HUMS 1553: Intro to Women's & Gender Studies

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Subject
Humanities
Credit Hours 3.0 Lecture Hours 3.0 Lab Hours 0.0
Type of Credit
Baccalaureate/Transfer
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Course Description
This course introduces the study of women and gender from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on literary, historical, sociological, philosophical, political, and cultural spheres. Students will learn to critically think about the construction and performance of gender and the ways gender, race, class, religion, and sexuality intersect. The course will survey key issues, questions, and debates, both historical and contemporary, in the field of gender studies. AAS: Interdisciplinary Humanities elective. IAI: H9 900.
Prerequisite(s)
Appropriate assessment score or ENGL 1422 with a grade of C or better - Must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course.

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define and use the vocabulary of the field of gender studies (e.g., sex, gender, non-binary, feminist, transgender, cisgender, queer, social construction, “Other,” etc.).
  • Explain the concept of “gender” as a social construction.
  • Describe various types of femininities and masculinities as social, historical, and cultural products.
  • Explain the role intersectionality plays in gender inequities.
  • Distinguish between individual attitudes and institutional forms of discrimination based on sex or gender.
  • Explain the sexual division of labor as it relates to the unequal social status of women and girls.
  • Analyze the role of gender in society, drawing upon both primary and secondary sources.
  • Use theories of gender and sexuality to explore representations of women in literature and media.
  • Apply the critical lenses of gender studies to local and/or international contexts and controversies.
Topical Outline

Terminology: Students will be introduced to the key terms and concepts within the field (e.g. sex versus gender, gender performance, feminism, social construction)

 

Discrimination: Students will be introduced to the difference between individual discriminatory attitudes about sex or gender and the role institutional discrimination plays in both the social construction of gender and inequities based on sex or gender.

 

History: Students will be introduced to the progression of women's studies, feminism, gender roles and expectations, the division of labor, and so on through an interdisciplinary perspective, utilizing philosophical, religious, and literary texts.

 

Social Construction: Students will be introduced to the concept, practice, and processes of social construction with an emphasis on how gender is socially constructed in various times, places, and contexts.

 

Femininities and Masculinities: Students will be introduced to the multiple femininities and masculinities enacted in contemporary society in relation to hegemonic femininity and masculinity.

 

Intersectionality: Students will be introduced to the concept of intersectionality and the way intersecting identities affects lived reality and social inequities.

 

Theories and Critical Lenses: Students will be introduced to academic and philosophic texts explicating theoretical and critical lenses through which gender is analyzed and explored within various disciplines.