WGST - Women and Gender Studies
WGST - Women and Gender Studies
Course Descriptions
WGST 2325 Goddesses (3)
WGST 1010 Studying Women Across the Disciplines
(3)
Goddess worship played a significant role in the lives of peoples
in antiquity and enjoys a contemporary revival. What is the nature
of this worship? Is it inclusive or exclusive of cultic behavior
toward male deities? In this course, students will learn how
to reconstruct some of the beliefs of ancient peoples from
archaeological evidence and ancient documents as they examine
the role and influence of the feminine goddess in ancient cultures.
We will look at the ideas of the sacred feminine and practices of
worship which include sexual rites, women's rituals, prayer, hymns
and devotion -- all attached to a powerful group of divine females.
We will examine how scholars reconstruct the lives of women
from their portrayal as deities.
An interdisciplinary course designed by the Women’s Studies
Committee at Webster to introduce students to feminist
scholarship in a variety of disciplines. This course will be taught by
a team of instructors, each one teaching from the perspective of
his/her discipline.
WGST 1020 Introduction to Women and Gender
Studies (3)
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to concepts
and issues from feminist scholarship in a variety of disciplines,
providing an introduction to critical thinking about the sex/gender
system and gendered structural constraints faced by men and
women. The course will focus on the intersections of gender and
race, ethnicity, social class, sexuality, and ability status within the
United States and around the world.
WGST 2000 Topics in Women’s Studies (3)
WGST 2210 Gender, Population, and the Environment
(3)
This course examines the impact of population growth on the
environment utilizing a gendered lens of analysis. Students
will learn about fertility policies across various cultures and
how they have influenced population growth. Students will
evaluate research from biology, genetics, medicine, sociology,
anthropology, and history, among other disciplines focused on the
interaction between gender, population, and the environment.
WGST 2225 Women: Power, Place, And Person (3)
This course provides students with an interdisciplinary introduction
to power relationships in the sex and gender system, including
topics such as prejudice and discrimination, historical and
comparative trends in sex and gender inequality, legislative
responses to gender issues, and other aspects of social
inequality.
WGST 2260 Men & Masculinities (3)
This course examines men and masculinities through a critical
lens, looking carefully at an institutionalized system of behaviors
and beliefs that is assumed to be a natural phenomenon (as
well as culturally universal and historically eternal). The goal of
the course is to reach an understanding of various masculine
behaviors, myths, ideologies, and experiences; to comprehend
the relationship between masculine practice and social power;
and to delineate choices for future directions in the behavior and
belief systems of individual men and the society at large. The
course is necessarily interdisciplinary, and will utilize the tools and
methods of sociology, anthropology, psychology, and history as
needed.
WGST 2320 Women in World Religions (3)
This course uses anthropological and sociological approaches
to explore the ways that women in world religions apply feminist
theory to religious and cultural practices.
We will examine the wide-ranging contributions made by women
as composers, performers, patrons, teachers, and producers
of Western music. The focus is on art music and popular
music, with references to intercultural gender roles in world
music. Investigation will consider gender and its effects on
musical activities from the twelfth century thorough the present.
Emphasizing social and cultural contexts, we will study the milieux
in which women were active, evaluating their public and private
status at court, in church and convent, and, subsequently, in
salons, on the operatic and concert stages, and in professional
teaching and composing positions. Significant portions of our
study will be devoted to the representation of women in the
public eye, documented through visual images in American
popular song. Integral to the course are non-technical listening
assignments and viewings of musical performances.
WGST 2610 Women and Gender in Social Justice
Organizations (3)
This course will examine contemporary issues related to gender
in the foundation and leadership of social justice organizations.
We will examine the social justice organization's role in promoting
such issues as women's global political participation, economic
opportunities, access to education, messages about violence
against women, reproductive justice, and amnesty. Students will
be challenged to "put their passions into practice" by applying their
increased knowledge of social justice organizations to the creation
of their own organization, including a final presentation that could
be made to potential funders. We will also focus on aspects of
governance unique to feminist organizations.
WGST 2620 Speaking of Sex: Women and the Law (3)
Women still face substantial obstacles in every area of political,
social, and economic life, yet most people continue to deny
that gender inequality is a serious problem. The legal system
perpetuates this denial as well, and historically has attempted to
discount or justify gender discrimination. This course will focus
on the past and current developments of laws, programs, and
institutions which impact gender issues. It will focus on the social
and legal implications of gender-based rulings and will explore the
factors which underlie such rulings.
WGST 3000 Topics in Women’s Studies (3)
An advanced, in-depth analysis of topics related to gender issues,
e.g., cultural and social developments in the arts, sciences, and
social sciences. Topics vary with semester and may be repeated
for credit if content differs. Prerequisite: 6 credit hours in classes
designated as women’s studies courses.
WGST 3230 Domestic Violence (3)
"Repressive systems perpetuate themselves as long as
they remain unrecognized" (Evans, 1996). In order to better
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Course Descriptions
An intermediate level exploration of topics related to gender
issues, e.g., cultural and social developments in the arts. A course
designed to introduce students to feminist and gender theory
and serve as a foundation for further study of gender across the
disciplines.
WGST 2330 Women in Music (3)
WGST - Women and Gender Studies
WGST - Women and Gender Studies
understand the present condition of women and the violence that
is perpetrated against them, this course will investigate the history
of violence against women, the current status of this violence,
and the community response. Based on solid understanding of
what domestic violence is, the myths that surround it, whom it
effects, the patterns it takes, and the resources available, students
should be able to apply the knowledge they gain in this course to
whatever career path they choose. In this course, women will be
studied as victims, survivors, activists, advocates and, due to the
systemic nature of this struggle, experts on the topic. The feminist
theories applied in the course include women and children at the
center of the circle, gender inequality as the source of continued
oppression, and the role of holding men accountable in order for
change to take place. Prerequisite: Junior standing.
WGST 3270 Female Sexuality and Society (3)
This course will examine the relationship between female
sexuality and its social, historical, and ideological contexts.
Course materials will provide feminist analyses of the changing
social organization and cultural meaning of women's bodies,
sexual desires, and sexual practices. Prerequisites: Junior
standing or permission of the instructor.
WGST 3630 Women and Gender Studies Practicum
(1-6)
In the Women and Gender Studies practicum, students will
link the intellectual and the experiential, creating personalized
learning. They will be challenged to incorporate new knowledge
into their lives. The objective is for the student to work in the
community "on-site" at a social change organization. The student
will develop a rapport with practicum site staff and instructor built
on trust and mutual respect which fosters personalized learning.
As a result of the practicum, students should feel empowered as
they gain practical experience and move from being objects of
study to being subjects with a voice of their own. Course may be
repeated once for credit with permission of department chair.
promote women's rights globally. Women are claiming a new
voice in society by spearheading egalitarian movements for social
change. This course will analyze how gender, justice, and human
rights are influenced by the intervention of the state, international
agencies, globalization, and other international actors. Topics may
include: struggles to redefine women's rights as human rights,
gender and transgender movements, women's activism in the
right wing movements and religious nationalism, international
debates about sexuality and reproduction, and campaigns around
violence against women. Prerequisite: Senior standing or
permission of instructor.
WGST 4240 Feminism and Families (3)
Many sources in popular culture would have us believe that
feminists don't like families, and are anti-marriage and antichildren. This course will examine these myths by 1) reading
excerpts from classic first-wave and second-wave feminists
that address issues about women and families; 2) reviewing the
changes in family life that feminists have sought and successfully
won (e.g., increased lesbian and gay parenting, father's increased
participation in child-rearing, more recognition that domestic
labor is not merely "women's work"); 3) exploring contemporary
feminist perspectives on families; 4) looking toward the future and
asking what remains to be done to improve families for women.
Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor.
WGST 4650 Women and Gender Studies Capstone (3)
Provides a culminating experience for Women and Gender
Studies majors, allowing students to critically analyze, interpret,
and integrate interdisciplinary source materials in preparation for
graduate school or a career. Students will demonstrate mastery
of the methods, theory, and content areas of Women and Gender
Studies. Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor.
WGST 3710 Feminist Research Methods (3)
This course critically examines various methodological and
theoretical issues raised in and by the field of women's studies.
We will explore what is meant by feminist research and how one
goes about doing it. First we examine current issues and debates
regarding feminist methodologies and epistemology, and then
we read and discuss how theory, method, methodology, and
epistemology come together in published feminist works.
WGST 4000 Advanced Research Topics in Women and
Gender Studies (3)
An advanced, in-depth analysis of a specific area or issue in
women and gender studies, leading to an independent research
project. May be repeated for credit if content differs. Prerequisite:
Senior standing or permission of instructor.
WGST 4210 Feminist Science (3)
This course will explore the historical role of women in the
development of science and how changing roles of women in
society have affected science. Students will examine whether
there has been gender bias in scientific and health practice
and how this has affected the content of scientific knowledge,
including whether there are important ethical problems resulting
from this bias.
WGST4220 Gender, Justice, and Human Rights (3)
This course will help students become knowledgeable about
the tremendous range of women's and feminist activist globally.
We will analyze cultural, economic, and political conditions that
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