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Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

UW-PARKSIDE 2019-21 CATALOG
RITA/CART 221 • 262-595-2609

College:
Arts and Humanities

Program Offered:
Minor - Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

UW-Parkside offers a concentration in women’s, gender and sexuality studies through the liberal studies major. This major draws upon existing UW-Parkside courses, and students may also receive credit for appropriate transfer courses, distance education courses, and credit for experiential learning.

UW-Parkside also offers a minor in women’s studies through the Center for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Interested students should consult the director of the Liberal Studies Program for the major and the director of the Center for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies for the minor.

Affiliated Organizations:
The Women’s Center, Wyllie Concourse, 262-595-2170; The Status of Women Committee, 262-595-2592; LGBTQ Resource Center, 262-595-2456

Career Possibilities:
Nonprofit organizations, business, human resources, creative arts, education, government, health, journalism, law, medicine and social work, especially pertaining to issues of gender and sexuality. Graduate school with emphasis in the humanities, social sciences or the professions. Many careers are strengthened and enhanced by a minor in women’s studies. Students are encouraged to discuss career options early with the program director and to consider internships and other activities which allow them to explore career possibilities.

Program Overview

The Center for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies provides an interdisciplinary program that draws upon all departments in the university to provide a systematic analysis of gender roles, sexual identity, and women’s experiences in society. Its goal is to provide insights and generate activities that will lead to a better understanding of gender roles and sexual identity, improve the position of women, and transform society in the process. In such courses, women’s positions are often analyzed relative to those of men, and these courses are relevant for both women and men who are seeking a fuller understanding of the past, present and future social trends.

These six learning objectives should guide students’ selection of elective courses and guide their approach to the work they do in their course study.

  1. Analysis:  The ability to read and interpret gendered elements of verbal and nonverbal tests and imagery.
  2. Communication: The ability to perceive gender bias in language choices and rhetorical strategies, and to communicate effectively using the media of the 21st century.
  3. Ethics and Social Justice:  The ability to recognize social injustice, inequality, and discrimination, particularly in regard to gender, and to expose and articulate options for change.
  4. History, Culture, and Society:  The ability to recognize patterns in past events and see their impact on the status of women and the construction of gender roles.
  5. Critical Thinking:  The ability to analyze how value systems shape human knowledge with respect to gender.
  6. Interdisciplinarity:  The ability to make deliberate connections among various academic disciplines, to comprehend and participate in more than one discipline.

Students electing the women’s, gender and sexuality studies concentration in the liberal studies major or the women’s, gender and sexuality studies minor may combine it with any major to give those students enhanced knowledge of gender issues within their major area. Graduates have found jobs in the community that focus on women’s issues such as program coordinator, program director, counselor, etc., in organizations dedicated to women’s issues. In addition, students have often been able to redirect the focus of existing organizations to address the needs of women, which are often neglected.

Preparation for Graduate School

Students who graduate with this minor can go on to professional and graduate programs in law, sociology, humanities, medicine and health, theology and other fields. Consult the director for further information to develop a plan of study.

Internships

Internships and applied experiences in other courses or independent study projects are encouraged. These experiences assist students in evaluating developing skills for possible job settings and for community organizing.

Requirements for the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor (18 credits)

Eighteen credits are required for the minor. Students must take three core courses:

  1. Core Courses (9 credits)
    1. Required Course (3 credits)
      WGSS 110 Introduction to Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies 3 cr
    2. Choose One Course (3 credits)
      WGSS/ ENGL 112 Women in Literature 3 cr
      WGSS/ SOCA 213 Gender and Society 3 cr
      WGSS/ HIST 236 Women in Modern Society  3 cr
    3. Choose One Course (3 credits)
      WGSS/ COMM 463 Gender, Race, Class and Sexualities in Media 3 cr
      WGSS 494 Internship in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies 1-6 cr
      WGSS 495 Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Seminar 3 cr
      WGSS 497 Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Senior Thesis 3 cr
      WGSS 499 Independent Study 1-3 cr
  2. Elective Courses (9 credits)
    The minor also requires three elective courses, deriving from at least two of the following three areas: Humanities and Art, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. Each semester, courses from other departments that are available for women’s, gender and sexuality studies credit will be listed in the course schedule.
     
    1. Humanities and Art
      Approved women’s, gender and sexuality studies courses from English, art, communication, theatre arts, humanities, music and philosophy. Examples include:
      COMM/ WGSS 315 Communication and Gender 3 cr
      COMM/ WGSS 463 Gender, Race, Class and Sexualities in Media 3 cr
      ENGL/
      WGSS 112      		 Women in Literature 3 cr
      ENGL 417 Studies in British Literature: British Women Novelists 3 cr
      ENGL 464 Studies in Cultural Trends: Gay and Lesbian Literature 3 cr
      ENGL/ WGSS 469 Women as Writers and Characters 3 cr
      PHIL 290 Special Topics in Philosophy: Feminism in Philosophy 3 cr
      THEA/ WGSS 215 LGBTQ Representation on Stage and Screen 3 cr
    2. Social Sciences
      Approved women’s, gender and sexuality studies courses from sociology, history, international studies, political science, psychology, economics, and business. Examples include:
      CRMJ/
      WGSS 366      		 Women, Crime and Criminal Justice 3 cr
      HIST/
      WGSS 236      		 Women in Modern Society 3 cr
      MGT 446 Global Issues in Management 3 cr
      POLS/
      WGSS 203      		 Women, Power and Politics 3 cr
      PSYC 280/ PSYC 380 Psychology of Gender 3 cr
      SOCA/
      WGSS 213      		 Gender and Society 3 cr
      SOCA/
      WGSS 367      		 LGBTQ Studies  3 cr
      SOCA 374 Women and Work 3 cr
    3. Natural Sciences
      Approved women’s, gender and sexuality studies courses from biology, chemistry, physics, environmental studies, and exercise science and sport management. Examples include:
      BIOS 103 Human Biology 3 cr
      HESM 285 Sport in Society 3 cr
      HESM 321 Women’s Health Issues 1-4 cr
      SOCA 379 Society and Environment 3 cr
      WGSS 250 Women in Science 3 cr

Each semester, courses appropriate for the women’s, gender and sexuality studies minor are listed in the course schedule. Since courses are offered on a rotating basis, students are advised to consult with women’s, gender, and sexuality studies faculty and directors to assist them with course selection and proper completion of requirements.

Students may count 3 credits of WGSS 494 Internship or WGSS 499 Independent Study 499 toward the minor. Arrangements for these projects must be made with individual women’s, gender and sexuality studies faculty.

Courses in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS)

110

Introduction to Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Prereq: None. Freq: Fall, Spring.
Introduces students to the field of women’s studies, its theoretical and methodological bases, and the challenges it creates for other academic disciplines. Analyzes the construction of gender for both men and women. Examines issues of sexuality, including sexual attraction, intersexuality and trans-sexuality. Identity is examined as a complex series of intersections that involve race, ethnicity and class, often at a global level.

 3 cr
112

Women in Literature
Prereq: None. Freq: Fall, Spring.
Examines representations of women from classical to contemporary periods and identifies ways writing illuminates women’s experience. Works by and about women from various cultures and backgrounds are considered. Cross-listed with ENGL 112.

 3 cr
203

Women, Power and Politics
Prereq: None. Freq: Occasionally.
Examines the environmental, systematic and political variables that define the existing and potential political position of women in a variety of international cultures. Cross-listed with POLS 203.

 3 cr
213

Gender and Society
Prereq: None. Freq: Fall, Spring.
Overview of theory and research on gender roles and gender stratification, focusing on political, economic, family and other settings; historical, cross cultural and sub-cultural comparisons. Cross-listed with SOCA 213.

 3 cr
215

LGBTQ Representation on Stage and Screen
Prereq: None. Freq:  Spring.
Examines the portrayal and representation (or lack of representation) of gender and/or the LGBTQ voice and identity in plays and film during the last century. Explores a number of facets of gender and sexual identity and portrayal through theory and criticism as well as through the plays and films themselves. Field trips to theatrical productions required; additional fees.  Cross-listed with THEA  215.

 3 cr
236

Women in Modern Society
Prereq: ENGL 101.  Freq: Occasionally.
Surveys the social and demographic patterns of pre-industrial society and focuses on the role of women in modern, industrial society. Topics include working-class women, middle class and modernization reform movements, feminism, suffrage, socialism, women in the era of the world wars, the 1950s and the contemporary women’s movement. Cross-listed with HIST 236.

 3 cr
250

Women in Science
Prereq: Consent of program director. Freq: Occasionally.
Study of the role of women in science, analysis of the gendered social structure of science and how it is changing, and imagining the future. Course can be taken as an independent study.

 3 cr
290

Special Topics in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Prereq: None. Freq: Occasionally.
Selected topics in women’s, gender and sexuality studies.

 3 cr
315

Communication and Gender
Prereq: Core courses or consent of instructor. Freq: Spring.
Examines the role of communication in the construction of gender and the role of gender in the social organization and use of language and communication systems. Cross-listed with COMM 315.

 3 cr
366

Women, Crime and Criminal Justice
Prereq:  CRMJ 101 or consent of instructor.  Freq: Occasionally.
Examines the study of female crime and delinquency. In addition to women as offenders, this course focuses on women as victims and workers in the criminal justice system. Cross-listed with CRMJ 366.

 3 cr
367

LGBTQ Studies
Prereq:  ANTH 100 or SOCA 101 or WGSS 110.  Freq: Occasionally.
Examines the everyday lives of people in the LGBTQ community as they participate in identity politics, collective action, resistance, and empowerment in a heteronormative society. Cross-listed with SOCA 367.

 3 cr
390

Special Topics in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Prereq: Varies by topic.  Freq: Occasionally.
Selected topics in women’s, gender and sexuality studies.

 1-4 cr
463

Gender, Race, Class and Sexualities in Media
Prereq: Core courses in COMM or consent of instructor. Freq: Fall.
Explores how mediated representations of gender, race, class and sexualities contribute to our cultural identities. Cross-listed with COMM 463.

 3 cr
469

Women as Writers and Characters
Prereq: ENGL 167, 266. Freq: Occasionally.
Examines writing by women and depictions of women in literature. May be repeated for credit with different topic. Cross-listed with ENGL 469.

 3 cr
490

Special Topics in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies
Prereq: Varies by topic. Freq: Occasionally.
Selected topics in women’s, gender and sexuality studies.

 3 cr
494

Internship in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Prereq: Consent of instructor and program director. Freq: Fall, Spring, Summer.
Work experience in a program related environment, or supervised experience in planned projects, that expose students to applied settings that serve women. Emphasis applying feminist analysis, qualitative research methods, communication and other skills, while increasing career knowledge and awareness. Maximum of 3 credits may apply to minor.

 1-6 cr
495

Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Seminar
Prereq: WGSS 110 and two other WGSS courses. Freq: Alternate years.
Focuses on developments in feminist theory and methodology, with the goal of integrating theory and methods acquired in earlier women’s, gender and sexuality studies courses and encouraging students to apply the material to the community around them. Allows students to work in their own interests within a broad theme selected by the instructor.

 3 cr
497

Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Senior Thesis
Prereq: WGSS 110 and two other WGSS courses; and consent of instructor. Freq: Fall, Spring.
Independent research and writing of an essay of substantial length under faculty supervision. Agreement of faculty member to undertake supervision is necessary before registration.

 3 cr
499

Independent Study
Prereq: Consent instructor and program director. Freq: Fall, Spring.
Individual research projects in women’s, gender and sexuality studies. Maximum of three credits may apply to minor.

 1-3 cr
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