Gender & Women's Studies

SPRING 2012

Graduate Certificate

Undergraduate Minor

 

New offering Fall 2012:

• ICSR 570 - Utopias, Dystopias, & Intentional Communities (see description below)
  

GRAD COURSES- all online

GWS-535	Roots of Feminism	Branham, K
GWS-545	Feminist Knowlg/Socl Change	Kerby, M
HIST-553	American Women's History	Browder, D
ICSR-570	Utopias, Dystopias, Int. Comm	Olmsted, J
SOCL-435	Family Violence	Krull, A

 Schedule of Classes

ICSR 570: Utopias, Dystopias, and Intentional Communities
Dr. Jane Olmsted

Utopias and dystopias begin with the question what if. This course is an enquiry into the imaginative exploration of what happens if . . . . Using fictional depictions of utopian and dystopian worlds, as well as relevant non-fiction, we will ponder what it means to

• strive for goodness in the face of evil
• create worlds where freedom and control aren't at odds
• live with Nature and/or to drastically alter Nature in the service of human advancement
• challenge gender assumptions by imagining other ways of social engineering
• imagine alternative worlds and also imagine our own world when we can't see

In light of the importance of imagination, students should be willing to suspend disbelief, challenge themselves to think beyond their normal range of topics, and delve into their own imaginations.

 

UNDERGRAD COURSES -

See Topnet for Class Meeting Schedule

GWS-200	Intro to Gender & Women's Studies
GWS-400	Western Feminist Thought
ANT 343	Anthropology of Gender
FLK 280	Cultural Diversity in US
FLK 371	Urban Folklore
FLK 480	Women's Folklife
HIST 453	American Women's History
HON 300	Coll: Women in Antiquity
RELS 408	Religion and Ecology
PH 464	Women's Health
PH 365	Human Sexuality
PSY 345	Psychology of Sexuality
PSY 430	Psychology of Women
SOCL 355	Sociology of Gender
SOCL 359	Sexuality and Society
SOCL 362	Race, Class, & Gender
SOCL 435	Family Violence
SOCL 466	Gender/Families

 Schedule of Classes

GWS 545: Feminist Knowledge and Social Change
Dr. Molly Kerby

Course Description:
WOMN 545: Feminist Knowledge and Social Change is an examination of both feminist knowledge/Theory and research as political practices with the goal of improving the lives of women and challenging rigid configurations of race, class, gender, and other elements of difference. Our readings are grounded in a critique of the ideas, politics, and policies that have defined Western, and particularly, U.S. culture. As such the material is often challenging, though the critiques are not new. Out text and other
readings will explore feminist challenges in defining and bridging feminist theory with practice. In other words, fighting for positive change is worth it. All the writers/activists we will study believe this passionately, though they take their positions and "arm" themselves differently. Whether it's the writers themselves or the people in the films, they inspire us to use our feminist knowledge to make our own social change.