WGS 101: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies

WGS 101
Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies
(3 credits)
Class Size: 15-25

Faculty: Dana M. Olwan, Associate Professor, Syracuse University
Gwendolyn D. Pough, Professor, Syracuse University
Administrative Contact: Sean Conrey, Associate Director, Project Advance

Course Catalog Description

Introduces the interdisciplinary field of women’s and gender studies; gender as a social construct shaped by race, class, sexuality, disability, and nation; and feminist theories of oppression, power, and resistance. Shared Competencies Critical and Creative Thinking; Ethics, Integrity, and Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.

Course Overview

This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of women’s and gender studies. It introduces students to concepts and issues that are foundational to the study of gender and sexuality. The course focuses on theorizations of power, domination, and patriarchy. It considers how gender is constructed, experienced, and expressed in various and complex ways across different historical periods and geographical spaces. The course approaches the study of gender by foregrounding a critical intersectional feminist lens that pays particular attention the categories of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Through engaging a variety of texts (including films, documentaries music, poetry and novels), students will work together to develop strategies and practices of reading historical issues, cultural products, and contemporary debates from feminist lenses and perspectives.

Pre- / Co-requisites

N/A

Course Objectives

  • Gain familiarity with the field of Women’s Studies.
  • Develop facility with interdisciplinary feminist theories and methods.
  • Acquire understanding of intersectionality as a conceptual tool.
  • Critically analyze primary sources and secondary texts in feminist thought.
  • Develop ability to reflect on gender roles and expectations.
  • Recognize multiple sites of knowledge production, e.g. conventional texts as well as creative work, activism, and popular culture.
  • Acquire familiarity with multiple forms of feminisms.
  • Engage in collaborative learning

Laboratory

N/A

Required Materials

There is no assigned core text for the course. All materials for this course will be available through the course blackboard page.

Instructor Recommendations

N/A