Women's and Gender Studies (WGST)
Director: Associate Professor Clara Hardy
Adjunct Senior Lecturer: Jane T. McDonnell
Committee Members: Barbara Allen, Chiara Briganti, Carol Donelan, Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, Clara Hardy, Anna Igra, Jennifer C. Manion, Diane M. Nemec Ignashev, Annette Nierobisz, Éva Pósfay, Matt Rand, Kathleen Ryor, Parna Sengupta, Kathryn Sparling, Dana J. Strand
The Women's and Gender Studies Program provides an interdisciplinary meeting ground for exploring questions about women and gender that are transforming knowledge across disciplinary lines in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Its goal is to include gender, along with class, sexual orientation and race, as a central category of social and cultural analysis. Courses focusing on women are offered by the departments of Asian Languages and Literatures, Classics, English, German and Russian, Romance Languages and Literatures, History, Media Studies, Music, Religion, Philosophy, Political Science, Art, Sociology and Anthropology, as well as Women's and Gender Studies itself. Carleton offers both a Major and a Concentration in Women's and Gender Studies that allows students to complement their major field with an interdisciplinary focus on women and gender. All courses are open to all students, if they have fulfilled the prerequisites.
Women's and Gender Studies 110, an entry point to the major, is a topical introduction to the field. Women's and Gender Studies 235 provides the theoretical and methodological tools for advanced work on women and gender. The capstone course, Women's and Gender Studies 396, offers students the opportunity to study a topic in depth and to produce a substantial research paper. The major culminates in a senior comprehensive project, directed by advisors from two disciplines, that builds on the skills and interests developed in previous coursework in Women's and Gender Studies. Each student devises an appropriate program of courses in consultation with the major advisor.
Requirements for a Major: (Total of 66 credits)
One introductory course, Women's and Gender Studies 110
One methodology course, Women's and Gender Studies 235
One Capstone Seminar, Women's and Gender Studies 396
Comprehensive Exercise, Women's and Gender Studies 400
In addition to these 24 credits, students must complete an additional 42 credits from the Women's and Gender Studies offerings listed below. Of these 42, no more than 12 credits should be at the 100-level and at least 12 credits should be at the 300-level. Ordinarily, no more than 18 credits may be applied to the major from outside of Carleton.
Students will plan these courses in consultation with the Program Director or a designated Faculty Advisor when they declare their major, and review their plan each term. The major they design should provide both breadth of exposure to Women's and Gender Studies across fields and depth of study in one discipline (normally at least two courses in one area or from one department).
Women's and Gender Studies Courses
WGST 110. Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies This course is an introduction to the ways in which gender structures our world, to theories of women's oppression and liberation, and to the ways feminist thought challenges established intellectual frameworks. However, because gender is not a homogeneous category but is differentiated by class, race, ethnicity, and culture, we also consider both the differences among women and the difficulties of inter-cultural dialogue. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall,Winter—A. Igra, Jn. McDonnell
WGST 114. Gender and Sexuality in Classical Antiquity Cross-listed with CLAS 114. In both ancient Greece and Rome, gender (along with class and citizenship status) largely determined what people did, where they spent their time, and how they related to others. This course will examine the ways in which Greek and Roman societies defined gender categories, and how they used them to think about larger social, political, and religious issues. Readings from epic, lyric, and drama, as well as ancient historical, philosophical, and medical writers. No prerequisites. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Spring—C. Hardy
WGST 150. Amazons, Valkyries, Naiads, Dykes: Woman Identified and Lesbian Artists in Europe Cross-listed with LCST 150. An introduction to issues arising at the intersection of gender and literary studies, in this case women-identified art. A survey of the canon, the reading and film viewing for this course includes: Sappho, Aphra Behn, Virginia Woolf, Radclyffe Hall, Gertrude Stein, Ulrike Ottinger, Monique Wittig, Jeanette Winterson, and others. The geo-cultural center for this course is Western Europe, and cultural context as a factor in the creative process will be central to discussion. Lecture-discussion, short papers, exam. No prerequisites. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Winter—D. Nemec Ignashev
WGST 190. Language and Gender Cross-listed with LING 190. As social beings, we order our existence according to characteristics that link us to and distinguish us from each other. One of the most salient of these is gender, and since language is the primary symbolic system by which we express our experiences, it is no surprise that language and gender interact in intricate ways. This course explores the relationships between language, gender, and society. In what ways do men and women use language differently? How do these differences reflect and/or maintain gender roles in society? While the course takes primarily a linguistic perspective, it will also draw on insights from anthropology, sociology, psychology, and women's and gender studies. No prerequisite. 6 credits cr., SS, Winter—T. Kershner
WGST 221. Women in Art Cross-listed with ARTH 223. . The study of art about and produced by women in the west from the Renaissance to the present. Attention to the ways gender identity is constructed in the arts, the conditions under which women have worked, the ideologies and institutions that have shaped their relationships to the arts, the feminist critique of the discipline of art history. Prerequisite: any one term of art history. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 222. U.S. Women's History to 1877 Cross-listed with HIST 222. . Gender, race, and class shaped women's participation in the arenas of work, family life, culture, and politics in the United States from the colonial period to the late 19th century. We will examine diverse women's experiences of colonization, industrialization, slavery and Reconstruction, religion, sexuality and reproduction, and social reform. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources, as well as historiographic articles outlining major frameworks and debates in the field of women's history. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 223. U.S. Women's History Since 1877 Cross-listed with HIST 223. . In the 20th century women participated in the redefinition of politics and the state, sexuality and family life, and work and leisure as the United States became a modern, largely urban society. We will explore how the dimensions of race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality shaped diverse women's experiences of these historical changes. Topics will include: immigration, the expansion of the welfare system and the consumer economy, labor force segmentation and the world wars, and women's activism in civil rights, labor, peace and feminist movements. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 224. Women and Christianity Cross-listed with RELG 224. . This course first examines women's historical involvement in Christianity and the various views on women held by influential Christians of the past. It then probes literary and theological texts that reflect the efforts of contemporary thinkers to understand and transform a tradition they find both oppressive and liberating where justice for women is concerned. A diverse range of contemporary authors (including African-American,Chinese-American, European-American, and Mexican-American) invite reflection on topics such as God-language, Christian missions, race, class, spirituality, sexuality, and environmental justice. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 226. Anthropology of Gender Cross-listed with SOAN 226. . This course examines gender and gender relations from an anthropological perspective. We discuss such key concepts as gender, voice/mutedness, status, public and private spheres, and the gendered division of labor, exploring the intellectual history of these terms and how they have been used. The course focuses on two areas: 1) the role of sex, sexuality, and procreation in creating cultural notions of gender, and 2) the impacts of colonialism, globalization, and economic underdevelopment on Third World women. Reading include both theoretical articles and ethnographic case studies from around the world. Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 or permission of the instructor. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 228. Gender and Genre in the Floating World: Japanese Prints Cross-listed with ARTH 220. . Pictures of the floating world, or ukiyo-e, were an integral part of popular culture in Japan and functioned as illustrations, advertisements, and souvenirs. This course will examine the development of both style and subject matter in Japanese prints within the socio-economic context of the 17th-20th centuries. Emphasis will be placed on the prominent position of women and the nature of gendered activity in these prints. Prerequisite: Any one term of art history. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 229. Gender and Work in U.S. History Cross-listed with HIST 229. . Historically work has been a central location for the constitution of gender identities for both men and women; at the same time, cultural notions of gender have shaped the labor market. We will investigate the roles of race, class, and ethnicity in shaping multiple sexual divisions of labor and the ways in which terms such as skill, bread-winning and work itself were gendered. Topics will include domestic labor, slavery, industrialization, labor market segmentation, protective legislation, and the labor movement. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Winter—A. Igra
WGST 232. Women and Islamic Constructions of Gender Cross-listed with RELG 235. A survey of issues significant for women's lives in various parts of the Muslim world. We will briefly examine women's status and image in classical Islamic thought, and the bulk of the course will focus on contemporary Muslim women in a number of different cultural contexts. Issues to be discussed include: veiling, kinship structures, war and violence, health, feminist activism, and literary and artistic expression. The course aims to provide both a broad understanding of the factors affecting women's lives, and an appreciation of the diversity of social and material conditions that exist within the Muslim world. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Spring—S. Bashir
WGST 233. Topics in Medieval History: Gender and Ethics in Medieval France Cross-listed with RELG 238,FRST 238,HIST 238. Acknowledged by contemporaries as one of the leading intellects of her time, Christine de Pizan (ca. 1364-ca. 1431) was an author of unusual literary range and perceptiveness. In addition to romances, poetry, and a quasi-autobiographical Vision, she composed works on political theory, arms and chivalry, and her famous defenses of womenThe City of Ladies and the Treasure of the City of Ladies. Using Christine's writings as a foundation, we will explore problems and perceptions of gender, love, the ethics of personal relations, and the exercise of power in domestic and public spheres in late medieval France. 3 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 233. The World of Bede Cross-listed with RELG 238,FRST 238,HIST 238. This course will examine the works and world of the Venerable Bede (c. 673-731), one of the great Christian thinkers and historians of the Middle Ages and a key witness to the history of early medieval Ireland and Anglo-Saxon England. Through close study of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People and other contemporary sources, we shall address such issues as Christian vs. Germanic rulership; the nature of religious conversion in early medieval societies; monasticism and conceptions of sanctity; Ireland and England as outposts of classical and Christian culture; and the problems of historical thought and writing in the early Middle Ages. 3 Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 233. Topics in Medieval History: Papacy, Church and Empire Cross-listed with RELG 238,FRST 238,HIST 238. In the late 11th century, the foundations of medieval society began to shake. Monks and clerics, kings and princes, lay men and women, challenged the traditional order of European society, demanding purity, freedom, and justice for their church and the reform of institutions grown corrupt. Yet the traditional order had its defenders, too. In this course we will examine their strugglesverbal and physicalas they debate such issues as clerical marriage and purity, institutional corruption, the relationship of Church and King, the meaning of canon law, the concept of just war, and the power of the pope within the Church. 3 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 235. Feminist Philosophy Cross-listed with PHIL 235. . Drawing on developments in feminist theory and philosophy, this course focuses on the ways in which feminism has affected our understanding and evaluation of basic philosophical problems, concepts, and theories. Special emphasis will be paid to the very idea of theory in feminist thought and the implications of feminist philosophy for institutionalized racism, sexism, and heterosexism. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—J. Manion
WGST 236. Women's Lives in Pre-Modern Europe Cross-listed with FRST 232,HIST 236. Did women have a Renaissance? Were women increasingly relegated to a separate sphere from men: "domesticated" into the household? Or, on the contrary, is the history of European women characterized by fundamental continuities? This course seeks to answer these questions through an exploration of women's place in the family and economy, laws and cultural assumptions about women, and women's role in religion. Throughout the term, we will be focusing not only on writings about women, but primarily on sources written by women themselves, as we seek a fuller understanding of the nature of European women's lives before the modern era. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 237. Classical Japanese Fiction: The Tale of Genji and Its World in Translation Cross-listed with JAPN 236. A close look at the great classic of Japanese fiction, with special attention to literary and aesthetic traditions and to the social and cultural context of Heian Japan. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—K. Sparling
WGST 242. Women and World Cinema Cross-listed with MEDA 242,CHIN 242. We will screen, read, and analyze cinematic representations of women and society in Western and non-Western conditions and contexts. The course will serve as a multicultural investigation of the varied relationship between women and cinema, using films produced in North America, Europe, and Asia. This course is a comparative study of the aesthetic modes, filmic techniques, cultural realities, and ideological underpinnings related to women's body, mind, and power as illustrated on the screenscape. All the course materials are in English translation. No prerequisites. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 255. Women Dramatists in Latin America: Staging Conflicts Cross-listed with LTAM 255,SPAN 255. . This course will examine contemporary plays written by Latin American and U.S. Latina women from a woman centered perspective. Issues will range from women and political repression to a critique of gender roles. As we read the plays, we will consider both the literary qualities of dramatic texts and the semiotics of staging and its potential for public advocacy. Dramatists that may be included are Luisa Josefina Hernández, Elena Garro, Griselda Gambaro, Sabina Berman, Maruxa Vilalta, Marcela del Río, Albalucía Angel, Aida Bortnik and U.S. Latina playwrights María Irene Fornes and Margarita Tavera Rivera. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or proficiency. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 258. Women in Buddhist Traditions Cross-listed with RELG 258. An exploration of Buddhist traditions that probes the contributions and concerns of women in various cultural contexts (Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, and North American) and time periods (ancient and modern). We will examine how gender is constructed in each cultural and religious context and analyze the practices, texts, and hermeneutical schemes that foster misogyny. We will look into reasons why texts on religion have not always included the voices of women and investigate ways to correct the historical record and foster justice for women in today's religious settings. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Winter—P. Arai
WGST 259. Women in South Asia: Histories, Narratives, and Representation Cross-listed with HIST 259. The objective of this course is to survey the historical institutions, practices and traditions that defined the position of women in India. We will examine the laws and religious traditions related to women in South Asia including marriage, inheritance, sati and purdah. We will also read a variety of women's writings including the poetry of buddhist nuns and medieval women saints, as well as stories and memoirs from the colonial and post-colonial period. The purpose of the course is to understand women in India as both the object and subject of history. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 260. Gender, Sexuality and Schooling Cross-listed with SOAN 261,EDUC 260. This course explores how gender and sexuality are socially constructed in school settings. Using a variety of feminist cultural texts ranging from empirical studies to popular films, we will focus on how masculinities, femininities and queer identities are formed and performed in the context of school, and how notions of gender and sexuality inform interactions between teachers, students and administrators. In addition, we will address how race, class, age and nation complicate gender and sexuality identities. Specific topics to be covered include sex education, teachers' work, sex/gender segregation, and the experiences of queer students. 6 credits cr., SS,RAD, Winter—L. McCready
WGST 282. Women in African History: (Re-)Production, Representation, and Resistance Cross-listed with HIST 282. . This course will explore several themes that are central to understanding the changes n African women's lives and experiences in the countryside and the city from before colonialism to the present: work, education, labor migration, marriage, sexuality, motherhood, political action and creativity. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources, as well as historiographic articles outlining issues in African women's history and the novels and autobiographies through which African women have begun to make their voices heard. But women in Africa do not speak as one, and thus we will also study the differences of race, gender, class and culture. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 319. 18th Century Fiction Cross-listed with ENGL 319. A study of the origin and development of the English novel throughout the long 18th century. We will situate the early novel within its historical and cultural context, paying particular attention to its concern with courtship and marriage, writing and reading, the real and the fantastic. We will also consider 18th century debates about the social function of novels and the dangers of reading fiction. Authors will include Behn, Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Sterne and Radcliffe. Group II. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—J. Leiman
WGST 322. Christian Feminist Theologies Cross-listed with RELG 322. . Since the early 1970s feminist scholars have made important contributions to Christian theology, especially in the areas of biblical studies, systematic theology, and ethics. This seminar will investigate works by a diverse range of Catholic and Protestant thinkers who are influencing these theological disciplines and also contributing to wider movements for justice and ecology. Prerequisite: One course in Christianity or consent of instructor. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 329. Sex and the City: Late Victorian London Cross-listed with ENGL 329. Of the many social issues debated in the Victorian era, none was more prominent or contentious than the "Woman Question." Women's roles, rights, natures, and possibilities were explored not only in the poetry and fiction of the day, but also in newspapers, law courts, and social/scientific treatises. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to study Victorian sex and gender, this seminar reads works by Christina Rossetti, George Gissing, and Olive Schriner alongside W.T. Stead's journalism on prostitution and Max Nordau's articles on degeneration, and includes secondary materials such as Foucault's History of Sexuality and historian Judith Walkowitz's City of Dreadful Delight. Group III. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—A. Wee
WGST 340. From Memory to Memoir: The Art of the Personal Narrative Cross-listed with ENGL 231. . This is a writing class, designed to help students transform personal experience into finished narrative. Classes will feature visits from published writers, practical writing exercises, informal workshops and discussions about this new and important genre. This is the perfect place to ponder and reshape personal, family and cross-cultural experiences. Prerequisite: Part 1 of the writing requirement. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—Jn. McDonnell
WGST 344. Women Writers in Latin America: Challenging Gender and Genre Cross-listed with LTAM 344,SPAN 344. . The course will study texts (written by women) that deal critically with issues of gender, challenging implicit and explicit patriarchal values. Emphasis will also be placed on how these women have experimented with narrative and poetic genres to express their personal concerns and to deconstruct orthodox structures. Authors usually included: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Storni, Agustini, Castellanos, Poniatowska, Molloy, Valenzuela, Ferré, Garro, Peri Rossi, Allende. Prerequisite: Spanish 240 or a 300 level literature course is recommended. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 347. Women, Men, Modernism and Modernity Cross-listed with ENGL 347. This course seeks to intervene in the current lively debate over the definitions and meanings of Modernity and Modernism. We will examine a selection of literature, social investigation, and criticism concerning Modernist and Modern experimentation, against the background of historical events such as the General Strike of 1926, World War I, World War II and the role of magazines and of housing policies in the revalidation of domesticity and the construction of gender. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 351. Women Playwrights/Women's Roles Cross-listed with THEA 351,ENGL 351. . A study of images of women in plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Strindberg, Tennessee Williams, and a number of women playwrights from Hellman and Clare Booth Luce to Caryl Churchill to Ntozaue Shange. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 353. Feminist and American Separatist Movements* Cross-listed with POSC 353. . Within a feminist framework we will contrast social protest movements such as the Black Panther Party and Radical Zionism that appear to elevate racial or ethnic identity above gender concerns with lesbian feminist strategies that include an analysis of race and class as well as those feminist strategies that do not. In each case we will look at the multifaceted intersections of gender, race, class, and ethnicity. Prerequisite: Women's and Gender Studies 110 or Political Science 122. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 354. Feminist Political Theory* Cross-listed with POSC 354. . This seminar will cover the major developments in feminist theory as that theory relates to authority (political) relationships. Liberal, radical, Marxist and socialist-feminist critiques and their antecedents in political philosophy will be analyzed in the course. Feminist theory applied to or derived from psychoanalysis, cognitive development, moral reasoning, and theology will also be discussed. Prerequisites: Women's and Gender Studies 110, Political Science 122, or any theory class. 6 credits cr., SS,RAD, Not offered in 2003-2004.
WGST 355. Contemporary Feminist Thought: Identity, Culture and Rights* Cross-listed with POSC 355. This course will look at the contemporary debate in multiculturalism in the context of a variety of liberal philosophical traditions, including contractarians, libertarians, and Utilitarians. These views of the relationship of individual to community will be compared to those of the communitarian and egalitarian traditions. Research papers may use a number of feminist theory frameworks and methods. Prerequisites: WGST 110 or any political theory, feminist philosophy, or political philosophy course. 6 credits cr., SS, Spring—B. Allen
WGST 396. The Politics of Reproduction This course deals with new reproductive technologies and their impact on the lives of women. Topics studied include surrogacy, abortion, infertility treatments, sterilization abuse, contraception, "fetal rights," fetal imaging, and disability rights. The course deals with the intersection of medical ethics, contract law, and feminist thinking, and will address issues of interest to pre-med and pre-law students, as well as to students in the Women's and Gender Studies program. 6 credits cr., SS, Spring—Jn. McDonnell