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Home » Gender Studies

Gender Studies

Updated on: January 1, 2023

Printable PDFDirector: Tom Blake
Faculty: Audrey Flemming, Matt Findley, Erin Copple Smith, Ashley Tharayil, Brian Watkins, Claire Wolnisty

The gender studies program provides students with the tools to examine and interrogate gender both as a social construct and as a lived reality. Using comparative, competing, and cross-disciplinary perspectives, students are invited to analyze gender performance, sexuality, and sex-identification as these are situated in a variety of personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts. Intersections with race, class, age, ethnicity, and national identity are often explored in the process.

Degree Plans Offered in Gender Studies

Major in Gender Studies
Minor in Gender Studies

A major in gender studies consists of:

Required Courses (2 courses)

             GNDR 120 Introduction to Gender Studies
             GNDR 365 Theorizing Gender and Sexuality

Courses with a focus on gender/women/sexuality (at least 3 courses)

Courses in this category may include:

             ANTH 330 Anthropology of Sex and Gender
             CLAS 250 Women in Antiquity
             EAS 225 Gender and East Asia
             ENG 253 Literature and Gender
             HIST 230 Women in Europe
             HIST 261 Women in America
             SCI 201/GNDR 201 Women and Science
             PHIL 211 Feminist Thought and its Critics
             PSY 235 Psychology of Gender
             PSY 265 Human Sexuality
             REL 253/GNDR 254 Sex, Self, and Society
             REL 250/GNDR 450 Gender, Body, and Power in Asian Religions
             MEDA 267 Mediating Gender and Sexuality

Courses with a focus on power/inequality/social structures (at least 2 courses)

Courses in this category may include:

             AFST 121 African History and Cultures
             ANTH 123 Introduction to Socio-Cultural Anthropology
             ANTH 210 Native North America
             ANTH 220 Anthropology of Africa
             ANTH 365 Race and Ethnicity
             ECO 234 Development Economics
             ECO 280 Health Economics
             EDUC 115 American Education: A Changing Landscape
             ENG 251 Ethnic Literatures
             HIST 282 The Quest for Civil Rights, 1945 to Present
             PSCI 333 International Social Movements
             PSCI 334 Identity Politics
             PSY 240 Social Psychology

Additional courses from the previous two categories (at least 2 courses)

             Course Prefix and Number
             Course Prefix and Number
             At least two of the courses above are at the 300-level or higher (excluding GNDR 365 Theorizing Gender and Sexuality).
             Three different disciplines and at least two divisions are represented in the courses above.

Other Considerations When Planning for the Major:

  • One credit of applied learning related to the major through a CSOC, community engagement, thesis, or research opportunity is recommended.
  • Up to two courses above may be from January term, when approved by the program director.
  • Utilize “GN” search criteria in WebHopper to find relevant courses or consult with program faculty.

Total Credits Requirement = 9 course credits

A minor in gender studies consists of:

Required Course (1 course)

             GNDR 120 Introduction to Gender Studies

Courses with a focus on gender/women/sexuality (at least 2 courses)

Courses in this category may include:

             ANTH 330 Anthropology of Sex and Gender
             CLAS 250 Women in Antiquity
             EAS 225 Gender and East Asia
             ENG 253 Literature and Gender
             HIST 230 Women in Europe
             HIST 261 Women in America
             SCI 201/GNDR 201 Women and Science
             PHIL 211 Feminist Thought and its Critics
             PSY 235 Psychology of Gender
             PSY 265 Human Sexuality
             REL 253/GNDR 254 Sex, Self, and Society
             REL 250/GNDR 450 Gender, Body, and Power in Asian Religions
             MEDA 267 Mediating Gender and Sexuality

Courses with a focus on power/inequality/social structures (at least 1 courses)

Courses in this category may include:

             AFST 121 African History and Cultures
             ANTH 123 Introduction to Socio-Cultural Anthropology
             ANTH 210 Native North America
             ANTH 220 Anthropology of Africa
             ANTH 365 Race and Ethnicity
             ECO 234 Development Economics
             ECO 280 Health Economics
             EDUC 115 American Education: A Changing Landscape
             ENG 251 Ethnic Literatures
             HIST 282 The Quest for Civil Rights, 1945 to Present
             PSCI 333 International Social Movements
             PSCI 334 Identity Politics
             PSY 240 Social Psychology

Additional courses from the previous two categories (at least 2 courses)

             Course Prefix and Number
             Course Prefix and Number
             At least one of the courses above is at the 300-level or higher (preferably GNDR 365 Theorizing Gender and Sexuality).
             Three different disciplines and at least two divisions are represented in the courses above.

Other Considerations When Planning for the Minor:

  • Up to two courses above may be from January term, when approved by the program director.
  • Utilize “GN” search criteria in WebHopper to find relevant courses or consult with program faculty.

Total Credits Requirement = 6 course credits

COURSES

GNDR 120 Introduction to Gender Studies
An exploration of the multi-faceted nature of gender, sex, and sexuality as these intersect with societal, cultural, historical, scientific, and intellectual facets of human life and experience. Drawing on methods from the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, we seek to gain an appreciation for the ways in which humans have constructed the body over time, how different kinds of gender and sex performances are viewed from both dominant cultural perspectives and from those on the periphery, and how these perceptions are deeply integrated into the larger societal fabrics that make up our daily lives. Requirements met: Humanities Breadth/Discover and Systems of Power, Privilege, and Inequality. (Each fall)

GNDR 201 Women and Science
How have women contributed to science? Do women (or feminists) do science differently, and if so how? Why are women underrepresented in science? How can women, both personally and institutionally, be more successful in science? This course will explore various answers to these questions from multidisciplinary perspectives including psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, and literature. While this course will examine the past and present status of women in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, technical knowledge of these fields is not necessary for the course. Requirements met: Humanities Breadth/Discover.

GNDR 250 Topics in Gender Studies
A study of selected topics for beginning students based on faculty and student interests. Offered on an occasional basis. Course may be repeated when topic varies. 1 course credit.

GNDR 253 Literature and Gender
A variety of courses focused on issues of sex and gender in literature. Topics include women’s literature, gender/genre, bodies of enlightenment, gay and lesbian writers, and postcolonial women writers. May be repeated once when topic varies. (Offered on an occasional basis.)

GNDR 254 Sex, Self, and Society
A critical exploration of the relationships between sexual practices, having a good life, and creating a good society. Possible topics include hooking up, marriage (and alternative relationship forms), porn, sexual safety, and similar matters. Drawing examples from diverse sexual cultures in the U.S, we consider both Christian and “secular” perspectives (which, we will see also rely on moral convictions and function is a religious manner). Requirements met: Humanities Breadth/Discover and Systems of Power, Privilege, and Inequality. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 253. (Every year)

GNDR 260 Intermediate Directed Study
Student investigation of topic of interest working in collaboration with a faculty member resulting in significant oral and written work. See On-Campus Learning Opportunities for more information. PREQ: Freshman JanTerm or Sophomore standing. Special permission required. Offered in variable course credit from 0.25-1.00.

GNDR 267 Mediating Gender & Sexuality
This course will critically examine and evaluate the cultural construction and representation of gender and sexuality in contemporary American media. We will focus on a variety of commercial media texts, particularly television, film, music and magazines. We will investigate representational issues in relation to their political and social repercussions and draw from a broad range of academic literature, including feminist television criticism, film theory, cultural studies, queer studies, and gender studies. Requirements met: Humanities Breadth/Discover. Cross-listed with Media Studies 267. (Spring, alternate years)

GNDR 294 Intermediate Student Research
Intended for less experienced students to develop and execute a research project related to gender studies, beyond the constraints of the normal classroom, suitable for public dissemination on or off-campus under mentorship of a faculty member. Typically this work results in a formal presentation, written work, or creative works. Course credit varies from 0-1.00. PREQ: Instructor permission required.

GNDR 330 Anthropology of Sex and Gender
Cross-cultural perspectives on sex, gender, and sexuality have caused anthropologists since at least the 1930’s to reassess the universal qualities with which these concepts have long been ascribed. This course will complicate each of these concepts as it explores their manifestations in divergent socio-cultural contexts, such as the presence of three or more genders in more than 200 societies, the transnational contest over feminism, Papuan masculinities and sexualities, Sub-Saharan battles over body modification, and the complex meanings of the veil among Bedouins. Simultaneously, students will learn to incorporate anthropological approaches to gender into holistic analysis of personhood, culture, and society. PREQ: One anthropology or gender studies course. Requirements met: Social Sciences Breadth/Discover, Global Diversity, and Systems of Power, Privilege, and Inequality. Cross-listed with Anthropology 330. (Spring, even years)

GNDR 350/450 Advanced Topics in Gender Studies
An investigation of selected topics for more advanced students based on faculty and student interests. Offered on an occasional basis. Course may be repeated when topic varies. Prerequisites vary. 1 course credit.

GNDR 360/460 Advanced Directed Study
Student investigation of topic of interest related to the major or minor working in collaboration with a faculty member resulting in significant oral and written work. See On-Campus Learning Opportunities for more information. PREQ: Junior or Senior standing. Special permission required. Offered for variable course credit from 0.25-1.00.

GNDR 365 Theorizing Gender and Sexuality
An exploration of major approaches to and theoretical concepts in the feminist study of gender and sexuality. In this course, gender and sexuality are understood as simultaneously shaping individual identities, patterns of interpersonal interactions, and structures of social power — and doing so in conjunction with other apparatuses of inequality. Topics include paradigms of feminist theory, patriarchy, intersectionality, gender as performance, queer identity, and the economics of gender. PREQ: GNDR 120 and Junior standing. Requirements met: Humanities Breadth/Discover. (Fall or spring, alternate years)

GNDR 394/494 Advanced Student Research
Intended for advanced students to develop and execute a research project related to gender studies suitable for public dissemination under mentorship of a faculty member. Students are expected to present the results of their research in a public forum. Typically this work results in a formal presentation, written work, or creative works. Offered for variable course credit from 0-1.00. PREQ: Instructor permission required.

GNDR 490 Independent Study
Student-driven independent work to produce a high quality body of work such as paper, report, art project, etc. See On-Campus Learning Opportunities for more information. PREQ: Junior or Senior standing. Special permission required. Offered in variable course credit from 0.25-1.00.

GNDR 492 Independent Study Off-Campus/NSOC
Student-driven independent study in a topic related to the major completed at an off-campus site. See Off-Campus Learning Opportunities for more information. PREQ: Junior or Senior standing. Special permission required. Offered in variable course credit from 0.25-1.00.

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