Curriculum in Women’s Studies
JOANNE HERSHFIELD, Chair
Professors
E. Jane Burns, Joanne Hershfield.
Associate Professors
Michele Tracy Berger, Karen M. Booth, Silvia Tomášková.
Assistant Professor
Tanya L. Shields.
Adjunct Professor
Annegret Fauser.
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Marisa Fuentes.
Professor Emerita
Barbara J. Harris.
Introduction
The Curriculum in Women’s Studies offers an interdisciplinary course of study in women and gender in the United States and in a range of cultures throughout the world. Students taking women’s studies courses are introduced to ideologies of gender as they intersect with concerns of race, class, and sexuality. Students will be exposed to recent scholarship on feminist theory and to critiques of feminism. They will learn about the intellectual, social, economic, political, and artistic contributions of women in various cultural contexts. They will see how the discipline of Women’s Studies redefines the traditional scholarly curriculum in order to include perspectives on women and gender as integral aspects of academic inquiry.
Approximately 30 departments offer courses that focus entirely on the study of women and gender. Many of these courses have been cross-listed as women’s studies courses and are identified below; others are taught as special sections of an established course and are identified separately each semester.
Programs of Study
The Curriculum in Women’s Studies offers a degree of bachelor of arts in women’s studies. Students can also select a minor in women’s studies or in sexuality studies.
Majoring in Women’s Studies: Bachelor of Arts
The major requires 24 credit hours taken in women’s studies courses or departmental courses cross-listed with the Curriculum in Women’s Studies and distributed as follows:
Intellectual and Theoretical Foundations (nine credits)
• WMST 101 Introduction to Women’s Studies (or its equivalent)
• WMST 102 Introduction to Feminist Theory
• One course in minority/Third World/non-Western women
Interdisciplinary Perspectives (12 credits distributed among at least two of the following groups)
• Historical studies: AFRI 261, 262; CLAS 241, 242, 245; and any cross-listed history course
• Basic and applied sciences: HBHE 563
• Humanities and fine arts: WMST 231, 294, 297; CLAS 269; and cross-listed courses from art, Asian studies, communication studies, comparative literature, drama, English, French, German, music, philosophy, religion, Russian, Slavic languages, and Spanish
• Social sciences: WMST 278, 281, 285, 293, 368, 388, 458; GEOG 225, JOMC 442, and cross-listed courses from African/Afro-American studies, anthropology, city and regional planning, economics, folklore, international studies, leisure studies, exercise and sport science, geography, linguistics, political science, and sociology
Theory and Practice of Women’s Studies (three credits chosen from the following list)
• WMST 391 Practicum/Internship
• WMST 396 Independent Reading and Research
• WMST 691 Honors Thesis (requires admission to departmental honors program)
• WMST 695 Senior Seminar: Principles of Feminist Inquiry
Minoring in Women’s Studies
A minor in women’s studies enables students who major in another area to develop an expertise in the interdisciplinary study of women and gender. A minor consists of 15 credits (five courses) in women’s studies. The credits must include WMST 101 and come from at least two of the four divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences (i.e., fine arts, humanities, social sciences, basic and applied sciences). The courses listed as appropriate for the major (see above) may be useful.
Women’s studies courses include both courses exclusively in women’s studies and courses in other departments cross-listed with women’s studies. An internship in women’s studies (WMST 391) can be counted toward three of the 12 credits taken after WMST 101. Cross-listed courses in a student’s major department will not count both toward a minor in women’s studies and toward the student’s major.
Honors in Women’s Studies
An honors degree in women’s studies is available to majors who meet the curriculum’s guidelines for honors and who successfully complete a thesis based upon original and independent research. Contact the chair of the curriculum for more information.
Contact Information
For information about women’s studies, contact the chair of the curriculum (CB# 3135, 401 Alumni Hall, [919] 962-3908/1347) or the women’s studies advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences ([919] 962-1164); or consult the Web site: www.unc.edu/depts/wmst.
Minoring in Sexuality Studies
The minor in sexuality studies coordinates scholars and students from a wide range of disciplines to study, teach, and create knowledge about human sexuality in its myriad functions and forms. The minor consists of five courses of which at least two must be chosen from among core courses. Up to three courses may come from the list of additional courses approved for the program. Where appropriate, courses taken at Duke or with a study abroad program may also count towards credit for the minor. These five courses must involve work in at least three departments or curricula. As an example, a minor in sexuality studies could be constructed as follows: HIST 566 and POLI 218 (core courses) and WMST 101, HIST 451, and HIST 467, for a minimum of 15 hours from at least three departments or curricula.
Core courses
• CLAS/WMST 242 Sex and Gender in Antiquity
• COMM 545 Pornography and Culture
• COMM 549 Sexuality and Visual Culture
• ENGL 664 The Challenge of Queer Theory to Literary Theory, Cultural Studies, and the Humanities
• ENGL/WMST 140 Introduction to Gay and Lesbian Culture and Literature
• HIST 566 The History of Sexuality in America
• HIST/WMST 479 History of Female Sexualities in the West
• INTS/WMST 388 The International Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health
• INTS/WMST 410 Comparative Queer Politics
• POLI/WMST 218 Politics of Sexuality
Additional Courses
• AFAM/WMST 285 African American Women in the Media
• AFRI/HIST 535 Women and Gender in African History
• ANTH 458 Archaeology of Sex and Gender
• ANTH 473 Anthropology of the Body and the Subject
• ANTH/LING/WMST 302 Language and Power
• CMPL 468 Aestheticism
• CMPL 487 Literature and the Arts of Love
• ENGL 264 Literature and Sexuality
• ENGL 287 Another Country: Homoeroticism in British Literature
• ENGL/WMST 665 Queer Latina/o Literature, Performance, and Visual Art
• ENGL/WMST 666 Queer Latina/o Photography and Literature
• HIST 451 Women and Men in the Renaissance
• HIST 467 Society and Family in Early Modern Europe
• JWST/RELI 444 Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism
• POLI/WMST 265 Feminism and Political Theory
• RELI/WMST 244 Gender and Sexuality in Western Christianity
• RUSS 273 Russian Culture and Society: 1890–1917
• SOCI/WMST 124 Sex and Gender in Society
• WMST 101 Introduction to Women’s Studies
• WMST 231 Gender and Popular Culture
• WMST 51/PLAN 52 Race, Sex, and Place in America
For information about the minor in sexuality studies, contact Professor Erin Carlston, Director of Sexuality Studies, CB#3520, (919) 962-5481 carlston@email.unc.edu
WMST
051 First-Year Seminar: Race, Sex, and Place in America (PLAN 052) (3). This first-year seminar will expose students to the complex dynamics of race, ethnicity, and gender and how these have shaped the American city since 1945.
080 First-Year Seminar: The Actress: Celebrity and the Woman (3). Who is your favorite actress? What do you know about her? What makes you one of her fans? In this seminar students will reflect on the experience, significance, and influence of the stage and motion picture actress in the modern era.
089 First-Year Seminar: Plantation Lullabies: Literature by and about African “American” Women (3). This class offers analytical strategies for understanding different ways that plantation culture was represented metaphorically in the 19th and 20th centuries with a view to understanding the ways in which that culture continues to manifest itself today.
101 [050] Introduction to Women’s Studies (3). An interdisciplinary exploration of intersections of gender, race, class, and sexuality in American society and internationally. Topics include work; sexuality and sexual identity; gender relations and images of women and gender in literature, religion, art, and science; and the history of feminist movements. Course readings are drawn from the humanities and the social sciences.
102 [052] Introduction to Feminist Thought (3). Prerequisite, WMST 101. Introduces United States and international feminist theorizing on debates over gender-based oppression. Gives majors and minors tools to pursue academic work in women’s studies and to understand the relationships among concepts, activism, and change.
124 [024] Sex and Gender in Society (SOCI 124) (3). Examination of the social differentiation between men and women. Attention to the extent, causes, and consequences of sexual inequality and to changes in sex roles and their impact on interpersonal relations.
140 [022Q] Introduction to Gay/Lesbian Literature (ENGL 140) (3). Introduces students to concepts in queer theory and recent sexuality studies. Topics include queer lit, AIDS, race and sexuality, representations of gays and lesbians in the media, political activism/literature.
163 [063] American Women in Sports (EXSS 163) (3). See EXSS 163 for description.
188 [048] Introduction to Women and Music (MUSC 188) (3). See MUSC 188 for description.
217 [072] Women and Politics (POLI 217) (3). See POLI 217 for description.
218 [074] Politics of Sexuality (POLI 218) (3). See POLI 218 for description.
219 [076] Violence against Women: The Legal Perspective (POLI 219) (3). See POLI 219 for description.
220 [212] Women in the Middle Ages (GERM 220) (3). See GERM 220 for description.
224 [056] Introduction to Gender and Communication (COMM 224) (3). See COMM 224 for description.
225 [125] Space, Place, and Difference (GEOG 225) (3). See GEOG 225 for description.
231 [131] Gender and Popular Culture (3). This course examines the ways in which gender and sexual identities are represented and consumed in popular culture.
240 [051C] Women in Greek Art and Literature (CLAS 240) (3). See CLAS 240 for description.
241 [054] Women in Ancient Rome (CLAS 241) (3). See CLAS 241 for description.
242 [042] Sex and Gender in Antiquity (CLAS 242) (3). See CLAS 242 for description.
243 [043] French Women Writers in English Translation (3). Works by French women authors read in translation along with pertinent theoretical texts. Course content will vary with each semester incorporating texts from different periods and genres.
244 [083] Gender and Sexuality in the Western Christian Tradition (RELI 244) (3). See RELI 244 for description.
245 [045] Women of Byzantium (CLAS 245) (3). See CLAS 245 for description.
248 [089] Women in Opera (MUSC 248) (3). See MUSC 248 for description.
250 [044] Women in German Cinema (GERM 250) (3). See GERM 250 for description.
253 [053] A Social History of Jewish Women in America (AMST 253, JWST 253) (3). Course examines the history and culture of Jewish women in America from their arrival in New Amsterdam in 1654 to the present and explores how gender shaped this journey.
254 [064] Women in the Visual Arts I (ART 254) (3). See ART 254 for description.
258 [058] Women in Europe before 1750 (HIST 258) (3). See HIST 258 for description.
259 [059] Women and Gender in Europe from the 18th Century to the 20th Century (HIST 259) (3). See HIST 259 for description.
261 [061] African Women: Changing Ideals and Realities (AFRI 261) (3). See AFRI 261 for description.
263 [150] Literature and Gender (ENGL 263) (3). See ENGL 263 for description.
264 [060] Gender in Russian History, 1860–Present (HIST 264) (3). See HIST 264 for description.
265 [067] Feminism and Political Theory (POLI 265) (3). See POLI 265 for description.
266 [065] Black Women in America (AFAM 266) (3). See AFAM 266 for description.
269 [069] Representations of Cleopatra (CLAS 269, CMPL 269) (3). See CLAS 269 for description.
275 [046] Philosophical Issues in Feminism (PHIL 275) (3). See PHIL 275 for description.
278 [078] Women in Science (ANTH 278) (3). The role of women in scientific domains throughout history and a consideration of the status of women and men as scientists. The development of science as a cultural practice.
280 [080] Women and Gender in Latin America (HIST 280) (3). See HIST 280 for description.
281 [081] Gender and Global Change (INTS 281) (3). Prerequisite, WMST 101 or permission of the instructor. Students will be introduced to recent debates over the meaning of globalization, historical perspectives on the uneven development of global systems of production, and communication. Course discusses global feminisms and case studies of gendered globalization in the United States, eastern Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
285 [085] African American Women in the Media: Identity, Politics, and Resistance (AFAM 285) (3). This course will acquaint students with how African American women have been depicted (and depicted themselves) in 20th- and 21st-century media. The course will examine representations of African American women in several aspects of culture including film, art, print, television, theater, and music.
290 [095] Special Topics in Women’s Studies (3). Topics are announced in advance and reflect the interest of the particular instructor. Each course will concern itself with a study in depth of some problem or issue in women’s studies.
293 [093] Gender and Imperialism (3). Prerequisite, one course in gender or non-Western societies or permission of the instructor. Focuses on feminist perspectives on imperialism; the effects of imperialism on colonized and European women; women’s participation in anti-imperialist movements; and the legacies of imperialism for feminism today.
294 [094A] Courtship and Courtliness from King Arthur to Queen Victoria (3). Prerequisite, WMST 101 or permission of the instructor. Interdisciplinary study of Western views concerning love between the sexes, focusing on courtly love in the Middle Ages and romantic love in the Victorian era. Literary, historical, and art historical materials.
297 [097] Women’s Spirituality across Cultures (3). How women’s spirituality interacts with officially sanctioned religious institutions in a range of cultural contexts and how it forges alternatives to those traditions.
302 [071] Language and Power (ANTH 302, LING 302) (3). See LING 302 for description.
310 [101] Women, Work, and Leisure (RECR 310) (3). See RECR 310 for description.
362 [062] Women in American History (HIST 362) (3). See HIST 362 for description.
363 [090B] Feminist Literary Theory (ENGL 363) (3). Theories of feminist criticism in relation to general theory and women’s writing.
368 [068] The Struggle Continues: Women of Color in Contemporary U.S. Social Movements (3). This course will examine the role of women of color as grassroots activists, leaders, and thinkers in the new social and community movements of the postwar period.
370 Women in the Age of Victoria (HIST 370) (3). Students will study the impact of culture on the lives of women in Britain and the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
371 [194] Women Mystics (RELI 371) (3). See RELI 371 for description.
373 [096] Modern Women Writers (CMPL 373) (3). See CMPL 373 for description.
374 [087] Southern Women Writers (ENGL 374) (3). The study of fiction, poetry, plays, and essays by Southern American women writers of the past 200 years, continuing to the present.
375 History of Gender in America (HIST 375) (3). This course will explore how Americans from 1600 to the present have defined what is masculine and what is feminine and how they have constructed their identities around those definitions.
380 [077] Almost Despicable Heroines in Japanese and Western Literature (ASIA 380, CMPL 380) (3). See CMPL 380 for description.
381 [082] Women and Work in Japan (JAPN 381) (3). See JAPN 381 for description.
384 [084] Women Writers in Japanese Society (JAPN 384) (3). See JAPN 384 for description.
385 [091] Women and Economics (AMST 385, ECON 385) (3). See ECON 385 for description.
388 [088] The International Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health (INTS 388) (3). Prerequisite, WMST 101 or permission of the instructor. This course takes a feminist political economy perspective on debates over current health issues of international concern, including HIV/AIDS and population control.
391 [190] Practicum in Women’s Studies (1–12). Prerequisites, WMST 101 and permission of the internship coordinator. A supervised internship designed to provide experience working in organizations concerned with women’s issues. Written paper required. Open to women’s studies majors and other qualified students.
392 [092] Women and Work, 1850–1900 (CMPL 392) (3). See CMPL 392 for description.
396 [199] Independent Reading and Research (3). By permission of the curriculum chair. Intensive reading/ research under faculty supervision resulting in a written paper. Open to women’s studies majors and other qualified students.
410 [102] Comparative Queer Politics (INTS 410) (3). The prospects of the emerging global movement for equality for sexual minorities are analyzed in light of the histories and practices of local- and national-level queer movements and international organizations and networks that have emerged to link these diverse communities.
415 [115] Women and Mass Communication (JOMC 442) (3). See JOMC 442 for description.
424 [182] Genders and Theories in the Study of Religion (RELI 424) (3). See RELI 424 for description.
430 [130] Comparative Studies in Culture, Gender, and Global Forces (AFAM 430, AFRI 430) (4). See AFRI 430 for description.
436 [136] Gender and Science (ANTH 436) (3). Feminist approaches to science; history of scientific constructions of male and female nature; and theoretical approaches to the role of gender in science.
437 [137] Gender and Performance (COMM 436) (3). The course combines several fields, analyzing the construction of gender through science, science fiction, and film. Students are exposed to science issues as they are represented in popular media.
438 [138] Gender in Practice (ANTH 537, FOLK 537) (3). See ANTH 537 for description.
440 [140] Gender and Culture (ANTH 440) (3). Cross-cultural comparison of gender roles through the life of a person, comparison to student’s own experiences. Discussion of changing sex and gender roles through history in different cultures.
441 [141] The Anthropology of Gender, Health, and Illness (ANTH 441) (3). The course explores cultural beliefs, practices, and social conditions that influence health and sickness of women and men from a cross-cultural perspective.
444 [129] Race, Class, and Gender (SOCI 444) (3). See SOCI 444 for description
446 [086] American Women Authors (ENGL 446) (3). American women authors from the beginnings to the present.
451 [151] Women in the Visual Arts II (ART 451) (3). See ART 451 for description.
458 [158] Archaeology of Sex and Gender (ANTH 458) (3). A discussion of gender and sex roles and sexuality in past cultures — a cross-cultural examination of ways of knowing about past human behavior.
475 [165] Philosophy Issues in Gender, Race, and Class (PHIL 475) (3). See PHIL 475 for description.
477 [164] Advanced Feminist Political Theory (POLI 477) (3). See POLI 477 for description.
479 [079] History of Female Sexualities in the West (HIST 479) (3). See HIST 479 for description.
486 [186] Contemporary Russian Women’s Writing (RUSS 486) (3). See RUSS 486 for description.
500 Gender and Nation in Europe and Beyond, from the 18th to the 20th Century (HIST 500). See HIST 500 for description.
501 Gender of Welfare (HIST 501) (3). See HIST 501 for description.
537 [195] Women in the Middle East (ASIA 537, HIST 537) (3). See HIST 537 for description.
550 The Social Construction of Women’s Bodies (3). Prerequisite, WMST 101 or permission of the instructor. Looking specifically at the social and cultural construction of women’s bodies, this course considers the ways in which biological difference is imbued with social significance.
553 [153] Theorizing Black Feminisms (3). Prerequisite, WMST 102 or permission of the instructor. Introduction to the theoretical and practical contributions of African American feminists who maintain that issues of race, gender, sexuality, and social class are central, rather than peripheral, to any history or strategy for bringing about social justice in the United States.
560 [160] Women and Religion in U.S. History (3). An interdisciplinary consideration of women’s roles, behavior, and ideas in the religious life of Americans from 1636 to 1982.
561 [146] Performance of Literature by Women of Color (COMM 561) (3). See COMM 561 for description.
562 [173] Oral History and Performance (COMM 562, FOLK 562, HIST 562) (3). See COMM 562 for description.
563 [161] Introduction to Women’s Health and Health Education (3). Permission of the instructor. An overview of women’s health emphasizing their specific interest as family and community members, as patients, and as health professionals. Implications for health education practice and research.
568 [168] Women in the South (HIST 568) (3). See HIST 568 for description.
569 [169] African American Women’s History (AFAM 569, HIST 569) (3). See HIST 569 for description.
576 [151A] The Ethnohistory of Native American Women (HIST 576) (3). See HIST 576 for description.
620 [120] Women in Hispanic Literature (SPAN 620) (3). See SPAN 620 for description.
656 [143] Women in Film (COMM 656) (3). This course examines the representations of women in contemporary American film and also considers women as producers of film.
660 [166] Kinship, Reproduction, Reproductive Technology, and the New Genetics (ANTH 660) (3). This course focuses on the relationship among family, kinship, new reproductive technologies, and the new genetics from a cross-cultural perspective.
662 [142] Gender Issues in Planning and Development (PLAN 662) (3). See PLAN 662 for description.
665 [152] Queer Latina/o Literature, Performance, and Visual Art (ENGL 665) (3). See ENGL 665 for description.
666 [180] Queer Latina/o Photography and Literature (ENGL 666) (3). See ENGL 666 for description.
684 [185] Women in Folklore and Literature (ENGL 684, FOLK 684) (3). An exploration of representations of women in oral traditions as well as in literature based on oral traditions.
691H [098] Honors in Women’s Studies (3). Prerequisites, WMST 695 or 695H and permission of the instructor. Writing and completion of an honors essay.
695 [099] Senior Seminar: Principles of Feminist Inquiry (3). Prerequisites, WMST 101, 102, and at least one other WMST course. This is an advanced, writing-intensive course in feminist analysis that will draw on the interests and backgrounds of enrolled students, provide an interdisciplinary survey of the “field,” and train students to apply feminist perspectives to the systematic analysis of specific topics or problems. Students taking honors in women’s studies must take this course during the fall semester.