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Gender Studies

 

Students MUST complete:

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. (Same as SOC 2300) (3-0) Y

Select TWO courses from:

GST 3301 Psychology of Gender (3 semester hours) An overview of individualistic and interact ional 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 of 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

Elective Courses (select 9 hours):

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, magazines, advertising, music, and television. 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

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. Course requirements include writing a journal and research paper connecting theory to practice. ([1-6]-0) S
 
CJS 3324 Gender, Crime and Justice (3 semester hours) Analysis of the role of gender in crime and in the justice system. The emphasis is on gender differences in the commission of crime and the types of crimes committed, criminal justice processing, and the employment of women in the criminal justice professions. (3-0) T

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 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 4358 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. (Same as SOC 4355) (3-0) R

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). Prerequisite: Three hours of lower-division history. (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. Prerequisite: Three hours of lower-division 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. Prerequisite: Three hours of lower-division history. (3-0) T

HIST 3384 U.S. Women from Settlement to Present (3 semester hours) A survey of the changing social, political, and economic roles of American women. Particular attention will be paid to the diversity of women’s roles, focusing on how women of different races, classes, and sexualities interpreted their “American experience.” Prerequisite: Three hours of lower-division history. (3-0) T

HIST 4360 Topics in American Women’s History (3 semester hours) Subject matter will vary from semester to semester and may include Women and the American Frontier, Popular Culture and Mass Media, and American Religious Societies. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 hours maximum). Prerequisite: Three hours of lower-division 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

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 4306 Human Female: Biology and Culture (3 semester hours) This course takes a life cycle approach to the major biological events in a woman’s life, and the various cultural observances or lack thereof, which accompany these changes. (3-0) Y

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. (Same as SOC 4377) (3-0) Y

LIT 3327 Mid Twentieth-Century American Literature (3 semester hours) Surveys American literature from about 1945 to about 1980. Samples such writers as the confessional poets, the Beats, Updike, Oates, Pynchon, Bellow, Mailer, and Morrison, and considers such topics as black humor, feminism, the new journalism, and the self reflexive novel. Prerequisite: Three hours of lower-division literature or HUMA 1301. (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). Prerequisite: Three hours of lower-division literature or HUMA 1301. (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 Sociology of the Family (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 both historic and contemporary contexts. Topics may include the sex/gender distinction, gender socialization, masculinities, the sexual division of labor, gender and power, and the interaction of gender with race, class, and sexuality. (3-0) R

SOC 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 GOVT 3353) (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. (Same as GOVT 4358) (3-0) R

SOC 4375 Gender and Work (3 semester hours) A sociological analysis of historical trends and current patterns of gender inequality in paid and domestic work; examination of theories and research related to the role of gender in shaping labor market opportunities, experiences, and rewards; identification of various forms of workplace discrimination and potential remedies. (3-0) R

SOC 4379 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. (Same as ISGS 4320.) (3-0) Y

For additional information, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies