May 17, 2024  
College Catalog 2022-2023 
    
Catalog Navigation
  Catalog Home
  A Liberal Education at Wheaton
  Compass Curriculum
  Connections Curriculum
  Programs of Study
  Programs by Department
  Course Descriptions
  Admission Information
  Academic Resources
  Academic Policies
  Financial Information
  College Calendar
  Campus Contacts
HELP
College Catalog 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Students planning a program of study or concentration are urged to review program requirements and course descriptions before meeting with their advisors. Not all courses listed here are taught every year, and students should consult the Course Schedule on the Wheaton website for information about offerings in a particular semester. Courses are numbered to indicate levels of advancement as follows: 100–199, elementary or introductory; 200–299, intermediate; 300 and above, advanced. Departments often design new courses, either to be offered on a one-time basis or an experimental basis, before deciding whether to make them a regular part of the curriculum.  These courses are numbered 098, 198, 298 or 398.

Information is available online through WINDOW about prerequisites that must be completed before enrolling in a course, as well as the curriculum and general education requirements that a course fulfills. Most courses are offered for one course credit; a course credit at Wheaton is the equivalent of four semester hours.
 

Visual Art
  

  • ART 298 - Printmaking for Social Change

    Printmaking has played an important role in the action space of social change. That remains true today. In this course we will explore how printmaking, primarily SCREENPRINTING and RELIEF techniques, have been used to advance the cause of social movements, past and present, in the USA and globally. Students will dive into printmaking as resistance, as social commentary, as community building. Through art and design projects, such as activist prints and posters, artist’s books, and T-shirt design, students will investigate storytelling and visual advocacy to raise awareness and inspire change. 

    Prerequisites
    ART 111  or ART 116  

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 299 - Selected Topics

    An opportunity to do independent work. Students must preregister with their independent advisor after submitting a written statement of intent for faculty approval.

    Credits 1
  

  • ART 305 - Public Art

    Public Art is a hands-on course devoted to making art in public spaces. Students will explore public art’s potential to change our sense of place, to intervene, to engage, and to foster dialogue while considering and interrogating historical notions of art in the public sphere. Initially, participants will create temporary, site sensitive installations on campus using easy-to-manipulate media. In the second half of the course, participants will conceive of public artworks to be sited semi-permanently on campus or at a sculpture park off-campus and learn to develop professional proposals in support of their ideas. The process will include conducting site research; communicating concepts through writing, illustration, and scaled models; and proposal review by a selection jury. A few selected projects will receive funding and the class will work together in teams to realize the chosen works. During the pandemic, participants should expect to work outdoors whenever possible. 

    Prerequisites
    ART 112  

    Credits 1



    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts, Structure/Power/Inequality
  

  • ART 310 - Sculpture II

    This advanced course delves deeper into the world of sculpture and expands on a diversity of materials, techniques, and modes of contemporary practice. Each time the course is offered, its unique group of participants will collaboratively determine a thematic focus. Students will develop personal work within this framework inspired by open-ended assignment prompts. We may explore aspects of advanced fabrication, public art, performance, and digital media approaches.

    Prerequisites
    ART 210  .  

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Additional fees associated with this course for materials.  Please see the course schedule for specific amount. 

    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 315 - Intaglio Printmaking

    This course introduces the various traditional and contemporary plate-making techniques and the printing process used to create an intaglio print. Students will explore both hand techniques such as drypoint, engraving and mezzotint; as well as etching techniques, including line etching, soft ground, aquatint, and spitbite. Collagraphs and/or Solarplates are also introduced as alternative plate-making methods. Technical aspects of printing include viscosity printing, registration, and edition printing for class portfolio projects. While learning to employ the various intaglio techniques, students explore their creative process, including the discipline of keeping a sketchbook, as they develop and refine concepts and composition in projects that emphasize personal imagery and narratives.

    Prerequisites
    ART 111  or ART 116 . 

    Credits 1



    Area
    Creative Arts

    Connection
    23013

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 316 - Arts in Ireland

    Arts in Ireland is a 21-day intensive visual art course. It is designed to provide studio and music majors and minors with an opportunity to develop their artistic vision while living on the west coast of Ireland. This course is taught in association with the Burren College of Art, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Faculy-lead Short-term Study Abroad Program.  Offered Summer 2023.

    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

     

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 320 - Painting II

    This intermediate course in oil painting continues and expands on the direct painting method of Painting I. Further exploration of painting technique from under-painting and glazing to impasto is done through large and small-scale work following more self-directed themes. Students will investigate abstraction and work from the model concluding with a final three part series. Slide-illustrated lectures and frequent discussion of student projects support studio work and conceptual development.

    Prerequisites
    ART 220  or Permission of Instructor.  

    Credits 1



    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 322 - Painting Processes

    This class will explore contemporary and traditional approaches to painting through an intense focus on process and materials. Color and composition will be studied through selected projects that include non-traditional tools and applications including pouring, squeegee, collage, stencils, photo-transfer and paint additives for the creation of diverse surface textures on a variety of supports. Most projects will use acrylic paint with or without additives. One project will explore oil glazed egg tempera. An attitude of experimentation and investigation is encouraged as students manipulate color and surface through a variety of short exercises that will culminate in a final three-part independent project using painting materials of individual choice.  

    Prerequisites
    ART 220  or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 325 - Lithography

    This course is an introduction to lithography, which is a planographic printmaking medium based on one simple principle “the antipathy of oil and water. Though the course will offer an historical overview of stone and plate lithographic techniques, students will experiment with more environmentally friendly and less toxic contemporary lithographic techniques, creating prints both in black and white and color. At the conclusion of the course, students will have completed an editioned portfolio of works housed in a hand-constructed folio. Technical aspects of printing include color mixing and transparency, registration, and edition printing for class portfolio projects. Students will explore their creative process, including the discipline of keeping a sketchbook, as they develop and refine concepts and composition in projects that emphasize personal imagery and narratives.

    Prerequisites
    ART 111  or ART 116 .  Survey to determine eligibility to enroll in this course must be completed the week before registration.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Creative Arts

    Connection
    20006, 23013

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 330 - Photography ll

    This is a digital course designed to encourage students to explore and develop their visual perception and a personal point of view. This is a rigorous course, based in Adobe Lightroom and to some degree Photoshop. Students must have a quality digital camera capable of manual control over f-stops and shutter speeds. Students must be willing to fully invest themselves in this course to investigate and express their aesthetic concerns.

    Prerequisites
    ART 240 .  Survey to determine eligibility to enroll in this course must be completed the week before registration.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Formerly taught as Intermediate Photography.

    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 340 - Figure Drawing and Anatomy

    Through a focused study of the model and the human skeleton, students will discover the underlying anatomical structures of bones and muscles that make up the figure. Weekly drawing sessions with the model will be supplemented by studies from anatomical texts covering the major muscle groups at rest and in motion. We will explore ways to represent the character of the pose, foreshortening and proper proportions. We will analyze solid forms, using cross contour and structural lines together with tonal mass to give the figure weight using lights and darks. The final project is a life-size drawing of an anatomical figure in motion.

    Prerequisites
    ART 116 .  Survey to determine eligibility to enroll in this course must be completed the week before registration.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Creative Arts

    Connection
    20010

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 350 - Graphic Design II

    Graphic Design II is the second course in a year-long exploration of the basic principles and practice of graphic design, with an emphasis on the creative process, beginning with critical thinking and a strong problem-solving approach that leads to innovative design solutions. In the context of more comprehensive and real world design problems, including corporate identity systems, packaging design, editorial design and visual advocacy, students learn to expand on the principles of typography and visual imagery, design layout, and computer graphics learned in Graphic Design I.

    Prerequisites
    ART 250  or Permission of Instructor.  

    Credits 1



    Area
    Creative Arts

    Connection
    23012

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 364 - Animation II

    This course is an advanced study in the creative and technical processes of creating 2D animation. Students will expand their understanding of the fundamental principles of animation through in-class
    exercises, intensive weekly short animated projects, and viewing and discussion of related animated films. Along with advanced animation principles, there will be an emphasis on idea generation for storytelling, and
    developing a personal visual language..

    Prerequisites
    ART 264 Animation l  or FNMS 264 Animation l  

    Notes
    This course is cross listed with FNMS 364  

    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities 

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts Division
  

  • ART 365 - Printmaking Techniques and Approaches

    Printmaking Techniques and Approaches offers an in-depth exploration of select contemporary and traditional printmaking techniques, with a particular focus on innovative approaches and presentation options, such as: print folios and artist books for serial and sequential imagery; one-of-a kind sculptural or mix-media prints; and collaborative group projects. This course emphasizes the development of each student’s personal thematic content. Previous printmaking experience helpful but not required.

    Prerequisites
    ART 111  or ART 116 .  Survey to determine eligibility to enroll in this course must be completed the week before registration.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 376 - Independent Practice

    As a required course in a year-long, capstone experience for all Visual Art majors, this course focuses on experimentation and discovery in the individual creative practices of advanced student-artists. Participants focus on independent production in media of their choosing with the benefit of assignments designed to provide both structure and freedom. In addition to critical making, students will engage in critical discourse inspired by assigned readings, the writing of artist statements, and regular peer critique. This fall-semester course is followed by spring-semester ART 402  Senior Seminar for all majors.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Open to senior Visual Art majors only.
  

  • ART 398 - A Photo and the Expanded Field

    This is a studio-based photography class designed to expand the understanding of images as a universal tool for communication in multiple contexts. We will engage various presentation methods such as Instagram, large format printing and book arts. With this, we will address the social responsibility attached to creating, circulating or installing photographic works. The class will examine the politics of creating and viewing works. This is an advanced course available to students across campus with some experience in photography who are willing to commit to a conceptually and technically rigorous class.

    Credits 1
  

  • ART 398 - Advanced Editing and Motion Graphics

    A study of advanced video editing and motion graphics production from both technical and aesthetic perspectives. Students will utilize Adobe Premiere, AfterEffects, and Photoshop to engage in multiple editing and motion graphics projects spanning a variety of modes and forms, including narrative editing, remix editing, bringing still images to life with motion, kinetic typography, digital compositing with greenscreen material, visual effects, and more.

    Credits 1
  

  • ART 398 - Animation II

    This course is an advanced study in the creative and technical processes of creating 2D animation. Students will expand their understanding of the fundamental principles of animation through in-class exercises, intensive weekly short animated projects, and viewing and discussion of related animated films. Along with advanced animation principles, there will be an emphasis on idea generation for storytelling, and developing a personal visual language. Students should finish the course with a more advanced understanding of animation mechanics, storytelling, production scheduling, and animation problem solving/research. The weekly short animated projects should act as a starting point for a portfolio.

    Credits 1
  

  • ART 398 - Darkroom Photography

    This course is designed for photographers wanting to expand their photographic skill set in the darkroom. The course will focus on creative exposure using film cameras and traditional analog practices. Although using traditional methods there will be a focus on creative expression and experimental practices. Students will develop film and prints by hand and should expect to spend significant time outside of class shooting in the field and working in the darkroom. It is recommended to have taken Photo I but not required.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • ART 398 - Stop Motion Animation

    Stop-Motion Animation is a course in the study and technical production of 2D multi-plane Stop-Motion Animation. Students will complete this course understanding how to apply the principles of animation to “straight ahead” Stop Motion animation, with a emphasis on animation physics and acting for animation. The projects will take students through a traditional animation pipeline from concept, to planning, storyboarding, design, and fabrication of 2D elements (flat puppets, and background elements). The class will include significant homework including weekly animation assignments and readings. Students must be comfortable using fabrication materials and tools (x-acto knives, adhesives, paint, pencils, etc).

    Prerequisites
    ART 264 Animation l  or FNMS 264 Animation l  

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is cross listed with FNMS 398 Stop Motion Animation  .

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts
  

  • ART 399 - Selected Topics

    This independent study course offers students the opportunity to work in a medium of their choice at an advanced level, with oversight and support of a faculty member. Students must preregister with their independent study advisor after submitting a written statement of intent for approval. It is recommended that all visual art majors take Arts 399: Selected Topics in the fall of their senior year to prepare better for the Senior Seminar and Senior Video Art Majors Exhibition in the spring semester.

    Credits 1
  

  • ART 402 - Senior Seminar

    This course is the capstone experience for Visual Art majors. Senior students are expected to produce a defining body of work in the medium of their choice, which will be exhibited in the Beard and Weil Galleries at the end of the semester. In this semester-long course, students meet once per week for three hours to discuss a variety of topics in preparation for professional practice. Formal critique sessions provide students with feedback on the development of their work as it progresses toward the Senior Visual Art Majors Exhibition.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Formerly taught as Senior Project.
  

  • ART 499 - Independent Research

    Offered to selected students at the invitation of the department.

    Credits 1
  

  • ART 500 - Individual Research

    The opportunity to pursue honors is offered to selected seniors by invitation only. At the end of the fall term of the senior year, the Visual Art faculty meets as a group and identifies promising students from the ranks of those taking ART 399 - Selected Topics . Those students who show exemplary work are invited to pursue Honors by the department. Faculty legislation requires that honors work must be above and beyond the normal scope of the major. Two courses, ART 399   and ART 500, will ultimately make up the year-long course of study above and beyond the normal major requirements. Therefore, the student pursuing honors must register spring semester for both ART 500: Honors and ART 402 - Senior Seminar  and expand on the work begun fall semester in ART 399   to produce a body of work at least one and three-fourth times greater than what is required for the Senior Seminar alone. Final requirements include a written thesis and oral defense. The visual art faculty as a whole determines the grade for the ART 500 course and whether honors will be awarded.

    Credits 1

Women’s and Gender Studies
  

  • WGS 101 - Introduction to Women’s Studies

    An introduction to topics and themes in women’s experiences from a cross-cultural, historical and interdisciplinary perspective. Topics may include women’s historical roles in the family, the workforce and public and private spheres in different societies; the psychology of changing gender roles; images of women and how they are constructed; women’s perspectives in literature and in the sciences; and the roots and prospects of the contemporary women’s movement.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 102 - Introduction to LGBT+ Studies

    Sexuality is an important part of human life and society, but despite claims that we were all “born this way,” its meanings and social significance have changed over the course of history. This class offers an introduction to that history, looking at the rise of sexuality-based classifications in law and medicine, the development of sexual identity politics, and the intersections of sexuality with gender, race/ethnicity, and class. We will examine the history of social movements for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other minority gender/sexuality groups’ rights, and we will ask how that history shapes LGBT+ politics in the U.S. today. This course is cross listed with SOC 102.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 102  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 142 - Religion and Sexuality

    A study of religious views on sexual choices, life styles and problems of today, including love, marriage, sex roles, homosexuality, celibacy, contraception, abortion, and sexual and domestic violence.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with REL 142  

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    20078

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 199 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 0.5 - 1
  

  • WGS 215 - Black Feminist Thought and Action

    The class will examine critical and theoretical issues in Black feminism from the 1960s to the present, focusing on the influential contemporary Black feminist intellectual tradition that emerged in the 1970s.  From this perspective, students will explore certain themes and topics, such as work, family, politics and community, through reading the writings of Black feminists. We will also study the ways in which women and men have worked together, toward the eradication of race and gender inequality, among other systems of oppression, which have historically subjugated Black women. Although emphasis will be placed on Black feminist traditions in the United States, at the end of the semester we will consider Black feminism in global perspective.  

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with AFDS 215 .

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23007

    Compass Attributes
    Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Global Honors
  

  • WGS 219 - Gender and Sexual Violence in the Bible

    How can he/she/they think that’s OK? Or that that’s a disgusting abomination? What role do the foundation myths of Western culture in the Bible play in associating violence with gender and sexuality, and what is their legacy? This course will analyze and de-construct the Biblical bases for many of the problematic cultural attitudes and assumptions behind gender and sexual violence, as well as to examine post-Biblical perpetuations and challenges to them in the media of visual art, theatre, other literature, music, and cinema.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with REL 219  

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 220 - Grant Writing for Social Justice

    This course teaches students the mechanics of grant proposal writing and the political and social aspects of philanthropy and funding. We start with an introduction to grantwriting for nonprofit organizations, focusing on arts and social justice organizations. Students will identify sources of grant funding, conduct research to support their applications, and tailor proposals to specific audiences. Students will partner with a professional at a local organization and will write a grant proposal for their community partner. This course combines academic and advocacy goals and provides students with valuable professional experiences that will enhance understandings of the workplace and career opportunities.

    Credits .5



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ARTH 220  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Sophomore Experience
  

  • WGS 222 - Learn to Negotiate

    Participants in this course will gain an understanding of societal factors driving income inequality and pay disparity in the United States, particularly with an intersectional focus. We will also cover historical and current efforts to combat the pay gap, including labor organizing and legislative efforts, and an understanding of income inequality and the ongoing harm of the pay gap (with focused study on the pay gap on federal and state levels, as well as within a student’s desired profession). After setting this foundation, students will explore resources and strategies to assist with negotiation in their future workplace (this includes workshops and exercises geared to helping students define, articulate, and claim their expertise).

    Credits .5



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ARTH 222  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Sophomore Experience, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Humanities
  

  • WGS 228 - Transnational Feminisms

    This course examines the challenges for feminist organizing across borders posed by the global capitalism, cultural difference and the legacy of imperialism. Course readings include a combination of empirical texts on social movements and philosophical texts on moral relativism and the epistemology of understanding across difference.

    Prerequisites
    One Women and Gender Studies course

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    20091

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 232 - Women in North America to 1790

    See HIST 232  for course description.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with HIST 232  

    Area
    History

    Connection
    23005

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 233 - Sweatshops in the World Economy

    This course engages students in the controversy regarding sweatshops and their role in the global economy. We ask why sweatshops have returned to the United States, the richest economy in the world. We also ask what role the spread of sweatshops in the developing world played in the alleviation and perpetuation of poverty.

    Prerequisites
    ECON 101  or ECON 102  or ECON 112  or WGS 101  

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ECON 233  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    20091

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 234 - United States Women, 1790-1890

    This course surveys the history of women in the 19th-century United States, exploring changing constructions of gender, race and class during a period of significant economic and political development. The course examines the emergence of the women’s rights movement among members of the emerging white middle class as well as the changing experiences of free and enslaved African American women. Students complete original research in diaries held in the Wheaton College Archives and Special Collections.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with HIST 233  

    Area
    History

    Connection
    23005

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 235 - Women in Modern Italy

    This course surveys the history of women in the United States in the 20th century. Beginning with an examination of suffrage and numerous movements for social and economic change, the course challenges students to explore the complexities of women’s experiences. Throughout the course, particular attention is paid to intersections among multiple identities grounded in social constructions of gender, race, class and sexual orientation in local, national and international contexts.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course taught in English.  Cross-listed with ITAS 235 .

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23006

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Global Honors, Foreign Language, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 236 - Human Sexuality

    A comprehensive introduction to the biological, behavioral, psychological and cultural aspects of human sexuality. Considers the relation of sexual values and behavior; anatomy, arousal and response; sexual behavior and orientation; issues of gender; sexuality through the lifespan; sexual problems; and important social issues such as rape, abortion and pornography. Classroom exercises, films and guest presentations.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with PSY 235  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23006

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 237 - Sex, God and the Victorians

    See ENG 236  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    ENG 101 or AP English credit

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ENG 236  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 238 - United States Women since 1890

    This course surveys the history of women in the United States in the 20th century. Beginning with an examination of suffrage and numerous movements for social and economic change, the course challenges students to explore the complexities of women’s experiences. Throughout the course, particular attention is paid to intersections among multiple identities grounded in social constructions of gender, race, class and sexual orientation in local, national and international contexts.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with HIST 234  

    Area
    History

    Connection
    23005

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Structure/Power/Inequality, Humanities
  

  • WGS 239 - Families in Transition

    See SOC 235  for course description.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 235  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    20078

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 240 - Identity, Genre and Poetry

    Contemporary poems have often embraced the complexities of identity, revealing untold stories and unheard perspectives. This course introduces you to the study of poetry by focusing on how identity gets associated with types of poetry and what individual poets do to subvert or refuse those associations. We will ask questions, such as what gender has to do with categories such as race, class and sexuality in the writing of poetry? How do aesthetic or formal choices make us think differently about race? How do contemporary poems call back to poems from different periods and cultures to rethink a particular form, such as the sonnet or the fragmentation associated with High Modernism?  

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ENG 240  

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23004, 20085

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 241 - Women in United States Economy

    Theories and empirical analysis of women’s work in the United States. Topics include the influence of feminist thought on economics, a multicultural history of women’s work, labor force participation, occupational distribution and wages, the gender division of labor in household production (housework and child rearing) and related policy issues.  Cross listed with ECON 241 .

    Prerequisites
    ECON 101 or ECON 102 or ECON 112 or WGS 101 or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ECON 241  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23005

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 242 - Horror Film and the Unruly Body

    Horror films often treat marginalized bodies as monstrous “Others.” Histories of stigmatization, however, are only part of the story. Minority audiences have always enjoyed and critiqued the horror genre, and filmmakers from James Whales (Frankenstein) to Jordan Peele (Get Out) have appropriated the genre to their own ends. This course will explore how unruly bodies—women, people of color, queer populations, and disabled groups—have defined the horror film in front of the camera, and increasingly, how they have moved behind the camera to create their own tales of power, fear, irony, and identity.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with FNMS 242 Horror Film and the Unruly Body  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 247 - Archetypes in Black Women’s Fiction

    The primary purpose of English 247 is to look for recurring character types in fiction written by contemporary African American women authors from the end of the Civil Rights era (1970s) to the present. And we will also examine the works in their cultural contexts, seeking to understand how the texts reflect the racial and gender concerns of their historical periods. Ultimately, English 247 fosters literary appreciation of African American women’s fiction. 

    Prerequisites
    Open to Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ENG 247  

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    20034, 23005

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 248 - Race & Ethnicity in Children’s Literature

    This course aims to offer diverse perspectives on the diverse texts intended for young peoples. Throughout the semester we’ll explore theories of narrative, ideology, racialization, and politics to consider how understandings of childhood and adolescence are transformed in racial contexts and what implications that may have broadly.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is cross listed with ENG 248 Race & Ethnicity in Children’s Literature . 

    New course

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 251 - Love and Marriage

    See ITAS 250  for course description.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course taught in English.  Cross-listed with ITAS 250  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 255 - Women in Africa

    What contributions have women made to the societies of Africa prior to colonialism? How and why did colonialism affect men and women differently? What are the implications of gender inequality for economic development in Africa today? These questions are consid­ered from ethnographic, autobiographical and fictional accounts. Gender, class and cultural identity will be focal points.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ANTH 255  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23001

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 256 - The Ancient Romance

    Stories of lovers destined to be separated and reunited, of pirates and thieves, false death and miraculous revival, of identity lost and found. From Homer’s Odyssey through Daphnis and Chloe and The Ethiopian Tale to utopian and picaresque literature, Petronius’ Satyricon and the historical fantasy The Romance of Alexander the Great.

    Credits 1



    Division
    Arts and Humanities

     
  

  • WGS 260 - Gender Inequality

    See SOC 260  for course description.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 260  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    20008, 23004

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 262 - Women and Development

    This course focuses some of the central development problems in the Global South (poverty, hunger, infectious disease, illiteracy) and how our thinking about these issues changed once women were entered into the development equation. The backdrop to the issues we will tackle is the re-organization of the global political economy and the way that different actors in the business of development (international bodies such as the UN and its subsidiaries, national governments, multinational corporations and trade bodies, NGOs and Aid agencies, and the local recipients of aid) understand the fundamental problems causing underdevelopment and the solutions that they affirm. While we will consider the big picture of development from the top down, our key focus will remain on how women and men in the Global South understand and cope with the key development challenges they face in a rapidly changing world.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ANTH 260  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 266 - Gender, Power and the Gods

    An introduction to the study of the public and private lives of women in Mediterranean antiquity from classical Athens and Rome to late antiquity (fifth century B.C.E. to fourth century C.E.). The relationship of secular authority to religious custom in the Greco-Roman city-states and empires, and the social status of women within these cultures as understood (and misunderstood) by civic institutions and religious customs, including medicine, law, mythology, art and politics. Special attention to religious practices that allowed women more visible and powerful social identities, including state festivals, the so-called mystery cults, and the emerging Rabbinic (Jewish) and Christian traditions.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with GLAM 266  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 267 - Weimar and Nazi Cinema and Culture

    This course examines the films of the Weimar and Nazi periods and their socio-historical, politico-cultural and aesthetic contexts of production. It covers a wide variety of works from the early beginnings of German cinema to the end of WWII. Each week is thematically structured around one film and several readings, on topics such as “the male gaze,” “mass culture and modernity”, or “fascist aesthetics.” (Previously Lulu, Lola and Leni: Women of German Cinema)

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with GER 267 .

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23014

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 270 - Gender and Education

    Gender plays a significant but not always obvious role in the lives of individual students, teachers, and policymakers in American education. Examining both P-12 schools and colleges, this course explores schools as sites for learning and teaching about gender, and as gendered workplaces for teachers and administrators. We explore ways that gender and gender identities affect students’ school experience, both in school culture and in the curriculum (direct instruction and “hidden curriculum”); gender differences in achievement and educational choices; curricular efforts to challenge gender assumptions; ways that teachers enact, construct, and challenge the gendered nature of education; and teaching as a gendered profession. We also investigate Wheaton College as a gendered setting. This course is cross listed with EDUC 270 .

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with EDUC 270  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    CONX20008, CONX23004

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 272 - Romancing the Novel

    See ENG 272  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    ENG 101 or AP English credit

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ENG 272  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23006

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 274 - Black in Berlin

    On a map of contemporary Berlin, Germany, we find a subway station called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and a street named after Jesse Owens. Owens upset Nazi theories of white physical superiority by winning four gold medals for the U.S. in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Berlin reflects African American history in these and many more historical, political and cultural traces. This seminar will compare the troubled histories of the U.S. and Germany as we investigate the very different, but interwoven, changing definitions of, and expectations for, race, gender and identity. We will begin by considering Berlin as an unexpected place of openness and opportunity for African Americans, as it was here that W.E.B. DuBois analyzed race not as a biological but as a social phenomenon. We will continue to the deadly racial catastrophes of the early twentieth century and the changing social and economic climates of both countries. We will continue the course with the ecstatic German welcome of presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 and the hope for a new post- racial era. Our final weeks will examine present day Afro-German culture. Questions of gender and intersectionality infuse every topic of Black in Berlin, from the first readings on Colonialism to the last week on contemporary Afro-German culture.

    Through film, music, fiction, art, essays, newspapers and interviews we will discuss the following topics:

    ·       German colonialism in Africa

    ·       German universities and black intellectuals

    ·       19th & 20th century travel and expat communities

    ·       Jesse Owens and the black athlete in Germany

    ·       American G.I.s in Germany after WWII

    ·       Audre Lorde’s Berlin Years

    ·       Obama in Berlin 2008

    ·       Contemporary German hip-hop & rap

    This course is cross listed with GER 270 Black in Berlin  .

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with GER 270 Black in Berlin  . Course taught in English.

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 275 - Disability and Difference

    Disability Studies examines the societal treatment and lived experiences of people with disabilities. While disability is often seen as a deviation from “normal” functioning, it is a near-universal human experience. This class takes a critical approach to disability, asking questions like: To what extent is disability “natural,” and to what extent is it mediated by cultural norms, medicine, and politics? What does disability, in combination with gender, class, race, and age, reveal about power and inequality in society? And how might we work toward a future in which more people can be meaningfully included in the life of our society?

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 275  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 276 - A History of Popular Music in the U.S.A.

    This course will provide an overall history of popular music in America since the end of the 19th century, with emphasis upon mainstream popular music since 1954. Its focus will be the simultaneous independence and interdependence of black and white musical cultures in America, and how this can help us understand our nation’s history in new and different ways. Students will develop listening skills as they learn about the ways popular music styles and genres have mirrored our nation’s social and cultural history. Topics will include blackface minstrelsy, the blues, jazz, country music, classic Broadway song, rhythm & blues, rock’n’roll, folk music, blues-rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, metal, soul, funk, hip-hop, punk, indie-rock, disco, and electronic dance music.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with MUSC 275 A History of Popular Music in the U.S.A.  

    Area
    Creative Arts

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Creative Arts, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 280 - The Monstrous and the Marvelous: German Fairy Tales and Folklore

    This course examines the role of folktales and fairy tales in cultural, socio-political, as well as economic contexts. Students will identify the main structural components of German fairy tale narratives and investigate their influences on the emotional development of young adults, on the formation of traditional gender roles, as well as the means by which fairy tale and folk motifs are transferred to other media, such as the Disney animations, or K-pop music and K-drama. Taught in English.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course taught in English. Cross-listed with GER 280 .

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 284 - Women in Russian Culture

    See RUSS 284  for course description.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course taught in English.  Cross-listed with RUSS 284  

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23020

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 285 - Women and Politics

    This course examines the way those who identify or are identified as women have been excluded from the political arena all over the world, and the ways in which their increasing participation has changed the way politics is done. This course is organized into two sections. The first part examines the effect of gender on the political process, focusing on women’s political participation and representation. The second part of the course reviews some of the key policy concerns of women around the world, including economic opportunity, education, health, and physical autonomy.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-referenced with POLS 285  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 290 - The Psychology of Women

    Examines psychological theories and research about women and gender. Discusses similarities as well as gender differences and the multiple causes for those differences. Explores the ways in which ethnicity, class and sexual orientation interact with gender in the U.S.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with PSY 290  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23004, 23005

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 291 - Sociology of Sexualities

    See SOC 290  for course description.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 290  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    20078

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 298 - Fashioning Selves: Performing Identity in Dress

    See THEA 298  for course description.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with THEA 298 .
  

  • WGS 298 - Global Motherhood

    Designed in a reproductive justice framework, Global Motherhood draws on insights from gender studies, history, cultural anthropology and medical anthropology to explore the ways in which motherhood is theorized and experienced by parents who identify as mothers in distinct cultures, countries, and centuries. In the course students will explore diverse experiences of family formation, pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, and approaches to child-rearing and meet mothers from different cultures (in person and/or via Zoom visits to the classroom) to learn about their experiences first hand. This course will be of particular interest to students in Public Health, Pre-Health, WGS, Anthropology, and Nursing.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is cross listed with ANTH 298 Global Motherhood.

    Area
    Social Science 

    Division
    Social Science 

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  
  

  • WGS 298 - Masculinities

    This course surveys the meaning(s) of “masculinity” as this concept has developed in the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly (but not only) in the United States.  In so doing, the class seeks to understand how a bundle of disparate forces, values, and norms came to be associated with this term, such that it could be mobilized to justify and/or buttress a wide range of power structures in our society.  The course then considers what resources exist within the concept of masculinity - or what resources could be added to it - to better understand, critique, and ameliorate these power structures.  WGS 298 thus engages students with questions and texts that explore how social structures systematically advantage and reward some groups and disadvantage others, and the way that individuals and groups have reinforced, resisted, modified, and challenged these structures.  It also explores disparities in access, opportunities, or benefits of natural, cultural, social, legal, political, and economic structures, systems or institutions.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Science 

    Division
    Social Sciences 

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 298 - Power, Sex, Gender and Global Health

    Inequality shapes the ways that world health issues are experienced by individuals and communities across cultures.  This course focuses on (1) how unequal access to power shapes reproductive health, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and other forms of gender-based health disparities; and (2). how power imbalances shapes the knowledge produced in the growing field of global health. The course will provide students with a survey of the ways gender shapes global health issues whilst also focusing their attention on the cultures implicit in medicine and public health regimes.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Last offered Spring 2018
  

  • WGS 298 - Sociology of Militarism: Race, Gender, Class and US Empire

    See SOC 298  for course description.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 298  
  

  • WGS 298/398 - Global Motherhood

    Designed in a reproductive justice framework, Global Motherhood draws on insights from gender studies, history, cultural anthropology and medical anthropology to explore the ways in which motherhood is theorized and experienced by parents who identify as mothers in distinct cultures, countries, and centuries. In the course students will explore diverse experiences of family formation, pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, and approaches to child-rearing and meet mothers from different cultures (in person and/or via Zoom visits to the classroom) to learn about their experiences first hand. Final applied group projects will connect students to issues of importance to a group of mothers. This course will be of particular interest to students in Public Health, Pre-Health, WGS, Anthropology, and Nursing. The course will meet requirements for Taylor and Lane, Structures of Power and Inequality, and/or Global Honors.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is cross listed with ANTH 298/398 Global Motherhood .  It is offered at both the 200 and 300-level. 

    Division
    Social Sciences 

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 299 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 1
  

  • WGS 301 - Fashion, Sex and the City

    What is fashion? Is it just about clothing and appearances? How does fashion relate to material culture, art, politics, ideology? How has Italy contributed to the development of the fashion system? What is the origin of the “Made in Italy” and how did it transform the country into a global economic powerhouse? In order to answer these questions, “Fashion, Sex and the City” explores the development of fashion in Italy between the 14th and the 21st centuries, highlighting the links between clothing, gender and urban development; appearance, eroticism and morality; the fashion industry, national identity and globalization. (Taught in English)

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course taught in English.  Cross-listed with ITAS 310  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities
  

  • WGS 310 - Gender, Race, and Nation

    This is a course on feminist epistemology. It examines how various forms of feminist knowledge are constructed and deconstructs notions such as “woman,” gender, gender oppression, patriarchy, women’s liberation, women’s rights and sisterhood. The course examines contentious debates about and among Western, Third World, global, postcolonial, poststructural and transnational feminisms.

    Prerequisites
    Two courses in either Women and Gender Studies and/or Sociology

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 310  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23006

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Social Science
  

  • WGS 311 - Violence against Women

    This seminar explores the nature of violence against women, focusing on current research on woman battering, rape, child sexual abuse and pornography. Students will compare theoretical approaches and will critically examine empirical research. The impact of race, ethnicity and class on the abuse experience are considered. A major part of the seminar involves original research by students on an issue of their choice. The semester will culminate in a symposium on violence against women organized by seminar members.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ANTH 311  and SOC 311  

    Permission of Instructor

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 312 - Feminist Theory

    This advanced-level course is designed to explore in depth many of the theoretical frameworks and methodological issues that are touched upon in women’s studies and gender-balanced courses. The course focuses on historical and contemporary writings from a range of perspectives, including liberal feminism, radical feminism, socialist feminism and postmodernism. Special topics such as racism, lesbianism and international women’s issues are also examined.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Open to Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. Cross-listed with PHIL 312  and ENG 312  

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23005

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 317 - Queer Theory

    Developed partly in response to the AIDS epidemic and to make sense of the continued marginalization of people who were not heterosexual, queer theory is a field of inquiry aimed at understanding difference and inequality. The central subjects of queer theory are people marginalized due to their gender or sexuality. Queer theory also asks how “queer” can help us understand a broad range of stigmatized differences: as resistance to the “normal.” This course examines both the intellectual roots of queer theory and its branches into areas like transgender studies, disability studies, and more.

    Prerequisites
    One WGS course or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 317  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 320 - Race, Gender and Poverty

    See SOC 320  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    Open to Juniors and Seniors or by Permission of Instructor`

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 320  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 324 - The 18th Century Novel

    Before the 18th century, novels in English did not exist. By the end of the 18th century, however, many cultural figures worried about the seemingly obsessive novel reading that was going on among young (particularly female) readers. This course will examine what changed between 1700 and 1800 to make the novel the most important genre of English literature. We will explore the novel as a historical and literary phenomenon. We will see the many ways that the novel answered the grand social and cultural questions which dominated the 18th century. What is the difference between men and women? What makes a human life worthwhile? How should I relate to my family and loved ones? What makes a story seem truthful or false? By reading the prose of Defoe, Haywood, Richardson, Fielding, Sterne, Burney and Austen, we shall find out.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ENG 325  

    Compass Attributes
    Structure/Power/Inequality, Global Honors
  

  • WGS 325 - Early Modern Feminism: Spain and the New World

    The history of women in Golden Age Spain is a largely untapped field. In early modern Spain, church and state, helped by the powerful Inquisition, promptly extended their dominance from the control of basic expression of faith to the domain of daily life, of personal privacy, and inside this sphere, sexual behaviors. Women were not spared in this general domestication of minds and bodies. On the contrary, in this patriarchal and catholic society all eyes were focused on their writings, talk, body and its image, sexuality, and faith, even their dreams and visions.  In this course we will examine the position of women in religious, political, literary, and economic life. Drawing on both historical and literary approaches we will challenge the portrait of Spanish women as passive and marginalized, showing that despite forces working to exclude them, women in Golden Age Spain influenced religious life and politics and made vital contributions to economic and cultural life.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with HISP 320  

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language, Global Honors, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 326 - Queer Politics and Hispanisms

    This course will provide a framework to study the historical and theoretical foundations of queer theory and queer activism. We will explore how queer theory problematizes stable identities in Latin American, Latin@ and Iberian cultures. We will discuss what happens when people challenge or refuse normativized sexuality and gender categories and look at how queer citizens are caught within the processes of nationalism, neocolonialism, globalization and neoliberalism. We will start the semester reading canonical texts by Michel Foucault, Teresa de Lauretis, Eve Sedgwick, Judith Butler, Gayle Rubin, Judith Halberstam or Gloria Anzaldúa that will help us understand the interdisciplinary scholarship that we will explore during the second half of the semester. The second part of the course will address the question of queerness by analyzing literature, film and cultural products focusing primarily on explicit representation of LGBTQ characters and communities in Latin American, Latin@ and Iberian cultures.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course taught in English.  Cross-listed with HISP 325  

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    20058, 23003, 23006

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language, Global Honors, Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 331 - Other Voices, Other Stories: Great Works by Women from France and the Francophone World

    In this course we study novels and short stories by contemporary women writers whose work defies traditional literary forms and introduces new modes of expression, whether as narrative experiments, figures of discourse or alternative texts” the body, for example, as metaphor or “text.” We explore how these writers respond to marginalization, subjugation or oppression through literature and how their stories operate on a political level. The course begins with a short introduction to French feminist theory. Authors may include Cixous, Leclerc, Duras, Letessier, Ernaux, Djébar, Tadjo, Bâ, Sow Fall. 

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Before enrolling in a 300-level course, students should have completed at least two of the required courses at the 200-level (FR 235, FR 236, and FR 245).  Prerequisites may be waived by the instructor for students with special preparation.  Course taught in French.  Cross-listed with FR 331  

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23006

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Global Honors, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 341 - Sex and Culture in the 19th Century U.S.

    Examines the history of thinking about the nature and meaning of sexuality, with particular attention to the religious, medical, psychiatric and sexological discourses in the United States and Europe; popular responses to these discourses; and the changing boundaries between “normality” and “deviance.”

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with HIST 341  

    Area
    History

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 343 - Fictions of the Modern

    See ENG 343  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    Open to Seniors, Juniors and Sophomores who have taken ENG 290 or by Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ENG 343  
  

  • WGS 344 - Medieval Sex, Gender & Body

    This class explores how historians study sex, gender, and the body in medieval Europe and Byzantium, especially in religious contexts. We will focus on historiography and methodology through topics such as the role of women, manipulation of bodies by torture and asceticism, and blurring of traditional gender lines through same-sex relations, cross-dressing and castration.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Open to Juniors and Seniors or by Permission of Instructor. Cross-listed with HIST 344  

    Area
    History

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor & Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 345 - Queer Cinema

    What does mean to “queer” a film? How have LGBTQ+ artists created space for themselves in Hollywood? The seminar will focus on queer cinema, with the goal of exploring how US film shapes perceptions of sexual and gendered identities (particularly at the intersection with other forms of difference including race, class, region, and disability). The class will be organized chronologically, moving from classical Hollywood cinema through queer representation in a post-marriage equality world. Queer theory, critical race theory, and feminist readings will be interwoven through the course, and texts examined will range from Paris is Burning to Moonlight.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with FNMS 345 Queer Cinema  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • WGS 350 - The Social Life of Gender

    See ANTH 350  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    ANTH 102  or WGS 101  

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ANTH 350  

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23006

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 356 - The Ancient Romance

    See CLAS 256   for course description.  Students at the 300 level will do extra reading, writing and research in projects directed by the instructor.

    Prerequisites
    Open to Greek Latin and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Ancient Studies Majors or by Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1
  

  • WGS 366 - Gender, Power and the Gods

    See GLAM 366  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    Open only to Greek Latin and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Studies or Women’s and Gender Studies Majors or by Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with GLAM 366  
  

  • WGS 370 - Contemporary Women Writers of the Hispanic World

    This course introduces the students to the study of narrative written by contemporary Spanish women authors from the end of the Civil War (1939) to the present. We will approach the texts from a dual perspective. On the one hand, we will analyze the works in their socio-political and cultural context. On the other hand, we will study the works at the textual level, i.e., analyzing the text itself, its trends and its main elements: plot, themes, characters, techniques, narrative voices and the reader’s role in the work.

    Prerequisites
    HISP 240  or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with HISP 370  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Foreign Language

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language, Humanities
  

  • WGS 371 - Women at Work: Art History and Feminism

    This course considers the ways feminist scholarship has transformed the discipline of art history, examining the rediscovery of exceptional women artists from the 1970s onward, as well as recent feminist critics’ efforts to redefine the structure of the field. Students exam­ine two overlapping categories of work; the production of women artists and patrons, and the textual contributions of feminist scholars and critics. The rationale for this new course is to strengthen the department’ ties to women’ studies and to broaden the theoretical focus of the history of art major.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ARTH 370  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 372 - Masculinity and American Art

    See ARTH 371  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    One 200-level History of Art course or higher or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ARTH 371  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts  and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 374 - Black in Berlin

    On a map of contemporary Berlin, Germany, we find a subway station called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and a street named after Jesse Owens. Owens upset Nazi theories of white physical superiority by winning four gold medals for the U.S. in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Berlin reflects African American history in these and many more historical, political and cultural traces. This seminar will compare the troubled histories of the U.S. and Germany as we investigate the very different, but interwoven, changing definitions of, and expectations for, race, gender and identity. We will begin by considering Berlin as an unexpected place of openness and opportunity for African Americans, as it was here that W.E.B. DuBois analyzed race not as a biological but as a social phenomenon. We will continue to the deadly racial catastrophes of the early twentieth century and the changing social and economic climates of both countries. We will continue the course with the ecstatic German welcome of presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 and the hope for a new post- racial era. Our final weeks will examine present day Afro-German culture. Questions of gender and intersectionality infuse every topic of Black in Berlin, from the first readings on Colonialism to the last week on contemporary Afro-German culture.

    Through film, music, fiction, art, essays, newspapers and interviews we will discuss the following topics:

    ·       German colonialism in Africa

    ·       German universities and black intellectuals

    ·       19th & 20th century travel and expat communities

    ·       Jesse Owens and the black athlete in Germany

    ·       American G.I.s in Germany after WWII

    ·       Audre Lorde’s Berlin Years

    ·       Obama in Berlin 2008

    ·       Contemporary German hip-hop & rap

    This course is cross listed with GER 370 Black in Berlin  .

    Prerequisites
    GER 240 Advanced German  or Permission of Instructor.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with GER 370 .  Course taught in German.

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West, Foreign Language

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Foreign Language
  

  • WGS 376 - Literary and Cultural Theory

    See ENG 376  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    Two courses in English Literature or Permission of Instructor.  Open to Junior and Seniors

    Credits 1
  

  • WGS 377 - Feminist Criticism

    See ENG 377  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    Two courses in literature and/or Women’s and Gender Studies.  Open to Juniors and Seniors only

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ENG 377  

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23005

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 384 - Women in Russian Culture Advanced

    See RUSS 284  for course description.

    Prerequisites
    Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course taught in English.  Cross-listed with RUSS 384 . 

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23020

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • WGS 386 - Young Adult Literature

    What is Young Adult literature? Is it anything written for young people (aged 12 to 17? 10 to 25?) or is it literature appropriated by the young? Is it characteristically edgy? hopeful? defined by power relations? by abjection? Can it be canonical? What counts as a crossover novel? … In addition to grappling with criticism and theory, we’ll explore a wide range of literature for young adults, including science fiction, graphic fiction, poetry, and realistic fiction. The works address such topics as sex, love, LGBTQ, racism, violence, rape, the media, incest, history, hope, despair. Students will write frequently and create an online anthology.

    Prerequisites
    At least one English course at the 200-level or above or one Education course

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with ENG 386  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Writing
  

  • WGS 398 - Global Motherhood

    Designed in a reproductive justice framework, Global Motherhood draws on insights from gender studies, history, cultural anthropology and medical anthropology to explore the ways in which motherhood is theorized and experienced by parents who identify as mothers in distinct cultures, countries, and centuries. In the course students will explore diverse experiences of family formation, pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, and approaches to child-rearing and meet mothers from different cultures (in person and/or via Zoom visits to the classroom) to learn about their experiences first hand. This course will be of particular interest to students in Public Health, Pre-Health, WGS, Anthropology, and Nursing.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is cross listed with ANTH 398 Global Motherhood.

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 398 - Reproductive Justice

    This special topics seminar, which will run concurrently with the WGS senior capstone seminar, will examine feminist scholarship and activism around issues of reproductive justice in the U.S.: abortion, contraception, and freedom from reproductive control. The course will consider major court cases impacting abortion and contraception (including Dobbs, Roe, and Griswold), as well as how the movement for reproductive justice intersects with movements for racial justice and disability rights in the U.S.

    Prerequisites
    Any Sociology or Women’s and Gender Studies course. 

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Social Science 

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • WGS 398 - Women in Film

    This course is formulated around paradoxes: it will trouble the category of “woman,” while also analyzing key areas in which gender identity has affected the film industry: the representation of women, women filmmakers (cis, trans, non-binary, and otherwise self-identifying), and feminist film theory. Students will watch films from Rear Window and Daughters of the Dust to The Witch and Legally Blonde, with the goal of illuminating how the idea of “woman” is constructed on film and how audiences engage, reshape, and elaborate on that construction in their everyday lives. 

    Prerequisites
    Students are strongly encouraged to have taken either FNMS 258, WGS 101 or WGS 102 prior to taking this course.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course is cross-listed with FNMS 398 Women in Film  
  

  • WGS 399 - Independent Study

    Advanced students, in consultation with an instructor, may arrange to pursue independent study on topics not covered by the regular course offerings.

    Credits 1
 

Page: 1 <- Back 10 … 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14