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Core and Cross-listed Elective Course Offerings

Fall 2007 semester
Women's and Gender Studies

Each semester, the Women's and Gender Studies program offers its own core courses and cross-listed courses from other departments at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Descriptions for all of these courses appear below. At the undergraduate level, WGS 210 and WGS 304 are required for the WGS minor. They may also be taken as electives or be used to fulfill a general education requirement. At the graduate level, WGS 402 and WGS 404 are required for both the master's degree and the graduate certificate. Students in both these programs may take multiple sections of WGS 404, Topics in Feminist Theories, as electives. These courses are also available to any graduate student looking for a stimulating elective. Cross-listed courses count as electives for the WGS minor, master's degree, or graduate certificate.

WGS Core Course Offerings

WGS 210 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies

Mary Pflugshaupt Chicago campus Tu/Th 2-3:15 PM

Schaumburg campus M 6:30-9 PM
This course opens a dialogue for undergraduates interested in women’s and gender issues. We will explore contemporary women’s issues related to race, class, work, family life, sexuality, body image, mental illness, and violence. Analyzing these topic/issue areas through the lens of WGS, we will address the social construction of gender as well as the way language, images, and the media form our ideas of gender. Our reflections will include a look at the development of feminism(s), the sexual politics of women’s rights, and the cultural structures of gender. Particular attention will be paid to the intersections of gender, class, race, nationality, and sexuality, and how such intersections work to privilege some groups while oppressing others. Open to freshmen.

WGS 304/404 Ecofeminism
Carrie Brecke Chicago campus T 6-8:30 PM
Ecofeminism explores the interconnections among sexism, the domination of nature (including animals), racism and social inequalities. Some questions the class will consider are: What do environmental issues have to do with women? How does the connection between patriarchy and ecological degradation work? What is environmental racism? Are we what we eat? What are the links between global militarism and the destruction of nature? Is the environment queer? Studying both theoretical approaches and grassroots movements, we will examine how a feminist response to environmental issues positively impacts women’s lives and communities.  A key component of this class will be the creation of an ecofeminist website focused on the Chicago area.  Some of the authors we will read are: Karen Warren, Arundhati Roy, Vandana Shiva, Winona La Duke, Wangari Mathai, Chris Cuomo, Carol J. Adams and Susan Griffin.Open to graduate students in all disciplines.

WGS 402 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies
Ann Brigham Chicago campus T 2-4:30 PM
The interdisciplinary field of Women’s and Gender Studies continues to expand and build upon a rich and varied history. In this graduate seminar, we will explore the range of issues and interests that have defined WGS research and feminist theory in the last 60 years or so. Although we will not be able to study every issue, we will examine foundational theories, points of debate, and core methodologies. We will also consider how the interests of WGS practitioners vary in relation to their social/cultural locations and historical moments. Enhanced by guest speakers, field trips, and professional development activities, this seminar provides students with an introduction to the women’s and gender studies as an academic field and a community-based enterprise. Students will have the opportunity to develop a final project around a topic, academic and/or community-oriented, of their own interest. Open to graduate students in all disciplines.

WGS 404 Marginalizations & Mobilizations: From Contraception to HPV Vaccines, An Examination of Contemporary Social Movements and Political Change
Andrea Densham Chicago campus Th 6-8:30 PM
This course examines how contemporary social movements and grassroots activism have impacted public policy and, at times, fundamentally reconfigured political, economic, and social structures.  Looking at the politics of health, sex, and sexualities, this course focuses on contemporary efforts to change health care access, delivery, and discourse both in the public and private spheres. Through an integrated examination of social movement theory, social science research, and discourse on health and sexuality, students will explore the impact of marginalization and the tools communities have employed to effect change.  The course content will draw upon the instructor’s 10+ years of experience working as a health policy advocate, political scientist, former health policy maker, and non-profit consultant. She has written on social movements and health policy as it relates to LGBT health, HIV, and breast cancer. NOTE: This is a graduate student-only seminar. Open to graduate students in all disciplines.

WGS 495 Internship: Feminist & Critical Pedagogy at the Writing Center

Carrie Brecke Chicago campus Day/time TBA

In this graduate-level internship, the student works directly with the Writing Center Director to participate in planning and teaching the tutor training course (an advanced course in writing) and assist in administering at the writing center.  Readings in critical and feminist pedagogy and the politics of literacy and community will be supplemented by classroom and writing center observation and participation. The student will help create and foster a community working towards social justice goals—in this case a writing community dedicated to bringing a writing voice to all.