Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

• CAS WS 101: Gender and Sexuality I: An Interdisciplinary Introduction
  Introduction to women's, gender, and sexuality studies, integrating approaches from the natural and social sciences and humanities, focused on the origins, diversity, and expression of gendered and sexed individuals. Topics include the evolutionary origin of sexes; evolution, development, and social construction of sex differences; sexual differences, similarities, and diversity in bodies, brains, behavior, and artistic and intellectual expressions. Team-taught. Students who complete both halves of the two-semester sequence WS 101/102 receive divisional studies credit for two courses, from two different divisions: Natural Science (without lab), Social Science, and/or Humanities. Neither WS 101 nor WS 102 alone carries divisional studies credit.
• CAS WS 102: Gender and Sexuality II: An Interdisciplinary Introduction
  Introduction to women's, gender, and sexuality studies, focused on communities and institutions. Integrates approaches from the natural and social sciences and humanities, including evolutionary, historical, and cross-cultural analyses, feminist and queer theory. Topics include human reproductive biology; patriarchy and sexual violence; parenting, kinship structures, and forms of intimacy; sexual selection; the construction of gender identity and sexual orientation; evolutionary medicine; and the relationship of academic research to social activism. Team-taught. Students who complete both halves of the two-semester sequence WS 101/102 receive divisional studies credit for two courses, from two different divisions: Natural Science (without lab), Social Science, and/or Humanities. Neither WS 101 nor WS 102 alone carries divisional studies credit.
• CAS WS 113: Women, Society, and Culture: Social Sciences
  Women's economic, political, and familial situation in contemporary American society. Examination of work by feminist scholars in various disciplines, including psychology, biology, and history. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS WS 114: Women, Society, and Culture: Humanities
  Voices and visions of women writers, artists, and filmmakers. Considers how women's artistic productions contribute to understanding the social, cultural, and political history of women. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS WS 305: Critical Issues in Women's Studies
  An interdisciplinary exploration of current topics in women's studies. Three topics are offered 2011/2012. Students may take one or all topics for credit. Topics for Fall 2011: Sections A1 & B1: Women and Comedy. From Mae West and 1930s screwball comediennes to Tina Fey and female stand- up comics today, explore funny women, women's humor, what women find funny, and how women use humor as a tool for survival, resistance, and subversion. Section C1: Men, Women, and Revolution in the Middle East. A diachronic, gendered examination of wars and revolutions that have shaped borders and societies in the Middle East from encounters with 19th century European colonialism to the revolutions of 2011. Analysis based on a variety of texts including social media. Also offered as CAS XL 381 A1. Topic for Spring 2012: Middle Eastern Women Write. Exploration of feminist movements in the Middle East through works of literature. The impact on gender of colonialism, revolution, and migration. Also offered as CAS XL 381 B1.
• CAS WS 340: Women, Race, and Gender in Mass Media
  Develops students' media literacy through hands-on analysis of media and pop culture representations of women, femininity, and race; their relation to women's lived experience; and the place of "feminine" values in contemporary culture.
• CAS WS 342: Law and Gender in the United States
  Combines legal, historical, and sociological studies of women's evolving legal status. Discussions cover constitutional law, family law (including same-sex marriage), reproductive rights/technologies, sex as crime--statutory rape, prostitution, sodomy--and how law shapes gender relations for men and women.
• CAS WS 345: Gender and War
  (Meets with CAS IR 518 and PO 583.) Examines gender constructions in world politics. Topics include gender biases in international relations theories, female and males roles in war, and rape as an instrument of warfare. Also assesses roles of women as leaders, actors, and objects of foreign policy.
• CAS WS 346: Women and Film
  Study of principally American films, exploring how the medium has shaped and been shaped by cultural perceptions of women. Readings provide background for interpretation of films ranging from screwball comedy to film noir, "women's films," and films by women directors.
• CAS WS 348: Gender and International Development
  Analysis of significant gender disparities worldwide in education, livelihoods, crisis settings, and political voice. Interdisciplinary approach combines discussion of novels, films, research on development, and lessons from field experience. Ideas on the advancement of gender equality and women's socio-economic empowerment.
• CAS WS 350: Women and Politics
  Readings, discussion, and field research on issues of women?s relationship to the processes of political influence, change, and empowerment. Analysis of public policy related to women and children. Also offered as CAS PO 342.
• CAS WS 360: Global Feminism: Race and Gender in International Perspectives
  Exploration of critical issues concerning women, gender, and race throughout the world. Topics include women and the global economy, health care, reproduction, the dynamics of sex industries, violence against women, international women's movements, and political/institutional change.
• CAS WS 491: Directed Study: Women's and Gender Studies
  Individual instruction and supervised study project in women's or gender studies. Application form available in program office.
• CAS WS 492: Directed Study: Women's and Gender Studies
  Individual instruction and supervised study project in women's or gender studies. Application form available in program office.

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