GWSS Courses
This is a list of courses with the subject code GWSS. For more information, see Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) in the catalog.
GWSS:1000 First-Year Seminar 1 s.h.
Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings, visits to research facilities, field trips). Requirements: first- or second-semester standing.
GWSS:1001 Introduction to Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 3 s.h.
Introduction to feminist interdisciplinary study of women's lives, with emphasis on race, class, sexual orientation; work, family, culture, political and social change. GE: Diversity and Inclusion.
GWSS:1002 Diversity and Power in the U.S. 3 s.h.
How the intersection of gender, race, class affects individual experience, national ideology, social institutions; interdisciplinary perspective. GE: Diversity and Inclusion.
GWSS:1003 Introduction to Social Justice 3 s.h.
Introduction to principles and theories of social justice; students examine the history of influential social movements in the United States and the world in the last century; how intersectionality can create tensions between and among members of social movements; how race, class, gender, age, geography, and our bodies play a role in the application of theories of social justice. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as SJUS:1001.
GWSS:1046 Environmental Politics in India 3 s.h.
How resources, commodities, people, and ideas cross borders; examination of globalization through issues of technology, social justice, environment; perspectives from anthropology, gender studies, geography, energy science, and development. GE: Sustainability. GE: International and Global Issues. Same as ANTH:1046, GEOG:1046, SJUS:1046.
GWSS:1060 Sex and Popular Culture in America 3 s.h.
Critical and historical introduction to representation of human sexuality in American popular culture from World War II to the present. GE: Values and Culture. Same as AMST:1060, ENGL:1410.
GWSS:1074 Inequality in American Sport 3 s.h.
Cultural meanings of sport in contemporary U.S. culture; sport experiences, inclusion, and exclusion as affected by social class, gender and sexuality, age and ability, race and ethnicity, and religion. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as AMST:1074, SPST:1074.
GWSS:1310 Gender and Society 3 s.h.
Role and status of women in society; sex differences, sex role socialization, theories about origin and maintenance of sexual inequalities, changes in social life cycle of women, implications for social institutions and processes; focus on contemporary United States. GE: Values and Culture. Same as SOC:1310.
GWSS:2041 Gender, Communication, and Culture 3 s.h.
Social construction of gender and gendered identities across a range of communicative settings in contemporary U.S. society, including relationships, schools, organizations, media, and social movements; how communication creates, reproduces, sustains, and sometimes challenges and changes the meaning of gender and, with that, cultural structures and practices. Same as COMM:2041.
GWSS:2046 Cultural Politics of the Environment in the US 3 s.h.
Introduction to feminist and queer theories of social space; material and symbolic construction of gender and sexuality; communicating gender and sexuality in different social spaces and scales in historical and contemporary contexts. Same as COMM:2045.
GWSS:2050 Jews, Judaism, and Social Justice 3 s.h.
Jewish frameworks for grappling with justice and ethics from ancient world to present day; emphasis on internal diversity of Jewish experience as well as interactions with dominant and other minority cultures. Same as HIST:2150, RELS:2250, SJUS:2050.
GWSS:2052 Women in Islam and the Middle East 3 s.h.
Women in the Islamic community and in non-Muslim Middle Eastern cultures; early rise of Islam to modern times; references to women in the Qur'an and Sunnah, stories from Islamic history; women and gender issues. GE: International and Global Issues; Values and Culture. Same as RELS:2852.
GWSS:2075 Gender, Sexuality, and Media 3 s.h.
Mediated representations of gender and sexuality (television, film, and internet) to understand how these complex and complicated codes influence meaning of sex, sexuality, and gender; contemporary and historical examples used to engage texts that illuminate cultural conceptions of femininity, masculinity, heterosexuality, and homosexuality; cases that confuse and trouble the stability of these categories. Same as COMM:2075.
GWSS:2078 Women, Sport, and Culture 3 s.h.
Feminist analysis of girls' and women's sports experiences, including reproduction of gender through sport, recent changes in women's intercollegiate athletics, media representations of women's sport, feminist critiques, alternatives to sport. Same as SPST:2078.
GWSS:2080 The Cultural Politics of HIV-AIDS 3 s.h.
Complex historical shifts in cultural perceptions about HIV-AIDS in the U.S. and transnationally; controversies around HIV-AIDS and their links with questions of gender and sexuality; how HIV-AIDS subsequently became the basis of a transnational industry comprising nongovernmental organizations, donors, and activists across the global north and south, starting from 1980s in the U.S. when HIV-AIDS first emerged into public sphere as a gay disease; link between HIV-AIDS and ideologies of development or progress, neocolonialism, and emergence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning (LGBTIQ) movements in many parts of world. Recommendations: background in gender studies, and completion of rhetoric or at least one social sciences course. Same as GHS:2080.
GWSS:2100 Foundations of Health Humanities 3 s.h.
Examination of health, disease, care, and healing through humanities perspective; exploration of humanistic elements of medical care to better understand multiple meanings and impacts of disease, medical research and treatment, and health beliefs and practices in different communities; interdisciplinary inquiry through close reading, interpretation of visual images, and reflective and analytic writing to encourage adaptability and foster appreciation of non-technoscientific factors in personal and professional health care decision-making. GE: Values and Culture. Same as GHS:2100.
GWSS:2102 Anthropology of Marriage and Family 3 s.h.
Classic anthropological theories of kinship and marriage, including topics such as cousin marriage and incest; recent work on new reproductive technologies and transnational marriage. Same as ANTH:2102.
GWSS:2108 Gendering India 3 s.h.
Aspects of Indian culture, including nation, family, sexuality, work, and religion, through the lens of gender; Hindu India, differences in region, caste, and class. Same as ANTH:2108.
GWSS:2151 Global Migration in the Contemporary World 3 s.h.
Examination of social, economic, and cultural dimensions of global migration in the contemporary world from a transnational and anthropological perspective; primary focus is on Asian migration to the United States, but in comparison to other migration trajectories. Recommendations: an introductory course in cultural anthropology is useful, but not required. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as ANTH:2151, IS:2151.
GWSS:2160 Love and Romance in America 3 s.h.
Exploration of the role of love and romance in the American experience; analysis of love and romance in their association with American ideals—pursuit of happiness, upward mobility, and liberation of self, nation, and world; history of romance as a genre; contemplation of picket fences, free love, bromance, valentines, green cards, desperate housewives, break-ups, hook-ups, and (un)happily ever after. Same as AMST:2160.
GWSS:2190 Love Rules: Law and the Family Across Cultures 3 s.h.
Recent debates over legalizing gay marriage remind us that the law is not an abstract concept, it is a social creation that emphasizes certain cultural norms over others, both powerful and changeable; family law outlines what one cultural vision of relationships—those between lovers, parent and child, and between kin—supposedly should look like in a given society, a vision always marked by gendered, racial, and sexual divisions of power; students consider what happens when legal norms intersect with diverse ways that people make families through topics including marriage, divorce, custody, and surrogacy across the world. Same as ANTH:2190, IS:2190.
GWSS:2193 Literature, Culture, and Women 3 s.h.
Studies in the intersections between literature, culture, and women. Same as ENGL:2593.
GWSS:2222 Women in Premodern East Asian Literature 3 s.h.
Reading of East Asian literature portraying women from the first millennium B.C.E. through the 1800s; discussion of issues related to representations of women and conventional social, familial roles in premodern China, Korea, and Japan; cross-cultural comparison of different perceptions and portrayals of women in premodern East Asian literary traditions. Taught in English. Recommendations: completion of all ESL courses. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as ASIA:2222, WLLC:2222.
GWSS:2250 The History of Social Justice Movements 3 s.h.
History of contemporary social movements in the U.S. and how these movements have directly affected policies related to environment, food, reproductive justice, civil rights, immigration, labor, race, and gender; students read, explore, discuss, and write about the history of contemporary social movements in the U.S. that had lasting effects on policies related to environment, agriculture, health, reproductive justice, civil rights, labor, race, gender, and immigration; exploration of multiple modes of representation and resistance including protests, boycotts, strikes, music, art, writing, riots, civil disobedience, theater, poetry, dance, and poetry. Same as HIST:2250, SJUS:2250.
GWSS:2300 Race, Class, Gender, and Labor: Worker Struggles for Legal Rights in the United States 3 s.h.
Students familiar with the gig economy and the "Fight for $15" examine historical tensions between working class, middle class, poor, and the 1%—at the intersections of race and gender—and how these diverse groups wielded their influence on the legal system in order to gain power; students examine how workers in the United States joined together, put their bodies on the line for social justice, and created radical, legal change. Same as SJUS:2300.
GWSS:2400 Health, Intersectionality, and Diversity 3 s.h.
Exploration of intersectionality related to gender and health disparities, particularly as they impact diverse populations in the United States. Same as CPH:2240, LATS:2400.
GWSS:2422 Feminist Ethics 3 s.h.
Philosophical evaluation of gender as a pervasive and persistent structuring principle for social inequality. Same as PHIL:2422.
GWSS:2500 Love, War, Activism: Stories About Women from Across the World 3 s.h.
Literary and cinematic representations of gender in works by authors and directors from the Global South; development of historical and cultural lines of inquiry to examine artistic representations of love, sexuality, friendship, and parenting; shifts in gender identities and relations that result from social and political crises. Same as ENGL:2570, SJUS:2500.
GWSS:2571 Visualizing Human Rights 3 s.h.
Cinematic representations of human rights issues in films by directors from the Global South; development of historical and cultural lines of inquiry to examine artistic representations of race relations in colonial and postcolonial societies; public health issues, specifically women's and children's rights in context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Same as ENGL:2571, SJUS:2571.
GWSS:2650 Global Reproduction 3 s.h.
History of birth control and work of activists and organizations that emerged to promote it; troubling connections that spawned between reproductive rights and population control movements. Same as GHS:2650.
GWSS:2651 Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient World 3 s.h.
Survey of gender and sexuality issues in the social, political, and religious life of ancient Greece and Rome; evidence from literature, the visual arts, archaeology. Requirements: completion of GE CLAS Core Rhetoric and sophomore standing. GE: Values and Culture. Same as CLSA:2651.
GWSS:2674 Food, Body, and Belief: A Global Perspective 3 s.h.
Exploration of local, national, and global forces that shape food consumption, body image, and spiritual practices. Taught in English. Same as GHS:2674, RELS:2674.
GWSS:2700 Transgender People, Politics, and Cultures 3 s.h.
How people live across and beyond social differentiation of sex and gender; how practices of identity building and political resistance transform or negotiate with social structures of gender, race, and class; burgeoning field of transgender studies which pushes to interrogate some fundamental aspects of human societies and question how supposedly "natural" categories of sex and gender are constructed and transformed; exploration of lives, politics, and subcultures of people who differ from gender norms in the United States and across the world; how transgender cultures and politics negotiate with structures of race and class. Recommendations: background in gender studies or social sciences.
GWSS:2800 African American Women, Health, Hair, and Sexuality 3 s.h.
From the exotic to the erotic, African American women's bodies have been constructed to fulfill a variety of personal and cultural fantasies as well as social functions that are "killing us softly"; how cultural icons and myths of Black women—Jezebel, Mammy, Tragic Mulatto, Aunt Jemima, Sapphire, Matriarch, Welfare Queen, and more recently, the overachieving Black woman—shape and create restrictions and visions of the self that contribute to health disparities; engaging Black feminist/womanist theory to explore how larger images influence everyday acts of self-care and pleasure, such as hair and sexuality, on the health of African American women. Same as AFAM:2800.
GWSS:2900 Love, Sex, and Money: Sexuality and Exchange Across Cultures 3 s.h.
Everything from pop songs to advertisements warn us of the evils of gold diggers, “blingsexuals,” or “buyfriends"; in America, money is seen to corrupt the purity and authenticity of love and desire, but money also is an inevitable part of sex, love, and intimacy; cross-cultural examination of how relationships between love, money, and sexuality are organized in different places; different ways people form relationships with lovers, spouses, and persons who enable childbearing; rethinking gender roles, work, value, and power. Same as ANTH:2191.
GWSS:3005 Practicum 3-4 s.h.
Experience in volunteer work for organizations that provide services for women. Prerequisites: GWSS:1001. Same as SJUS:3005.
GWSS:3010 Transnational Sexualities 3 s.h.
How ideas about normative and nonnormative sexuality, gender/sexual identities, and related social movements travel across geographical, political, and cultural boundaries; potentials and limits of using conceptual frameworks (i.e., sexuality, gender, LGBT, queer) across the west and global south; how sexuality always intersects with race, class, nationhood, and transnational systems of power; power structures that shape gender/sexuality through a transnational approach; connection of inequalities within the United States with those across the world. Same as GHS:3015.
GWSS:3050 Topics in Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 1,3 s.h.
Representative topics: American Indian/First Nations Women; population and the environment; feminism and the family; women, health, and healing; women of color.
GWSS:3078 Archiving Women's History 3 s.h.
Exploration of girls' and women's history in Iowa through collections at the Iowa Women's Archives; introduction to archival research, digital humanities, and Omeka (a digital collection and exhibit platform) with focus on sport-related collections; guided individualized research and exhibit development. Same as AMST:3078, MUSM:3078, SPST:3078.
GWSS:3100 LGBTQ/Queer Studies 3 s.h.
Overview of queer theory and queer studies; development of critical thinking skills in relation to cultural constructions of gender, sexuality, race, and other identity categories.
GWSS:3105 Contraception Across Time and Cultures 3 s.h.
Methods and history of contraception; issues of unwanted pregnancy and birth control in fiction, film, and media around the world. Same as CLSA:3105, GHS:3105, WLLC:3105.
GWSS:3118 Politics of Reproduction 3 s.h.
Examination of reproductive politics from historical, sociological, anthropological, and communicative perspectives; reproductive justice and bodily autonomy as key sites of feminist struggle in the United States and in global contexts; topical issues include abortion and birth control, assisted reproductive technologies, commercial surrogacy industries, LGBTQ family formation, and systems of reproductive violence. Same as ANTH:3118, COMM:3118.
GWSS:3121 Love, Marriage, and Family in India 3 s.h.
Anthropological understandings of love in India and the region of South Asia more broadly; emphasis on contemporary society; filial and motherly love, arranged marriage and romantic love, devotional and artistic expressions, love between siblings. Same as ANTH:3121.
GWSS:3131 Gender and Sexuality in East Asia 3 s.h.
Examination of historical construction of gender and sexuality in East Asia from mid-19th century to present. Same as ASIA:3431, RELS:3431.
GWSS:3138 Writing to Change the World 3 s.h.
Writers who can frame questions, weigh competing perspectives, structure an argument, and write with clarity and respect for diverse audiences as powerful agents for change; writers who have inspired human rights movements; public forms of writing with local organizations whose missions are shaped by social attitudes to gender and sexuality; conducting research and evaluation of evidence; best practices for communicating and collaborating; skills needed to be an effective advocate. Prerequisites: RHET:1030 or RHET:1040 or RHET:1060. Same as SJUS:3138.
GWSS:3150 Feminist Readings of History 3 s.h.
Feminist analysis has revolutionized the writing of history—not only on gender and sexuality, but also on topics as diverse as politics, economics, international relations, and social hierarchies (e.g., race, class, ability, religion); students examine feminist transformations of history with specific topics chosen by instructor. Same as HIST:3150.
GWSS:3154 Sexuality in the United States 3 s.h.
GWSS:3157 Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights 3 s.h.
History of gender and sexuality as components in international human rights activism and law; current debates, representative topics. Same as HIST:3157.
GWSS:3171 Higher Education and Social Justice 3 s.h.
Reflection of students' place within educational systems; development of rhetorical tools for successful advocacy; advocation through writing for change within higher education and the UI; student loans, racial segregation, social and economic immobility, free speech, data insecurity, sexual assault. Same as ENGL:3571, SJUS:3171.
GWSS:3173 Gender, Sexuality, and Literature 3 s.h.
Representations of gender, class, and sexuality in British, American, or postcolonial literature. Same as ENGL:3573.
GWSS:3177 Women and Their Bodies in Health and Illness 3 s.h.
Basic facts about structure and functioning of female body; particular attention to adjustments the body makes during normal physiological events (menstruation, sexuality, reproduction, menopause) and during illness processes; women's mental and physical health issues in relation to women's lives and roles in society; relationship of women as consumers, practitioners, and activists to health system; achievements and limitations of women's health movements; anti-oppression, intersectionalities, and cross-cultural perspectives. Same as NURS:3739.
GWSS:3185 Global Women's Cinema 3 s.h.
Introduction to contemporary women's cinema and feminist filmmaking from around the world; emphasis on post-1968 period and cinema produced outside the United States. Same as WLLC:3185.
GWSS:3200 Theories for Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 3 s.h.
Historical and contemporary theoretical approaches to the study of gender and sexuality; emphasis on interdisciplinary methods of analysis and interpretation.
GWSS:3257 Civil Rights and Racial Justice: A Tour Through the South 1-3 s.h.
Exploration of the history of modern civil rights movement through lectures, shared readings, videos, and discussion; includes preparation and two-week tour of civil rights sites in the South. Prerequisites: SJUS:1001 or SJUS:2250 or GWSS:1002 or CCCC:2220 or AFAM:1030 or AFAM:2268 or HIST:2268 or AFAM:3053 or AMST:3053 or HIST:3253 or HIST:3232 or AFAM:3100 or HIST:3160 or HIST:3260 or AFAM:3260 or HIST:3282 or GWSS:3282 or HIST:4130. Same as AFAM:3257, HIST:3257, SJUS:3257.
GWSS:3282 Women and Power in U.S. History Since the Civil War 3 s.h.
Major events and themes in U.S. women's history from late 19th century to present; how women's experiences have differed from men's; exploration of distinct but interconnected histories of different groups of women; changing ideals of femininity; women's experience of industrialization, immigration, depression, war, and sexual revolution; women's activism for social reform, women's rights, labor, civil rights, peace, and the New Right. Same as HIST:3282.
GWSS:3300 Mothers and Motherhood 3 s.h.
Treatment of motherhood; role of motherhood and devaluation of social status. Same as ANTH:3300.
GWSS:3326 The Politics of Progress: NGOs, Development, and Sexuality 3 s.h.
How nonprofit sector increasingly plays a significant role in countering socioeconomic inequalities in the United States and global south; role of nonprofit organizations in relation to governmental policies of development, transnational funders, and ideas of sexual progress; critics of development institutions' arguments that western ideas of progress impose and adversely affect groups they claim to empower, yet also may foster struggles for social justice that go beyond development policy; examination of transnational nonprofit sector in relation to gender/sexuality and how it impacts women and gender/sexual minorities around the world. Recommendations: background in gender studies or social sciences. Same as GHS:3327.
GWSS:3350 Transnational Feminism 3 s.h.
Exploration of feminist perspectives from the United States and outside of the United States; how geopolitics shapes understanding of familiar feminist issues (e.g., reproduction, cultural practices, sexualities, poverty); emphasis on global south regions and populations. Same as ANTH:3125, IS:3350.
GWSS:3400 Advocacy and Engagement Colloquium 1-3 s.h.
How to capitalize on volunteer experience; how experience can lead to careers in health care, law, advocacy, social work, social justice, education; issues related to domestic violence, community education, sexual assault; health care for women, youth, and LGBTQ populations; health care inequities, social justice; field journal. Recommendations: active volunteer work at feminist-centered organizations in Iowa, completion of 40-hour training, plan to serve organization for up to ten or more hours each month, and attendance at regularly scheduled volunteer meetings. Same as SJUS:3400.
GWSS:3421 Performing Autobiography 3 s.h.
Advanced seminar and workshop; immersive readings in genre of contemporary autobiographical work, scholarship and criticism, and performance texts and videos as established artists have developed them; students write and perform their own original pieces stemming from personal experiences and interests. Recommendations: RHET:1030. Same as THTR:3421.
GWSS:3425 Women, Crime, and Justice 3 s.h.
Overview of women's experiences with crime and criminal justice system, with reference to experiences of men for purposes of comparison; role of race, ethnicity, and poverty in women's experiences; causes of crime, inequalities in police-citizen interactions, imprisonment, and other aspects of criminal justice system experience. Same as CRIM:3425.
GWSS:3427 Family, Gender, and Society in Early Modern Europe 3 s.h.
Social and gender ideologies as inscribed in patterns of authority (household, church, state); ranges of human endeavor (intellectual, psychological, biological); community organization (social, economic, legal, sexual); their influence on concept of community. Same as HIST:3427.
GWSS:3430 Women on Stage 3 s.h.
Examination of how and why women in the United States have expressed themselves through theatre and performance from 1776 to present; students study plays as performed events in specific times and places for specific audiences through works by African American, Asian American, European American, Latina, Native American, and lesbian/queer writers; what the theater—as a public, embodied art form—offers female writers; how stakes differ for women of diverse backgrounds in using this often suspect and uniquely powerful medium in particular historical moments; how changing definitions of gender and sexuality come into play; prior background in theater not required. Same as AMST:3430, THTR:3430.
GWSS:3431 Topics in Latina/o/x Studies: History and Culture 1-3 s.h.
Historical and cultural approaches; topics vary. Same as LATS:3550.
GWSS:3459 Making Change, Making History: Iowa's Black Activists and Digital History 3 s.h.
From the 1830s through the end of the 19th century, African Americans formed local, state, and national meetings called “Colored Conventions,” where they strategized about how to achieve social justice; students explore Iowa's connections to this history of political activism. Same as HIST:3259, SJUS:3459.
GWSS:3475 Working for Social Justice 3 s.h.
Identification and pursuit of careers in a wide range of fields where people advocate for and engage issues of social justice; writing self-assessments, résumés, sample employment application letters, statements of purpose; development of e-portfolios that highlight areas of student research and expertise; mock interview practice; Pomerantz Career Center resources; interviewing professionals in careers focused on social justice and feminist issues; local internship and volunteer possibilities; national and international educational and career opportunities for making a difference in the world. Same as SJUS:3475.
GWSS:3550 Social Justice, Religion, and Spirituality: Faith and Belief Ignited 3 s.h.
Examination of some distinctively American traditions of religion, spirituality, and social justice, including women and men who have channeled their religio-spiritual beliefs into social justice in their communities; historical and anthropological focus; examination of U.S. movements (e.g., the Catholic Worker movement, the United Farm Workers movement, the civil rights movement, iterations of the feminist movement); direct involvement with the communities. Same as RELS:3550, SJUS:3550.
GWSS:3570 Transnational and Postcolonial Writing by Women 3 s.h.
Study of postcolonial and transnational writing by women. Same as ENGL:3570.
GWSS:3600 Art, Feminist Practice, and Social Justice 3 s.h.
Issues related specifically to gender, women's, and sexuality studies through the arts; themes include broad social issues such as violence, sexual assault, incarceration, reproduction, immigration, and labor; students explore a theme and work with community partners to address the theme through social practice in the arts. Recommendations: prior courses in gender, women's, and sexuality studies, or courses in social work, art education, or studio arts.
GWSS:3620 Narrative Medicine, Social Justice, and the End of Life 3 s.h.
Role of narrative in health care practice, decisions, and ethics; narrative production of patient and professional selves in health care; varied practices, diverse perspectives, and situated production of medical and health care knowledge. Prerequisites: RHET:1030. Same as SJUS:3620.
GWSS:3750 Born in the USA: Fertility and Reproduction 3 s.h.
Exploration of when, why, how, and with whom Americans bear children; comparison to other developed and developing countries in the world; infertility and its treatments; ethics of surrogacy; voluntary childlessness; rapid rise of nonmarital childbearing in the U.S. and other countries; politics of childbirth; declining populations; rapid aging of rich where women have basically stopped having children. Same as SOC:3750.
GWSS:3900 Research for Public Engagement 3 s.h.
Emphasis on interdisciplinary reading, writing, research, and oral presentation skills necessary for pursuing socially engaged scholarship at a high level; students practice how to read for an argument, summarize and evaluate the ideas of others, and formulate their own positions within critical controversies.
GWSS:3950 Academic Internship 1-3 s.h.
Work under supervision of a faculty member on a scholarly or creative project related to the department or campus, or work with the director of undergraduate studies as a media, digital publishing, or teaching intern; students receive credit for the internship depending on the number of hours they work, learning objectives they develop, and meetings, written reports, and other research-related or self-evaluative writing they contract to do with the supervising faculty member. Prerequisites: GWSS:1001 or SJUS:1001. Requirements: gender, women's, and sexuality studies or social justice major or minor. Same as SJUS:3950.
GWSS:3990 Independent Readings and Research in Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies arr.
Topics not covered in regular curriculum.
GWSS:4026 French Women Writers 3-4 s.h.
Survey of 20th- and 21st-century French women's literature; introduction to French feminist thought; optional discussion section taught in French. Taught in English. Requirements: for 4 s.h. option—FREN:3060 and FREN:3300. Same as FREN:4026.
GWSS:4090 Senior Research Seminar 3 s.h.
Design and development of individual creative or scholarly projects in the field of gender, women's, and sexuality studies; emphasis on strengthening students' research and writing skills; synthesizing, extending, and applying work already completed in the major. Prerequisites: GWSS:1001 or GWSS:1002 and GWSS:3900. Requirements: two women's studies courses numbered above GWSS:1001.
GWSS:4095 Honors Senior Thesis arr.
Supervised research, writing.
GWSS:4140 Feminist Activism and Global Health 3 s.h.
How female gender intersects with culture, environment, and political economy to shape health and illness; reproductive health, violence, drug use, cancer; readings in anthropology, public health. Prerequisites: ANTH:1101 or GWSS:1001 or CPH:1400 or GHS:2000. Same as ANTH:4140, CBH:4140, GHS:4140.
GWSS:4169 Feminist Rhetorics 3 s.h.
Exploration of multiple, varied, and complex histories of U.S. feminisms from rhetorical perspectives; focus on primary documents, the letters, speeches, essays, and manifesto/as that shaped women's movements and inspire social change from late 18th century to present; social, political, and personal issues that feminists sought to address and transform, communicative and rhetorical methods utilized, and implications of these efforts for women's lives and broader U.S. American culture. Prerequisites: (2 of the following are required: (COMM:1112 or COMM:1170), (COMM:1117 or COMM:1130), (COMM:1168 or COMM:1174)) and (2 of the following are required: COMM:1305, COMM:1306, COMM:1816, COMM:1818, COMM:1819, COMM:1830, COMM:1840, COMM:1845, COMM:1898, COMM:2010, COMM:2011, COMM:2015, COMM:2020, COMM:2030, COMM:2040, COMM:2041, COMM:2042, COMM:2044, COMM:2045, COMM:2048, COMM:2050, COMM:2054, COMM:2057, COMM:2060, COMM:2064, COMM:2065, COMM:2069, COMM:2070, COMM:2072, COMM:2075, COMM:2076, COMM:2077, COMM:2078, COMM:2079, COMM:2080, COMM:2083, COMM:2085, COMM:2086, COMM:2088, COMM:2089, COMM:2090, COMM:2091, COMM:2248, COMM:2800, COMM:2813, COMM:2821, COMM:2828, COMM:2897, COMM:2899). Same as COMM:4169.
GWSS:4180 Gender and Sexuality in Comics 3 s.h.
Critical and historical examination of representations of gender and sexual identities in comics and graphic novels, including nonfiction and popular genres.
GWSS:4540 Gender and Sexuality in French Cinema 3-4 s.h.
Cultural, historical, and semiotic approach to studying constructions of gender identity and discourses on sexuality in French cinema from 1920s to present; optional discussion section taught in French. Taught in English. Requirements: for 4 s.h. option—prior enrollment in FREN:3060 and FREN:3300. Same as FREN:4540.
GWSS:4800 Seminar in Comparative Literature 3 s.h.
Focus on comparative, interdisciplinary, theoretical, and/or inter-arts topic; topics vary; required for comparative literature major. Taught in English. Same as CL:4800, GRMN:4800, TRNS:4800, WLLC:4801.
GWSS:4820 Sociology of Sexuality 3 s.h.
Sociological perspectives on sexuality, including theoretical and conceptual developments, empirical regularities, and social implications; sexual expression in the United States. Prerequisites: SOC:1010 or SOC:1030. Same as SOC:4820.
GWSS:5000 Foundations for Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 3 s.h.
Theory, methodology, practice, archive, and robust stakes of the interdisciplinary field of gender, women's, and sexuality studies (GWSS); analysis and discussion of the history and possible futures of the field, as well as the relationship of GWSS to student's developing interests and areas of study.
GWSS:5120 Reading Transnational Feminist Theory 3 s.h.
Issues in transnational feminist scholarship, including coloniality and globalization as related to domains of gendered work, cultural traditions, and development; interdisciplinary readings—including from qualitative social science—consider connections across the Global North and South. Same as ANTH:5120.
GWSS:5500 Tell Magazine Writing and Publishing Workshop 3 s.h.
Students serve as editorial, writing, and production staff for Tell, the Department of Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies' digital magazine; Tell explores issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, national identity, and other differences of power and privilege often absent in mainstream publications; students learn technical aspects of digital publication management, write their own stories and columns for the magazine and its ongoing blog, create digital and graphic materials, organize outreach events and manage social media outlets for the magazine, and work as editors and collaborative partners with one another and with writers and artists who submit work for publication. Prerequisites: GWSS:5000.
GWSS:6050 Seminar: Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies 3 s.h.
Special topics in gender, women's, and sexuality studies.
GWSS:6130 Francophone Thought 3 s.h.
Comparative study of intellectual, literary, cultural, social, and historical developments in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Maghreb, and Sub-Saharan Africa; approaches include cultural theory, literary criticism, cinema, visual arts, women's studies, memory and trauma studies, postcolonial ecologies, and cultural anthropology; examination of key conceptual paradigms and cultivation of skills in critical thinking methodologies; students acquire theoretical tools to explore an interdisciplinary scholarly field and learn to establish connections between the main components of the course and their own research interests. Taught in French. Same as FREN:6130.
GWSS:6238 Gender and Education in Historical Perspective 3 s.h.
Gender in context of history of education in the United States; coeducation in common schools, academies, and high schools; women's arrival and experiences as college students; masculinity in higher education; single-sex versus coeducation; emphasis on conflicting historical interpretations. Same as EPLS:6238.
GWSS:6239 LGBTQ History in Education 3 s.h.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) issues in context of history of education in United States; LGBTQ teachers, students, and studies in K-12 and higher education; emphasis on differences in historical interpretations. Same as EPLS:6239.
GWSS:6275 Diversity and Equity in Higher Education 3 s.h.
Explores theory, research, and practices of engaging difference through interdisciplinary lenses and at the intersections of sociopolitical identities and ideologies within the context of higher education/student affairs, K-12, and as it relates to society, government, and community agency settings; examines the implications of sociopolitical contexts on practices in research, teaching, and service within education. Requirements: PhD, EdD, or advanced-level MA standing. Recommendations: introductory course on issues of race, culture, gender, sociopolitical issues, or structural oppression is strongly recommended. Same as EPLS:6275.
GWSS:6300 Writing for Learned Journals 1-4 s.h.
Seminar that supports graduate students in bringing written work to publishable form; analysis of target journals' audiences, interests, and citation politics; submission and the publication process; response to reader reports and criticism; best writing and research practices; discussion of knowledge cultures and discourses in disciplines and the contemporary academy. Same as AMST:6300, GRAD:6300, RHET:6330.
GWSS:6343 Feminist Criticism 3 s.h.
Explore the rich terrain of feminist criticism within contemporary rhetorical and cultural studies; survey key interdisciplinary debates within contemporary feminist theory and criticism, trace significant trajectories within the history of feminist criticism, and consider how interdisciplinary feminist perspectives continue to shape humanities scholarship, including in communication studies and religious studies. Provides a strong foundation for exploring how feminism might meaningfully inform the art of academic inquiry and critical practice. Same as COMM:6343, RELS:6343.
GWSS:6345 New Materialisms 3 s.h.
Exploration of new strategies for rupturing persistent dichotomies of subject/object, representation/real, culture/nature, and active humans/passive things offered by theories of the vitality and agency of matter; introduction to origins of and developments in new materialisms; oriented to interdisciplinary inquiry and application to research in the humanities, broadly conceived; particular attention to actor-network theory, feminism, queer theory, infrastructuralism, and materialist theories of media. Same as COMM:6345, RELS:6345.
GWSS:6350 Gender and Religion 3 s.h.
What contemporary religious and spiritual groups and their members believe about sex, sexuality, and gender; how they define and redefine what it means to be a "man" and a "woman"; exploration of contemporary "conservative" and "progressive" cosmologies and theologies; underlying beliefs that construct these perspectives and the impact on individual and group practices; broader implications of individual and group beliefs and practices on national and global policies. Same as RELS:6350.
GWSS:6990 Independent Study arr.
GWSS:7000 Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies Graduate Practicum 1-3 s.h.
Volunteer work experience, or conceptualization and execution of research projects. Prerequisites: GWSS:5000.
GWSS:7122 Readings: History of Gender and Sexuality arr.
Topics in international and transnational history of gender and sexuality. Same as HIST:7122.
GWSS:7205 New Histories: U.S. Slavery arr.
Our approach to study of slavery and discipline of history have been upended by recent works by and about women; exploration of that scholarship and consideration of where it takes us in grappling with systems and subjectivity of slavery. Same as AFAM:7205, HIST:7205.
GWSS:7400 Graduate Research Conference Presentation 1 s.h.
Crafting a presentation for the annual James F. Jakobsen Graduate Conference each spring; students work with an existing creative and/or scholarly project from another class or context; discussion of an array of presentation practices in gender, women's, and sexuality studies including interactivity, accessibility, audience engagement, workshopping, recursive revision, institutional justice, and various experiments with form, genre, discipline, body, and language; for students pursuing the Certificate in Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies. Prerequisites: GWSS:5000. Requirements: gender, women's, and sexuality studies graduate certificate standing.