Summer 2013
WMST 200: Issues in Feminism
Prof. Carole Frick
June session, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, 6:00-8:50
Issues in Feminism is a required course for Women’s Studies minors, and also can satisfy General Education credit hours. Here, we will discuss the major issues surrounding feminism at the beginning of the twenty-first century. We look at the historical basis of commonly-held notions about women and the feminine gender, reaching back into the past to examine the structures of patriarchy and its evil offspring, misogyny (fear of women). We read on a wide array of topics, analyze films, and examine the world in which we live from a feminist point-of-view, in an attempt to develop a new topography of conscious engagement. This class is designed to provide you an opportunity for personal reflection, discussion and growth. Welcome!
WMST/PSYCH 305: Psychology of Gender
Prof. Michael Dudley
Section 1: May session, Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00-1:45
Section 2: May session, Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:00-4:45
After taking this course, students should be able to understand, identify and describe the following concepts: the significance of gender; the biological/sociological foundations of gender; how gender affects cognition; Theories on gender development and gender stereotypes; how emotions and relationships are influenced by gender; and the impact of gender on physical and mental health.
WMST/SOC 308: Women, Gender and Society
Prof. Linda Markowitz
May session, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 11:00 AM-1:10 PM
This course examines the concept of gender from the sociological perspective. Thus, we will be looking at the social causes and consequences of breaking gender into rigid dichotomies. We will focus on how society’s organization results in different treatment for women and men and how this different treatment often times benefits men at the expense of women. Society’s structure imposes different rules, regulations and benefits on men and women. Thus, our main objectives are twofold. First, we will analyze the ramifications society’s organization has for women and men. Second, we will expose how problematic it is to assume that all men and all women are alike.
WMST/IS 353: Representing Women’s Bodies
Profs. Elza Ibroscheva and Audrey Tallant
May session, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00-3:30
This course looks at the experiences, problems and various issues that women face today in our fast-paced, technology-driven and media-rich environment. The aim of the course is to introduce the students to various critical approaches of feminist criticism and theories of representation that have been developed. The course will also introduce some recent feminist theories of the body, sex, gender and sexuality. The classes include group discussions, film viewing as well as introductions to various areas of critical and feminist theory.
SOC 390: Masculinities
PLEASE NOTE: THIS CLASS IS NOT CROSS-LISTED WITH WOMEN’S STUDIES BUT CAN BE USED AS CREDIT TOWARD THE MINOR
Prof. Georgiann Davis
June session, 11:00-1:10 PM
In this special topics course we examine the complexities of men and masculinities from a sociological perspective. We will focus on the institutionalized power and privilege that resides within masculinities, paying close attention to how such may vary across multiple axes of oppression including sexuality, race, ethnicity, and social class. We will also look at the social consequences of masculinity that impact all of our lives, regardless of our gender identity. As we study masculinities, we will be conceptualizing gender as a multidimensional stratification system that has consequences and implications at the individual, interactional, and institutional levels of society. We will approach our study of masculinities with this framework in mind in an attempt to guide us throughout our explorations.
HED 462: Women’s Health-02
PLEASE NOTE: THIS CLASS IS NOT CROSS-LISTED WITH WOMEN’S STUDIES BUT CAN BE USED AS CREDIT TOWARD THE MINOR
Prof. Nicole Klein
MWF 10:00-1:00
This course explores women’s health at a national and international level. While we address biological factors, the focus is mainly on the psychosocial influences on health with particular emphasis on the link between wealth and health. All students will select and read a non-fiction book (last time students chose between Nickel and Dimed, Schoolgirls and Female Chauvinist Pigs–this time we may add The Means of Reproduction), and view several excellent documentaries (Iron Jawed Women, Waging a Living, The Business of Being Born, When the Bough Breaks: Women in Prison).
Fall 2013
WMST 200: Issues in Feminism
Prof. Jennifer Logue
Tuesdays, 5:30-8:20 PM
Over the course of this semester, we will explore feminism(s) from a number of different perspectives, focusing on the history of the women’s movement, key components of different feminist theories and activist strategies. We will revisit a number of larger questions throughout the semester: What is at stake in the nature vs. nurture debate? How are taken for granted categories like, “normal,” “natural,” “masculine” and “feminine” invested with power? What does it mean to think of concepts and identities as socially constructed? How can we define various modes of feminism? How has feminist thought and practice shaped society over time and how is feminism evolving to respond to the concerns of the twenty-first century?
We will take a multidisciplinary approach to our study of feminism, touching on issues of philosophy, science, law, politics, education, and popular culture. You’ll find that there are no easy answers to any of the issues that we’ll discuss and that, indeed, there is rarely a definitive “feminist response” to the issues and problems we’ll encounter.
WMST/PSYCH 305: Psychology of Gender
Prof. Michael Dudley
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15 PM
After taking this course, students should be able to understand, identify and describe the following concepts: the significance of gender; the biological/sociological foundations of gender; how gender affects cognition; Theories on gender development and gender stereotypes; how emotions and relationships are influenced by gender; and the impact of gender on physical and mental health.
WMST/SOC 308: Women, Gender, and Society
Section 1: Ms. Elizabeth Stygar, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00 AM-9:15 AM
Section 2: Prof. Georgiann Davis, Wednesdays, 6:00-8:50 PM
Section 3: Prof. Linda Markowitz, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00-12:15 PM
This course examines the concept of gender from the sociological perspective. Thus, we will be looking at the social causes and consequences of breaking gender into rigid dichotomies. We will focus on how society’s organization results in different treatment for women and men and how this different treatment often times benefits men at the expense of women. Society’s structure imposes different rules, regulations and benefits on men and women. Thus, our main objectives are twofold. First, we will analyze the ramifications society’s organization has for women and men. Second, we will expose how problematic it is to assume that all men and all women are alike.
WMST/ENG 341: African American Women’s Writing
TBA
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15
Poems, novels, short stories, essays, dramas, autobiography, and other texts by African American women writers during various periods from Colonial to Contemporary times.
WMST/PHIL 344: Women in Philosophy
Prof. Alison Reiheld
Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:30-5:45
This course will address both how women have contributed critically to philosophical theories of value, and how theories of value can affect the lives of women. These values can be moral, religious, political, cultural, or otherwise. Because the category women includes individuals with different preferences, different goals, different educational backgrounds, different natural and acquired skills, and of different racial, ethnic, economic, and national backgrounds, we will be careful about generalizing to all women.
In this class, we will use the term feminism, and learn about a variety of feminisms. We will discuss some feminist theories. However, this is not a class restricted to feminist philosophy. Our main goal is to think carefully about the connection between women and values, generally, and to that end, we will also consider value systems not generally thought to be feminist.
Concrete issues already touched on in the readings include human relationships, marriage, reproduction, domestic labor, globalization, the intersection of race and gender, and legal and human rights.
WMST/POLS 354: Women and Cross-National Politics
Prof. Lynn Mauer
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15
This course considers women as citizens and as political leaders in the areas of politics, labor, peace, war, and violence
WMST/SOC 391: Marriage and Family
Prof. Flo Maatita
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 10:00-10:50
This course provides a sociological examination of families in the US. Such an understanding involves three primary components: (1) Attention to the family as an institution rooted in an historical and social context; (2) An investigation of the relationships within the family and how these relationships change over time; and (3) A critical analysis of the interdependent relationship between the family and other social institutions. We will discuss a range of topics, which includes: the diversity of family forms; race-ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and power dynamics; marriage; parenthood; divorce and repartnering; family violence; and family law.
WMST/HIST 428: Topics in European Women’s Studies: The History of Medieval Women
Prof. Katrin Sjursen
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:45
Thanks to Hollywood, Americans have at least a vague idea of medieval women—they wore tall pointy hats and looked soulfully at the male stars of the movies; as a result, we know exactly the plight of the medieval woman. She lived her life locked in a tower waiting for men to save her. Or she spent her days meekly acquiescing to the male chauvenists around her. Or maybe a single individual woman broke the patriarchal chains to become an armor-making (as in A Knight’s Tale), but her fight for equality and independence simply reinforced the subjection of the rest of medieval women.
A significant group of modern historians has noted all these definitions of medieval women, perhaps with more nuancing, but still emphasizing male domination and female subjection. Conversely, another group of modern historians argue that medieval women inhabited a “Golden Age” of rough-and-ready equality before the Victorians arrived and screwed up everything with their prudish ideas. So which group is right? How did medieval women actually live?
In this class we will discuss medieval women’s status in society, what they actually did, and how modern scholars have fit medieval women into the master narrative of the middle ages as a whole. While we will not directly cover medieval ideas and perceptions of women nor issues of gender (such as masculinity and the differences between masculine and feminine roles), we can’t help but cover them a little in our discussions of what medieval women actually did and didn’t do.
On our quest to uncover medieval women’s experiences, we will also learn about the variety of ways in which modern historians have approached the study of past women. These approaches are shaped by our own times and interests and determine both how we look at the past and what conclusions we draw. The goal is to make us aware of our own perspectives and ideas about women.
–Emilie Amt, ed. Women’s Lives in Medieval Europe: A Sourcebook. 2nd ed. (Routledge, 2009).
–Judith M. Bennett, Medieval Europe: A Short History, eleventh edition (New York: McGraw Hill, 2011).
WMST/ENG 478: Studies in Women, Language, and Literature:
Wilderness vs. Providence in Contemporary American Poetry
Prof. Allison Funk
Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00-3:15
The poet Louise Bogan wrote in her poem “Women”: “Women have no wilderness in them, / They are provident instead, / Content in the tight hot cell of their hearts / To eat dusty bread.” Do you agree or disagree? Have the conflicts and choices for women changed since Bogan wrote her poem in the 20th century? Do the poets of our time suggest that women are still torn between taking risks and staying at home to provide for others? In this course, we’ll explore the implications of Bogan’s provocative idea as we read contemporary poetry written by American women.
Current Course Descriptions: Spring 2013
WMST 200-01 Issues in Feminism
Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30-2:45
Prof. Carly Hayden-Foster
Over the course of this semester, we will explore feminism(s) from a number of different perspectives, focusing on the history of the women’s movement, key components of different feminist theories and activist strategies. We will revisit a number of larger questions throughout the semester: What is at stake in the nature vs. nurture debate? How are taken for granted categories like, “normal,” “natural,” “masculine” and “feminine” invested with power? What does it mean to think of concepts and identities as socially constructed? How can we define various modes of feminism? How has feminist thought and practice shaped society over time and how is feminism evolving to respond to the concerns of the twenty-first century?
We will take a multidisciplinary approach to our study of feminism, touching on issues of philosophy, science, law, politics, education, and popular culture. You’ll find that there are no easy answers to any of the issues that we’ll discuss and that, indeed, there is rarely a definitive “feminist response” to the issues and problems we’ll encounter.
WMST/SOC 308: Women, Gender and Society
Section 1: Mondays, 6:00-8:50 PM
Section 2: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:45 PM
This course examines the concept of gender from the sociological perspective. Thus, we will be looking at the social causes and consequences of breaking gender into rigid dichotomies. We will focus on how society’s organization results in different treatment for women and men and how this different treatment often times benefits men at the expense of women. Society’s structure imposes different rules, regulations and benefits on men and women. Thus, our main objectives are twofold. First, we will analyze the ramifications society’s organization has for women and men. Second, we will expose how problematic it is to assume that all men and all women are alike.
WMST/ANTH 313: Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Prof. Nancy Lutz
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 1:00-1:50
This course examines women’s lives and issues affecting women in different cultures around the world. Specific topics include women’s experiences and forms of expression (songs, writing, etc.) and current issues like education, poverty, violence against women, HIV/AIDS, and human trafficking.
WMST/SPC 331: Gender and Communication
Prof. Wai Cheah
Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:00-1:15 PM
Investigation of the influences of gender on the communication process. Activities, exercises and presentations, sensitize students to gender influence on verbal and nonverbal communication.
WMST/PHIL 346-01: Feminist Theory
Prof. Sue Cataldi
Thursdays, 6:00-8:50 PM
This course explores local and global perspectives on feminist theorizing. Feminist theory consists of an expanding body of knowledge that has persisted over time with the practical and political aims of improving women’s lives and ending women’s subordination. What this means and how to accomplish these goals are matters of lively debate and conversation, particularly in light of the multiplicity of women’s historical backgrounds and social locations. Paying attention to the diversity of feminist visions and the incorporations of class, race, sexuality and nation as feminist concerns, we will examine assumptions, limitations and political implications of various theoretical perspectives. Our comparative feminist analyses will challenge us to think and rethink multiracial and transnational women’s and gender movements through feminist discourses on globalization, colonialism and imperialism. A central goal of the course is an enhanced understanding of links between global and local feminist theorizing and between feminist theory and practice.
WMST/CJ 367: Gender and Justice
Prof. Trish Oberweis
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 AM-12:15 PM
Have you ever wondered whether gender matters in our Criminal Justice System? Have you ever considered how men and women are different in their criminal offending and in how crime impacts our gendered lives? Should men and women be punished in the same ways? In Gender and Justice, we explore these and other questions as we think about the American Criminal Justice System. In this course, students will learn how gender shapes our lives as citizens, as well as how gender informs every element of the criminal justice system, from how laws are conceived, enacted, enforced, and interpreted, to how gender impacts offenders, enforcers, prosecutors, judges, correctional personnel, and even how we react to and understand events and crimes in a gendered way.
WMST/SOC 391: Marriage and Family-01
Instructor: Liz Stygar
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15
In this course we will examine the family as an institution that shapes and “is shaped” by society. We will focus on marriage and the family in U.S. society. We will also discuss behavioral change including gender roles; dating and mate selection; love and intimacy; alternative family forms; communication/conflict; and divorce/remarriage. We will locate the family within a socio-cultural framework—understanding the social forces that influence the family. Our course is designed to understand the family (as public and private) and its relationship with other social institutions found in contemporary American society.
WMST/EPFR 451: Gender and Education
Prof. Jennifer Logue
Wednesdays 5:30-8:20 PM
In this course we will examine gender as a social construct, critically analyzing the ways that social inequalities are reproduced and resisted in schools, popular culture, and other social institutions. We will consider the ways in which gender intersects with other aspects of identity including race and sexuality in educational settings and explore their larger social and global implications. We will consider issues such as adolescent culture, school policies on sex education, harassment, and bullying with a particular focus on how gender and sexuality are fundamental bases of social inequality. Readings, lectures, assignments and discussions will examine how gender is fashioned, resisted, reformed, and continually in process.
WMST/ENG 478-01: Studies in Women, Language, and Literature
Topic: The Ties That Bind: Daughters, Mothers, Wives, and Lovers
in American Women’s Fiction
Prof. Catherine Seltzer
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00-12:15
During the ninetieth and early twentieth century, the image of American women was shaped in large part by what historian Barbara Welter has termed “the Cult of True Womanhood,” in which women were valorized for their sacrifices to their families. Yet, at the same time that women were being celebrated their selfless commitment to their fathers, husbands, and children, they were necessarily excluded from the vital public life in which the men that they supported participated. As we might imagine, many women resisted these “separate spheres” even as they were promoted by women’s magazines and self-help books, and we may trace the women’s movement to the eighteenth century in this country; however, we might also argue the domestic ideal that operated as the foundation of the Cult of True Womanhood—and its inherent assumption that women are often defined in relationship to others—still persists today. In this course we will be reading works by American women authors that probe cultural expectations of dutiful daughters, devoted mothers, supportive wives, and loyal lovers, and we will link these works to an ongoing critical discourse. Our course’s title, then, refers not only to the “ties that bind” us together as families and communities, but those that bind in more violent ways and become restrictive in women’s searches for autonomous selves.
Representative writers include Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, Toni Morrision, Lee Smith, and Natasha Trethewey. Grades will be based on a series of short papers, a seminar-length paper, and a formal class facilitation.
WMST 490-02/ POLS 449: Women and Lawmaking
Prof. Carly Hayden Foster
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30-10:45
In this course we will examinewomen’s roles in the process of making law. This will include learning about activism, lobbying, staff work, local governments, the judiciary, state legislatures, executive offices, and the US Congress. We will read academic studies on women and lawmaking, and we will also have the opportunity to meet with women directly involved in the legislative process. Class will include a mock congressional session, and a field trip to the Illinois Capital Building in Springfield.
The course prerequisite for POLS 449 may be waived for minors wishing to enroll in this course.
WMST 490-01: ART 471: Topics in Early Modern Art: Renaissance and Baroque Women
Prof. Katherine Poole
Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00-11:15
This course will investigate the role of women as artists, as patrons/collectors, and as subjects of art during the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries, primarily in Italy. We will consider the ideological issues critical to understanding the history of women during this period, focusing on the social, religious, economic, and cultural factors that shaped the art that women produced and commissioned, paying special attention to the obstacles and struggles they faced that were not experienced by their male counterparts. A wide variety of images will be explored, from the erotic to the domestic, and the mythological to the religious, as we familiarize ourselves with the wives, widows, nuns, rulers, goddesses, saints, courtesans, heroines, and artists of the early modern period.
The course will consist of lectures as well as frequent seminar-style discussions of readings. The semester will culminate with a group project revolving around the proposal of a commission typical for an early modern woman, such as the design of a studiolo or a tomb complex, the patronage of a church or convent.
The course prerequisite for ART 471 may be waived for minors wishing to enroll in this course.
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