Jessica Pruett

This course provides students with critical frameworks for thinking about the social construction of gender at the personal and institutional levels. Emphasis is placed on diverse women’s significant contributions to knowledge and culture; to other areas of gender studies, including men’s studies, family studies and the study of sexuality; and to the intersections of various forms of oppression both within and outside of the U.S. The course includes both scholarly as well as personal texts, visual as well as written text. This counts toward the introductory requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS/GSS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. No prerequisite. Offered every semester.

This course examines the impact of globalization on feminist discourses that describe the cross-cultural experiences of women. Transnational feminist theories and methodologies destabilize Western feminisms, challenging notions of subjectivity and place and their connections to experiences of race, class and gender. The course builds on four key concepts: development, democratization, cultural change and colonialism. Because transnational feminisms are represented by the development of women's global movements, the course considers examples of women's global networks and the ways in which they destabilized concepts such as citizenship and rights. We also examine how transnational feminisms have influenced women's productions in the fields of literature and art. Key questions include: How does the history of global feminisms affect local women's movements? What specific issues have galvanized women's movements across national and regional borders? How do feminism and critiques of colonialism and imperialism intersect? What role might feminist agendas play in addressing current global concerns? How do transnational feminisms build and sustain communities and connections to further their agendas? This counts toward the diversity and globalization requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS/GSS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Prerequisite: Any GSS course. Offered every other year.

In this course, we read both historical and contemporary feminist theory with the goal of understanding the multiplicity of feminist approaches to women’s experiences, the representation of women and women’s relative positions in societies. Theoretical positions represented include liberal, cultural, psychoanalytic, socialist and poststructuralist feminism. We explore the relationship of these theories to issues of race, class, sexual preference and ethnicity through an examination of the theoretical writings of women of color and non-Western women. This counts toward the concentration and the mid-level requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS/GSS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Prerequisite: any WGS/GSS course, approved departmental course. Offered every other year.

In this course students analyze the queer and feminist problems and possibilities posed by popular music. Focusing on the United States, we trace the development of popular music as a genre from the 19th century to today, foregrounding the racial, sexual, and gendered politics of popular music’s production and consumption. From Willie Mae Thornton to Chappell Roan, we study the queer and feminist origins of popular music’s enduring appeal. Course readings and discussions explore popular music’s critical role in the formation of selves and communities, illustrating the ways in which popular music enables both performers and listeners to construct their identities and develop social and political selves-in-relation. Throughout the course, students investigate popular music’s paradoxical use as a tool for both the reinforcement and the subversion of dominant social norms. Interdisciplinary course readings drawing from gender studies, cultural studies, critical race theory, and musicology highlight popular music’s shifting meanings in specific social and historical contexts. This course counts toward the elective requirement for the major and concentration. Prerequisite: GSS 111 or GSS 121 and sophomore standing.

This course provides the opportunity for those students taking WGS 481 in the spring to plan the course. Students select a topic, order books, plan the syllabus and design a project. In addition, they read about course design and pedagogy so that they are prepared to take responsibility for collaboratively teaching the course in the spring. Offered only on a credit/no credit basis. This course is required for the major. This interdisciplinary course does not count toward the completion of any diversification requirement. No prerequisite. Senior standing.

The senior colloquium is organized around a theme determined by senior majors and concentrators in consultation with the instructor during the semester prior to the beginning of the course. Previous topics include "Women and Madness," "The Politics of the Bathroom" and "Gender and Tourism." This course is required for the major. Offered every spring.

This course provide students with critical frameworks for thinking about the social construction of gender at the personal and institutional levels. Emphasis is placed on diverse women’s significant contributions to knowledge and culture; to other areas of gender studies, including men’s studies, family studies and the study of sexuality; and to the intersections of various forms of oppression both within and outside of the U.S. The course includes both scholarly as well as personal texts, visual as well as written text. This counts toward the introductory requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Offered every semester.

In this course, we read both historical and contemporary feminist theory with the goal of understanding the multiplicity of feminist approaches to women’s experiences, the representation of women and women’s relative positions in societies. Theoretical positions represented include liberal, cultural, psychoanalytic, socialist and poststructuralist feminism. We explore the relationship of these theories to issues of race, class, sexual preference and ethnicity through an examination of the theoretical writings of women of color and non-Western women. This counts toward the concentration and the mid-level requirement for the major. This course paired with any other 0.5 unit WGS course counts toward the social science diversification requirement. Prerequisite: any WGS course, approved departmental course or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.