Gender and Women's Studies

 

Professor:  Segrest; Visiting Assistant Professor:  Locke; Professor Kushigian, acting chair

 

Associated Faculty:

 

Professors:  Benoît (Anthropology), Borer (Government), Boyd (English), Chrisler (Psychology), Cruz-Saco (Economics), Dawson (Government), Harlan (Religious Studies), Howes (Economics), Pack (Economics), Rivkin (English), Stock (History), Wilson (History), Van Slyck (Art History and Architectural Studies); Associate Professors:  Bhatia (Human Development), Borrelli (Government), Dooling (East Asian Languages and Cultures), Fredricks (Human Development), Garofalo (History), Grande (Education), Greven (English), Heredia (Hispanic Studies), Kim (Religious Studies), Lanoux (Slavic Studies), Lizarralde (Anthropology/Botany), Lowe (Theater), Pfefferkorn (Philosophy), Sica (Italian); Assistant Professors:  Baker (English), Downs (History), Hay (English), Reder (English); Visiting Assistant Professor:  Henderson (Dance).

 

Gender and Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary transnational course of study designed to help students understand the ways in which gender politics shapes social experience.  We examine the nuanced historical processes through which women and men live out gender; the set of institutional and ideological practices that shape it; and the concrete processes and political movements through which inequities are transformed.  Employing a transnational, comparative approach, students explore how gender intersects with issues of nation, culture, religion, sexuality, class and race.  Gender and Women's Studies prepares students to utilize feminist methodologies and approaches to examine and enrich other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and arts.

 

The Major in Gender and Women's Studies

 

The Gender and Women's Studies major consists of courses 103, 224, 295 or 296, 306, and 402 and six additional courses from the electives offered by either departmental faculty or cross-listed with the Associate Faculty.  Majors are strongly advised to take course 312 (or a substitute social science methods course with permission of the department).  Seven courses must be taken at the 200 level or above, and a minimum of four courses taken at the 300 or 400 level.  Given the transnational focus of the department, students are strongly advised to gain language competency and to study abroad.

                Students may choose to double major in Gender and Women's Studies and another discipline.  Majors are encouraged to undertake independent work in seminars, individual studies courses, or Honors Study.  Departmental and associated faculty serve as advisers.

 

The Minor in Gender and Women's Studies

 

The minor in Gender and Women's Studies consists of at least five courses, including courses 103 and 306.  In addition, students must elect three courses. At least two of these three courses must be taken at the 300 or 400 level.  A plan of study organized around a specific topic, theme, or area of interest should be submitted to the faculty adviser for approval.

               

Advisers:  M. Segrest, and Associated Faculty as appropriate

 

Required or Strongly Recommended Courses

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  103  INTRODUCTION TO GENDER & WOMEN'S STUDIES:  A TRANSNATIONAL FEMINIST APPROACH  An interdisciplinary course that examines how feminism is constituted transnationally.  Drawing upon disciplines including political economy, history, literature, and sociology, we will examine the gendered forces that constitute modernities and post-modernities, including colonization, the transatlantic slave trade, body politics, the nation-state and gendered citizens, the global economy, and the family.

                Open to all students.  Enrollment limited to 40 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 3.  M. Segrest

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  224  TRANSNATIONAL WOMEN'S MOVEMENT  A gendered examination of twentieth-century social movements and the emergence of autonomous women's organizations and networks worldwide.  Emphasis on violence and the state, anticolonial movements, communist and postcommunist states, feminism vs nation building, women in industrial and postindustrial economies, and the challenges and opportunities of non-governmental women's organizations in the twenty-first century.

                Prerequisite:  Course 103 or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 25 students.  M. Segrest, Staff

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  295, 296  TRAINING FOR TRANSFORMATION  Supervised practical work at designated community-based agencies and governmental and non-governmental organizations or campus-based sites.  Two credit hours, pass/not passed marking.  May be taken in conjunction with one of the core courses required for the major.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  306  ADVANCED READINGS IN FEMINIST THEORY AND METHOD  Analysis of social, political and ideological relations through which feminist knowledge is produced.  Emphasis on significance of gendered analysis as an intervention in a range of disciplines and discourses and the evolution of complex modes of theorizing gender as they implicate and are shaped by other forms of power and identity.

                Prerequisite:  Course 103 for Gender and Women's Studies majors or permission of the instructor.  This course is recommended for juniors and seniors.  Enrollment limited to 20 students.  M. Segrest

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  312  FEMINIST SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS  This course focuses on developing feminist research questions and the design of research projects and gives students experience with different methods, including interview, survey, experimental and ethnographic techniques.

                Prerequisite:  Course 103 or 224 or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 30 students.  C. Locke

 

Gender and Women's Studies  402  Eye of the Storm:  Hurricane Katrina and the Culture of the Gulf Coast  Students will bring a transnational feminist analysis to the culture of the Gulf Coast South as a lens through which to understand the ecological, political and cultural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

                Prerequisite:  Course 103 or 204 and 306, or permission from the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 15 students.  M. Segrest

 

Gender and Women's Studies  408  gender and human rights  This course applies the lens of transnational feminism to human rights, specifically to the study of human rights law, its evolution in the 20th century, and the contribution of women in gendering this discourse.  The course will study how these frameworks are used on different continents as well as their local applicability to questions of sexual assault on campus.

Prerequisite:  Course 224 or 306 or another course on human rights.  Enrollment limited to 15 students.  M. Segrest

 

Electives in Gender and Women's Studies

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  201, 202  SPECIAL TOPICS IN GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  An exploration of concerns central to the study of gender and of women's varied experiences through a focus on a single topic.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  208  WORDS, WISDOM, AND WITNESS:  WOMEN OF COLOR IN THE AMERICAS  An examination of the ways in which women of color have invented themselves in the Americas over the past century.  Students will examine the contributions of women of color to feminist theory, theology, literature and the arts, and U.S. social movements and activism.

                Prerequisite:  Course 103 or 105, or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 30 students.  C. Highbaugh

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  212  AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN AND FILM  This course examines the content and aesthetics of works by African American filmmakers and actresses from the early 20th century to the present.  It explores the ways they have achieved expression in spite of the institutionalized racism and sexism that has excluded women of African descent from the film industry.

This course is not open to students who have received credit for Gender and Women's Studies 201A or 202A.

                Prerequisite:  Course 103 or 105 or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 30 students.  Staff

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  216  GENDER AND GLOBALIZATION  A study of discourses and practices of globalization and their relationship to cultural processes centered on labor and political economy in gendered contexts.  These contexts include those concerning women as a category, as well as those concerning the gendering of labor in the global economy.

                Prerequisite:  Course 103 or another introductory social science course, or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 30 students.  Staff

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  217  SAME-SEX SEXUALITY IN WORLD HISTORY  This is the same course as American Studies/History 217.  Refer to the History listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  222  HISTORY OF GENDER IN THE ANDES AND MEXICO  This is the same course as History 220.  Refer to the History listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  225  WOMEN, RELIGION, AND MODERNITY  This is the same course as Religious Studies 225.  Refer to the Religious Studies listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  228  INTRODUCTION TO FEMINIST ECONOMICS  This is the same course as Economics 228.  Refer to the Economics listing for a course description.

 

Gender and Women's Studies  230  Gender in Communist and Post-communist SocietieS  This is the same course as Slavic Studies 230/East Asian Studies 230.  Refer to the Slavic Studies listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  238  A THEORETICAL INTRODUCTION TO POSTCOLONIAL LITERATURE:  GENDER, RACE, EMPIRE  This is the same course as English 238.  Refer to the English listing for a course description.

 

Gender and Women's Studies  242  The History of Women and Gender in The United States  This is the same course as American Studies/History 242.  Refer to the History listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  244  MODERN CHINESE WOMEN'S WRITING IN TRANSLATION  This is the same course as Chinese 244.  Refer to the East Asian Languages and Cultures listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  275  HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC  This is the same course as American Studies/History 275.  Refer to the History listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  301, 302  SPECIAL TOPICS IN GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  An exploration of concerns central to the study of gender and of women's varied experiences through a focus on a single topic.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  304  LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICAL PRACTICE  This is the same course as English 304.  Refer to the English listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  308B  GENDER ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE  This is the same course as Theater 308B.  Refer to the Theater listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  311  MUSLIM WOMEN'S VOICES  This is the same course as Religious Studies 311.  Refer to the Religious Studies listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  313  REPRESENTING GENDER  This is the same course as Film Studies 311.  Refer to the Film Studies listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  314  DOCUMENTING SOCIAL ACTIVISM  This course combines the study of activist efforts to address local, national and global gendered and women's issues in the New England and Tri-State area with the use of audio, video and internet technology to document these activities.

                Prerequisite:  Course 103 or 224 or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 15 students.  This course satisfies General Education Area 5.  Staff

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  315  GENDER AND HIGHER EDUCATION  Examination of U.S. higher education as a gendered social institution in structure, curriculum, campus life, and history.  Focus on sex discrimination legislation affecting higher education policy and practice.  Specific topics include admissions policies, coeducation, affirmative action, women's studies and related curricular initiatives, sexual harassment, campus violence, and athletics.  This is the same course as Sociology 315.

                Prerequisite:  One semester course in Sociology or Gender and Women's Studies.  Enrollment limited to 25 students.  Staff

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  316  QUEER PEDAGOGY  This is the same course as Education 316.  Refer to the Education listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  320  ANTHROPOLOGY OF SEX AND GENDER  This is the same course as Anthropology 320.  Refer to the Anthropology listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  332  EXQUISITE CORPSES  This is the same course as English 332.  Refer to the English listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  340  PSYCHOLOGY OF MEN AND MASCULINITY  This is the same course as Psychology 340.  Refer to the Psychology listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  341  CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN U.S. HISTORY  This is the same course as American Studies/History 341.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  347  SAME-SEX LOVE AND THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE  This is the same course as American Studies/English 347.  Refer to the English listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  355  THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION  This is the same course as Anthropology 355.  Refer to the Anthropology listing for a course description.

 

Gender and women's Studies  356  Feminisms IN AMERICAN Popular Culture  This is the same course as Film Studies 395W, 396W.  Refer to the Film Studies listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  362  ALICE MUNRO AND THE SHORT STORY  This is the same course as English 362.  Refer to the English listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S  STUDIES  371  NATIONS WITHIN:  INDIGENOUS HISTORIES AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE  This is the same course as American Studies/History 371.  Refer to the History listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  406  HEARING VOICES:  A STUDY OF VOICE, THEATRICALITY AND PERFORMANCE  (IN FRENCH)  This is the same course as French 493M, 494M.  Refer to the French listing for a course description.

 

Gender and Women's Studies  414  Gender and Development in latin America  This is the same course as Economics 414.  Refer to the Economics listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  416  THE BRONTËS  This is the same course as English 493E, 494E.  Refer to the English listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  418  TONI MORRISON  This is the same course as English 493H, 494H.  Refer to the English listing for a course description.

 

Gender and Women's  Studies  419  Studies in Authorship:  Women Directors  This is the same course as Film Studies 493W, 494W.  Refer to the Film Studies listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  426  HISTORY OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN JAPAN, 1850s-1980s  This is the same course as History 426.  Refer to the History listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  448  HUMAN TRAFFICKING:  PROSTITUTION AND SEX-SLAVERY IN NORTHEAST ASIA, WESTERN EUROPE AND THE U.S. SINCE 1850  This is the same course as History 448.  Refer to the History listing for a course description.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  452  SWEATSHOP WARRIORS AND GLOBAL CAPITALISM  An analysis of the re-emergence of sweatshops in the wake of corporate globalization and the reasons that sweatshops are profoundly gendered immigrant ethnic sites.  The course includes a number of case studies (Caribbean, Central America, United States) to consider how the local and the global intersect inside the sweatshop and how this system particularly affects women.  This is the same course as American Studies/History 452.

                Prerequisite:  One of the following:  Course 103, 224, American Studies 201, or permission of the instructor.  Enrollment limited to 16 students.  C. Locke

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  453  HISTORY OF SEXUALITY IN THE U.S.  This is the same course as American Studies/History 453.

 

Additional Electives

 

Art History 325 Art History 493M, 494M   English 216B English 301C Film Studies 311 Government 250 Hispanic Studies 433A, 434A   Hispanic Studies 433C, 434C History 410 Philosophy 263 Psychology 203 Psychology 493A, 494A Religious Studies 493A, 494A Sociology 493A, 494A

Gender in Architecture Gender in Early Modern Europe (1350-1700):  Art, Literature and Society Contemporary Women Writers:  1970 ? Present American Women Writers Representing Gender Women and United States Politics Growing up in Latin America:  The Bildungsroman in Latin American Narrative Contemporary Spanish Women Writers Readings in the History of African Women Body and Gender Psychology of Women Psychology of Women's Health Women and Religion in South Asia Inequality

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  291, 292  INDIVIDUAL STUDY

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  391, 392  INDIVIDUAL STUDY

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  495, 496  FIELD WORK  Six to nine hours weekly of supervised practical work at designated community-based agency, governmental or non-governmental organization, or campus site, with written reflection as final product.

                Open to senior majors and minors in Gender and Women's Studies.  Students must find a faculty sponsor to oversee field work experience.  Students may only take this course once unless senior students get advanced permission for a two-semester field work assignment as an alternative to an honors thesis.

 

GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES  497-498  HONORS STUDY