Gender and Women's Studies (GWS)
GWS 101. Women, Culture and Society. 3 Credit Hours.
This survey course offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the role that gender has played in history and culture and continues to play in the experiences of women and men. It considers the impact of gender, race/ethnicity, class and sexuality in examining topics such as health, violence, family, work, science, art, politics and spirituality. Using primary texts from a variety of sources, the course introduces students to a range of women's studies topics that will interest and challenge both women and men. Required of all Women's Studies minors. Fulfills Core requirement(s): DIV, IDS.
GWS 125. Biblical Women. 3 Credit Hours.
Focusing on close readings of stories of biblical women, this course introduces students to both the Old Testament and the New Testament, with attention to the social and historical contexts of those writings and to gender theory. The course also traces the afterlives of biblical women in later religious and cultural traditions, with a special emphasis on the representation of biblical figures in the visual arts.
Cross-listed Courses: THE 125
GWS 200. Cultural Myths and Cultural Realities. 3 Credit Hours.
This course focuses on how we study other, especially non-western, cultures. In it, we look at recent critical debates on the nature of anthropological inquiry and the representations of other cultures that anthropologists have constructed. Is anthropology a science or humanity? How accurate are the anthropologists' representations of other cultures? Why do anthropologists studying the same culture come up with very different pictures of that culture? How much of the anthropologist's own personal and cultural biases are revealed in the way other cultures are described? How does the anthropologist's own theoretical perspective affect the way the data are interpreted? Is the nature of anthropological inquiry such that we can never escape biases? What kinds of methodologies do anthropologists use and what are their limitations? How can restudies enable us to refine our methods and generate more sophisticated comparative categories to use in the understanding of cultures? Fulfills Core requirement(s): Diversity (DIV) and Cultural Elective (CE).
GWS 202. Gender and Crime. 3 Credit Hours.
This interdisciplinary course examines crime and criminal justice as gendered phenomena. It explores how notions of masculinity and femininity shape and are shaped by criminalized practices, the operation of the criminal justice system, and our understandings of both. Focusing on gender does not mean focusing exclusively on women. Gender is a relational concept; both men and women are gendered. In this course we will consider the implications of feminist theorizing for a range of criminological concepts, approaches, and themes. Case studies from various social contexts (e.g. the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, etc.) will help students develop cultural sensitivity and a more complete understanding of our social world. Additionally, the course will develop students' ability to think critically about gender and crime from an intersectional standpoint. Historical and contemporary works by criminologists, anthropologists, sociologists, feminist theorists, and others will be reviewed. An auxiliary aim of this course is to develop students' capacity to read and write academic texts efficiently and effectively.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Diversity (DIV)and Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS).
Cross-listed Courses: CJS 202, ANT 202, SOC 202, PGS 202, GLA 202
GWS 205. Race, Gender & Popular Culture. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is a sociological exploration of how Race and gender shape popular culture. The course will examine how Race and gender shape social institutions such as sports, music, television/film, and social media among other aspects of culture. Students will become familiar with classical theories of Race including This Dubois, Omi & Winant, and also more contemporary theories such as intersectionality and Colorblind race theory.
Cross-listed Courses: SOC 205
GWS 213. People&Cultures Southeast Asia. 3 Credit Hours.
An anthropological and topical introduction to the region of Southeast Asia and the various societies and cultures found there. Topics to be discussed are: regional definition and intra-regional variation, ecology and economic systems, history and prehistory, social organization including politico-territorial systems and concepts of hierarchy and power, kinship and alliance systems, patron-client systems, ethnic groups and ethnicity, religions, gender systems, personality and communicative systems such as language and other conceptual and symbolic systems. The focus of the course will be on analyses that contrast with western views and that have provided a source of debate on western theories of society and culture. Fulfills Core requirement(s): Diversity (DIV) and Cultural Elective (CE).
GWS 226. Extreme Murder. 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the phenomenon of extreme murder. In particular, serial killers, spree killers, and mass murderers - as well as the circumstances surrounding these events - are explored. Other egregious types of offenders may also be reviewed. Throughout the duration of the course, students will learn about infamous killers as well as those who are less recognized in media and popular culture, and the impact of the crimes on persons and society. Students in this course will study copious cases and take a multidimensional approach to critically examine risk factors/causes underlying such violence. In addition to discussing offenders, victims and the context within which victims and offenders interact (the criminal event perspective) will be analyzed. Special attention will be given to sex and gender, among other variables such as race and class. Students will also explore theory and give thought to deterministic, social, cultural, and other explanations. Importantly, they will come to understand how criminological and sociological research has contributed to knowledge (e.g. through qualitative and quantitative techniques) and shaped practice (e.g. criminal profiling, risk assessment, proactive policing, victim-services, etc.).
GWS 227. LGBTQIA+ Film: Cinema Against the Grain. 3 Credit Hours.
In the archaic sense of the word, "queer" means to be outside of what society directs, to be against the grain. The verb "to queer" suggests the act of reorganizing what is organized; questioning our world and exploring other possible ways of being; reshaping the structures that shape us. In this class, "queer identity" and "queering" are necessarily tied up with one another when discussing lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual etc. film and identity in film and film history. We will look at queerness in early film history, representation in Hollywood and popular culture, documentary processes, experimental film, and contemporary cinema, media art, queer utopia, and queerness it intersects with disability, race, and transnationality. We will acknowledge that, as technological and cinematic conventions are invented and change over time, and as cinema sexuality, both are appropriated by the status quo, how "queers" have been represented changes across locales and centuries. Emphasis will be put on considering on whose terms queer cinema is made and exposing students to the cinematic voices that pave the way for dialogue on their own terms, summoning more just possible futures through cinematic practice. Readings in literature, poetry, film criticism, and theory compliment short and feature films and historical and contemporary media objects. In response to the readings and films, students will be asked to write one short paper and one long paper. Additionally, in small groups, students will present on two readings to the class and facilitate a short discusssion.
Prerequisite: WRT 101.
Cross-listed Courses: CMM 227
GWS 231. Marriage and Families. 3 Credit Hours.
A social scientific study of contemporary and historical forms of marriage and family life in America. We will compare different types of American families with family structures in other parts of the world and other historical periods. We will study interactions between family systems and work, education, health care and legal systems and focus on their public policy implications.
Cross-listed Courses: SOC 231
GWS 232. Family Violence. 3 Credit Hours.
Using sociological perspectives, this course will examine family violence including the abuse of partners, children and elders. It will focus on understanding the origins and the larger forces leading to and reinforcing family violence, and as well as on the microdynamics of violence within families. It will also examine how family violence varies across differences such as race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability.
GWS 240. Social Welfare. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will provide an historical overview of social welfare policy, both public and private, as it has evolved from medieval alms-giving to modern welfare statism. Welfare's costs and benefits, structure and relationship to other parts of society will be examined. Relevant sociological theories will be reviewed, with particular attention to the way they have been applied to problems of social welfare. The social work profession will be examined sociologically.
Cross-listed Courses: SOC 240
GWS 241. Social Inequality. 3 Credit Hours.
An analysis of contemporary developments in stratification theory from both the conflict and structural-functional perspectives. Differences between and among social groups are examined in detail as they are manifested in socialization, educational opportunities, occupational status, life styles, income and health. Special emphasis is placed on the concept of class and the changing American class structure, female status attainment and poverty. Fulfills Core requirement(s): DIV.
Prerequisite: SOC 101 or its equivalent.
Cross-listed Courses: SOC 241
GWS 244. Race and Ethnic Relations. 3 Credit Hours.
Race and ethnicity are a significant aspect of American society, especially as one of the main modes of social stratification. This class will introduce students to the major sociological perspectives on race and ethnicity and will further develop their sociological understanding of and critical thinking about race in the United States. This class will also encourage students to examine race in the U.S., with an emphasis on class, gender and urban life. At the end of this class, students should be familiar with the social importance that race and ethnicity play in everyday life.
GWS 275. The Psychology of Women. 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores empirical research and theory in areas of psychology relevant to women and sex roles. Topics include sex roles and sex-role stereotyping; biological and psychosocial origins of gender; and gender differences in behavior personality and abilities. Readings and class discussions encourage application of concepts to a variety of settings, including female-male relationships, parenting, education, occupation, the media, et al. Students are expected to develop an in-depth topic of special interest for a term paper and/or class presentation. Satisfies Core diversity requirement.
Prerequisite: PSY 101 or permission of the instructor.
Cross-listed Courses: PSY 275
GWS 276. Women, Film and Hollywood. 3 Credit Hours.
The course Women, Film and Hollywood will have a strong historical dimension, beginning with an exploration of early/silent film, then moving through the classical Hollywood period, the contradictory decades of the 1950s and 60s for women in film (when there were no female directors, while pinups and the male gaze dominated in film at the same time as powerful female actors often subverted masculine assumptions through their performances). During the height of the 1960/70s feminisms, women directors emerged out of a political fight within Hollywood to allow female filmmakers to tell their stories. In the 90s and up to the resent, women filmmakers have been rewriting male-defined genres, such as film noir and the western, and in the 21st century, we face contradictory dynamics in Hollywood, which is supporting women in film more (in part following the MeToo movement, while women still struggle to find funding for projects and to gain power within the Hollywood system. The course will focus on the multiple creative contributions of women to the history of American film, from star, to writer, producer, and director. Women, Fil, and Hollywood will aim to show the ways in which women participated fundamentally in Hollywood by navigating images and often subverting a sexist system that generally aimed at excluding them.
Prerequisite: WRT 101.
Cross-listed Courses: CMM 276
GWS 301. Crime and Punishment Comparative Perspective. 3 Credit Hours.
This course uses social science,historical, activist, and cross-cultural perspectives to consider the process of criminalization - how certain acts come to be defined as crimes, and certain categories of people come to be considered criminals - as well as social responses to crime. This course will treat the relative concept of "crime" as a social force with special consideration on how it relates to power; legitimacy; citizenship; rights; and the social inequalities of race, class and gender. Critical exploration of these connections is applied to current challenges and ways of addressing them.
Prerequisite: CJS 101, ANT 101 or 102, or permission of instructor.
GWS 312. Women and Politics. 3 Credit Hours.
The goal of this course is to make women visible and their voices audible in the study of American politics. "Politics" is broadly construed to include the politics of everyday life as well as that of national institutions. While gender politics is stressed, we will also study how race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, disability and age affect a person's place and role in American society, culture and politics. Fulfills Core requirement(s): DIV.
Cross-listed Courses: PSC 312
GWS 314. Post-Colonial Literature and Theory. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will introduce students to theories of colonialism through the study of world literatures. What is the impact of colonization on a culture? How do questions of language, race, class, and gender impact the experience of colonialism? Students will read novels and short works from a variety of formerly subject nations, including India, Nigera, Egypt, and Ireland. Short segments of theory will guide and accompany these readings.
Prerequisites: WRT 101 and ENG 200, ENG 210 or ENG 218.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): DIV.
GWS 315. Latin American Women Writers. 3 Credit Hours.
The course introduces students to the narrative production by women writers of Spanish America & Brazil. It explores themes and subject matter relating to women's experience in the context of questions raised by feminist criticism. It examines issues such as the engendering of subjectivity and voice, and also the critical reception of these texts in the literary canon. Finally, it addresses more general issues such as the social construction of gender and the construction of a specific feminine identity.
GWS 316. Philosophy of the Body. 3 Credit Hours.
Examining both classical and contemporary texts, this course will present a variety of perspectives-metaphysical, phenomenological and cultural-on the body as a subject of philosophical exploration. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between culture and body, contemporary attitudes toward the body and various dimensions of the experience of embodiment. (A,B).
Prerequisite: PHL 301 or 302 or 303.
GWS 320. Women and Religion. 3 Credit Hours.
In view of the rapidly changing self-concepts and roles of women, both in the churches and in society as well as the discussion about the nature of our images of God and our use of God language, this course explores some of the implications of these changes for modern women and men. Historical, archetypal and contemporary material is used in a seminar format.
Prerequisite: REL 200.
Cross-listed Courses: REL 320
GWS 321. The Anatomy of Cruelty. 3 Credit Hours.
Drawing on a combination of philosophical texts and other genres (e.g., novels, films, TV shows), this course seeks to provide students with an opportunity to study contemporary constructions of cruelty and criminal violence. We will probe the central images and tropes that permeate contemporary depictions of cruelty and criminal violence, with an eye to discerning the philosophical sources, the socio-political contexts, and the political uses of these representations. Particular attention will be paid to the structure of torture, the philosophy of emotion and cruelty, the paradoxes of cruelty, the Gothic imagination, and the impact of social hierarchies on contemporary constructions of cruelty and criminal violence. Prerequisites or corequisites: PHL 101, 201 or the permission of the instructor.
GWS 323. The Social Production of Space. 3 Credit Hours.
This course ia an introduction to the work done in philosophy, geography and cultural studies that addresses the social production of space. In contrast to modern conceptions of space as a pre-given, homogenous and infinite grid of possible locations, the ideas of social production of space leads to a conceptualization of space as deeply textured, often conflicted and historically produced and reproduced. Key concepts to be covered are: abstract space, time-space compression, the decorporealization of space, the impact of everyday practices on spatial production, multiple spaces, raced spaces and spaces of resistance.
Cross-listed Courses: PHL 357
GWS 326. 19th C English and Irish Women Writers. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will examine literature produced by English and Irish women, respectively, during the 19th C. In particular, we will attend to the ways in which issues of particular concern to women from these respective yet interconnected nations are engaged in similar but also divergent ways. The course will not seek to apply some universal standard applicable to women from both nations, nor is its intent to substantiate any false binaries. Rather, the interest is to consider how aesthetic and narrative differences reflect differing social contexts; how the close interactions between these nations inflect the respective literary canons; how women from these nations represent one another; and how gendered issues may or may not affect, and be affected by, wider national views.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 326
GWS 334. Social Activism. 3 Credit Hours.
An experiential and academic examination of social activism in the United States. The course first explores the meaning of citizenship and the role of activism in a democratic republic. It then focuses on how activism is done by analyzing various social movements and the impact they have had on citizenship, public policy and social change. Junior standing required.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS).
GWS 340. Special Topics: The Empire. 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the practice of re-writing or "writing back" by postcolonial authors as a mode of counter-narration and resistance in the context of imperialism and the emergence of the postcolonial consciousness. We study canonical British and French texts by Bronte, Conrad, and Camus in conversation with their anti-colonial literary re-imaginings by the likes of Rhys, Salih, Coppola, Daoud, and Hamid. The goal is to understand how postcolonial writers have tried to transform earlier texts to give voice to the otherwise silenced and dehumanized racial, religious, and linguistic "other" of canonical texts. This course also offers students an introduction to some foundational paradigms of postcolonial theory and criticism.
Prerequisites: WRT 101; ENG 218 (or ENG 210 with department chair permission).
GWS 344. Gender and Society. 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the processes and institutions through which gender is constructed and operates in society. It analyzes how gender serves to organize everyday life as well as how such institutions as work, education and marriage take their form according to historically variable contexts of gender relations. Gender will be considered in a cross-cultural context, as well as in interaction with race/ethnicity and class. Students will employ a variety of theoretical perspectives to examine these relationships.
Prerequisite: GWS 101, PSC 101 or SOC 101.
Cross-listed Courses: SOC 344
GWS 346. Victorian Poetry and Prose. 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the poetry and non-fiction prose of the Victorian period, which begins with the passage of the First Reform Bill in 1832 and runs concurrently with the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901, a period that saw a general shift away from the Romantic emphasis on individu- alism and subjectivism to a new emphasis on social life and social concerns, including the role of women in both private and public life; that wit- nessed a comparable shift away from the sanctity of nature to a new emphasis on the discoveries of natural science, including those of Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin; and that marked the unprece- dented expansion of British industry and the utmost extension of the British Empire. The course will explore these developments as well as other developments in religion, art, culture and the Victorian imagination in the poetry of Tennyson, Arnold, the Brownings, the Rossettis, Swinburne, Meredith, and Hardy, as well as the non-fiction prose of Carlyle, Hazlitt, Darwin, Marx, Mill, Arnold, Ruskin, Pater, and Wilde, and/or others representative of the period.
Prerequisites: WRT 101, and ENG 200, ENG 210 or ENG 218.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 346
GWS 347. The Victorian Novel. 3 Credit Hours.
An examination of the Victorian novel, addressing the following issues: the ways in which Victorian novels recall and revise romanticism and look forward to modernity; the influences of science, evolution, and industry on the content and form of the novel; representations of domesticity and the attempts of women novelists to rewrite or redefine heroism and tragedy; and Victorian preoccupation with the past, as it affects narrative notions of character and conceptions of literary history. Authors treated include Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and George Eliot.
Prerequisites: WRT 101, and ENG 200, ENG 210, ENG 218.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 347
GWS 351. Critical Approaches to Film. 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction to film genre, genre theory and film criticism, the course will examine the generic conventions that govern production and reception of film texts. Film genres may include the screwball comedy, the melodrama, the western, the musical, the gangster picture, film noir and others.
Prerequisites: WRT 101 and ENG 200, ENG 210, or ENG 218.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): VPA.
GWS 354. Modern American Fiction. 3 Credit Hours.
A study of American fiction of the modernist period (roughly 1915-1950), including representative works by many of the major fiction writers, e.g. Wharton, Faulkner, Glasgow, Hemingway, Hurston, Fitzgerald, Wright.
Prerequisites: WRT 101, ENG 200/218.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 364
GWS 355. Philosophy of Science. 3 Credit Hours.
This is a meta-mathematical/meta-scientific course in philosophical analysis. The concepts to be investigated are drawn from the fields of mathematics, physics and cosmology (e.g., number, shape, gravity, force, energy, matter, space, time, infinity, singularity). Focused attention will be given to the traditional "paradoxes" associated with the attempt to understand these concepts as well as to the more contemporary "anomalies" brought to light in the investigations of physics and astrophysics. (E).
Cross-listed Courses: PHL 364
GWS 357. Modern European Drama. 3 Credit Hours.
A study of representative plays of European dramatists from the mid- 19th century to the mid-20th centuries.
Prerequisites: ENG 100, ENG 200/218.
GWS 358. Representations of the Media in Film. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is designed to explore ways in which films present myriad images of the mass media when they take as their subject matter the news, documentaries, radio, television, and the film industry itself. The course will develop students' understanding of the nature and function of mass media in American culture and the relationship between power structures and representations of gender in media industries.
Prerequisites: WRT 101, ENG 200/218.
Cross-listed Courses: CMM 358
GWS 359. The Films of Alfred Hitchcock. 3 Credit Hours.
In this course, we will examine whether Hitchcock's films can be said to constitute a coherent 'body" of work - identifying in the process potential stylistic idiosyncracies and thematic preoccupations. And we will try to come to some understanding of what is gained and what lost by thinking in these terms. We will use Hitchcock's desire to develop a rigorously cinematic mode of presentation as a means of opening a discussion about the ways films "speak". And we will wonder, along with a handful of contemporary critics, what kind of viewer the films seek to construct. We will take the films' explicit interest in watching as a point of departure for an analysis of voyeurism and its centrality in contemporary western culture. Finally, and not incidentally, we will use the occasion the course provides to spend time watching a number of engaging films. Fulfills core Visual and Performing Arts requirement. (VPA)
Prerequisites: WRT 101, ENG 200/ENG 218.
GWS 360. Spanish Women Writers. 3 Credit Hours.
In this course students will explore different aspects related to the literary expression and construction of identity through the study of works by women writers both from Spain and Latin America who practice a variety of genres; autobiography, novel, short story and poetry. Through the analysis of these texts we will derive interdisciplinary discussions related to the construction of gender, sexuality and feminine creativity. We will examine not only the form and the content of the texts, but we will also contextualize the works in their historical, cultural and literary background. Through the use of secondary texts such as paintings, documentaries, musical compositions and film, the students will explore the different forms of art and disciplines that intersect with the texts and project the worldview of each period.
GWS 365. U.S. Women's History, From the Colonial Era to the Present. 3 Credit Hours.
This course studies the roles and experiences of women in american history, society, and culture, including women's roles in the family, work, education, health, religion, political reform, and social change from the colonial era to the present. This course will include discussions of the difference between sex and gender, and the intersection of race, class, gender, and sexuality in the lives of women.
Cross-listed Courses: HST 365
GWS 380. Lit by Women: 17th-19th Cent. 3 Credit Hours.
The works of English and American women writers from the 17th through the 19th century. Covers a wide survey of authors, including complete novels by Fanny Burney, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and George Eliot.
Prerequisites: WRT 101, ENG 200/218.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 380
GWS 381. Women As Art/ Women As Artists. 3 Credit Hours.
Working with the subject/object distinction made in the visual arts by thinkers like John Berger and Laura Mulvey, this class begins by examining texts in which women are portrayed as beautiful objects, then moves to texts in which women create their own artworks. In all of these works, questions of power, agency, and creativity are central. We will read novels such as Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring, and Mary Gordon's Spending, along with A.S. Byatt's The Matisse Stories and a number of other short works. The course also includes art history relevant to the works being studied, and when possible, visits by artists and a trip to museums in New York City.
Prerequisites: WRT 101, ENG 210 or HON 111.
Fulfills: 300-level elective requirement.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 381
GWS 382. African-American Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction to the wide range of African-American literature from slave narratives to present-day authors. Issues include the relation of African-American culture to dominant Anglo culture; the influence of slavery on the lives of African-Americans; African-American self-perception; the roles of gender and economic status. Authors may include Douglass, Jacobs, Chesnutt, Hurston, Hughes, Brooks, Wright, Morrison, Naylor and others. English majors earning certification in Adolescent and Dual Adolescent/Special Education will also study and practice curriculum design and instructional strategies that connect the course's content to today's multi-cultural classrooms. Only English may satisfy the EDU 303 teacher certification requirement by completing this course.
Prerequisites: WRT 101, ENG 200/218.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 382
GWS 383. American Ethnic Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Introduces students to native and immigrant voices in American literature, including Native American writers such as James Welch and Louise Erdrich; Asian American writers such as Maxine Hong Kingston and Amy Tan; and writers from Latino/a, Arab American, Jewish and othr backgrounds. English majors earning state teacher certification in Adolescent and Dual Adolescent/Special Education will also study and practice curriculum design and instructional strategies that connect the course's content to today's multi-cultural classrooms. Only English majors may satisfy the EDU 303 teacher certification requirement by completing this course. Prerequisties: WRT 101, ENG 200/218.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 383
GWS 401. Theories of Sex and Gender. 3 Credit Hours.
This interdisciplinary seminar explores the roots of contemporary theories of sex and gender by examining the rich variety of perspectives on sex and gender that have evolved since the nineteenth century. We will address cultural and biological explanations for identity formation, as well as selected topics of interest in contemporary culture and the impact of feminisms and gender studies on ways of reading classic and contemporary materials such as film, literature, and art. The course is designed not only to give students some familiarity with the history and content of feminist theories, but also to provide them with a context for considering and developing their own positions on issues concerning sex, gender, and power. Required of all Gender and Women's Studies minors.
Prerequisite: 3 credit hours in GWS or the permission of the director.
GWS 404. Literature and Psychology. 3 Credit Hours.
A seminar employing psychological approaches in analyzing and writing about literary texts. In examining fiction, poetry and drama by writers from Sophocles to Toni Morrison, the course includes such topics as archetypes, defense mechanisms, psychological disorders, family dramas, therapeutic relationships, the psychology of women or the psychology of the artist. Contributions of selected psychological theorists provide a foundation for discussion of literary texts. Prior knowledge of psychology is not required.
GWS 405. International Human Rights. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will examine the development of human right in the international system. It will explore the content of the current international human right regime -the "blue" social and political rights and the "red" economic rights, as well as "green" rights to development, a clean environment, and peace. It will explore how rights develop and are propagated and will examine the role of governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations in the development of rights thinking. By way of illustration, it will examine the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and the expansion of women's rights over the last twenty years. A one-credit integrated service learning experience may be offered with this course.
GWS 407. Medieval and Renaissance Women. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will explore the roles and perceptions of women in medieval and early modern periods in Europe (300-1500). We will also consider the roll of gender in history and examine how women saw themselves as wives, mothers, workers and spiritual and sexual beings. Open to seniors only. Fulfills ENG/HST senior core requirement.
GWS 408. Gender and Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Students will explore issues of gender formation and gender identity (in the United States) as described in the literature. The course covers a variety of eras as well as authors from various backgrounds. Prerequisites or corequisites: WRT 101, ENG 200/ENG 218, ENG 300.
GWS 412. American Outlaws and Outcasts. 3 Credit Hours.
Exploration of American literature from a cultural perspective, particularly its fascination with characters who transgress, manipulate and confront the boundaries that demark American culture. We will focus on a variety of figures who are both powerful and marginal: writers, criminals, clowns and lovers. We will compare America's painted and tainted ladies with its masked lone rangers to see what difference gender makes in the terms and consequences of their isolation.
GWS 414. American Film Noir and Femme Fatale. 3 Credit Hours.
This core course will trace the development of film noir and the femme fatale through the original cycle of noir films of the '40s and '50s to later and neo-films. We will look at the socio-historical contexts of these films in order to generate questions not only about the cultural origins and revisions of the genre, but also about the effectiveness and viability of contemporary representations of the femme fatale. Students will present submissions each week in response to films and assigned readings.
GWS 415. 12 American Films: Auteurism. 3 Credit Hours.
A socio-historical study of the works of six exceptional American film directors of the twentieth century. We will approach the films of Billy Wilder, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorcese and Woody Allen through the perspective of. 1) socio-historical context, 2) genre study, and 3) auteurism (film director as author/artist). Focus on theme of viewing and being viewed, and the larger issues of performance raised by this theme, including the process of becoming a public image and the representation of the artist-figure and actor. Significant attention to the representation of women as objects of vision.
GWS 416. Religion, Sex and Gender. 3 Credit Hours.
This seminar will study the religious understandings of sex and sexuality, and the role which religion plays in establishing and reinforcing gender roles. Students will explore the attitudes toward sex and sexuality found in religious art, music and literature. The course will treat the dualisms which prevail in all cultures and academic disciplines that assign different tasks and qualities to men and women. Students will also discuss the gender expectations of different religious traditions to assess the impact that such expectations have on the pursuit of knowledge.
Prerequisites: Junior standing.
Cross-listed Courses: REL 412
GWS 418. Located Knowledges. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will be an exploration of the ethical and epistemological consequences of social location. Is your understanding of the world and your ability to move responsibly in it impacted by your race, gender, class, or sexuality? As you finish your final year at Le Moyne, we will reflect on how you have been prepared to promote justice in a diverse society.
GWS 419. Contemp Irish Lit and Politics. 3 Credit Hours.
This interdisciplinary core seminar will explore the major writers of post-Civil War Irish literature, focusing on the novelists, poets and playwrights who have responded to and helped shape an Ireland very different from that of the 1916 Rising. We shall read selectively in the fiction, poetry and drama of the period, with special attention to the intersection of politics and imagination in contemporary Irish culture. Prerequisites or corequisites: WRT 101, ENG 200/ENG 218, ENG 300.
GWS 422. Literature and Science. 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores relationships between literature and science through a study of drama, poetry, scientific articles, and nonfiction writings about science, most of it from the 20th century. We will look at how literature represents and interprets scientific practice and concepts, and how scientific texts use literary and rhetorical techniques to communicate with and persuade audiences. Topics include women and science, the languages of science, and heroes/anti-heroes of science.
GWS 434. Gender and Tourism in Contemporary Latin American Film. 3 Credit Hours.
This course explores cinema's role in reinforcing or challenging exoticized sexual representations in Latin American, impacting transnational tourism. Students will analyze how film depicts the interplay of tourism and gender, how these portrayals influence global film consumption, and how filmmakers navigate tourism's commodification. Additionally, we will investigate the intersection of race, gender, and ethnicity in these narratives. through film analysis and anthropological literature, students will gain insights into how cinema and tourism interact in shaping perceptions of Latin America. Fulfills Core requirements: Diversity (DIV) and Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
Cross-listed Courses: SPN 434
GWS 447. Stereotypes/Prejudice/Discrim. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is designed to enhance the understanding of the development and persistence of stereotypes. The psychology of social cognition with regard to the accuracy and inaccuracy of those stereotypes will be addressed as well as how the inaccuracies may lead to prejudice and discrimination. We will explore how this affects our social interactions; specifically addressing the areas of race, class and gender. Students will read book chapters and journal articles and are expected to contribute to classroom discussions of these materials. Students will also complete a writing project. Senior standing required.
Prerequisites: PSY 101 and PSY 201 or permission of the chair.
Cross-listed Courses: PSY 447