Courses

• CAS SO 534: S: Mod&Soc Chng
  This course description is currently under construction.
• CAS SO 541: Modernity Seminar I
  This seminar looks at the phenomenon of modernity from a multidisciplinary point of view. Discussed are the cultural foundations of modernity, specifically and primarily nationalism but also Romanticism, science, and major political ideologies. Also analyzed are modernization and development as studied by the social sciences, modernism, and postmodernism in literary and cultural studies; and the nature of man and society in the perspectives of modern philosophy. Also offered as CAS AN 541. Either or both of SO 541 and SO 543 may be taken for credit.
• CAS SO 543: Modernity Seminar II
  This seminar looks at the phenomenon of modernity from a multidisciplinary point of view. Discussed are the cultural foundations of modernity, specifically and primarily nationalism but also Romanticism, science, and major political ideologies. Also analyzed are modernization and development as studied by the social sciences, modernism, and postmodernism in literary and cultural studies; and the nature of man and society in the perspectives of modern philosophy. Also offered as CAS AN 543. Either or both of SO 541 and SO 543 may be taken for credit.
• CAS SO 559: Seminar: Deviance and Social Control
  Sociological explanations of types of deviancy and methods of controlling it. Students select research topics ranging from behaviors and conditions perceived as deviant (e.g., crime, terrorism, sexual deviance, addictions) to methods of control (e.g., law, medical treatment, social exclusion, war).
• CAS WR 097: English Grammar and Composition (ESL only)
  Study of conventions of academic writing along with review of grammar and mechanics. Emphasis on comprehension, summary, and critical analysis of a wide range of readings. Focus on accuracy and fluency in writing and speaking. Frequent papers and in-class writing.
• CAS WR 098: Introduction to College Reading and Writing in English (ESL only)
  Emphasis on critical reading and analytical writing. Review of grammar and mechanics in context. Intensive practice in the patterns of academic argumentation. Various theme-based readings. Multiple writing assignments of increasing complexity. Refinement of speaking skills through discussions and oral presentations.
• CAS WR 100: Writing Seminar
  Topic-based seminar in academic reading and writing. Attention to reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources, argumentation, prose style, revision, and citation. Significant writing and individual conferences.
• CAS WR 150: Writing and Research Seminar
  Topic-based seminar in academic reading, writing, and research. Continuing attention to argumentation, prose style, revision, and citation, with additional emphasis on college-level research. Significant writing and individual conferences.
• CAS WR 202: Children?s Literature in the Elementary School
  An introduction to the world of children?s literature. Classics and exemplary modern works are studied, with a particular focus on literary techniques, nonfiction text structures, cultural diversity, and gender. Covers children?s literature recommended by Massachusetts English Language Arts Framework (2001).
• CAS WR 598: Tutoring in ESL
  Prepares Writing Center tutors to work effectively with ESL and multilingual students. Modules balance theory and practice. Tutors gain knowledge about ESL writing and pedagogical ability to help students become independent writers. No familiarity with linguistics or language teaching required.
• 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 213: Sexism in the Twenty-First Century
  Examines the dynamics of contemporary institutions as they affect women's and men's lives, particularly in the United States-- the economy, politics, mass media and culture, the beautification industry, sex industries, and hook-up culture-- through the intersections of race, class, ethnicity, and sexual identity. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS WS 113.
• CAS WS 214: Women, Arts, and Culture
  Voices and visions of women writers, artists, and musicians. Considers how women's artistic productions contribute to understanding the social, cultural, and political history of women, with special attention to gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class. Carries CAS Humanities divisional credit. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS WS 114.
• CAS WS 305: Critical Issues in Women's Studies
  An interdisciplinary exploration of current topics in women's studies. Topic for Fall 2012: Superwomen, Vampires and Cyborgs: Bodily Transformations and Social Change. Examines popular figures that cross gender, sexual, racial, and human boundaries, challenging our ideas about those social categories. Are these figures metaphors for feminism, gay rights, racial equality? Readings in sociology and psychology, science fiction, and other pop genres.
• 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 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.

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