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Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies

Course Description

The study of women of diverse racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds. Topics include contemporary concerns within women's studies: labor markets, health, reproduction, socialization, language, media representations, law, and public policy.

Athena Title

Intro Women and Gender Studies

Equivalent Courses

Not open to students with credit in WMST 2010, WMST 2010H

Non-Traditional Format

This course will be taught 95% or more online.

Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students will gain an appreciation for the basic issues within women's studies, and to reflect critically on your own perspectives on these issues.
  • Students will develop an understanding of the history of women within the U.S. and how various social issues have affected them due to the presence of sexism, racism, and class issues.
  • Students will learn the facts about racial and sexual inequality in the United States and the world, and to evaluate this information and draw conclusions from it.
  • Students will learn to communicate about politically charged issues with people of different backgrounds in a respectful manner.

Topical Outline

  • What is Women's and Gender Studies? A. Introduction: Femininity/Feminism B. Why Study "Women" and gender? C. Who Are We Studying: Are Women a Unified Social Category?
  • II. History of the Women's Movement A. 19th Century Women's Movement: The Rhetoric of Reform B. 20th Century Women's Movement: Questioning Patriarchy C. 20th Century Women's Movement: Questioning Women's Unity
  • III. Notions of "Otherness" A. Simone de Beauvoir and Woman as "Other" B. Gender and Race: Interlocking Systems
  • IV. Epistemology: Gender and the Construction of Knowledge A. Is There a "Woman's Way of Knowing"? B. Science and Technology
  • V. Gender Socialization A. Gender as a Social Institution B. Images of Women in Advertising C. Gender and Genius in the Visual Arts D. Language E. Women and Psycho-Social Development
  • VI. Violence, Sexuality, and Reproduction A. Violence Against Women B. Lesbian Identity and Cultural Values C. Reproductive Rights
  • VII. Family and Motherhood A. Family Values: The Rise of the Nuclear Family B. Working Mothers and Motherhood as Institution C. Mother's Milk: Advice to Women on Breastfeeding
  • VIII. Women as Wage Earners A. Women and Women's Economic Status B. The Global Assembly Line
  • IX. Unaddressed Topics: Student Presentations
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