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Undergraduate Studies Course Descriptions
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GWS Undergraduate Course Descriptions For official UIC catalog description, please see link above. The following course descriptions offer a more in-depth view of GWS courses and their objectives. GWS 101: Gender in Everyday Life In this course students will be introduced to selected theories, ideas and debates that help us to understand how gender is a social institution that profoundly shapes our lives. Drawing from social science, history, and cultural studies, we will pay special attention to the ways in which race, class and sexuality are fundamental to how individuals contemporarily experience gender. Possible course topics include theories of gender and sexuality, histories of feminism and contemporary feminist movements, women's health, reproduction, body image, media representations, sex as power and pleasure, work, family constructions, violence, transgendered lives. GWS 102: Global Perspectives on Women and Gender This is an interdisciplinary course that explores how particular historical, social, cultural, economic and political factors, constructions of gender and proscriptions on sexuality, shape the lives, creativity and political activism of women around the world. Particular focus will be placed on women and societies outside the "West". This course will expose students to diverse theoretical perspectives and methodologies on gender and sexuality, political economy and globalization, feminism, human rights and culture studies. Course materials will include literary works and auto/biography, visual media, social science texts and primary documents. GWS 110: Economics of Gender This course examines the role of gender in the economy and compares men and women in time allocation patterns, education, and earnings and reviews the economic implications of diverse family structures. GWS 111: Women and Literature An introduction to understanding literature, this course focuses on ways women are portrayed in literature. Students compare female characters created by men and by women and the representations of women within feminist theoretical perspectives. Drawing on fiction, poetry, drama and prose, students explore such notions as nature, voice, sexuality, mobility, and power as they relate to women. In addition to honing interpretive skills, students work to improve their writing skills. Texts from previous courses have included Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, Ana Castillo's The Mixquiahala Letters, Chaucer's The Wife of Bath, Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden, and selected stories and poems. GWS 117: Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and Literature: Cross-Cultural Perspectives An introduction to literary texts in Western and other traditions that explores issues of gender and sexuality. This course seeks to understand how authors have represented, described and reacted to and/or against notions of sex, sexuality and gender. The course will examine the historical and cultural context of works to understand various interpretations of sex, gender and sexuality. GWS 120: Study of Gender, Class, and Political Issues in German Texts This course examines the portrayal of men and women, classes, and political interest groups in German literature. Readings, lectures, and discussions in English. GWS 192: From The Convent To The Streets, Latin American Women Writers In Translation This class is an introduction to literature written by women in Latin America from the seventeenth century to the present, and it examines the way literary activity enters into the negotiation of gender identities in the private and the public spheres. It will familiarize student with basic terms of literary and feminist theories, while exploring the specificity of Latin American history and its cultural production. This course is taught in English. GWS 194: Introductory Topics in Gender and Women's Studies Students study a problem, topic, or issue relevant to the interdisciplinary area of gender and women's studies. Content varies. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Students may register in more than one section per term. GWS 202: Comparative Social Movements This course examines international social movements involving issues of women, gender, and sexuality. The course examines how issues of gender, class, race, religion, and sexual orientation have shaped various social movements. The course will examine the historical, economic, social, and political factors that spawned various social movements, including the tactics, strategies, organizations, and individuals involved, in order for students to have a comparative understanding of the different movements and their goals. The course will put women at the center of social movements examined, utilizing readings from history, sociology, and political science, and film. GWS 203: Sexuality and Community: Lesbians, Gay Men, and Contemporary Society This course is intended to provide an introduction to some of the key issues surrounding sexual identity in contemporary society. Through readings, lectures, and film, we look at the evolution of lesbian and gay life in the U.S. over the last generation; the political controversies that lesbian and gay visibility has generated; the growth and proliferation of communities based on sexuality; the ways gender, class, race, and ethnicity shape sexual identities; and the impact of AIDS. Participants examine public policy questions, such as same-sex marriage, hate-motivated violence, parenting, and the military's exclusion policy; internal community debates, such as outing and the rise of "queer" identities; and shifts in media representation of gays and lesbians. GWS 204: Gender and Popular Culture We are immersed in popular and material culture for many of our waking hours. How is it shaping us, and how can and should we respond? This course investigates representations of gender and sexuality in popular and material culture, focusing on clothing and toys, television, magazines, advertisements, blogs, and the internet. Some themes include bodies and beauty, girl culture, race and class factors in marketing, and the functions of humor. The course focuses primarily on U.S. culture but will examine some comparative material. GWS 211: Gender and Sexual Orientation in Greek and Roman Literature Ancient perceptions of gender roles and sexual orientation as they appear in the major authors of Greece and Rome. GWS 214: Sex and Gender in World Cultures GWS 224: Gender and Society This course examines contemporary sociological perspectives on gender and gender inequality. Gender is a process of building identity, of interaction among individuals/groups and between individuals or groups and institutions, and of institutional organization. Inequality is structured around gender, in combination with other dimensions such as race, class, age, able-bodied status, sexual preference, etc. In this course, we will attempt to understand the factors that explain how institutions, interactions, and identities become gendered, how gender interacts with those other dimensions, and the consequences of gender for individuals and social structures. GWS 232: Sex Roles: Moral and Political Issues What is sexism? What should be done about it? This course focuses on these two questions and provides an overview of feminist responses to them, including critiques of the questions themselves. Through a combination of both historical and contemporary philosophical works as well as political texts considering practical applications, we shall explore major theories of sex oppression. This course does not aim to present definitive answers to these questions but instead to provide you with the conceptual tools needed to form your own opinions regarding sexism. GWS 238: The Biology of Women An evolutionary perspective on the biology of women from conception to menopause, in light of current research on genetics, hormones, and development. Topics include sexual differentiation, sex differences, and life history. GWS 244: Women in Russian Literature This course examines major works by and about women in Russian literature, focusing particularly on experiences of women and societal attitudes toward them. The course is taught in English. GWS 252: Sexuality in America : Historical Perspectives This course explores a range of topics in the history of sexuality from the colonial period to the present--dating, marriage, regulation by the state, urban nightlife, gay and lesbian communities, birth control and reproduction, sexual representation in the media, among others. We will especially look at the ways that sexuality has been more than a "private" matter--how it has been part of complex systems of gender, racial, class, and age hierarchies, and a source of political resistance and individual identity. GWS 259: The History of American Women This course will survey the history of women in the U.S. from the time of the first European settlements to the present. We will consider how definitions of womanhood have changed over time; women's work and participation in the paid labor force; the similarities and differences of experience among women of different races, ethnicities, and social classes; and the various movements for women's rights. The course also explores how major events in American history, such as the Civil War and the Great Depression, have affected women's lives. GWS 261: Reading Black Women Writing This course examines inscriptions of race, gender, class, and sexuality as they shape the literary and critical practices of nineteenth- and twentieth-century black women writers. Prerequistes: Grade of C or better in AAST 100 or Grade C or better in AAST 110 or Grade C or better in AAST 111 or Grade of C or better in ENGL 118 or Grade C or better in ENGL 119 or Grade of C or better in ENGL 240; or consent of the instructor. 262 Constructions of Gender, Race, Health, and Human Rights This course explores issues at the intersections of gender, health, sexuality and social constructions of the body, focusing primarily on women's experiences in both U.S. and non-U.S. contexts. The premise of the course is that an understanding of health and the human body requires an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts through which the body was produced and experienced. This course thereby aims to understand how historical and cultural ideas about the body and gender shape women's and men's experiences and understandings of their bodies and their selves. Using social science texts, primary documents and visual media, we will explore not only the historical and cultural constructions of the female body, but also the systems of cultural meaning which mediate these experiences, as well as their expressions in contemporary understandings of women's bodies, women's health and illness. GWS 272: Race, Gender, and Sexuality This course will focus on the various ways that African American Studies has conceptualized issues of gender and sexuality. GWS 275: Gender in Latin America This course is designed to introduce students to the study of women in Latin America according to their reality and experience. The analysis of such realities will take into account the constructions of gendered identities and the way in which such constructions have influenced women's behavior and policies concerning women throughout the centuries. Key topics include the construction of gender in Latin America through the lens of machismo and marianismo, questioning the universality of such reductive notions; the construction of gendered identities in different historical contexts, from the Spanish conquest to the birth of nation states and modernity; and contemporary issues, including women's involvement in feminist and social justice movements and their resistance to authoritarian regimes. Special attention will be paid to ethnicity and the role of indigenous women in the construction of Indian movements and ethnic identities. GWS 276: Latinas in the United States This course examines socioeconomic conditions and cultural experiences of Latinas in the U.S. Key topics include historical and contemporary views of labor, health education, family, identity formation, and leadership. GWS 290: Topics In The Study of Sexuality This course examines different topics in the study of sexuality. Content varies. GWS 292: History & Theories of Feminism This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to feminist theory and practice throughout the world, with an emphasis on feminist theories that have been developed since the nineteenth century. Through the close analysis of primary sources, the course will explore the specific historical circumstances that have fostered the rise of feminism in western and non-western countries and examine the relationship between feminism and other movements for social change, including anti-racist, civil rights, national liberation, and human rights struggles. GWS 294: Topics in Women's Studies This course examines different topics in the field of gender and women's studies. Content varies. Previous course topics include: American Modernisms: Gender, Race and Nation; Peer Educators: Reducing Campus Violence; and Women and Science. GWS 304: Male-Female Communication This course examines speech differences and universals across genders. Issues to be explored include talk in male-female interaction, communication in romantic relationships, and gender issues in work settings. GWS 311 Gender and Sexuality in Early Christianity and Judaism This course examines the root of contemporary perspectives on gender and sexuality GWS 315: Psychology of Women and Gender In this course, we will examine how it is that sex and gender affect our feelings and experiences. Further, we will discuss how these feelings and experiences may in turn affect our ideas about gender, gender roles, and expectations. We will additionally review empirical findings that support or fail to support common beliefs about gender, the relationship of gender to traditional issues in psychology (e.g., moral development, personality, interpersonal relationships, etc.), and special issues pertinent to gender, (e.g., parenthood, violence, and sexual orientation). Class and small-group discussions, guest speakers, and films will supplement reading material and provide more in-depth examination of specific topics. GWS 356: Constitutional Law: Women, Gender and Privacy A multidisciplinary examination of U.S. constitutional law and politics in shaping issues of gender, privacy, race, and sexual orientation; including reproduction, labor, sexual harassment, political participation, and women and crime. GWS 361: Gender Theory What makes a man a man and a woman a woman? Or a womanly man or manly woman? Are barriers between men and women, masculine and feminine breaking down? Are the sexes turning into one another? Who cares, and why are some people so upset about current popular culture, other people's appearance, or who can marry whom? Masculinity and femininity are shifty terms, supposedly always in crisis, at the same time that their disappearance is announced, celebrated, and decried. Primarily using fiction, fable, nonfiction, poetry, television, and film from the 1960s to the present, this class will explore theories of gender, masculinity, and femininity looking at how gender is constructed and revised in relation to sexuality, nationality, social class, and race. 362 Queer Theory Survey of theoretical concerns and historical issues that inform and shape the field of Queer Studies. This course is designed provide a somewhat comprehensive awareness of the phenomenon of queer theory and to critique its rise against other critical, cultural and intellectual movements. 363 Gender and Sexuality in Literature A survey of works that take the status of gender and sexuality as one of their central thematic or aesthetic concerns. GWS 390: Feminism and Social Change In this capstone course we will consider the historical development of feminist models of social change, and think about what makes an intervention “feminist.” Students will analyze and debate various strategies feminists have historically utilized to promote gender equality in the U.S. and become familiar with issues in contemporary transnational feminist activism. As a seminar course, students will each be responsible for leading course discussions, completing weekly reading assignments, a midterm and final as well as a major project.
This course examines intermediate-level topics in the field of gender and women's studies. Content varies. GWS 396: Independent Study/Research Independent study or research in specialized area of women's studies or gender-related scholarship. Extensive reading and individual research projects. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 hours. Students may register in more than one section per term. GWS 403: Culture and Sexuality: Cultural History of Same-Sex Relations Exciting literature that has appeared in gay and lesbian history is examined in this course. We follow the field's development from the early work published in the 1970s to books and articles that are hot off the press. Topics include the varieties of gay and lesbian identities that have appeared in different historical eras, the emergence of urban communities over the last two hundred years, the interplay between sexuality, gender, class, and culture in the construction of sexual identities, and the rise of social movements organized around sexuality. Readings cover political, social, and cultural history. GWS 406: Politics of Race, Gender, and Class This course examines the formation of social status categories, individual and collective identity construction, the mechanisms of group-based marginalization and stigmatization; relationship between social status categories. GWS 412: Women and the Environment
GWS 413: French Feminist and Gender Theory An introduction to French theories of gender, including feminisms influenced by Lacanian psychoanalysis, political philosophy, and multicultural studies. May be used for credit in the French major only with consent of the director of undergraduate studies. Taught in English. Students who intend to use French 413 toward the major in French must complete assignments in French. GWS 419: Public Health Aspects of Sexuality and Women's Health This class provides an overview of human sexuality from a public health view with special emphasis on family planning, sexuality, and behavior effects on women's health. GWS 424: Gender, Crime, and Justice This course offers an in-depth examination of the etiology of female crime and the involvement of females in the criminal justice system as offenders, victims, and workers/professionals. GWS 425: Sociology Of Gender Utilizing a sociological perspective, this upper-division course focuses on gender as a fundamental principle that organizes contemporary society. We begin by considering varied approaches to theorizing about gender. We then apply and continue to develop the lens of gender to consider the following areas of social life: sexuality; reproduction; education; parenting; work/family interfaces; migration, and popular culture. As we explore these areas, we will interrogate how gender shapes and is shaped by various social contexts and social institutions. A basic assumption of this course is that gender intersects with other social dimensions such as race/ethnicity, class, age, and sexuality. Throughout the course, we will investigate the complex intersections between gender and GWS 428: Asian American Women in the Global Economy This course examines the racialization and feminization of a global division of labor and focuses primarily on Asian and Asian American women's participation and incorporation as workers and key actors in the development of the global economy. Prerequisite(s) : ASAM 125 or ENGL 125 or SOC 125 or AAST 225 or LALS 225 or SOC 225 or ASAM 228 or ASST 228 or SOC 228 or ASAM 290 or Two 200-level courses in either SOC, GWS or ASAM, or a combination of these. GWS 439: Gender and Cultural Production This course examines issues of gender representation and gender politics through the use of theoretical texts or through the study of women authors. This course is taught in English, but students who use the course toward a degree offered by the Department in Germanic Studies will do assignments in German. GWS 441 Introduction To Maternal And Child Health This course concentrates on women of childbearing age, pregnant women, infants and children from one through 21 years. This course provides an introduction to the health needs of women and children and to the delivery of services designed to meet these needs. The course includes an introduction to the epidemiology of maternal and child health, data-based needs assessment, program planning and program evaluation. The course provides students with a comprehensive knowledge base with respect to Title V/MCH and other public programs addressing the health and welfare of women and children. GWS 443 Topics in Gender, Sexuality and Literature Specific study of topics in gender and literature. Content varies. May be repeated up to 1 time(s). GWS 444 Topics in Theories of Gender and Sexuality Advanced study of topics related to theories of gender and sexuality. May be repeated up to 1 time(s). GWS 450 Women and Mental Health Nursing This overview course will review traditional theories of women's psychology, discuss the impact of women's daily lives on their mental health, and look at how and why women become mentally ill. Developing understanding of gender differences in mental illness and new approaches to understanding women and helping them gain control over their lives will be presented. GWS 462 AIDS, Politics and Culture Introduction to the study of AIDS as a medical, social, political and cultural construction. Explores the epidemiology of AIDS, the politics of the state's response, how activists have addressed AIDS, and media representations of AIDS. GWS 469 Women's Literary Traditions Is there anything special or distinctive about writing by women, or bout the way women read? This course explores canonical and popular works by women writers and their literary traditions. Discussions may include rhetoric, creative writing, pedagogy, popular culture, feminist theory, factors that enable creativity, and differences of race and class. GWS 472 Women and Film This course will explore the social, psychological and political issues that inform the cinematic representation of women. We will consider the production, distribution and reception of films from both mainstream and alternative sources. In an effort to investigate the gaps that exist between stereotypic images of women and the wide diversity of women's lived experiences, we will pay particular attention to the work of feminists who offer a challenge to mainstream genres. GWS 478: Women in Chinese History This course focuses on scholarship on women in Chinese society throughout history, dealing with topics such as marriage and family, literacy, career options, women in revolution and the historiography of the field. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Recommended background: Previous course work in Chinese history or gender and women's studies. GWS 484: Topics in the History of Women This course examines different historical topics in the field of gender and women's studies. GWS 485: Gender and Politics This course will be a seminar on the interrelation between traditional understandings of politics and gender as a social construct. By examining the exclusion of the gendered body from the realms of what we call the political, and reexamining the preconceptions by which we distinguish the public from the private and the political from the social, we may come to a better understanding of the relation between politics as it has been classically defined and women as political objects and subjects. The object of our study, then, is the impact of analyses of gendered differences on Western conceptions of the political, as much as it is the politicization of gender. GWS 490: Advanced Topics in the Study of Sexuality This course examines advanced topics in the field of sexuality studies. GWS 494: Advanced Topics in Gender and Women's Studies This course examines advanced topics in the field of gender and women's studies. Previous topics include: Violence Against Women; Women in 20 th Century Britain ; Women in the Middle East ; and Sex, Disease and the City in African History.
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