WGST 100 - Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies

Credit(s): 3
Lecture: 3
Non-Lecture: 0
An introduction to historical and contemporary feminist issues and to problems of special importance to Women’s and Gender Studies, which students may go on to pursue in further depth. Examples include the nature of gender in the US and cross-culturally; how gender functions within a system of privilege and oppression; how gender intersects with other forms of oppression such as race, class, and LGBTQ status; and feminist activism across the three feminist “waves.” In the course of examining these topics, students will be introduced to a wide array of feminist theoretical frameworks, Liberal Feminism, Radical Feminism, Black Feminism, and Postmodern Feminism. Students will then explore applications of these theories to various topics of historical and contemporary interest to women, such as pornography, sexuality, violence, and sexual assault, among other topics. Offered every semester.