Women's and Gender Studies
Chair Chandra Talpade Mohanty, 208 Bowne Hall, 315-443-3707.
Administrative Specialist Susann DeMocker-Shedd, 208 Bowne Hall, 315-443-3560; Fax 315-443-9221.
Faculty Beverly Allen, Kal Alston, Kristi J. Andersen, Barbara Applebaum, Marina Artuso, Carol Babiracki, Leslie Bender, Shobha K. Bhatia, Himika Bhattacharya, Sari Knopp Biklen, Susan R. Borker, Lori Brown, Gail Bulman, Dympna Callaghan, D. Bruce Carter, Linda Carty, Steven Cohan, Catherine A. Cornwell, Marjorie L. DeVault, Laurinda Dixon, Gavan Duffy, Susan Edmunds, Catherine M. Engstrom, Beth Ferri, Wayne Franits, Alejandro Garcia, Susan H. Gensemer, Ann Grodzins Gold, Cecilia A. Green, Diane Grimes, M. Gail Hamner, Madonna Harrington Meyer, Christine L. Himes, Margaret Himley, Peter Ibarra, Kim D. Jaffee, Paula C. Johnson, Tazim R. Kassam, Thomas M. Keck, Karen E. Kirkhart, Claudia Klaver, Amy Schrager Lang, Elisabeth D. Lasch-Quinn, Andrew London, Amy Lutz, Eleanor Maine, Joanna O. Masingila, Janis A. Mayes, Patricia Cox Miller, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Alison Mountz, Micere Githae Mugo, Diane Lyden Murphy, Cathryn R. Newton, Jackie Orr, Deborah Pellow, Louise Wetherbee Phelps, Marcia C. Robinson, Mara Sapon-Shevin, Eileen E. Schell, Maureen Trudelle Schwarz, Linda M. Shires, Theresa A. Singleton, Margaret Susan Thompson, A. Dale Tussing, Margaret Usdansky, Susan S. Wadley, Janet Wilmoth, Amanda Winkler
Women’s and gender studies is an interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary program that offers the opportunity for feminist study, research, and community involvement through the perspective of the female experience. The central concept of gender as a social construction enables students to explore and question categories of knowledge. At each level of study the curriculum emphasizes race, ethnicity, nationality, class, age, sexuality, and different abilities as categories of analysis. This program provides a major leading to a B.A. degree in women’s and gender studies.
MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
The B.A. in women’s and gender studies requires a minimum of 33 credits (at least 18 in courses numbered 300 and above) selected from courses listed below. Although the major is granted and administered under the auspices of the College of Arts and Sciences, students are able, and in some cases encouraged, to take elective courses in the professional schools. Requirements for the major include five core courses, three courses from the course grouping Power, Privilege, and Exclusion in Feminist Thought; and three electives, two core electives and one general elective selected from a list of approved cross-listed courses. In the senior year, majors may create a synthesis of their studies in the field and deepen their skills in women’s and gender studies research, culminating in an independent project that can be a research project, creative work, or activism project.
STUDY ABROAD
Women’s Studies Focus Abroad is coordinated through the Syracuse University Abroad office in more than five countries. All of these international centers offer a number of interdisciplinary courses in women’s and gender studies, cross-listed with the humanities and social sciences. Summer Studies Abroad courses are also available. For specific information on course offerings abroad, contact the SU Abroad office at 315-443-3471.
B.A. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Required Core Courses (15 credits)
Required Core Cluster Power, Privilege, and Exclusion in Feminist Thought (9 credits)
One course must be selected from each of the following three areas: Sexuality; Class; and Race, Nationality, and/or Ethnicity.
Sexuality (3 credits)
| WGS/ETS 192 |
Gender and Literary Texts |
| WGS/SOC 230 |
Intergroup Dialogue: Gender |
| WGS/SOC 305 |
Sociology of Sex Roles |
| WGS/PSC 319 |
Gender and Politics |
| WGS/PSY 340 |
Sex Differences: Origins and Implications |
| ETS 341 |
Introduction to the Psychological Theories of Representation* |
| WGS/REL 344 |
Feminist Theory |
| WGS/HST 350 |
Women, Family, and Sexuality in Europe to 1600 |
| WGS/HST 351 |
Women, Family, and Sexuality in Europe Since 1600 |
| WGS/SOC 355 |
Sociology of Health and Illness |
| WGS/ETS 360 |
Reading Gender and Sexualities |
| WGS/CFE 362 |
Youth, Schooling, and Popular Culture |
| WGS 365 |
Negotiating Difference: Coming of Age Narratives |
| WGS/ANT 373 |
Magic and Religion |
| WGS 395 |
Gender and Popular Culture |
| WGS/CRS 414 |
Communication and Gender |
| WGS/SOC 425 |
Feminist Organizations |
| WGS/SOC 433 |
Race, Class, and Gender |
| WGS/SOC 435 |
Sexual Politics |
| WGS/QSX 438 |
Transgender and Sexualities |
| ETS 441 |
Studies in Psychological Theories of Representation* |
| WGS/PHI 441 |
Topics in Feminist Psychology |
| WGS/AAS 445 |
The Caribbean: Sex Workers, Transnational Capitalism, and Tourism |
| WGS/QSX 447 |
Sexualities and Genders in World Teen Cultures |
| WGS/FIA 449 |
Women in Art |
| WGS 452 |
Feminism and Postcolonial Studies |
| WGS/REL 465 |
Gender in Islam |
| WGS 473 |
Women, Rap, and Hip Hop Feminism |
| WGS/FIA 494 |
Music and Gender |
| WGS 495 |
The Practice of Transnational Feminism |
| WGS/GEO 576 |
Gender, Place, and Space |
Class (3 credits)
| WGS/ECN 258 |
Poverty and Discrimination in America |
| WGS/SOC 281 |
Sociology of Family |
| WGS/NUR 313 |
Family Nursing Theory and Practice |
| WGS 318/PSC 328 |
American Social Movements |
| WGS/ECN 325 |
Economics and Gender |
| WGS/SWK 326 |
Persons in Social Contexts |
| WGS/HST 331 |
Women in American History |
| WGS/HST 335 |
American Social and Cultural History |
| WGS 354 |
Gender, Militarism, and War |
| WGS/SOC 355 |
Sociology of Health and Illness |
| WGS/ECN 358 |
Economics of U.S. Poverty and Discrimination |
| WGS/ANT 363 |
Anthropology of Family Life |
| WGS/SOC 364 |
Aging and Society |
| WGS/PSC 374 |
Law and Society |
| WGS/SOC 425 |
Feminist Organizations |
| WGS/AAS 427 |
NYC: Black Women Domestic Workers |
| WGS/SOC 433 |
Race, Class, and Gender |
| WGS 436 |
Feminist Rhetoric(s) |
| WGS/AAS 445 |
The Caribbean: Sex Workers, Transnational Capital, and Tourism |
| WGS/ANT 472 |
Language, Culture, and Society |
| WGS 473 |
Women, Rap, and Hip Hop Feminism |
| WGS/SOC 487 |
Women and Economic Development |
| WGS/SOC 492 |
Work and Inequality |
| WGS 495 |
The Practice of Transnational Feminism |
| WGS/NHM 555 |
Food, Culture, and Environment |
| WGS/ECN 558 |
Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination |
| WGS/GEO 576 |
Gender, Place, and Space |
Race, Nationality, and/or Ethnicity (3 credits)
| WGS/SOC 230 |
Intergroup Dialogue: Race and Ethnicity |
| WGS/SOC 248 |
Ethnic Inequality |
| WGS/PHI 297 |
Philosophy of Feminism |
| WGS/AAS 303 |
Black Women Writers |
| WGS/AAS 307 |
African Women Writers |
| WGS 327/ANT 326 |
Africa Through the Novel |
| WGS/SWK 328 |
Human Diversity in Social Context |
| WGS/REL 341 |
Women, Abolition, and Religion in 19th-Century America |
WGS/HST 351
|
Women, Family, and Sexuality in Europe Since 1600 |
| WGS 354 |
Gender, Militarism, and War |
| WGS/SOC 355 |
Sociology of Health and Illness |
| WGS/PSC 356 |
Sociology of Health and Illness |
| WGS 365 |
Negotiating Difference: Coming of Age Narratives |
| WGS/ANT/GEO 367 |
Gender in a Globalizing World |
| WGS/HST 371 |
Gender in Latin American History |
| WGS/REL 384 |
Goddess, Women, and Power in Hinduism |
| WGS 395 |
Gender and Popular Culture |
| WGS/AAS 403 |
African/Caribbean Women Writers |
| WGS/SOC 425 |
Feminist Organizations |
| WGS/AAS 427 |
NYC: Black Women Domestic Workers |
| WGS/SOC 433 |
Race, Class, and Gender |
| WGS 436 |
Feminist Rhetoric(s) |
| WGS/CFE 444 |
Schooling and Diversity* |
| WGS/AAS 445 |
The Caribbean: Sex Workers, Transnational Capital,
and Tourism |
| WGS/QSX 447 |
Sexualities and Genders in World Teen Culture |
| WGS 452 |
Feminism and Postcolonial Studies |
| WGS/ANT 455 |
Culture and AIDS |
| WGS/ANT 472 |
Language, Culture, and Society |
| WGS/ANT 474 |
Culture and Folklore |
| WGS/SPA 475 |
Women, Myth, Nation |
| WGS/ANT 478 |
Language and Gender |
| WGS 495 |
The Practice of Transnational Feminism |
| WGS/AAS/HST 512 |
African American Women’s History |
| WGS/AAS 513 |
Toni Morrison: Black Book Seminar |
| WGS/ANT 553 |
Cross-Cultural Study of Social Change and
Women’s Roles |
Core Electives (6 credits)
Students must complete two core elective courses from the following:
WGS 300 Selected Topics
WGS 354 Gender, Militarism, and War
WGS 365 Negotiating Difference: Coming of Age Narratives
WGS 395 Gender and Popular Culture
WGS 400 Selected Topics
WGS 410 Advanced Seminar in Feminisms
WGS 436 Feminist Rhetoric(s)
WGS 438 Transgenders and Sexualities
WGS 447 Sexualities and Genders in World Teen Culture
WGS 452 Feminism and Postcolonial Studies
WGS 473 Women, Rap, and Hip-Hop Feminism
WGS 495 The Practice of Transnational Feminism
WGS 498 Senior Project in Women’s and Gender Studies
WGS 500 Selected Topics
General Electives (3 credits)
Students must complete one elective course. They may choose from any WGS course.
*Course content varies each semester or by section. These courses may be counted toward women’s and gender studies only when the content of the courses is within the field of feminist studies. Selected topics (400/500) courses may apply when appropriate.
Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies
The minor in women’s and gender studies requires 21 credits of coursework (at least 15 in courses numbered 300 or above). In keeping with the guidelines for the major, the concentration requires students to take the five core courses (
WGS 101,
201,
301,
310, and
410) and two electives, one general elective, and one core elective chosen from an approved list of cross-listed courses.