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 Professors
Emily S. Burrill, Tanya L. Shields.
Adjunct Professor
Annegret Fauser.
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Marisa Fuentes.
Professor Emerita
Barbara J. Harris.
Introduction
The Department of 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. As a course of study, women’s studies expands the process of knowledge production to include considerations of gender, race, class, and sexuality, offering in so doing a methodology that is interdisciplinary, multicultural, and feminist. 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 over 120 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 Department of Women’s Studies offers the bachelor of arts degree with a major 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 Department of Women’s Studies and distributed as follows:
Intellectual and Theoretical Foundations (12 credits)
• WMST 101 Introduction to Women’s Studies (or its equivalent)
• WMST 102 Introduction to Feminist Theory
• WMST 695 Senior Capstone Seminar: Principles of Feminist Inquiry
• One course in minority/Third World/non-Western women
Interdisciplinary Perspectives (nine credits)
Nine credits should be chosen from the full list of WMST core and cross-listed courses (including any course in minority/Third-World/non-Western women that has not been used to fill that requirement). The courses selected should be distributed among at least two of the following four divisions:
• 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: CLAS 269; WMST 231, 294, 297; 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: GEOG 225; JOMC 442; WMST 278, 281, 285, 293, 368, 388, 458; 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)
One of the following three courses:
• WMST 391 Practicum/Internship
• WMST 396 Independent Reading and Research
• WMST 691H Honors Thesis (requires admission to departmental honors program)
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.
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 HIST 451, HIST 467, and WMST 101, for a minimum of 15 hours from at least three departments or curricula.
Core courses
• AMST 269 Mating and Marriage in American Culture
• CLAS/WMST 242 Sex and Gender in Antiquity
• CMPL/COMM/GERM 272 Global Queer Cinema
• COMM 545 Pornography and Culture
• COMM 549 Sexuality and Visual Culture
• ENGL 264 Literature and Sexuality
• ENGL 384 The Lesbian Novel
• 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 358 American Sexualities: An Introduction to Historical Methods
• 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
• RELI/WMST 244 Gender and Sexuality in Western Christianity
Additional Courses
• AFAM/WMST 285 African American Women in the Media
• AFRI/HIST 535 Women and Gender in African History
• ANTH 440 Gender and Culture
• ANTH 458 Archaeology of Sex and Gender
• ANTH 473 Anthropology of the Body and the Subject
• ANTH/LING/WMST 302 Language and Power
• ART 586 Cultural Politics in Contemporary American Art
• CMPL 468 Aestheticism
• CMPL 487 Literature and the Arts of Love
• COMM 548 Humor and Culture
• ECON 469 Asian Economic Systems
• ENGL 264 Literature and Sexuality
• ENGL 287 Another Country: Homoeroticism in British Literature
• ENGL 365 Migration and Globalization: Gender, Sexuality, and South Asian Diasporas
• ENGL 661 Introduction to Literary Theory
• ENGL/WMST 363 Feminist Literary Theory
• 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
• JAPN 161 The Geisha in History, Fiction, and Fantasy
• JWST/RELI 444 Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism
• PLAN 052/WMST 051 Race, Sex, and Place in America
• POLI/WMST 265 Feminism and Political Theory
• RELI 424 Gender Theory and the Study of Religion
• 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 294 Courtship and Courtliness from King Arthur to Queen Victoria
• WMST 550 The Social Construction of Women’s Bodies
• WMST 553 Theorizing Black Feminisms
Honors in Women’s Studies
An honors degree in women’s studies is available to majors who meet the department’s guidelines for honors and who successfully complete a thesis based upon original and independent research. Contact the department chair for more information.
Contact Information
Associate Professor Michele Tracy Berger, Director of Undergraduate Studies, CB# 3135, 208 Smith Building, (919) 962-3908. For more information about women’s studies, visit the department’s homepage: www.unc.edu/depts/wmst.
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). See PLAN 052 for description.
064 First-Year Seminar: Plantation Lullabies: Literature by and about African American Women (3). This course introduces students to different ways of understanding plantation culture and how that culture persists today, using close reading strategies and gender analysis. The class will examine film, literature, music, and poetry.
066 First-Year Seminar: World Literature by Women (3). Course introduces students to literature by women from around the world, particularly stories of a girl’s transition to womanhood. Close reading strategies are used to examine films, novels, and poetry.
089 First-Year Seminar: Special Topics (3). Special Topics course. Content will vary each semester.
101 [050] Introduction to Women’s Studies (3). An interdisciplinary exploration of the intersections of gender, race, class, and sexuality in American society and internationally. Topics include work; sexuality; gender relations, and images of women in literature, 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 students to United States and global 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). See SOCI 124 for description.
140 [022Q] Introduction to Gay/Lesbian Literature (ENGL 140) (3). See ENGL 140 for description.
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 (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). See AMST 253 for description.
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. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. 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.
285 [085] African American Women in the Media (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). Required preparation, 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. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. 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.
350 Spitting in the Wind: American Women, Art, and Activism (3). This course uses films, novels, and essays to engage with various notions of activism (as represented in art and social justice organizations) at play in hemispheric America.
352 Rahtid Rebel Women: An Introduction to Caribbean Women (3). This course uses films, novels, and essays to move beyond sun, sand, and sex representations of Caribbean women to examine how they negotiate imperial and national definitions of their place.
362 [062] Women in American History (HIST 362) (3). See HIST 362 for description.
363 [090B] Feminist Literary Theory (ENGL 363) (3). See ENGL 363 for description.
368 [068] Women of Color in Contemporary United States 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). See ENGL 374 for description.
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. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. 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). Prerequisite, WMST 101. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. 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). Permission of the department and the instructor. 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). Prerequisite, WMST101. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. 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 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, Science Fiction, and Film (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). See ANTH 440 for description.
441 [141] The Anthropology of Gender, Health, and Illness (ANTH 441) (3). See ANTH 441 for description.
444 [129] Race, Class, and Gender (SOCI 444) (3). See SOCI 444 for description.
446 [086] American Women Authors (ENGL 446) (3). See ENGL 446 for description.
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). See ANTH 458 for description.
475 [165] Philosophical 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. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. 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 101 and 102. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites. 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.
555 Women and Creativity (3). Prerequisite, WMST 101. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. This course will present an overview of the variety and diversity of contemporary American women’s experiences of creative expressions. We explore how women have been historically excluded from the arts.
560 [160] Women and Religion in United States 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 [160] Women’s Health (3). 563 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.
603 Reproductive Physiology and Conception Control (MHCH 603) (3). See MHCH 603 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). See ANTH 660 for description.
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). See ENGL 684 for description.
691H [098] Honors in Women’s Studies (3). Prerequisites, WMST 695 or 695H. Permission of the department and the instructor. Writing and completion of an honors essay.
695 [099] Senior Seminar: Principles of Feminist Inquiry (3). Advanced, writing-intensive course in feminist analysis that will 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. Majors only.