This course closely analyzes the relatively rare sources that allow historians to see the experience of medieval women through the eyes of the women themselves rather than through the prescriptive lens of the men who held most forms of power in their society: a ninth-century woman's book of advice for her son, surviving letters and spiritual writings, wills, and the legal records that show both the vulnerability of women and their readiness to bend and break the law. Case studies of individual women are employed, along with critical analysis of different categories of source material.
This seminar explores the origins and paradoxes of European celebrity culture from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries. This new form of renown was a product of the consumer and media revolutions and of democratization. It depended on the public’s ability to consume, appropriate, and remake the celebrity’s image on its own authority and for its own purposes. The course examines not only how celebrities were produced over time, but also how the meaning of this culture was contested and redefined by fans, the media and famous individuals. It highlights the racial, gendered and class-based dynamics of historical celebrity culture.
Recent U.N. studies document the continuing systematic inequality that exists between men and women around the world. Approaching the study of sex-based inequality from a cross-cultural perspective reflects the reality that it is a universal phenomenon, but with complex and varied roots. The course will include an analysis of the ways in which this inequality impacts political decision-making, political representation, and public policy relevant to women and families. The course will also include the study of how factors such as race, class, religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity, and social forces such as global capitalism, militarism, and nationalism interact with gender and affect the economic and political status of women and men around the world.
This course examines 1) some of the major social and political ideologies of the 20th century (such as liberalism, socialism, nationalism, feminism, environmentalism); 2) theories of social and political movements in modern societies and market democracies; and 3) concrete examples of such social and political movements in the contemporary world.
This course will be an examination of gender differences and similarities in behavior, major theories of gender, and the role that gender plays in interacting with others. Students will design, implement, analyze, and present original research in the area of gender.
Introduces and explores new religious movements, sectarian spin-offs, and alternative communities in the U.S. that have tested the parameters of acceptable "religion" at different moments in history. Particular attention is given to intersectional dynamics. The class questions the politics and practices of labeling, especially the language of "cults," and centers on specific historical case studies in order to illustrate and analyze major theoretical and methodological challenges in and for the study of religion(s). It considers what draws people to create and join new religious movements, the distinctive worlds such groups endeavor to build, and the controversies that have historically attended them.
An examination of the history and criticism of American women's oratory and the history of women's public discourse in the United States from the colonial period through the present. Considers the historical, social, and cultural significance of women's rhetorical participation in civic life, as well as issues of authority, reception, and the nature of argument both within and about women's public address.
A study of literature, film, and other cultural expressions of Latin American and Latinx women. Examines the portrayal of gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, social class, and other issues in their work.
In this introductory course, students will read widely in the interdisciplinary field of women’s and gender studies to explore how gender is created and maintained in society and how social categories, including race, sexuality, class, disability, and age, structure the formation and experience of gender. Coursework will emphasize critical awareness of how gender manifests and operates in political, social, economic, and cultural spheres. Students will also practice the critical thinking, writing, and dialogue skills fundamental to feminist inquiry.
A survey of the history, politics, culture, psychology, biology, and literature of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and queer people. Readings and lectures focus on works by and about LGBTQ+ people.
An interdisciplinary research seminar required of all seniors majoring in women's and gender studies. Students engage in research on a topic of interest, culminating in a substantial thesis. The thesis must advance a lucid research question and interrogate a range of sources that bridge disciplinary boundaries and reflect feminist theory and/or methodology. Students take this course in the fall of the senior year. The course serves as the writing intensive credit within the major as well as providing the basis for an oral presentation and defense in the spring of the senior year.