Courses - WGSS Upper Division
General Education Category A must be completed prior to taking any upper division course except upper division language courses where students meet formal prerequisites and/or competency equivalent for advanced study.
300. Feminist Principles (3)
Prerequisites: ENGL 100 or GE Composition (Area A1) and upper division standing or consent of instructor.
Introduction to principles of feminist history, thought, theory, methodology, and current issues that emphasizes but is not limited to the United States.
Letter grade only (A-F).
301. Feminist Research Methods (3)
Prerequisites: Upper division standing and the completion of at least one other WGSS course.
Examines how feminist scholars frame and conduct research. Students explore feminist adaptations and critiques of traditional academic disciplines and design and conduct a research project using a range of bibliographic and research tools.
Letter grade only (A-F).
303. Queer Spirit (3)
Prerequisites: GE Foundations Completed, one or more Exploration classes completed, and upper division standing.
Queer written analysis of the integrated spiritual, psychological, social and physiological aspects of Abrahamic, Eastern, Indigenous, Neo-pagan, secular, and race/class/gender/nation/sexuality-defined spiritual and religious traditions.
Letter Grade Only (A-F), Same Course as RST 303, Not open for credit to students with credit in RST 303.
305. Feminist and Queer Arts and Cultures (3)
Upper-division status and students must have scored 11 or higher on the GWAR Placement Examination or successfully completed the necessary portfolio course that is a prerequisite for a GWAR Writing Intensive Capstone (subject to approval by the General Education Governing Committee (GEGC)).
Explores specific cultural and/or artistic expressions created by and for feminist and queer communities in both historical and contemporary contexts. Writing intensive.
307. U.S. Women and the Economy: Money, Sex, and Power (3)
Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirements, one or more Explorations courses, and upper division standing.
Interdisciplinary examination of the economic roles of women; analysis of the sexual division of labor and domestic work. Special focus on the origin, migration, settlement, and economic patterns of and problems facing US women from major ethnic and racial groups.
308. Women and the Law (3)
History of women's experience under the law; constitutional law; 19th amendment and ERA; equal protection issues; discrimination in employment; marriage and family law.
313. American Indian Genders and Sexualities (3)
Analysis of popular, feminist, queer and tribally specific theories and representations of American Indian genders and sexualities with a focus on literatures by American Indian women, men and two-spirit peoples.
Same course as AIS 313. Not open for credit to students with credit in AIS 313.
314. Women Narrate Their Lives (3)
Study of lives of a cross-section of women in U.S. from colonial era to present based on biographical and autobiographical sources.
315. Black Women in America (3)
Prerequisites: ENGL 100 or GE Composition (Area A1) and upper division standing or consent of instructor.
Examination of American black women from eighteenth century to present. Taught from interdisciplinary perspective and presented in their own voices.
Letter grade only (A-F).
316. Women in the History of U.S. Film (3)
History of women as they are represented, presented as images, or constructed in the development of U.S. film. Theory and analysis of film from a feminist perspective.
Same course as FEA 317. Not open for credit to students with credit in FEA 317.
318. U.S. Women of Color (3)
Prerequisites: ENGL 100 or GE Composition (Area A1) and upper division standing or consent of instructor.
Examines condition, position, experiences and accomplishments of U.S. women of color. Covers historical and contemporary issues using theoretical essays, personal narratives, historical documents, literature, and media images..
320. Latina Women in the United States (3)
Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor.
Examines cultural, political, economic, and sexual forces that mold Latina women. Focus on cultural stereotypes, class, gender identity, sexuality, and politics of race.
Same course as CHLS 415. Not open for credit to students with credit in CHLS 415.
325. Sociology of Gender (3)
A sociological analysis of social, political and economic status of women. Examines history of women's roles and status; gender conflicts and social movements; and societal attitudes towards women in society.
Same course as SOC 325. Not open for credit to students with credit in SOC 325.
339. Global Feminisms (3)
Prerequisites: GE Foundations
What kind of feminist movement is possible when women across the globe have such different visions of what it means to thrive? This course examines the lives, activism, and movements these different visions engender, arguing for solidarity across diversity. Same course as I/ST 339. Not open for credit to students with credit in I/ST 339.
Letter Grade Only (A-F).
356. Lesbian Histories and Culture (3)
Examination of lesbianism from psychological and historical perspectives; includes discussions of lesbianism in literature, representations of lesbianism in various media; the place of lesbianism in the politics of the women's movement and in gay liberation, and the development of "queer theory."
365. Popular Culture: Women, Gender and Sexuality (3)
Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirements, one or more Explorations courses, and upper division standing.
Analyzes the construction of images of women in popular culture. Discussion of theories of culture, gender and ideology. Analysis of film, advertising, magazines and popular fiction.
370. Masculinities (3)
Prerequisite: Upper-division status.
Students must have scored 11 or higher on the GWAR Placement Examination or successfully completed the necessary portfolio course that is a prerequisite for a GWAR Writing Intensive Capstone (subject to approval by the General Education Governing Committee (GEGC)).
This course focuses on understanding contemporary social and political issues in relation to masculinity. Thematic areas include: the social construction of masculinity, militarism, men and violence, sexuality, sports, work, media and masculinity, men and feminism, and possibilities for change. Upper-division status. Writing intensive.
375. Reproductive Justice (3)
Prerequisites: Upper-division status or instructor consent
Explores how race, class and sexuality intersect with political and socio-economic forces in shaping women's reproductive lives. Highlights how women have contested these forces to control their own reproductive lives.
382. Women and Literature (3)
Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirements.
Survey of literature by women authors writing in English, across a range of historical periods; examination of works in various genres that present complexity of women's lives and challenges of female authorship; exploration of feminist critical approaches.
Same course as ENGL 382. Not open for credit to students with credit in ENGL 382.
401. Bodies and Borders: Feminism and
Globalization (3)
Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirements, one or more Explorations courses, and upper division standing.
Covers feminist perspectives on contemporary globalization. Examines how we might imagine a more equitable world and why feminism should be concerned with global perspectives. Topics include colonialism, tourism, food production, women's labor, migration, militarism, and social movements.
402. Women in Political Theory (3)
Prerequisite: Upper-division status; completion of GE foundation; students must have scored 11 or higher on the GWAR Placement Examination or successfully completed the necessary portfolio course that is a prerequisite for a GWAR Writing Intensive Capstone.
Study of the evolution of feminist arguments in Western political thought and the process by which gender has come to be regarded as a critical category equal in importance to race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion.
Same course as POSC 401. Not open for credit to students with credit in POSC 401.
406. Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Asia (3)
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Exploration of gender history in Asia from prehistory to the present. Major themes include gender traditions, women’s contributions to social, cultural and political change, and the complex relationship between feminism and nationalism in the modern period.
Same courses as HIST 406 and A/ST 406A. Not open for credit to students with credit in A/ST 406A and HIST 406.
410. Women, Religion, and Spirituality (3)
Prerequisites: ENGL 100 or GE Composition (Area A1) and upper division standing, or consent of instructor.
Study of women as spiritual and religious beings responding to and coping with largely patriarchal religious doctrine. Examines socio-religious construction of women and women's religious experience from prehistory to present day. Focus on feminist transformations of religious traditions.
Same course as R/ST 410. Not open for credit to students with credit in R/ST 410.
415. Feminist Debates (3)
Prerequisites: WGSS 300 or consent of instructor.
Examines a variety of contemporary feminist theoretical perspectives, including liberal, radical, Marxist/socialist, psychoanalytic, existentialist and postmodernist, woman of color feminism, and ecofeminism. We highlight intersectional issues of gender and sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and nationality.
Letter grade only (A-F).
416. Queering Gender (3)
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Explores intellectual debates in the emergent field of queer theory, particularly as it connects to women's experiences and the politics of gender. Focuses on the intervention that queer theory seeks to make into heteronormative culture on all levels of social life.
417. Sexuality, Crime and Punishment (3)
Prerequisites: CRJU majors: A grade of "C" or better in CRJU 101, CRJU 110, CRJU 302, CRJU 303, and CRJU 304. All other majors: upper division standing and at least one other WGSS course, or consent of the instructor.
A transdisciplinary and critical examination of the accepted boundaries of human sexual behavior and opposing perspectives regarding the roles of criminal justice actors and institutions in regulating sex and sexuality, with special attention paid to sex-related crimes, offender and victims.
Same course as CRJU 461. Not open for credit to students with credit in CRJU 461.
420. Mothers and Daughters (3)
Analyzes how mothering is "reproduced" in daughters, and why/how patriarchal culture regulates the mother/daughter bond. Course materials include novels, film, and interdisciplinary theoretical works. Special emphasis on the mother/daughter relationship in a range of historical, racial, class and sexual contexts.
424. Women and Environmental Justice (3)
Prerequisites: GE Foundation requirements and upper division standing.
Examines complex relationship between women and nature and their treatment through 1) socio-religious ideologies, 2) international development, 3) environmental pollution, and 4) patterns of consumption and waste in industrialized nations. Third World feminists' insights largely frame the debate.
425. Women and Power (3)
Prerequisites: A previous WGSS class (WGSS 101, WGSS 102, or WGSS 300) and upper division standing or consent of instructor.
Examination of ways power has been defined, obtained, shaped and maintained, and effect this has historically had on women. Applies theory to contemporary issues affecting women and explores strategies for empowerment.
430. Women and Violence (3)
Women as victims and survivors of physical, psychological, and philosophical violence. Problems of rape, woman battering, incest, pornography and sexual harassment; examination of legal, religious and philosophical issues and alternatives for change.
432. Women in the City (3)
Examines the way women respond to urban environment, both literally and imaginatively. Special attention paid to sexual division of space, particular needs of immigrant and third world women, and utopian cities of sisterhood. Readings feature literary texts, augmented by an interdisciplinary range of theoretical and empirical studies of cities.
442. Sexing Chicana Literature (3)
Prerequisites: ENGL 100 or GE Composition (Area A1) and upper division standing or consent of instructor.
Analyzes how Chicana authors explore race, class, and gender. Focuses on use of sexuality, particularly with regard to cultural and literary stereotypes vs. experience and aesthetic practice. Themes will include desire, identity, empowerment through "traditional" roles, and violence and the body.
Same course as ENGL 442. Not open for credit to students with credit in ENGL 442.
445A. Latinas and Revolution: Central America and Late 20th Century Mexico (3)
Prerequisite/Corequisite: ENGL 100 or GE Composition (Area A1) and upper division standing or consent of instructor.
Examines how war and struggles for democracy shape the social consciousness and political activism of Latinas. Uses literature, film, history, and political theory to examine the role of violence in women's lives, community organizing, and the conceptualization of a pan-Latina feminist movement.
Letter grade only (A-F). Same course as CHLS 450A. Not open for credit to students with credit in CHLS 450A.
455. Philosophical Perspectives on Sex and Love (3)
Prerequisite: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor.
Philosophical perspectives on sex and love explores philosophical issues concerning sex, gender and love through readings and discussion of classical and contemporary philosophical sources. Topics such as sexual perversion, romantic love and gender discrimination are examined.
Same course as PHIL 455. Not open for credit to students with credit in PHIL 455.
462. Gender, Place and Culture (3)
Prerequisite: GEOG 360 or WGSS 300 or consent of instructor.
A human geography approach to examining intersections of gender, place and culture. Topics include: body spaces; geographies of sexualities; emotion, care and health; migration; environmental and social justice; feminist post-structural theories and philosophies; and feminist methodological approaches to geographic research.
Letter grade only (A-F). Same course as GEOG 462. Not open for credit to students with credit in GEOG 462.
475. Language and Gender in Cross-Cultural
Perspective (3)
Analysis of men's and women's communication in its social and cultural context; role of gender in interpreting conversational interactions in the U.S. and elsewhere; acquisition of gender differences; cultural dimensions or perceptions and stereotypes and their effect on communication.
Same course as ANTH 475, LING 470. Not open for credit to students with credit in ANTH 475 or LING 470.
485A. History of Women in the U.S. Early Period (3)
Prerequisite: GE Foundation requirements.
Survey of roles and activities of American women from colonial period to 1850, with focus on slavery, immigration, family, economy, law, and politics.
Same course as HIST 485A. Not open for credit to students with credit in HIST 485A.
485B. History of Women in the U.S. Since 1850 (3)
Prerequisite: GE Foundation requirements.
Changing roles and status of women in economic and social change; suffrage movement; women in union movement and WW II; the decade of the sixties and the "second wave" of feminism.
Same course as HIST 485B. Not open for credit to students with credit in HIST 485B.
490. Selected Topics in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (1-3)
Topics of current interest in women's studies, selected for intensive study.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.
492. Selected Topics in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (1-3)
Topics of current interest in women's studies, selected for intensive study.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units with different topics. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.
495. Senior Capstone Seminar (3)
Prerequisite: WGSS 301.
Capstone course intended to integrate the multidisciplinary body of knowledge accumulated in the major or minor.
496. Internship (3)
Prerequisites: Upper division standing and two prior women's studies courses, or consent of instructor.
Allows students opportunity to practice theories and knowledge gained as a result of studying women's issues. Students will work in community with agencies addressing women's issues.
498. Field Work (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Practical experience in campus or community organizations concerned with women's issues.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units.
499./599. Directed Studies (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Independent work in areas of special interest to student and instructor.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units.
