Contact SHU |  SHU Directory |  myWEB@SHU | 

Use the buttons below to search the most current offerings of "WMST" courses for each session.




Contact Us:
Women's Studies

 

 

Course Descriptions

WMST 1401 Women, Culture and Society (3 credits): An interdisciplinary course designed to introduce students to the contributions of women to history, society and culture, and enable them to understand and evaluate the effects of social institutions and cultural expectations on gender.

WMST 2110 (PHIL 2110) Feminist Theories (3 credits): Examination of the wide range of theories and perspectives that constitute feminism today. Three main parts: historical overview of the development of feminist thinking; analysis of major feminist theories; and, examination of the intersections between traditional philosophy and feminist thinking.

WMST 3193 Independent Study (3 credits): Directed study and research in chosen area of women's studies selected by the student in consultation with the program director. Requires extensive collaboration with a faculty member in the specific discipline and a major research problem.

Behavioral Science Electives

WMST 3432/COJR 3432 Women and the Media (3 credits): Survey of women’s participation in the media and the portrayal of women by the media. Critical study of how women have been represented in journalism, film, television and advertising.
WMST 2610/POLS 2610 Women and Politics (3 credits): The evolving legal, political and governmental position of women in the world. Cross-cultural implications of the politicalization of women.
WMST 1215/PSYC 1215 Psychology of Gender (3 credits): Examines biological, cultural and psychosocial influences on female development and personality. Emphasizes the role of women in contemporary culture.
WMST 4001/ANTH 4001 American Indian Women (3 credits): In trying to separate the myth from reality of Indian womanhood, it is important to examine both the different social contexts in which male and female behaviors coexist and the values placed on those behaviors. This course provides a critical examination of the literatures by and about American Indian women in order to refute stereotypes.
WMST 3514/SOCI 3514 Sociology of Women and Men (3 credits): Wide-ranging exploration of women’s and men’s changing place in society. Selected historical, anthropological, biological and psychological factors as sources of women’s and men’s position in society; ways in which contemporary social structures and processes serve to maintain aspects of their position and to generate more equalitarian roles and lifestyles for today’s women and men.
WMST 2513/SOCI 2513 Social Inequality (formerly Inequalities of Power and Privilege) (3 credits): Why are some people rich and others poor? Social class systems, power and personal characteristics (personality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender/sexual identity, etc.0. challenges to equality. Sources of mobility and change and personal advancement. How does education, religion "roots" affect mobility? Explanations for success and poverty. Comparison between "open class" societies and "caste" systems.
WMST 2211/SOCI 2211 Marriage and Family Life (formerly Sociology of the Family) (3 credits): The family as the basic unit of society. Examination of its changing position and structure in traditional and modern societies. How family members interact. Problems, strains, solutions. Issues in family life (fertilization, surrogates); alternative family forms (spouseless families, gay/lesbian couples, communes, etc.).
WMST 1334/SOWK 1334 The Well-being of Women (3 credits): Examines the female experience focusing on interventions applicable to eliminating oppression based on gender and assuring social and economic justice.
WMST 1335/SOWK 1335 Family Violence (3 credits): Examines the causes, manifestations, preventive strategies and interventions applicable to the inappropriate use of force between and among persons known to each other, including acquaintance rape, spouse battering, child, adolescent and elder abuse.

Humanities Electives

WMST 2317/AFAM 2317 The Black Man and Woman (3 credits): Analysis of historical and sociological perspectives of the Black man and woman as separate entities and as partners. Primary focus on theAfrican-American experience. Myths and misconceptions. Contemporary issues: projects for the future.
WMST 2322/CLAS 2322/ARCH 2322/HIST 2170: Women in Antiquity (3 credits): Inquiry into the social, political and legal status of women in ancient Greece and Rome.
WMST 2171/HIST 2171 Women in Modern Times (3 credits): History of women’s place in the various societies of European and American civilizations from the Middle Ages to the present.
WMST 2113/ENGL 2113 Women and Literature I (3 credits): An exploration of the contributions of women writers to Western literature from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, including an examination of relevant works in cultural history.
WMST 2114/ENGL 2114 Women and Literature II (3 credits): An exploration of the contributions of women writers to Anglo-American literature from the 19th century to the present, including some classic statements of feminist literary theory.
WMST 2160/RELS 2160 Women in the Biblical Tradition (3 credits): Examines the role and place of women in the Ancient Near East, Biblical Israel, Judaism and the New Testament. Compares textual and mythic traditions of Near Eastern and Greco-Roman society, women in the archaeological artifacts and introduces recent feminist interpretations of biblical texts.