Women's Studies Courses
The interdisciplinary nature of the Women's Studies program allows students to select from a broad range of courses.
Requirements:
The Women’s Studies (WMS) Minor requires 18 credits from among the following courses (all courses are 3 credits unless otherwise indicated.)
WMS 1020 Introduction to Women’s Studies
The course introduces students to the rich and varied field of Women's Studies. It helps to identify and explain how ideas about gender are socially constructed and how the experience of being female is shaped by race, class, and culture.
This course is strongly recommended for all Women's Studies’ minors.
WMS 2910 Independent Study (1-3 cr)
This course provides the exceptionally curious and motivated student the opportunity to explore on an introductory level an aspect of the study of women and/or gender that is not offered by the courses listed in the catalog.
WMS 3910 Independent Study (1-3 cr)
This course provides the exceptionally curious and motivated student the opportunity to explore in greater depth an aspect of a women’s studies course that the student has already taken.
WMS 4810 Field Experience in Women’s Studies (1-6 cr)
Students will undertake an activist project in close supervision with a faculty member to get hands-on experience to bring about social change. Examples of this could include doing specific research for the Rutland Shelter, the Women’s Issues Group on campus, or for the Vermont Governor’s Commission on Women. Unlike internships, this course will have a major research component.
WMS 4820 Internship in Women’s Studies (1-3 cr)
This course involves career placements in Women Studies through the placement of our minors with local, state or national organizations that address the needs and social, political, psychological, economic and cultural conditions of being women and girls in today’s society.
WMS 4910 Independent Study (1-3 cr)
This course provides the exceptionally curious and motivated student the opportunity to explore an aspect of a woman’s studies course that has already been taken, in greater depth than WMS 3910. The study must culminate in a major research paper or project.
Courses that are cross-listed with Women’s Studies:
COM 2140 Race and Gender in Mass Media
Though women and minorities have been on the fringes of policy development, these marginal groups have given us some of the most provocative and interesting cultural forms. This course takes a critical look at mass media forms that have gained popularity in modern culture, especially among women and minorities.
CRJ 3040 Women and Criminal Justice
This course provides an examination of contemporary issues and research on women as offenders, victims of crime, and criminal justice practitioners.
ECO 3050 Women in the Economy
Why do we observe differences between women and men in terms of work, income, consumption and ownership of property? Why have these differences varied over time, between countries, and across ethnic groups and social classes? This class draws upon both traditional and critical economic theories and analyses as well as empirical evidence to address these questions and also to evaluate the policy issues surrounding gender-based economic differences. Many of these questions are controversial; no single theory of perspective will be offered as the correct one. Instead, the process developed will be one of critical thinking. The class is expected to be of interest to men as well as to women.
EDU 3270 Intercultural Sensitivity in Education
This course provides a theoretical and practical framework to assist the student/ prospective educator in developing the insight to interpret and analyze the cultural cues encountered daily. Specific topics include tenets of multicultural education, dynamic aspects of micro-cultures (race, ethnicity, gender, exceptionality, age, religion, sexual orientation, etc), and strategies for developing intercultural sensitivity.
ENG 3610 Women Writers
This course examines American and world literature written by women, including such genres as the novel, biography, autobiography, poetry, and the essay. The course also investigates images of women as well as the intersection of genre, gender, race, socioeconomic class, and historical period.
HIS 2530 Women in History
In this course we examine the role of women in the history of Western and other major world civilizations such as India, China, Africa and Islam. The course will conclude with an analysis of the historical origins and development of the modern feminist movement.
HIS 3035 History of Women in the United States
This course interrogates the social history of women from colonial times to the present. Among the topics to be explored are witchcraft in colonial America, the Republican Mother, the Cult of Domesticity, women in the Old South and Wild West, women of color, Victorian sexuality, women’s suffrage, flappers, the impact of World War II, the feminine mystique, the sexual revolution, and the status of women in the US today.
PED 3060 Women’s Health Issues
This course will explore and analyze current Women's Health Issues. Topics to be considered are: research; and or lack of research related to issues in women's health, medical ethics and women's health; reproductive technology, human sexuality, family planning, euthanasia, consumer health, the right to life, battered women and battered women's syndrome, politics and poverty in women's health issues, the relation of health issues to social issues, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and alcoholism, nutrition and weight control, emotional health, mental illness, women and ecology, adoption of preventive health behavior, and social change patterns in areas of concern to women's health.
PSY 1050 Human Growth and Development
This course offers an overview of the human developmental process throughout the life cycle, which includes the biophysical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of growth.
SOC 2040 Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender
This is an exploration of the historical and contemporary roots of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, class and gender. Issues such as culture, identity and oppression are examined.
SOC 2170 Gender Studies
This course will provide an examination of the ways in which gender affects the personal and social experiences of women and men. Some of the topics to be addressed are historical perspectives, gender socialization, interpersonal relationships, sexuality and sexual orientation, power dynamics, and the roles performed by women and men in major social institutions.
SPA 3160 Latin American Women Writers
This course focuses on the writings of the most prominent Latin American women writers of recent times. A variety of literary genres-poetry, essay, drama and novel will be studied. The topics of "machismo" and "marianismo" as well as the dynamics between the different socio-cultural realities and literature will be studied.
SWK 2120 Women’s Issues
The Psychological and sociological aspects of being reared female in America will be examined. The ideological base of feminism will be explored from an historical perspective.
With prior approval of the Women’s Studies Coordinator, other designated courses may be taken to fulfill the minor. These courses are offered on demand, with the topic announced at registration and the Women’s Studies option indicated in the course description. |
