2021-2022 Academic Catalog

WST-Women's Studies

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Course Descriptions By Program

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WST200 - Introduction to Women's Studies

Women’s Studies 200 examines both the diverse and the collective experiences of women and men. The complex intermingling of privilege and inequality that intersect and diverge among women’s and men’s identities and roles will be analyzed. The impact of gender in arenas such as education, work, family, sexuality, identity, entertainment, sports, religion, and social policy will be explored.

WST320 - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Studies

Women’s Studies 320 engages students in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) studies. The course includes some historical perspective of LGBTQ issues and examination of identity development related to sexuality, gender, and sexual orientation (including the “coming out” process). The primary focus is on contemporary issues related to education, the military, family, education, the media, entertainment, government and public policy in the United States.

WST330 - Examination of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Class in Media

Women’s Studies 330 engages students in critical analysis of gender, race, class and sexuality issues as related to media. Students will first be exposed to theory, offering diverse lenses from which to examine media, such as feminism, critical race theory, cultural consciousness, and social psychological stereotyping. Students will engage in critical consciousness, using the theories to examine media, and the representations/misrepresentations that reflect and create socially constructed identities and roles regarding gender, race, sexuality and class.

WST350 - Finding Our CHEA: Compassion, Happiness, Empathy, and Activism; The Science of Improving Our World

This course affords students a focused examination of emerging and dynamic fields that highlight how do we make ourselves, our communities, and the world happier, more empathic, more compassionate places? Science finds that increasing our empathy, compassion, and connection with others, while focusing on experiences and relationships are central to these goals. This course uses content from women’s/gender studies, social work, sociology, psychology, political science, history, medicine, and more. Women’s Studies courses, including this course, engage students in critical analysis of gender, race, class and sexuality, and social justice issues. By the end of the course, students will hold some of the scientific “secrets” to making themselves and others happier and to making communities better places to live.

WST400 - Capstone, Advanced Women’s Studies

This course will explore feminist theory in its present and past strands, and the impact that feminist scholarship has had and can have on the pursuit of knowledge, both in content and methodology. This course will also include analysis of some of the most prominent issues in the field today, as selected by the students (with guidance from the instructor). From a general investigation of feminist theory, each student will apply elements of feminist theory to her/his own major field, culminating in a major research project.