Program Details : University Catalogs : University of Minnesota

WS 1000 - Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (LE CAT, LECD C, CULT D, SOC SCI, CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall & Spring

Introduction to discipline of Women's Studies - key concept, issues, and debates. Examination of the interaction of gender with class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, and geographic location; and the way each of these is socialized. Examination of historical and current national and transnational issues as they relate to women and gender, and of the institutions that shape and impact women and gender roles and relations, including academia. Critical analysis skills.

WS 2101 - Women, Race, and Class (LE CAT8, LECD CAT08, SOC SCI, CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall & Spring

Racism, sexism, and classism are major factors which have influenced human relations from past to present. This course examines how the social-historical construction of race, class and gender continues to affect the experience of all people in particular people of color. This course seeks to enable students to understand the processes through which these social oppressions are created, normalized, internalized, maintained and perpetuated. A core element to this course is provoking students to recognize their own contribution in perpetuating oppressive systems, and their responsibility creatively to develop individual and collective acts of resistance to all of the "isms" and to societal transformation towards the just society.

WS 2001 - Introduction to Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Studies (LE CAT8, LECD CAT08, CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall

Examines identity politics, LGBT popular media images and analysis, birth and history of LGBT social movement and intersections with other social movements, HIV/AIDS, policy/legislative issues especially immigration, marriage, adoption, and U.S. military policy; all with international comparative analysis. prereq: credit will not be granted if already received for CST 2001

WS 3000 - Transnational Perspectives on Feminism (SOC SCI, GLOBAL PER)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Examination of feminist movements worldwide. Focuses on feminist theories and research, and feminist non-governmental organization in a transnational perspective, and specifically on the effects of and resistance to such realities as racism, neo-colonialism, nationalism, imperialism, militarization, globalization, poverty, war, reproductive control, and violence against women in its many manifestations. prereq: 1000 or 2101 or instructor consent

WS 3001 - Gender Relations in the Global South (GLOBAL PER)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall & Spring

Using comparative historical, political, socioeconomic and feminist perspectives this course critically examines how factors such as colonialism, imperialism, and globalization continue to impact, construct, and reconstruct gender relations in post-colonial cultures with adverse consequences for women in Third World countries. It also examines how conditions in Third World countries are shaped by global economic systems, which lead to massive migrations of Third World women into the United States. It critically evaluate the concepts of universal subordination, particularly, a consciousness which categories women in the Global South as "overall victims," the other, or exotic.

WS 3002 - Latin American Women: Culture and Politics

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Spring

Examination of contemporary economic and socio-political issues affecting Latin American women. prereq: 1000 or 2101 or instructor consent

WS 3100 - Feminist Thought (HUMANITIES, CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall

Examination and analysis of central ideas and concepts within diverse feminist theories - liberal, socialist, radical, multicultural, postcolonial, ecofeminist, lesbian, maternalist, and others - historical and contemporary. Theoretical debates surrounding issues of the bases of women's liberation and oppression; the nature and construction of gender, sexuality, and the body; feminist epistemologies; and ethical issues within feminism. prereq: 1000 or 2101, 45 cr or instructor consent

WS 3150 - Women-Identified Culture (CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Spring

Chronological survey introducing a relatively new body of knowledge in women's studies about lesbian cultures. Lesbian studies in literature, history, law, sociology, aesthetics, and philosophy; international perspectives.

WS 3156 - Feminist Research Methods Across Disciplines

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

This course seeks to assess knowledge-generating strategies, analysis and gendering of methods, how methods impact outcomes and develop critical awareness in doing research. This interdisciplinary course provides opportunities to practice and understand the advantages and disadvantages of multiple research methods; how research is positioned within the intersectionality of social, cultural, historical and political contexts that conditions the process of knowledge formation; and what makes a research feminist, queer, postcolonial, postmodern, and anti-racist.

WS 3200 - Women's Autobiographies (GLOBAL PER)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Women's self-concepts as expressed in autobiographical writings. Meanings women give their lives as women; impact of race and class; choices for artistic, political, intellectual, and/or private lives. Autobiographical techniques and style.

WS 3300 - Women and Spirituality (HUMANITIES, CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Fall Odd Year

Issues of spirituality, particularly as they relate to women, but inclusive of all genders. Examination of the impact of gender on spirituality, as well as the nature of women's diverse spiritual experiences, practices, and paths. Non-sectarian, though inclusive of multicultural religious traditions, goddess, Jungian, and earth-based perspectives. The course includes conceptual and textual analyses, as well experiential learning and practices.

WS 3350 - Women and the Law (CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Examination of how U.S. laws have and continue to affect women's and men's lives on the basis of gender, with particular attention to their impact on women. Examination of current legal issues, including gender equity in education and employment, marriage and family relationship's violence against women, and reproductive issues. Feminist jurisprudence, evaluation, and analysis of the laws from various feminist perspectives.

WS 3400 - Women and Film (GLOBAL PER)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer

American and foreign films screened, analyzed, and reviewed from a feminist perspective. Role of women in history, economics, and politics of filmmaking.

WS 3595 - Special Topics: (Various Titles to be Assigned)

Credits:	3.0 [max 9.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Topics that fall outside current curriculum. Topic announced before course is offered.

WS 3600 - Ecofeminism: Theories and Sustainable Practices (SUSTAIN)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Spring Even Year

In-depth study of ecofeminist theories that explore the interlocking oppressions of women, the earth/nature/other animals, and colonized Others. Scientific, economic, religious, philosophical issues examined. Applied ecofeminist analysis of individual, local, regional, national and transnational ethical, social and environmental issues, such as food and farming, animals, toxins, birthing and reproductive technologies, water quality, and privatization, etc. prereq: 1000 or 2101 or instructor consent

WS 3750 - Voices of African Women (GLOBAL PER)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Spring

This course critically examines African women's daily-lived experiences. It explores the impact of global, historic, economic, and political forces, such as colonialism, neocolonialism, and current globalization impacts on their lives. This course studies the challenges of universalizing Western feminism, as a panacea to Africa women's problems. Using African eyes through African voices in texts, novels films photograph and living history, African women will be studies as knowing subject, social actors, and change agents but not as universal victims. Differences between women on the basis of class, ethnicity, religion, age sexuality, rural/urban residence, levels of education and marital status will be examined. The course will explore the rich diversity of African cultures, peoples, and natural resources. It will answer such important question as Why are African women portrayed as the poorest of the poor, victims of their cultures, traditions and African male sexism?

WS 3775 - Gender, Globalization and Food (SUSTAIN)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered:	Periodic Spring

This course offers a critical feminist examination of the impact of globalization and economic restructuring on the tangled roots and route of women's work in the food chain in both the First World and Global South. The course also offers firsthand experiences by visiting origins of food, small and large-scale farms, community gardens, organic food stores and large corporate food chain stores as well as preparing meals from ingredients that students select based on tastes and affordability. Additionally, the course brings globalization to our doorsteps through meals that students prepare and serve by answering the question What is on your plate for dinner, lunch, or breakfast, and from what countries and whose labor? Finally, the course offers in-depth analysis of the processes through which current corporate industrial mega farms lead to hunger and water famine, environmental degradation and poor health, not only the Third World but also in the First World.

WS 3800 - Feminist Activism and Community Organizing

Credits:	4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Spring

In-depth exploration of feminist activism from practical, scholarly and historical perspectives. Integration of theory and practice on local, national and international levels. History of feminist movement, and skills, strategies, and resources for effective feminist community organizing. Understand and participate in coalition building, nonviolent communication, cross-cultural dialogue, public policy process, feminist leadership skills. Field work component. prereq: 1000 or 2101

WS 4000 - Seminar

Credits:	4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Spring

Senior capstone project, as well as examination and application of feminist inquiry and research methodologies. Seminar topic varies, to be determined by students in seminar and/or instructor. prereq: 1000, 2101, 3100, 15 cr WS or WS-related courses, WS major or minor, or instructor consent

WS 5595 - Special Topics: (Various Titles to Be Assigned)

Credits:	3.0 [max 6.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Advanced topics that fall outside current curriculum. Topic announced before course is offered. prereq: 90 cr or grad student or instructor consent

WS 3080 - Cultural Constructions of the Body

Credits:	4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:	ANTH 3080/WS 3080
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall & Spring

Contemporary cultural constructions of the human body. How biology and culture intersect in body building, menstruation, childbirth, and tattooing. Students gain skills in reading the body as social text and learn core theoretical approaches to cultural studies of the body. prereq: minimum 30 credits or instructor consent

ANTH 3080 - Cultural Constructions of the Body

Credits:	4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:	ANTH 3080/WS 3080
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall & Spring

Contemporary cultural constructions of the human body. How biology and culture intersect in body building, menstruation, childbirth, and tattooing. Students gain skills in reading the body as social text and learn core theoretical approaches to cultural studies of the body. prereq: minimum 30 credits or instructor consent

WS 3455 - American Indian Women (CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	AMIN 3450/WS 3455
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Spring

Native women are powerful and influential members of their communities both historically and in the present. By analyzing memoirs, autobiographies, documentaries, and a variety of secondary sources, students gain an understanding of the diverse experiences, contributions, and roles of Native women in both the past and the present. pre-req: minimum 30 credits

AMIN 3450 - American Indian Women (CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	AMIN 3450/WS 3455
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Spring

Native women are powerful and influential members of their communities both historically and in the present. By analyzing memoirs, autobiographies, documentaries, and a variety of secondary sources, students gain an understanding of the diverse experiences, contributions, and roles of Native women in both the past and the present. prereq: minimum 30 credits

WS 3628 - Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	ANTH 3628/WS 3628
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Cross-cultural survey of gender systems, focusing on contemporary women's lives around the world. prereq: minimum 30 credits

ANTH 3628 - Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	ANTH 3628/WS 3628
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Cross-cultural survey of gender systems, focusing on contemporary women's lives around the world. prereq: minimum 30 credits

WS 4323 - Women and Justice

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	CRIM 4323/WS 4323
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Women's involvement in the civil and criminal justice systems, both historic and contemporary, primarily in the United States. Attention given to women as criminal and civil defendants, issues of women's civil rights, and to women practitioners within each system. Intersection of social class, gender and race/ethnicities. prereq: ANTH 1604 or CRIM 1301 or SOC 1101 or WS 1000 and 60 credits, or instructor consent; no grad credit

CRIM 4323 - Women and Justice

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	CRIM 4323/WS 4323
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Women's involvement in the civil and criminal justice systems, both historic and contemporary, primarily in the United States. Attention given to women as criminal and civil defendants, issues of women's civil rights, and to women practitioners within each system. Intersection of social class, gender and race/ethnicities. prereq: ANTH 1604 or CRIM 1301 or SOC 1101 or WS 1000 and 60 credits, or instructor consent; no grad credit

WS 4925 - Sociology of Rape

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	Soc 4925/WS 4925
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Spring & Summer

Social, moral, and legal definitions and implications of rape. prereq: ANTH 1604 or CRIM 1301 or SOC 1101 or WS 1000 and 60 cr earned, or instructor consent

SOC 4925 - Sociology of Rape

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	Soc 4925/WS 4925
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Spring & Summer

Social, moral, and legal definitions and implications of rape. prereq: ANTH 1604 or CRIM 1301 or SOC 1101 or WS 1000 and 60 cr earned, or instructor consent

WS 4947 - Sociology of Gender

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	Soc 4947/WS 4947
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Status and experiences in society through the exploration of gender identities, systems, and social structures. Topics include politics, discrimination, family, education, workplace, popular culture, and changing definitions of gender. Emphasis on the expectations and performance of masculinity/femininity and the intersection of gender, race, and class. Some consideration given to global explorations and international comparisons. prereq: 1101 or CRIM 1301 or ANTH 1604 or WS 1000 and min 60 cr, or instructor consent

SOC 4947 - Sociology of Gender

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	Soc 4947/WS 4947
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Status and experiences in society through the exploration of gender identities, systems, and social structures. Topics include politics, discrimination, family, education, workplace, popular culture, and changing definitions of gender. Emphasis on the expectations and performance of masculinity/femininity and the intersection of gender, race, and class. Some consideration given to global explorations and international comparisons. prereq: 1101 or CRIM 1301 or ANTH 1604 or WS 1000, min 60 cr or instructor consent

WS 3891 - Independent Study

Credits:	1.0 -3.0 [max 6.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall, Spring & Summer

Directed readings, research, and/or projects on topics of interest to the student not covered in regular course offerings. Students contract with an individual faculty member. prereq: 1000 or 2101, instructor consent

WS 3897 - Internship

Credits:	1.0 -9.0 [max 9.0]
Grading Basis:	S-N or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall, Spring & Summer

Work in public agency, private organization, or service agency offering practical application of women's studies theories and/or experience not available in classroom. Students must contract with an individual faculty member and with a site supervisor, set goals, fulfill requirements for credit earned, and submit written and oral evaluations of experience. Consult the Women's Studies website and internship Moodle site for information on local agencies and internship requirements and forms. prereq: 1000, 2101, 3100, 15 cr WS or WS-related courses, WS major or minor, 53 cr, instructor consent

WS 5897 - Teaching Internship

Credits:	1.0 -2.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis:	S-N only
Typically offered:	Periodic Fall & Spring

Practical experience assisting in teaching a course within the program. Before interning for a WS course, students must obtain a grade of at least a B+ in the course they are requesting to assist. prereq: instructor consent

WS 5991 - Independent Study

Credits:	1.0 -3.0 [max 6.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F only
Typically offered:	Every Fall, Spring & Summer

Readings, research, and/or projects on topics concerning women and women's issues. prereq: 90 cr or graduate student; instructor consent

ARTH 3140 - Women in Art/Visual Culture in Latin America

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Fall Even Year

This course focuses on representations of women and by women in the art and visual culture of Mexico and other Latin American countries, examining the many ways in which the image of female body in Latin America has been used to construct and typify regional understandings of gender, class, racial, and national identities. Distinguishing between women as subject matter and women as producers of art, we will also look to female artists in the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries to investigate how they might be engaging with and/or critiquing traditional iconographical representations.

HLTH 3118 - Women's Health Issues

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall & Spring

Survey of American women's health issues. Role of women as patients and as health care providers. Language, politics, and economics of women's health care. Comparison of American women's health status to that of women around the world. prereq: Minimum 30 credits

LGBT 3000 - Queer Theory

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall

This course introduces students to the fundamental and current issues in queer theory. Students in this course will learn how the field emerged from LGBTQ studies and feminist theory, as well as how theorists reclaimed the pejorative term 'queer' to describe marginalized ways of knowing and being. Students in this class will investigate key concepts in gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, allied and intersex studies; performativity; critical theory; poststructuralism; and feminism. prereq: WS 1000 or CST 2001

LGBT 3151 - Queer Cinema in International Perspective (GLOBAL PER)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Spring Even Year

This course offers an investigation of feature films and documentaries about lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transvestites, transgender and intersex individuals in international, primarily European and American, and historical perspective. pre-req: WS 1000 or instructor consent

LGBT 3152 - History of the International Homosexual Rights Movement (1895 - present) (GLOBAL PER)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall

This course introduces students to the long winding road toward the emancipation of sexual outsiders (homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transvestites, intersex, and transgender individuals) worldwide. prereq: WS 1000 or CST 2001 or instructor consent

LGBT 3153 - Queer Media (CDIVERSITY)

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Spring

This course explores the varied terrain of new media - including digital, print, and broadcast platforms - from a queer perspective, that asks, "How queer is it?" Using theoretical and representational strategies from queer studies, media studies, feminist analysis, literary analysis, and cinema studies, along with foundational critiques of issues related to class, race, gender, and sexuality, this course investigates techniques for 'reading for the queer' in contemporary media. Because the course focuses on academic analysis, it does not require students (or texts) to maintain a queer identity or to claim membership in an LGBTQ community. prereq: WS 1000 or CST 2001

POL 3040 - Women and Politics

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Periodic Spring

Women's political status; implications of women's role in political process; women as political actors; feminist critique and vision of politics. prereq: 30 earned or in-progress credits or instructor consent

PSY 3215 - Topics in Human Sexuality

Credits:	3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:	Psy 3215/3216
Grading Basis:	A-F or Aud
Typically offered:	Every Fall & Spring

Biological and psychosocial factors relating to human sexuality, sexual functioning, gender, and related issues. Group discussion of societal factors, values, and attitudes and their impact on behavior. prereq: 1003 or instructor consent

University Catalogs

Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor