PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

The program requires completion of 21 credits, including the following:

1.  Introduction: Interdepartmental 120, completed by the end of the sophomore year.

INTERDEPARTMENTAL 120 (3) - Introduction to Women's Studies and Feminist Theory.

This course introduces students to the fields of feminist theory and Women’s Studies by focusing on key theoretical concepts and surveying a range of topics that have been central to the academic study of women and gender. Such topics are likely to include the family as a social institution, gender in the workplace, beauty norms, violence against women, the history of feminist activism, and/or women’s achievements in traditionally male-dominated fields such as sport, art, science, or literature. Students learn to approach such topics using gender as an analytical tool that intersects in complex ways with other categories of social power such as race, class, and sexuality. The course is interdisciplinary in approach and presents a plurality of feminist perspectives in order to offer a rich understanding of the development of feminist thought over the past several decades. Course assignments encourage students to use such thought to analyze their other academic pursuits as well as the non-academic environments in which they live, including thinking critically about their own experiences as women and men in contemporary society.  (GE4:  as credits only, not an area; FDR, HU)  Staff. Winter and Spring

2.  Distribution:  15 credits selected from the following, with at least one course from each of the following two areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the Women's Studies Committee approves.

a.  Social and Natural Sciences

• Biology 255
• Politics 350, 355
• Psychology  259, 215
• Sociology 280, 350

b.  Humanities and other disciplines

• Art 311
• English 358, 359, 313, 320
• History 357, 358
• Religion 132, 215
• Public Speaking 305
• When appropriate:  Eng 380, Fren 331, Span 395 and 396

Some Courses Relevant to Women's Studies

• Art 311- Seminar on Women Artists
• Biology 255 - Reproductive Physiology
• English 313 - Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales English
• English 320 – Shakespearean Genres
• English 359 - Literature by Women
• English 380 - Feminist Literary Theory
• French 331 – Images de femmes à travers les siècles
• French 397 - L'Ecriture des Femmes
• History 357 - History of Women in America, 1609-1870
• History 358 - History of Women in America, 1870 to the Present
• Interdepartmental 120-Introduction to Women's Studies and Feminist Theory
• Interdepartmental 396-Advanced Seminar in Women's Studies
• Politics 350-Social Movements
• Politics 355 - Gender and Politics
• Psychology 259 –Experimental Psychology: Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination
• Psychology 240-Adult Development and Aging
• Psychology 395 – Special Topics in Psychology (when appropriate)
• Religion 132-God and Goddess in the Hindu Religion
• Religion 215-Female and Male in Western Religious Tradition
• Sociology 280-Male and Female Roles in Society: Myths and Realities
• Sociology 350-Social Movements
• Spanish 395 -Women Writers of the Golden Age
• Spanish 395 -The Female Voice in Hispanic Literature
• Spanish 395 -Development of the Female Protagonist in 20th Century Spanish Literature
• Spanish 396-Mexican and Mexican-American Women Writers

3.  Capstone experience (after the completion of all other requirements):  Interdepartmental 396 or another relevant individual study, senior thesis, or honors thesis in the student's major approved by the program committee.

INTERDEPARTMENTAL 396 (3) - Advanced Seminar in Women's Studies. Prerequisites: Interdepartmental 120, junior or senior standing, and permission of the instructor. This course provides an opportunity for advanced students to explore in detail some aspect of women's studies. Specific topics may vary and may be determined, in part, by student interest. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff. Offered when interest is expressed and faculty resources permit.