HIST 3324 Women in European Society (3 semester hours) An historical examination of the varied experiences of European women, focusing on work, family life, political action, sexuality, and cultural expression. May emphasize early modern or modern period. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (6 hours maximum). (3-0) T

HIST 3366 Themes in the Social History of the United States (3 semester hours) A survey of social history, focusing upon the American experience. The course explores changes in the family, work, sex roles, mobility, migration, urbanization, and industrialization. Fulfills one-half of the Texas legislative requirement for six hours in American history. (3-0) T

HIST 3371 Twentieth-Century American Culture and Society (3 semester hours) An exploration of the interplay between social change and cultural developments during the 20th century. Topics include urban life, mass marketing and media, gender roles, ethnic identity, and the relation between "high" and "low" culture. Fulfills one-half of the Texas legislative requirement for six hours in American history. (3-0) T

ISAH 3330 Venus to Vampire: Women in History and Art (3 semester hours) Starting with the Greeks, this course will explore the female as a constant source of inspiration and vehicle of expression during the major periods of Western art up to the present time. Emphasis will be on the social and philosophical context in which these images were created and on the persistence and change of types of images from period to period. (3-0) T

ISAH 3394 Women and Western Thought (3 semester hours) Drawing from philosophy, theology, literature, and art, this course will attempt to trace and understand the development of the concept of woman from the classical period until the present, and examine the evolution of such attitudes and their impact on the images of women in literature and the visual arts. (3-0) T

ISGS 3312 Women in Management (3 semester hours) Earnings differences, employment policies, and other critical issues affecting the status of women in managerial and professional positions. (3-0) S

ISGS 4311 Gender and Education (3 semester hours) An examination of the impact of gender, race, and class on the educational experiences of men and women. Considers the way educational institutions both empower individuals and reproduce social inequalities based on class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. Topics include Enlightenment discussions of gender and reason, co-ed vs. single sex education, curriculum transformation efforts to include the history and experiences of women and ethnic minorities, feminist, and critical pedagogies. (3-0) Y

ISGS 4320 Women, Work and Family (3 semester hours) An examination of the relationship between women's work for pay in the marketplace and their unpaid work in homes across time and in different cultures. Topics include the historical separation of work from home under capitalism; division of household labor between men and women; public policy initiatives (socialized/commercial housework and daycare, family leave, telecommuting, part-time and flex-time work) designed to make juggling work and family easier; the ways class, race, and ethnicity constrain and enable women's choices. (3-0) Y

LIT 3327 Recent American Literature (3 semester hours) Surveys American literature since 1950. Samples such authors as Updike, Oates, Pynchon, Bellow, Mailer, and Morrison, and considers such topics as black humor, feminism, the new journalism, and the self-reflexive novel. (3-0) T

LIT 3380 Studies in Women's Literature (3 semester hours) An introduction to literature by women. Examines selections of literature written from antiquity through the contemporary period. Considers such literary forms as autobiography, journals, letters, fiction, poetry, and drama. Samples a diverse array of women writers and their relation to the wider Western canon. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (6 hours maximum). (3-0) T

PSY 3334 Psychology of Women (3 semester hours) Examines theory and research on biological, intellectual, and psychosocial development of women. Topics may include women's friendships, recovery from rape trauma, women in the workplace, women's mental health, and female sexuality. (3-0) T

PSY 3338 Adolescence (3 semester hours) Social, emotional, cognitive, moral, and physical development during adolescence. Specific topics covered in the course include parent-adolescent relations, self-identity, achievement, motivation, sex roles, and cultural and social class differences. (3-0) Y

PSY 4345 Violence in the Family (3 semester hours) Explores the area of family violence with primary emphasis on the problems of spouse abuse and child abuse. Analysis of each of these areas of family violence focuses specifically on the epidemiology of the problem, characteristics of the families, etiological theories, and treatment approaches. (3-0) Y

PSY 4346 Human Sexuality (3 semester hours) This course covers a wide range of issues, including both behavioral and biological aspects of sexuality. Topics include how to judge sexual research, values and sex, love and intimacy, male and female sexual anatomy and physiology, sexually transmitted diseases, patterns of sexual response, sexual problems and therapies, the development of sexuality, sexual orientation, reproductive sexuality, forcible sexual behavior, and social issues in sexuality. (3-0) S

SOC 3343 Family and Sex Roles (3 semester hours) Trends in family life are examined with special attention to how these relate to changes in men's and women's roles. Topics include sex-role socialization, division of labor in the household, sexuality, emotional aspects of marriage, marital power and decision making, and divorce. (3-0) R

SOC 3352 Gender Roles (3 semester hours) Examines female and male gender roles in nineteenth- and twentieth-century contexts. Considers the way gender status interacts with race and class status to produce different sets of experiences and constraints for women and men. Gender systems are analyzed as culturally and historically specific. Topics include socialization patterns, marital power, reproduction, sexuality, masculinity. (3-0) R

SOC 3355 Gender Across Cultures (3 semester hours) A study of the forms of gender difference in societies with widely varying cultural traditions and with differing levels of techno-economic complexity ranging from foraging bands to industrial states. (3-0) R

SOC 4355 Social Movements (3 semester hours) The structure, causes, and consequences of change-oriented social movements. Historical and contemporary case studies, including the American labor movement, the civil rights movement, and the feminist movement. (3-0) R

For additional information, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies