WS 101.    INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S STUDIES   4

An introduction to the origins, purpose, subject matters, and methods of women's studies. Through an interdisciplinary investigation of the evolving body of scholarship by and about women, this course presents a survey of women's social, psychological, historical, political, and cultural experiences. The goal of the course is to help students develop a critical framework for thinking about gender and sexuality, with special attention to issues of class, race, and ethnicity.

WS 227.    HOLDING UP HALF THE SKY: GENDER, WRITING, AND NATIONHOOD IN CHINA   3

Interdisciplinary exploration of gender issues in China, especially but not exclusively focusing on the roles of women in the making of modern Chinese history. Students will learn about cultural specificities in the experiences of Chinese women while exploring the diverse meanings of "women's status" and gender relations. Themes to be examined in the course content include gendered subjectivities, the ideology of the new women, the impact of globalization and transnational capital, different gender roles, and women's writing from the Opium War to contemporary China. Emphasis on different stages of women's writing in relation to their cultural conditions and social awakening, and on the ways ideologies helped form gender identities in the twentieth century. (Designated a non-Western culture course.) - M. Chen

WS 375.   SENIOR SEMINAR   3

Exploration of primary and secondary sources in the interdisciplinary examination of a particular theme or topic in women's studies. The focus is on advanced research, and close attention is paid to the development, organization, and production of a major project. Students will present their research to the seminar; those intending to write an honors thesis will present their thesis proposals. No final exam. Prerequisites: WS101 and 201.AM       - M. Stange

AH 361D.    ISSUES OF GENDER IN AFRICAN ART   3

A study of the role of gender in the art, built environments, and visual culture of Africa. Students explore the construction of gender identities in Africa through factors such as artistic training, subject matter, style, performance, patronage, collecting, display, and/or theoretical discourses on African art.  The course will consider both traditional and contemporary art, as well as African films and literature, and require a fieldtrip to view pertinent collections in New York City. The course earns Women's Studies credit, and fulfills the Africa, Oceania, and Americas breadth area of the Art History major, but does not fulfill the all-College non-western requirement. - L. Aronson

AM 342.    BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHTS   3

This multidisciplinary seminar will chart and examine the historical development and expression of Black feminist thoughts throughout the global African world, but with a focus on the United States. The course will focus on the intraracial significance of gender, class, sexuality, nationality, skin color, and generation, as well as the interplay among these variables. Emphasis will also be placed on illuminating Black feminist activism in several distinct, and yet overlapping, contexts, including the Black club women's movement and the reemergence of Black feminisms and womanism from the late 1960's onward. The course stresses that a bedrock theme of Black feminisms is that they simultaneously challenge racism and white skin privilege within the women's movement and sexism and patriarchy within the Black freedom movement. - W. Grady-Willis

EN 360.    WOMEN WRITERS   3

Advanced studies in selected women writers. Students will read a group of women writers in the context of recent literary criticism and feminist theory. Issues addressed may include the relations among gender and style, psychological constructs, genre, literary history, audience, and social context. Prerequisite: Completion of the Introductory Requirement. - S. Edelstein 

EN 375. SENIOR SEMINAR IN LITERARY STUDIES: JANE AUSTEN, TEXT AND CONTEXT   4

In this capstone seminar, students will engage the contexts, contemporary and contemporaneous of Jane Austen's six completed novels, studying both the landscapes and the language of the texts, using films and the latest technology of Google Earth to reveal the most vital elements of her art through which the action takes place and by which the characters are developed in economic, intellectual, and moral terms.  These contexts of landscape and language are central forces in her fiction, delineating the tension between social context and the opportunities or lack thereof for her characters, particularly the women.  Together we shall focus on three or four of the completed novels, leaving the others for more individual analysis and comparison. Students will write a major research paper or create a project in stages, reporting to the class at several moments during the term.  Those students wishing to use their work in the course to qualify for departmental honors must discuss their plans with me during the first two weeks of class. Instructor permission necessary except for senior English majors. - P. Roth

GO 352.   WOMEN AND THE LAW   4

The rights of women under constitutional and statute law in the United States. Examines changing patterns in the legal status of women, legal protection against public and private discrimination, and the effectiveness of law as an instrument of social change. Students will participate in a moot court Prerequisite: GO101 or permission of instructor.
- P. Ferraioli  

MB 336H.    DIVERSITY AND DISCRIMINATION IN THE AMERICAN WORKPLACE   4 

An interdisciplinary examination of the many challenges and issues raised by the growing diversity and multiculturalism of the North American workplace. The course provides a historical introduction to the patterns of immigration that affected different workplaces and offers an overview of the legal structures that deal with questions of difference in work organizations (e.g., the Equal Employment Opportunities Act). It also examines how organization structures and cultures influence the reception, inclusion, and experiences of different social identity groups along dimensions of gender, race, age, ethnicity, disability, and sexual preference. Recent workplace movements that promote and oppose greater diversity are also discussed. (Designated a Cultural Diversity course.) Prerequisites: MB107 and 224 or permission of instructor. - P. Prasad  

RE 220.   ENCOUNTERING THE GODDESS OF INDIA

An introduction to the Hindu religious culture of India through a study of major Hindu goddesses. The vision (darsan) of and devotion (bhakti) to the feminine divine image will be explored. An interdisciplinary approach will explore the meaning of the goddess in literature, painting, poetry, religion, and sculpture. (Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities requirement.) - J. Smith 

SO 203.    FEMININITIES AND MASCULINITIES   3

An analysis of families as social institutions, sites of interaction, and sources of identity. Family life courses, roles and relationships, and intersections between work and family are among the topics examined. Prerequisite: SO101 or WS 101. - K. Tauches

SO 217.    FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES   3

An analysis of families as social institutions, sites of interaction, and sources of identity. Family life courses, roles and relationships, and intersections between work and family are among the topics examined. Prerequisite: SO101 or WS101. - S. Walzer