{"id":9042,"date":"2024-06-24T16:38:47","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T20:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/?page_id=9042"},"modified":"2025-11-20T13:02:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T18:02:14","slug":"spring-courses","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/academics\/courses\/spring-courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring 2026 Courses<\/h2>\n

*Indicates course provides BU Hub units<\/em><\/p>\n

*CAS WS 101 - Gender and Sexuality: An Interdisciplinary Introduction<\/h3>
<\/p>\n

This course is the introduction to women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, that considers the origins, diversity, and expression of sex and gender. Topics include the evolutionary origin of sexes; evolution, development, and social construction of sex, gender, and sexuality; sexual difference, similarities and diversity in gendered bodies, brains, and behavior. This interdisciplinary introduction is the foundation for the minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 200 - Thinking Queerly<\/h3>
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
Explores historical and contemporary debates regarding LGBTQ identity, community, and politics through the relevant interdisciplinary (and often, competing) theories and research. Students gain skills in digital\/multimedia expression through the development of a collaborative LGBTQ online magazine. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Digital\/Multimedia Expression.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 201 - Introduction to Trans Studies<\/h3>
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
This course introduces students to the field of trans studies alongside the increasing precarity and hypervisibility of trans bodies in public life. Students become familiar with intersectional issues of trans representation, healthcare, cissexism, bathroom legislation, book bans, and more. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Creativity\/Innovation, Digital\/Multimedia Expression, The Individual in Community.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 233 - The Evolutionary Biology of Human Variation (also offered as CAS AN 233)<\/h3>
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n

Addresses human biological variation. An introduction to the fundamentals of comparative biology, evolutionary theory, and genetics and considers how research in these fields informs some of our most culturally-engaged identities: race, sex, gender, sexuality, and body type. Carries natural sciences divisional credit (without lab) in CAS. Also offered as CAS AN 233. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 241 - Sociology of Gender (also offered as CAS SO 241)<\/h3>
<\/p>\n

An introduction to the social construction of sex and gender with a focus on the economic, political, social, and cultural forces that shape gender relations. Examines gender as a social structure that patterns institutional inequalities and everyday interactions on society. Also offered as SO 241. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, The Individual in Community, Teamwork\/Collaboration.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 263 - The Behavioral Biology of Women (also offered as CAS AN 263)<\/h3>
<\/p>\n

An exploration of female behavioral biology focusing on evolutionary, physiological, and biosocial aspects of women’s lives from puberty through pregnancy, birth, lactation, menopause, and aging. Examples are drawn from traditional and industrialized societies, and data from nonhuman primates are considered. Also offered as CAS AN 263. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

CAS WS 304 - WGS Topics in Global and Transnational Studies<\/h3>
<\/p>\n

Topic for Spring 2026: Feminist Perspectives on Refugee Studies: Theories, Concepts, and Selected Issues<\/span><\/p>\n

This course explores the key theories, concepts, and debates in forced displacement from feminist perspectives while using intersectionality as a central political and theoretical framework. In the first half of the class, students will critically engage with the development of refugee studies as an academic field of inquiry and learn how intersectionality assists in understanding and analyzing the gendered, racialized, and classed nature of forced migration and refugeehood. In the second half, the course will explore a wide range of issues that shape the current picture of forced displacement and refugee studies, including the production of illegality, labor, queer mobilities, borders, smuggling, deportation, carcerality, humanitarianism, and solidarity. Combining rich ethnographic and theoretical texts with a diverse range of materials, including songs, news articles, legal documents, art, and activist projects, the course explores the lived experiences of migrants and the structural forces shaping forced migration, critically analyzing how gender, sexuality, race, and class intersect in shaping power dynamics, global inequalities, and migration experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 319 - Disability and Queerness in Speculative Fiction (also offered as CAS CI 319)<\/h3>
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
This course examines how LGBTQ2IA speculative fiction engages with disability and other intersecting frameworks of difference to present alternate, parallel, or invented worlds. This course provides opportunities for students to strengthen ethical reasoning, cultural analysis, and aesthetic exploration. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 327 - Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation? (also offered as CAS LR 327 and CAS XL 327)<\/h3>
<\/p>\n

This course explores literature about migration created by women primarily from Eastern Europe. We read autobiographical narratives that focus on the shaping of transcultural identity with an eye to the problem of translation as a linguistic, cultural, and personal phenomenon. Also offered as LR 327 and XL 327. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 333 - Queering Health (also offered as SAR HS 333)<\/h3>
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
This course is about the unique physical and mental health needs, health disparities, and resiliency within the LGBTQ+ community. Students will learn about the psychology of sexual orientation and gender diversity, intersectionality in LGBTQ+ communities, gender identity and sexual orientation development models, queer families and relationships, minority stress, hetero\/cis-sexism, and other relevant topics. Students will also learn about LGBTQ+ affirming therapies, healthcare, public policy, and legislation. This course will take a constructively critical lens to medicalized\/pathologizing constructions of sexual and gender diversity and examine topics within historical and modern social context. This course will explore strategies for advocacy, improving the healthcare experience of LGBTQ+ people, and addressing barriers to accessing healthcare from local, national, and global perspectives. Also offered as SAR HS 333. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Social Inquiry II.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 445 - Women, Gender, and Islam (also offered as CAS RN 435<\/h3>
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Undergraduate prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or 120). – Investigates the way Muslim religious discourse, norms, and practices create and sustain gender and hierarchy in religious, social, and familial life. Looks at historical and contemporary challenges posed to these structures. – Also offered as RN 435. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 456 - Neurobiology of Sex and Aggression (also offered as CAS NE 456)<\/h3>
<\/p>\n

Examines neurobiological and genetic factors that influence sex and violence. Students review primary literature from the past century that highlights major scientific discoveries that have reconceptualized our understanding of the origins of sexual-determination, -attraction and – aggression. Also offered as NE 456. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and\/or Signed Communication, Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

*CAS WS 501 - Justice and Community Engagement (also offered as MET SS 501)<\/h3>
\n
\n
\n
\n
Community engagement as it exists at the intersection of justice \u00bf social justice, criminal justice, educational justice, food justice, housing justice, restorative justice, and healing justice will be central to this course. You will examine these through both historical and contemporary perspectives. Using writing as a tool for advocacy, activism, and change-making, you will engage with seminal texts, critical discussions, and reflective practices to examine topics including racism, gender justice, LGBTQIA rights, and other social justice movements. Voices of those doing the work of change are highlighted and invited as guests. We will investigate justice and public health issues including attention to individual, intergenerational, and systemic trauma. With an intersectional lens, we explore how social justice issues are uniquely shaped by identity characteristics (race, gender, sexuality). Collectively, the class engages diverse approaches to understanding and facilitating justice and resilience. Inclusive and trauma-informed approaches to inquiry and writing provide a foundation for community centered justice work. Designed to foster a deeper understanding of change-making, we hope to equip you with practical skills to become an effective agent of change in your community and beyond.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

*CAS WS 559 - Feminist Killjoys & Cynical Queers (also offered as CAS EN 558)<\/h3>
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Prerequisite: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or 120). – This class examines the “affective turn,” which has been marked by a shift towards bodily sensation, structures of feeling, and modes of relationality. We pay particular attention to cultural constructions of emotion such as happiness, shame, anger, and fear. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU HUB areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Research and Information Literacy, Writing Intensive.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Spring 2026 Courses Approved For Credit<\/h2>\n

The following non-WGS courses have been pre-approved for credit for the WGS minor. If you take one of these courses for credit, please email Director of Undergraduate Studies Sarah Miller during the first week of the Fall semester.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

*Indicates course provides BU Hub units<\/em><\/p>\n

CAS PH 256 – Philosophy of Gender & Sexuality
\nCAS EN 588 – Black Feminist Literatures
\nCAS HI 802 – Bodies, Disruptive & Domesticated: Women’s Sexuality in the 20th Century<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring 2026 Courses *Indicates course provides BU Hub units Spring 2026 Courses Approved For Credit The following non-WGS courses have been pre-approved for credit for the WGS minor. If you take one of these courses for credit, please email Director of Undergraduate Studies Sarah Miller during the first week of the Fall semester.\u00a0 *Indicates course […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5754,"featured_media":0,"parent":7998,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9042"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5754"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9042"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9551,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9042\/revisions\/9551"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/wgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}