Women's Studies Core Courses

• Introduction to Women's Studies (WS 140) 
  Introduces some key issues in contemporary Women's Studies and  provides a starting vocabulary and background in the field.  Because Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary field, readings come from a number of different areas, including literature, history, philosophy, psychology, and sociology.
  
• Feminist Inquiry (WS 240) 
  What makes research succeed or fail? How can a study achieve significant results while upholding feminist and professional values? This course offers hands-on experience and practice with various methods of research in the interdisciplinary field of Women’s Studies. By applying a variety of methods and strategies themselves in exercises that will be presented and critiqued with a workshop format, and by reading and discussing examples of excellent and innovative women’s studies research, students will acquaint themselves with both the practical details and the ethical issues involved. Applicable to many majors and many careers, this course prepares students to write senior theses in Women’s Studies and in other departments.
• Queer Theory, Queer Lives (WS 250)
  An interdisciplinary exploration of the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and intersexed people. Examines scholarly and activist definitions of sexual identity, especially as these have intersected with race, class, gender, ethnicity, and age, and discusses the ways sexual desire often escapes, complicates, or is “mismatched” with, fixed gender roles and dominant cultural categories. .
  
• Women of Color in the U.S. (WS 260)   
  Draws on the disciplines of history, sociology, anthropology and literary study to offer an in-depth look at the experiences of various ethnic groups (e.g., African-American, Native American, Asian); issues facing women of color in the U.S. today (e.g., culture, the body, family, work); and theory.  The class involves frequent writing (formal and informal), including a research paper, and in-class presentations.
  
• Feminist Theory (WS 340)
  Focuses on contemporary feminist thought.  Throughout the semester, students emphasize the relationship between feminist theory and feminist practice and ways in which feminism changes our fundamental understanding of the world.
  
• Topics in Women's Studies (WS 370)
  An interdisciplinary exploration of a particular theme, area, or period, with respect to the issues of women and gender.  Topics have included Political Economy of Women and Women and Global Change.
  
• Independent Study (WS 390)
  Independent study.
  
• Women's Studies Senior Thesis (WS 440)
  Required of all Women's Studies majors.  Students design and carry out an original, interdisciplinary project or paper on a Women's Studies topic.  The thesis is directed by the Women's Studies director or other designated faculty member, and the candidate is interviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of three professors.
  
• First-Year Seminar  (WS 197)  
  A seminar focused on a theme related to the study of women.  (Open only to first-year students.)