Course Offerings and Cross-Listings

Courses designated by SCLC carry WGSS credit only if students contract with the professor at the beginning of the semester to do work specific to the WGSS component of the course. Interested students should consult with the professor within the first couple of weeks of class to complete paperwork for WGSS credit. Previous course offerings are listed by term and subject to assist students with planning their programs.

Spring 2008

WGSS 200: Introduction to Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Ladelle McWhorter, MWF 10:25 – 11:15, MWF 2:40 – 3:30.
An introduction to the broad, interdisciplinary field of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.  Special attention will be paid to the meaning and history of the terms “gender” and “sexuality” and to the political movements mobilized around those terms. Students will read both contemporary and historical materials and both primary and secondary sources. No Prerequisite. 3 sem hrs.

WGSS 201: WILL Colloquium: Gender, Race and Activism.
Melissa Ooten, MW 3:45 to 5:00.
This course explores the link between knowledge and power/theory and practice by examining U.S. social movements that have influenced women’s positions in society in recent history. It analyzes the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality in women’s lives and in social activism, as well as both individual and collective strategies for accomplishing social change. Students put theory into practice by working with class members to carry out an action project on a gender-related topic of importance to them. Prerequisite: WILL membership.

HIST 100 Abigail Adams
Woody Holton, WF 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm

THTR 119 Musical Theatre
Dorothy Holland, R 3:45 – 6:25 (FSVP) (SCLC)
Survey of the Broadway Musical Theatre from 1920s to present day. The course culminates with performances of original one-act musicals written and produced by class members. In addition to regular class meetings, weekly labs are held for rehearsals and presentation of special topics. Students taking the course for WGSS credit will focus on the representation of women, gender and/or sexuality in the musical theatre. 3 sem. hrs.

ENGL 206 Outdoor House Natural Reflections in Fiction and Nonfiction.
Lee Carleton, MWF 8:15 – 9:05, MWF 9:20 – 10:10.
Though the word 'radical' is often used negatively, America was founded on surprisingly radical ideas that emphasized community, social justice, gender equality and sexual freedom - ideas that can inspire fresh thinking and new solutions even today. From the egalitarian lifestyles of some Native Americans, to well-known Transcendentalist Philosophers, to modern utopian novels set in strange new worlds with unusual perspectives and priorities, we will browse and discuss some of the radical perspectives available in American Literature.

ECON 232: Women and Gender Issues in Economics.  
KimMarie McGoldrick, TR 8:15 – 9:30.
This course is designed to point out differences in economic circumstances of men and women.  We will begin our discussions by considering the historical progression of women into the labor market and how gender interacts with race and class in determining economic conditions.  Economic theory can then shed light on how family decision-making occurs including a division of time between household production and labor market production.  It can also help explain a number of labor market phenomenon such as: why occupations tend to be predominantly female or male; why men tend to make more than women; and how discrimination impacts these differences. Finally, policy recommendations in light of the differences we discover can be analyzed to determine their effectiveness.  The overreaching issue for the course will be childcare.  Discussions of all topics will incorporate the impact of childcare services and the course project will be focused on availability of childcare and it consequences as applied to the greater Richmond community. Prerequisites: Micro and Macro economics.

RELG 253 Body/Sex in World Religious Literature
Jane Geaney, (FSLT) MW 7:50-9:05 am, TR 3:45 – 5:00
Exploration of theoretical ideas about the body and sexuality in world religious literature focusing on connection between sexuality and construction of identity in various religious perspectives. No prerequisites. 3 sem. hrs.

RELG 255 Queers in Religion
Jane Geaney, (FSLT) TR 2:15-3:30
This course examines applications of queer theory to the cross-cultural study of religion. Readings emphasize queer religious gender formations (e.g. Indian hijras, Native American berdache, and Japanese chigo) and religious discourses on "sexual perversion.” No prerequisites. 3 sem. hrs.
 
RELG 257: Native American Religions
Doug Winiarski, (FHST) TR 11:15 – 12:30 (SCLC)
A survey of selected themes in Native American religious history investigating development of complex religious traditions among mound builder cultures, rituals of trade, healing, and warfare among Algonquin and Iroquoian peoples, and the emergence of prophets and visionaries who employed religious doctrine and ritual in support of military action against invading American settlers. Students will also examine the teachings of Black Elk, a Catholic catechist, and religious challenges of the present day, including use of peyote, debates over the status of burial remains and sacred space, and appropriation of indigenous spirituality by New Age gurus and environmentalists. Students taking the course for WGSS credit will focus on gender and/or sexuality in some of their writing assignments.

SOC 279: Work, Families, Home, Community: Connections Among Social Institutions and Individuals in Society
Carol Wharton, TR 12:45-2:00. Prerequisite SOC 101.
This course addresses connections between the two central social institutions of society: where we live and where we work. It looks at preindustrial social arrangements, where work and family were spatially connected—the family was the main unit of production and most people worked at home. The industrial model separated work and family into two spheres, although the separation was never complete and was based on a false dichotomy. In the postindustrial world, we are becoming more critical of this dichotomy, recognizing how intertwined our work experiences are with our family structures: work affects families and families affect work.

WGSS 301: WILL Senior Seminar.
Holly Blake, W 11:30 - 12:45.
This course examines the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, class and sexuality and explores how these realities are lived in one’s daily life.  Readings will serve as a springboard for reflective essay writing and class discussion about oppression, privilege and social change.
Open to WILL members only.

WGSS 302 Women and the Law
Susan Brewer, TR 2:45 – 4:00
Traditional and contemporary relationships of women to the law. Includes study of legal history and of factors bearing on women's legal status. No prerequisite. 3 sem. hrs.

CLST 308, Women in Greece and Rome
Julie Laskaris, (FSSA)
Concept of the feminine as seen in major works of Greek and Roman poetry, prose, and drama. No prerequisite, 3 sem. hrs.

THTR 309 Theatre History I (Greeks to Early Modern)
Dorothy Holland, MW 4:15 – 5:30 (SCLC)
Survey of theatre history from Ancient Greece to 18th century Europe, with emphasis on representative plays, performance practices, and the cultural, economic and political contexts from which they emerged. Students taking the course for WGSS credit will focus their individual projects on an analysis of the representation of women, gender and/or sexuality. Lecture/discussion format. 3 sem. hrs.

ART 314U Twentieth Century Art
Debra Hanson, (SCLC)

RHCS 350 International Communication.
Archana Bhatt WF 10:00 – 11:15 (SCLC)

ENGL 359: Contemporary American Fiction
Abigail Cheever, TR at 2:15 - 3:30 in Ryland Hall 210 (SCLC)
The course examines how the literary self is constructed during the second half of the twentieth century, especially that construction evolves with the advent of philosophical concepts, literary critical ideas, and technological advances that are loosely grouped under the heading of postmodernity We focus on four categories of identity construction—race, class, gender, and sexual orientation—and examine how late twentieth-century authors shore up and/or tear down these categories; how these categories are complicated through their multiplication and intersection; and how they are naturalized and deployed ideologically. Students taking the course for WGSS credit will focus particularly on the construction of gendered and sexual identity, and how that construction has changed as identity itself is complicated towards the end of the twentieth century.

LDST 390-4: Sex, Power, and Politics
Karen Zivi, W 2:40-5:20
Understanding the leadership process requires attention to context, particularly social values, cultural mores, and communal norms that shape our society and sense of self. This course examines assumptions in the practice and study of leadership – the distinctions between “male” and “female,” masculinity and femininity, and heterosexuality and homosexuality – including both the theoretical bases of these distinctions as well as their social and political implications. It is designed to help students understand the processes by which “sexuality” (including gender and sexual difference) is constituted through relations of power and comes to shape the lives of everyday citizens in both positive and negative ways by considering questions such as: How do theories of sexuality inform political leadership and public policy? How do these theories, and the policies they engender, perpetuate or minimize relations of subordination and domination? How do our gender norms undermine or enable human flourishing and freedom? And what, if anything, should be done in response? 3 sem hrs.

WGSS 490: Thesis Preparation
Ladelle McWhorter, Lee Carleton, Jennifer Erkulwater, Archana Bhatt/Chris Stevenson.  
Prerequisites: WGSS 489 and approval by WGSS coordinator. 3 sem hrs.

LAWE 740: Marriage, Money, and the Law
Shari Motro, W 1:30-4:00
This seminar explores legal and public policy considerations surrounding the economic relationship between spouses and between couples and the state. Topics will include the disparate treatment of married couples, unmarried couples, and singles; marriage promotion initiatives; the economic consequences of childbearing, childrearing, and household labor; marital contracts; property in marriage; divorce; and spousal inheritance. While the course explores a specific area of law, special attention will also be given to the craft of writing. Seminar meetings will combine policy discussions with group critiques of participants’ work. Grades will be based on short writing exercises, an oral presentation, class participation, and constructive feedback on classmates’ work. 3 sem. hrs