Women's Studies

(Program Homepage)

Faculty: I. Aures, T. Beauboeuf, M. Belyavski-Frank, J. Bruggemann, L. Elman, D. Geis, S. Hahn, K. Hall, J. Hollander, M. McInnes, D. Newman, B. O'Bannon, R. Schindler, B. Steinson, S. Tremblay, R. Upton, B. Whitehead, V. Ziegler

In the past 30 years, Women's Studies has produced a compelling body of interdisciplinary and multicultural scholarship that has challenged traditional interpretations of history, experience, culture and even science. Women's Studies courses (offered in 16 academic departments) encourage students -female as well as male -to reconsider the diversity of women's experiences in the past and the changing roles of women and men today. Women's Studies at DePauw offers outstanding opportunities to develop critical thinking, interpretive and writing skills as well as the cultural knowledge necessary for a liberal education. Many of the nation's finest graduate schools offer advanced degrees in Women's Studies. Women's Studies majors find employment in the same broad range of fields as do graduates of other liberal arts disciplines.

The Women's Studies major and minor offer students an opportunity to concentrate on an area of passionate interest while acquiring skills, and interrogating perspectives, from many different disciplines. Women's Studies majors complete an ambitious independent research project of their own design in the senior year.

Students may choose to major in Women's Studies, or simply to take one or more courses in the field. Many students begin with Introduction to Women's Studies (WS 140), but one can begin almost anywhere: there is a range of courses cross-listed with traditional departments from which to choose. For minors, Feminist Theory (WS 340) serves as the capstone experience.

Studying in an off-campus DePauw-sponsored or GLCA program, such as the Comparative Women's Studies Program in Europe, is encouraged for majors and minors. Appropriate courses from off-campus may be applied toward the minor or major upon approval by the director of Women's Studies.

Requirements for a major in Women's Studies

Total courses required Ten
Core courses WS 140, WS 240, WS 340, WS 440.
Other required courses The six remaining elective courses must be chosen from an approved list which currently includes but is not limited to: ANTH 255, ANTH 290*, ANTH 356, ANTH 390*, ANTH 452*, ARTH 235, ARTH 290, ARTH 390*, CLST 300*, COMM 450*, ECON 390*, ENG 155*, ENG 264, ENG 390*, ENG 391*, ENG 393*, ENG 394*, ENG 395*, ENG 461*, FREN 420*, GER 307, GER 412*, HIST 105*, HIST 225, HIST 277, HIST 278, HIST 290*, HIST 300*, HIST 351, HIST 375, KINS 266, MUS 390*, PHIL 209*, PHIL 242, POLS 390* , REL 290*, REL 320, REL 341, REL 370*, SOC 210, SOC 212, SOC 225, SOC 301*, SOC 333, SPAN 390* , WS 197, WS 370. Other First-Year Seminars with appropriate topics. Other courses may be counted with the permission of the director.

(*appropriate topics)

# 300 and 400 level courses Three in addition to WS 340 and WS 440
Senior requirement The senior requirement consists of the completion of WS 440.
Additional information The elective courses required for the major must be drawn from at least three academic disciplines.

Students must include in their program one or more courses dealing with non-Western women and/or women of color in the United States. No more than four courses of off-campus study may be counted toward the major.

Recent changes in major

Requirements for a minor in Women's Studies

Total courses required Five
Core courses WS 140, WS 340
Other courses The remaining three courses may be chosen from those listed for the major, drawn from at least two disciplines.
# 300 and 400 level courses Two
Recent changes in minor

Courses in Women's Studies

W S 140. Introduction to Women's Studies  Group 4    1 course
This course 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.
 
W S 190. Topics in Women's Studies      1 course
An interdisciplinary exploration of a particular theme, area, or period, with respect to issues of women and gender.
 
W S 197. First-Year Seminar      1 course
A seminar focused on a theme related to the study of women. Open only to first-year students.
 
W S 240. Feminist Inquiry  Group 2    1 course
This course offers hands-on experience in the interdisciplinary field of Women's Studies. Students will survey research methods by reading excellent examples that show how various research methods have been applied; by reading about, and discussing, the practical details and the ethical issues involved in doing research; and by applying research methods themselves in class exercises and the undertaking of an individual project. Prerequisite: W S 140.
 
W S 250. Queer Theory, Queer Lives      1
An interdisciplinary exploration of the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and intersexed people through historical, sexological, scientific and literary texts, media respresentations and autobiographies. We will examine scholarly and activist definitions of sexual identity, especially as these have intersected with race, class, gender, ethnicity and age, and discuss ways sexual desire often escapes, complicates or is mismatched with fixed gender roles and dominant cultural categories. We will also discuss the insight queer perspectives can bring to our understanding of masculinity and femininity, cultural constructions of the body, the social construction of heterosexuality, and the future of difference.
 
W S 260. Women of Color in the U.S.  Group 4    1 course
The course draws on the disciplines of history, sociology, anthropology and literary study to offer an in-depth look at the experiences and concerns of women of color, with an emphasis on hearing women's voices. The course is divided approximately in thirds: accounts of 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.
 
W S 290. Topics in Women's Studies      1 course
An interdisciplinary exploration of a particular theme, area or period, with respect to issues of women and gender.
 
W S 340. Feminist Theory  Group 4    1 course
This course 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.
 
W S 370. Topics in Women's Studies      1/2-1 course
An interdisciplinary exploration of a particular theme, area or period, with respect to issues of women and gender.
 
W S 390. Independent Study      1/2-1 course
Independent Study.
 
W S 440. Women's Studies Senior Thesis      1/2-1 course
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 coordinator or other designated faculty member, and the candidate is interviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of three.