GESS 2900 Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies (3) Staff. This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to gender and sexuality studies. Its primary focus is critical perspectives on the social construction of gender and sexuality, inequalities on the basis of gender and sexuality, activism around issues of gender and sexuality, and how gender and sexuality shape and are shaped by other systems of inequality such as race, ethnicity, class, religion, nation, region, and age.
GESS 3500 Identity, Difference, and Social Inequality (3) Staff. Prerequisite: GESS 2900 This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of how gender and sexuality are implicated in, mediate, or are mediated by the social and cultural construction of racial and ethnic identities and cultures, the formation of economic structures and class cultures, and race, ethnic, and class inequalities. This course offers a service learning component.
GESS 4700 Sexuality in U.S. History (3) Tremmel. Prerequisite: GESS 2900. This course examines the ways in which gender and sexuality have been fundamentally reorganized since the 18th century and how sexual discourses are shaped by the relations of power. Focusing on the formation and development of the U.S., the course attends to the distinctive constructions of sexuality in various historical, political and cultural contexts and examines the ways in which race, class, gender, religion, material culture and the state intersect with the history of sexuality.
GESS 4910 Independent Study (1-3) Staff. Prerequisites: approval of instructor and program director; open to upper-level majors and minors. Qualified students may arrange for independent study with an instructor to pursue a project of interest to the student. Ordinarily, independent study earns three credits. Requirements will vary depending on the project but will involve some combination of readings, oral reports, and written work. A maximum of four credits of independent studies may be applied toward the major in gender and sexuality studies and three credits toward the minor.
GESS 4940/6940 Gender & Sexuality Theory I - Feminist Theory (3) Staff. (Fall)
Prerequisite: GESS 2900, GESS 3500 This course is an advanced seminar in feminist and gender theory. The primary focus is critical engagement with social, political, and cultural theories of the social construction of gender and gender difference, and of the sources, causes, and effects of gender inequality and strategies for reducing or eradicating inequality. While emphasis will be placed on gender difference and inequality, substantial time will be spent on theories of how gender is implicated in and supported by other forms of inequality such as sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class.
GESS 4950/6950 Gender & Sexuality Theory II - Queer Theory (3) Staff (Spring
Prerequisites: GESS 2900, GESS 3500 This course is an advanced seminar in sexuality and queer theory. The primary focus is critical engagement with social, political, and cultural theories of the social construction of sexuality and sexual identities, and of the sources, causes, and effects of sexual inequality and strategies for reducing or eradicating inequality. While emphasis will be placed on theories of sexuality, substantial time will be spent on theories of how sexuality is implicated in and supported by other forms of inequality such as gender, race, ethnicity, and class.
GESS 4990-5000 Honors Thesis (3, 4) Staff. Open to senior honors candidates and other qualified senior majors with approval of instructor and program director. Intensive interdisciplinary reading and research in the area of gender and/or sexuality studies.
ELECTIVES
Gender and Sexuality Studies electives are to be selected from among the courses offered by cooperating departments and approved by the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program Committee. In addition to the courses listed below, colloquia, independent studies, and special topics courses may be applied to the major or minor subject to approval. For complete information about these courses, consult the Schedule of Classes.
RECOMMENDED RELATED ELECTIVES
ANTH 3120, Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
COMM 3440, Critical Race Theory
HISU 3541, History of Reproductive Health
ARHS 3620, Contemporary Art Since 1950
SOCI 6010, Sex, Gender, and Politics in American Horror Films