Institute for Women's & Gender Studies Home Page
Faculty
Kathy Gentile, Associate Professor of English,* Director
Ph.D., University of Oregon
Nanora Sweet, Associate Professor of English,*
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Kristin Carbone-Lopez, Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Deborah Cohen, Assistant Professor of History*
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Farida Jalalzai, Assistant Professor of Political Science*
Ph.D. University of Buffalo - SUNY
Zoe Peterson, Assistant Professor of Psychology*
Ph.D., University of Kansas
Kathleen Nigro, Assistant Teaching Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies
Ph.D., St. Louis University
*Joint appointees
Associate Faculty
Sally Barr Ebest, Professor of English
Ph.D., Indiana University
Jody Miller, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Ph.D., University of Southern California
Lori Curtis, Assistant Teaching Professor in Social Work
M.S.W., Washington University
Affiliate Faculty
Janet Murray, E. Desmond Lee Professor for Developing Women Leaders and Entrepreneurs in International Business
Ph.D., University of Missouri, Columbia
Ruth Bohan, Professor of Art History
Ph.D., University of Maryland
Barbara Harbach, Professor of Music
Ph.D., Eastman School of Music
Barbara Kachur, Professor of English
Ph.D., Ohio State University
Carol Peck, Professor of Optometry
Ph.D., University of California-Los Angeles
Margaret Sherraden, Professor of Social Work
Ph.D., Washington University
Jayne Stake, Professor Emerita
Ph.D., Arizona State University
Anne Winkler, Professor of Economics
Ph.D., University of Illinois-Urbana
Jeanne Morgan Zarucchi, Professor of French and
Art History
Ph.D., Harvard University
Susan Brownell, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Sheilah Clarke-Ekong, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Ph.D., University of California-Los Angeles
Ruth Iyob, Associate Professor of Political Science
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Laura Westhoff, Assistant Professor of History and Education
Ph.D., Washington University
Berit Brogaard, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Ph.D., SUNY Buffalo
Matthew Davis, Assistant Professor in Educational
Leadership and Policy Studies
Ph.D., University of Texas
Virginia Navarro, Associate Professor in Educational Psychology
Ph.D., Washington University
Allon J. Uhlmann, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Ph.D., Australia National University
Margaret Phillips, Assistant Teaching Professor in Foreign Language
Ph.D., St. Louis University
Lynn Staley, Assistant Teaching Professor in English
Ph.D., St. Louis University
Vivian Eveloff, Director of the Sue Shear Institute
For Women in Public Life
Malaika Horne, Director of the Executive Leadership
Institute
Ph.D., St. Louis University
Steven G. Bailey, Lecturer in Finance
J.D. , Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Maria Balogh, Assistant Teaching Professor in Foreign Languages
M.A., Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Colleen McKee, Adjunct Lecturer in English
M.F.A., University of Missouri, St. Louis
Jill Petzall, Adjunct Lecturer in Film Studies `
M.A., Washington University
Dayna Stock, Manager of the Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life
General Information
The Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies has three central missions: to provide a comprehensive undergraduate and graduate gender studies curriculum, to support research on gender and women’s issues, and to sponsor events and provide community outreach. Institute faculty engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship to enhance our understanding of the ways in which gender, sex, and sexuality have structured human society and experience across time and cultures. Faculty and students draw upon the rich body of interdisciplinary feminist scholarship to investigate emerging theories and research on women, men, and gender. Our courses encourage a reassessment of female and male roles in society and facilitate career goals that focus on gender issues. WGS classes promote the exchange of knowledge among people of different genders, classes, ethnicities, sexualities and cultural conditions. WGS courses enable students to broaden their educational experiences and develop new insights into their own lives and aspirations.
The Women’s and Gender Studies program offers undergraduate and graduate certificates in cooperation with most of the departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as with departments in the College of Fine Arts and Communication. The opportunity to earn an 18-hour certificate is available to all students pursuing a degree at UMSL and to individuals with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from any university. Women’s and Gender Studies courses are open to all students, whether or not they are working toward a certificate.
Undergraduate Certificate
Requirements
For Admission:
Undergraduate certificate candidates must meet the University’s general education requirements. Applicants must have a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 2.5 and must maintain a minimum 2.5 G.P.A. in WGS courses. Candidates for undergraduate certificates are asked to register with IWGS after taking one or two courses. Students will then be enrolled in the program and will be placed on our mailing list for class information and announcements of upcoming events.
Certificate Requirements
Students must take at least 18 hours in Women’s and Gender Studies courses.9 hours must include 3 core courses:
1) WGST 2102 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies
2) WGST 3033 Sexuality and Gender Theory or other 3000-5000 level course in feminist or gender theory
3) Capstone Experience: Students must complete a final research project or practicum. The Capstone requirement may be satisfied by WGS 4352 Independent Study in Women’s and Gender Studies, WGS 4353 Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies, or by a 4000-level WGS course or other 4000-level seminar where student completes a final research and writing project that focuses on women’s and gender studies.
9 hours may be cross-listed courses with student’s major department or WGS electives from various disciplines.
Graduate Certificate
The graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies is designed for students who wish to receive post-baccalaureate training in gender studies.
Requirements
For Admission:
Baccalaureate degree2.75 G.P.A.
Official transcripts of all previous undergraduate/graduate work
Two letters of recommendation
If you are not currently enrolled at UMSL, you must apply through the Graduate School. This certificate is available to students with Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees and students enrolled in graduate degree programs. A student need not be enrolled in a degree program to earn the WGS graduate certificate. Post B.A./B.S. students may enroll in the undergraduate or graduate certificate program.
Certificate Requirements
At least 18 hours of Women’s and Gender Studies courses at the 4000, 5000, and/or 6000 level
1) 3 hours must include a graduate feminist or gender theory course, which may be WGS 5033, Advanced Sexuality and Gender Theory, WGS 5040 Feminist Critical Theory, or other theory course.
2) 3 hours must include either a graduate internship or practicum, or final writing project, which may be an independent study WGS 6452 Special Readings in Women’s and Gender Studies, or a substantial research and writing project for a WGS graduate seminar, which may be WGS 6450 Seminar in Women’s and Gender Studies, or other cross-listed, 5000 or 6000-level seminar
3) 12 hours must be at the 5000 level or above, while up to 6 hours of 4000-level courses may be taken for graduate credit, as long as student completes graduate level work for the course.
4) No more than 6 hours may be taken as Directed or Independent Study credit.
Most WGS courses are cross-listed with other departments and count toward a department’s degree requirements we well as toward the certificate.
Course Descriptions
1004 The History of Women in the United States (3)
Same as HIST 1004
A survey of women’s history from the colonial era to the present.
2100 Women in Contemporary Society (3)
Same as SOC 2100. Prerequisites: SOC 1010 or WGST 2102 or consent of instructor. An introduction to the sociological analysis of the status of women in society, including their work, family, and political roles. Socialization, education, and the women’s movement will also be considered, as these affect the position and participation of women in a variety of social arenas.
2102 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (3)
Same as SOC WK 2102, HIST 2102, and Sociology 2102
This core class is required for all Women’s and Gender Studies Certificate earners. This class introduces students to cultural, political and historical issues that shape gender. Through a variety of disciplinary perspectives in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, the course familiarizes students with diverse female and male experiences and gendered power relationships.
2103 Gender Roles in Society (3)
Same as SOC 2103. Prerequisites: SOC 1010 or WGST 2102 or consent of instructor. The study of social processes through which gender roles are developed and acquired; the impact of gender roles on personal identity and social conduct; the
relationship between gender roles and social inequality; and individual and social consequences of changing gender roles in contemporary society.
2140 Female Sexuality (3)
Same as PSYCH 2140. Prerequisites: SOC 1003, or BIOL 1012, or its equivalent. This course will present a biological-psychological orientation toward the study of female sexuality. Topics include: sexual anatomy, hormonal influences on sexual behavior, psychosexual development, sexual attraction and relationships, sexual response and dysfunction, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, reproductive health issues, and social issues in sexuality.
2150 Special Topics in Women’s and Gender
Studies* (3)
An introduction to a particular topic area in women’s and gender studies (topics will be announced prior to registration), drawing on the theories and methods of such disciplines as sociology, psychology, political science, history, philosophy, art history, and others to examine particular aspects of gender in social and cultural life. Course may satisfy the distribution requirement for humanities or social sciences depending on the topic.
2230 Psychology of Women (3)
Same as PSYCH 2230
Prerequisites: PSYCH 1003. Evaluation of psychological theories and research regarding physiological, cognitive, and personality sex differences, female problems in adjustment, and clinical intervention for women.
Same as PSYCH 2232. Prerequisites: PSYCH 1003. A review of the effects of crime, violence, natural disasters, and other traumas on psychological functioning with attention to the relationship between gender and victimization. Prevention and therapy techniques will also be discussed.
2253 Philosophy and Feminism (3)
Same as PHIL 2253
A critical examination of what various philosophers have said about issues of concern to women. Sample topics include oppression, racism, women’s nature, femininity, marriage, motherhood, sexuality, pornography, and the ethics of care.
2290 Gender and the Law (3)
Same as POL SCI 2290. This course examines the ways in which laws and interpretations of laws affect gender equality in the United States. Emphasizing how traditional roles impact both women and men historically and currently, the course highlights major pieces of legislation and court rulings related to employment, economics, education, sexual harassment, pornography, rape, reproductive rights, and domestic relations. The course stresses the impact of federal and state institutions and non-governmental influences on equality. It also addresses gender representation in the legal profession and its effect on judicial decisions. (This course satisfies State requirements in American History and Government.)
Same as POL SCI 2380. Prerequisites: POL SCI 1100 or consent of instructor. This course examines the role of gender in political institutions, practices and policy in the United States, past and present. It focuses on various movements for political equality, the relationship between gender and political participation, vote choice, and public opinion, and how legislative executive, and judicial offices are gendered at the national, state and local levels. (This course satisfies State requirements in American History and Government.)
2410 Work, Families, and Public Policy (3)
Same as ECON 2410. This course compares the economic behavior of women and men in both the labor market and the household. Topics include: the family as an economic (production) unit, gender differences in labor force participation, occupations and earnings; the effectiveness of human capital theory and labor market discrimination in explaining the male-female wage gap; remedies for reducing the wage gap, family structure and economic well-being, and alternative policies to alleviate poverty.
3031 History of Women in the United States (3)
Same as HIST 3031 Prerequisites: Junior standing or consent of the instructor.
Development of women’s economic, political, and social role in the United States with special emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; women and work; women and the family; women and reform movements; women and education; feminist theorists and activists; images of women.
Same as HIST 3032. Prerequisites: Junior standing or consent of the instructor. An introduction to the historical development of women’s status in a variety of cultures and periods within the areas of Africa, Europe, the Far East, Latin America, and the Middle East. The course analyzes women’s political, economic, familial, and sexual roles and the economic, demographic, ideological, and political forces which promoted change and continuity in these roles.
3033 Sexuality and Gender Theory (3)
Same as HIST 3033. Prerequisites: Junior Standing or consent of instructor. This course examines the ways in which contemporary sexuality and gender theory has challenged and changed the study of culture and history. The course introduces students to sexuality and gender theory in late twentieth and early twenty-first century contexts. It then explores dynamic links between theory and the formal structures of political economy as well as the informal structures of everyday life.
Same as HIST 3034. Prerequisites: Junior Standing or consent of instructor. This course locates sexuality at the center of history and examines its impact over time on politics, society, culture and economics. In particular, the course focuses on changing definitions of sexual deviance, the historical evolution of formal and informal regulations of sexual practices and the manner in which sex has been deployed in broader historical struggles involving gender, race, class, migration and state building.
3053 African-American Women’s History (3)
Same as HIST 3053. Prerequisites: Junior standing or consent of instructor. This course introduces some of the themes of African-American women’s history. By examining the impact of region, gender, and class on African-American women’s experiences across time, the course highlights black women’s applied and theoretical contributions to feminist politics and activism as well as the black struggle for freedom and equality. Topics covered include: slavery and emancipation, institution and community building, the family and work, electoral politics and direct action protest, civil rights, and contemporary issues.
3224 Marriage and the Family (3)
Same as SOC 3224 Prerequisites: SOC 1010 or consent of instructor.
The study of patterns of close relationships and how these relationships are influenced by larger social forces. Topics include: love, dating, mate selection, cohabitation, alternative lifestyles, working families, parenting, single mothers, families in crisis, domestic violence, and divorce. Universal and variable aspects of family organization, family role systems, and changes in family social structure.
Same as SOC 3250. Prerequisites: SOC 1010. Examines the role of social factors in a wide range of kinds of victimization—crime, violence, natural disasters, accidents, disease, etc. The topic of social reactions to various kinds of victimization is also covered. Sociological theories of victimization are emphasized.
3325 Violence Against Women (3)
Same as CRIMIN 3325. Prerequisites: Junior standing, CRIMIN 1110, 1120, 1130, 2210, 2220, and ENGL 3100, or consent of instructor. This course examines the nature, extent, causes and consequences of various types of violence against women, including rape, sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence. Criminal
justice policy and practice regarding violence against women are also examined. Fulfills CCJ diversity requirement.
3345 Lesbian Psychology (3)
Same as PSYCH 3345. Prerequisites: Junior standing, 9 hours of psychology, or consent of instructor. Explores psychological, social, cultural, and historical aspects of lesbianism. Topics include development of lesbian identity historically and individually, causes of sexual orientation, coming out, relationships and friendship, sexuality, roles, prejudice and discrimination, race and class, legal and economic issues, politics and feminism, health, and community.
3350 Special Topics in Women’s and Gender
Studies (3)*
Prerequisites: WGST 2102 or consent of instructor. Special Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies. Topics vary by semester.
3352 Independent Studies in Women’s and
Gender Studies (1-3)
Prerequisite: Junior standing; two courses in Women’s and Gender Studies, including 2102; and consent of the instructor and the Institute. Directed independent work in selected women’s and gender studies topics through readings, research, reports and/or conferences. Course may satisfy the distribution requirement for the humanities, social sciences or math/science depending on topic.
Same as ST ART 3376. Prerequisites: ST ART 1100 or consent of instructor. Selected topics concerning women as creators, users, and subject matter of art. Great women artists in the Western world will be studied, as well as women weavers, potters, and sculptors in non-western society.
3700 Diversity and Social Justice (3)
Same as SOC WK 3700 Prerequisites: SOC 1010 or equivalent. Analyzes the structure, dynamics, and consequences of social and economic injustice, and the impact on diverse groups in American society. Examines theoretical models and practice principles for work with diverse groups.
Prerequisites: Junior standing or consent of instructor. This course challenges how women’s issues and performances of femininity are represented in global media, particularly popular Western media which perpetuate cultural stereotypes of gender norms. Specific topics will vary.
4325 Gender, Crime and Justice (3)
Same as CRIMIN 4325 and SOC 4325. Prerequisites: CRIMIN 1110, 1120, 1130, 2210, 2220, or consent of instructor. Analysis of the role of gender in crime and in the justice system. Emphasis on gender differences in crime commission, criminal processing, and the employment of women in criminal justice agencies. Fulfills criminology diversity requirement.
4350 Special Topics in Women’s and Gender
Studies* (3)
Prerequisites: WGST 2102 or consent of instructor. Special topics examined from a gender perspective in the fields of anthropology, art history, criminology, economics, English, foreign language, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, business, or others. Topics and departments vary by semester. Course may be repeated by permission of IWGS Director.
4352 Independent Study in Women’s and
Gender Studies (1-3)
Prerequisites: WGST 2102 or consent of instructor. Independent, directed readings and research in a women’s and gender related topic, to be determined in consultation with instructor.
4353 Internship in Women’s and Gender
Studies (3)
Prerequisite: 90 hours. 2.5 GPA, 12 WGS hrs. Internship would place the student in a profit or nonprofit setting for approximately ten hours a week in an internship structured and supervised by the Institute; consent of Director required; may include biweekly seminar. Student must present appropriate course background for either option, plus the above pre/co-requisites.
4360 Sociology of Minority Groups (3)
Same as SOC 4360. Prerequisites: SOC 1010 and junior standing or consent of instructor. The study of dominant-subordinate group relations. Religion, ethnicity, race, and gender as factors in the unequal distribution of power.
4452 Feminism and Science (3)
Same as PHIL 4452 Prerequisites: Six hours of philosophy, graduate standing, or consent of instructor. This course will explore major themes and issues in feminist science scholarship, a body of research that focuses on the relationship between science and gender. This course emphasizes feminist research in the philosophy and history of science, and in the biological sciences. Issues covered include the nature of objectivity, evidence, and truth; the factors that contribute to the acceptance or rejection of research hypotheses and theories; the nature and consequences of science’s cognitive authority; and the relationship between science and values.
Same as SOC WK 4610. Prerequisites: SOC WK 3150. Focuses on theoretical and empirical understanding of domestic violence in U.S. society and social work practice with battered women and their families. This course addresses direct services, community organizing, and public policy changes to help end violence against women. Relationships between violence against women and other forms of oppression (e.g., racism, economic exploitation, heterosexism and social class) are explored.
4630 Women’s Social Issues (3)
Same as SOC WK 4630. Prerequisites: SOC WK 3150 or equivalent. This course will help students become more sensitive to the social and welfare concerns of women. The topics include work, education, family responsibilities, violence against women, and special health and mental health service needs. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how social action can be used to bring about positive change.
4930 Studies in Gender and Literature (3)
Same as ENGL4930 Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. The course examines the role of gender in literature, including the transformation of literary genres by women writers, writings by women during a particular historical period, and gender relations in literature. Specific topics vary from semester to semester. The course may be repeated for credit with departmental approval.
Same as ENGL 4931. Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. Texts covered will range in scope from closet drama and romance to lyrics to personal, political, and religious writing by women such as Margery Kempe, Mary Sidney, and Amelia Lanyer who wrote during a period when reading and writing were not the female norm.
4932 Female Gothic (3)Same as ENGL 4932. Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. The course examines the historical development of the female gothic, a genre which employs narrative strategies for expressing fears and desires associated with female experience. From the late 18th century to the present, we will trace the persistence of the Gothic vision in fiction and film.
4933 Female Novel of Development (3)Same as ENGL 4933. Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. The course covers the development of the female Bildungsroman from the late 18th century to the present. We will consider how contemporary and current theories of female development help us read these novels within their particular cultural contexts.
4934 Austen and the Brontes (3)
Same as ENGL 4934. Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. This course covers the novels of the major 19th century British writers Jane Austen and the three Bronte sisters, Anne, Emily, and Charlotte. The course will be devoted to Austen’s romantic comedies and the historical/cultural contexts that inform the novels, as well as the darker romanticism of the Brontes, along with the biographical, cultural, philosophical, and religious contexts of their work.
Same as ENGL 4935. Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. Women as epic and romantic heroes in British and transatlantic writing 1790s-1850s: reformers and rulers in novels by Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley; a runaway slave and an epic poet in works by Mary Prince and Elizabeth Barrett Browning; erotic and political adventures in Robinson, Dacre, Hemans; American icons “Pocahontas” and “Evangeline” in Sigourney and Longfellow.
4936 Tales of the Islamic East (3)
Same as ENGL 4936. Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. Adventure, gender, and power in British and post-colonial writing: Lady Montague on Turkey, Gibbon on Islam, Byron and Hemans on harems and heroes, Disraeli on the Jewish Caliph of Baghdad, T.E. Lawrence on Arabia, and el Saadawi and Rushdie on (post) modern gender and the Islamic East.
4937 Irish and Irish-American Women Writers (3)
Same as ENGL 4937. Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. This course traces the parallel arcs of feminism reflected in similarly-themed Irish and Irish-American women’s novels from 1950 to present. Authors range from Edna O’Brien and Mary McCarthy, the first contemporary feminist novelists in Ireland and America, through Emma Donoghue and Eileen Myles, whose lesbian protagonists bring feminist perspectives into the 21st century.
Same as ENGL 4938. Prerequisites: Students must satisfy English prerequisites for 4000-level courses or obtain permission of instructor. Introduction to American women poets since 1900: anarchists, Imagists, Harlem formalists, white lyricists, modernists (Ridge, H.D., Dunbar-Nelson, Millay, Stein); mid-century giants (Rukeyser, Brooks) and Confessionals (Sexton, Plath); feminists and multiculturalists (Rich, Lorde, Giovanni, Hogan), poets of witness and the play of language and the mind (Klepfisz, Olds, Mullen, Perillo).
5031 Advanced History of Women in the United States (3)Same as HIST 5031. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Development of women’s economic, political, and social roles in the United States with special emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: women and work; women and the family; women and reform movements; women and education; feminist theorists and activists; images of women.
5032 Advanced History of Women in Comparative Cultures (3)Same as HIST 5032. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. An introduction to the historical development of women’s status in a variety of cultures and periods within the areas of Africa, Europe, the Far East, Latin America, and the Middle East. The course analyzes women’s political, economic, familial, and sexual roles and the economic, demographic, ideological, and political forces which promoted change and continuity in these roles.
5033 Sexuality and Gender Theory (3)
Same as HIST 5033. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. This course examines the ways in which contemporary sexuality and gender theory have challenged and changed the study of culture and history. The course introduces students to sexuality and gender theory in late twentieth and early twenty-first century contexts. It then explores dynamic links between theory and the formal structures of political economy as well as the informal structures of everyday life.
5034 History of Sexuality (3)
Same as HIST 5034 Prerequisites: Graduate standing. This course locates sexuality at the center of history and examines its impact over time on politics, society, culture and economics. In particular, the course focuses on changing definitions of sexual deviance, the historical evolution of formal and informal regulations of sexual practices and on the manner in which sex has been deployed in broader historical struggles involving gender, race, class, migration and state building.
Same as ENGL 5040. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor. A consideration of feminist critical theory as a means of reassessing literary texts and our cultural heritage. After exploring the roots of feminist criticism, the seminar will examine Anglo-American and continental debates on theories of language, writing and representation. In providing an interdisciplinary context the course will consider studies in psychology, anthropology, history, and philosophy/theology which have influenced and enriched feminist approaches to literature.
5053 Advanced Studies in African-American History (3)
Same as HIST 5053. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. This course introduces some of the themes of African-American women’s history. By examining the impact of region, gender, and class on African-American women’s experiences across time, the course highlights black women’s applied and theoretical contributions to feminist politics and activism as well as the black struggle for freedom and equality. Topics covered include: slavery and emancipation, institution and community building, the family and work, electoral politics and direct action protest, civil rights, and contemporary issues.
5350 Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies
(3)
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and at least one Women’s and Gender Studies course. This course will focus on a particular aspect of gender (to be announced prior to registration) and will draw upon recent theoretical and methodological work from a variety of disciplines.
5450 Special Topics in Women’s and Gender
Studies (3)*
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. Special topics at the Graduate level examined from a gender perspective in the field of anthropology, art history, criminology, economics, English, foreign language, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, business, or others. Topics and departments vary by semester.
5500 Foundations of Human Behavior in the Social Environment (3)
Same as SOC WK 5500 Prerequisites: SOC WK 3150 or equivalent or admission to the MSW program. Focuses on theoretical and empirical understanding of human behavior in the social environment using a life-span perspective. Introduces biological, behavioral, cognitive, and sociocultural theories of individuals, families, and small groups, and their implications for the professional social worker’s understanding of socioeconomic status, gender, disability, ethnicity, race, and sexual orientation.
5700 Diversity, Social Justice and Social Practice (3)
Same as SOC WK 5700 Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Analyzes the structure, dynamics, and consequences of social and economic injustice, and the impact on diverse groups in American society. Examines theoretical models and practice principles for work with diverse groups.
6350 Gender, Language & Identity (3)
Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Same as TCH ED 6450. An interdisciplinary look at the ways gendered and racial identities get developed and shaped through language and culture. Readings will address the complex, yet sometimes invisible, ways that identity, language and gender intersect, creating and assigning roles, responsibilities, and possible selves to individuals and groups in a global world.
6353 Graduate Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies (1-6)
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of Director. Provides an opportunity for the Graduate Women’s and Gender Studies student to acquire “real world” experience working in a non-profit, political, economic, or social service organization with a gender focus.
6410 Women and Mental Health (3)
Prerequisites: Admission to the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology or consent of instructor. Same as PSYCH 7410. This course will focus on contemporary research on the psychology of women pertaining to mental health issues. Etiology and treatment of disorders disproportionately affecting women will be emphasized.
6418 Seminar in Human Sexuality (3)
Prerequisites: Admission to the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology or consent of instructor. Same as PSYCH 7418. Review of theory and research in human sexuality from physiological, psychological, and social perspectives. Implications for the assessment and treatment of sexual dysfunction are considered.
6435 Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice (3)
Same as CRIMIN 6435. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. This course provides an analysis of theories of crime, crime processing and gender. Topics examined include the role of gender in criminal offending and victimization. The impact of gender on criminal/juvenile justice system processing and treatment will be addressed.
6446 Sex Crime (3)
Same as CRIMIN 6446. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor. Examination of consensual and non-consensual sexual offending. Topics include historical development of laws regulating sexual conduct, controversies surrounding the application of these laws, and the nature and distribution of sexual offenses.
6450 Seminar in Women’s and Gender Studies (3)*
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.
Critical examination of advanced topics in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences from women’s and gender studies perspectives. May be taken more than once provided that the subject matter is different each time the seminar is taken.
6452 Special Readings in Women’s Studies/Gender Studies (3)
Prerequisite: Admission to Graduate Certificate program and consent of instructor. Directed independent work on a selected Women’s and Gender Studies topic through readings, research, reports, and/or conferences.
* Each semester the Director of the Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies identifies courses being offered by other departments and they are cross listed with Women’s and Gender Studies courses under the special topic course title. Consult the course schedule each semester for a list of these courses.