The Women's Studies Program provides opportunities for students to think beyond the boundaries of traditional gender roles in academics, in institutions, and in everyday life. The Women's Studies Program includes both a minor in Women's Studies, as well as a certificate in women's spirituality. The program follows an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging students to explore diverse experiences and perspectives. Individual courses seek to transform the learner's world view by giving careful attention to the scholarship and experience of women from multicultural perspectives. Students integrate classroom knowledge with hands-on service learning opportunities.
Chair: Lezlie Oachs, M.A.
The Women's Studies minor requires 20 credits within two divisions, including at least three departments.
The following courses are required:
WMS 1011 Introduction to Women's Studies (I) 4 cr.
Provides students with a theoretical foundation for the issues explored in other Women's Studies courses. Topics include the effect of gender dynamics upon: self-identity, relationships, family, work and institutions. Students will further develop their reading, writing, thinking, speaking and listening skills as they study women's issues from a global perspective within the context of race, class, ethnicity and sexual preference.
WMS 4555 Women's Studies Practicum/Seminar (WI) 4 cr.
Prerequisite: WMS 1011
This course is the capstone course for minors. It provides students with an opportunity to work in an agency/organization in the role of Women's Studies intern and to explore areas of interest such as feminist scholarship in a seminar format.
The following courses are electives.
ENG 1130 Introduction to Women's Literature (I, IV) 4 cr.
Surveys of prose and poetry in the English language by women of the 1300s to the present. Readings include three novels and several plays. Women's issues are discussed as they arise in the literature.
ENG 3370 Studies in Women's Literature (offered every other year) (IV, WI) 4 cr.
Studies focus on, for example, literature of women's friendship and mother-daughter literature.
ENG/HUM 3380 Women's Spirituality and Literature (I, IV, X, WI) 4 cr.
Involves students in the process of their own spiritual journey as well as examining the spirituality of female characters in literature. In addition, poetry, theology and spirituality texts are studied to provide the student with guides for reflection. This course incorporates journals, papers, presentations and a final integration paper.
HIS 3320 Women in United States History I (VII) 4 cr.
Examines significant topics in U.S. women's history from the Colonial period to 1890, focusing on the role women of different classes and races have played in shaping society. Requirements develop critical thinking skills so that students can evaluate the influences and trends that have shaped the institutions and society Americans experienced in the past and present.
HIS 3321 Women in United States History II (VII) 4 cr.
Examines significant topics in U.S. women's history from the 1890s through the present, focusing on the role women of different classes and races have played in shaping society. Requirements develop critical thinking skills so that students can evaluate the influences and trends that have shaped the institutions and society Americans experienced in the past and present.
HIS/WMS 3324 African American History I (I, VII) 4 cr.
Examines significant topics in African American history from the period of forced migration to the Americas through Reconstruction. Analyzes the roles African Americans of different classes and genders have played in shaping U.S. history.
HIS/WMS 3325 African American History II (I, VII) 4 cr.
Examines significant topics in African American history from Reconstruction through the current experience of diverse members of the African diaspora living in the U.S. Analyzes the roles African Americans of different classes and genders have played in shaping U.S. history.
HIS/WMS 3350 Feminism and Globalization: Women, Religion and the Body 4 cr.
Explores how European imperialist accounts of non-European women's experience have been crucial to culturally dominant ideas about feminism, globalization and the legacy of the colonial state throughout the so-called "third world." Beginning with a critical and historical overview of feminist theory and practice, the course will trace recent studies, both historical and ethnographic, of how terms such as "women," "religion" and "the body" were radically changed by the colonial projects of the 19th century (e.g. in South Asia and Africa) - projects that are intimately related to contemporary debates on transnational women's movements and globalization.
INS 3320 American Indian Women: Myth and Reality (I, II) 4 cr.
Issues of early Indian/white relations, spirituality and religion, economic roles, policy, cultural persistence, land tenure, socialization and property rights and the role of mothers from the Indian female perspective.
PHL 3360 Philosophies of Feminism (IX, WI) 4 cr.
Examines theoretical accounts of the relation between women and men in present society, identifies assumptions within the feminist accounts and evaluates proposals for change.
PSY 3340 Psychology of Gender (offered every other year) 2 cr.
Introduces students to the research methods, findings and theories of psychology of gender. Students examine evidence for gender differences and similarities in cognitive abilities, personality, social behavior, and physical and mental health and explore nature and nurture explanations. Gender stereotypes and their impact are discussed. Women's and men's experiences in the workplace, in relationships, in parenting and in aging are major foci of the course. Prerequisite: one psychology course or consent of instructor.
HUM/WMS 2243 Women and Religion (X) 4 cr.
Examines scriptural and historical understandings of women's roles in religion and churches. This course emphasizes the work of contemporary women thinkers who are exploring various dimensions of this question.
TRS 3381 Sexuality: Equality, Justice and Spirituality in Relationships (X, WI) 4 cr.
Presents holistic view of gender issues and sexuality beginning with religious-ethical background. Course explores ethical, psychological, social and physiological aspects of sexuality as these relate to gender roles and reverence for person and justice. It examines obstacles, value distortions and correctives from Judeo-Christian perspective.
HUM 4440 Women Mystics (X, WI) 4 cr.
Introduction to the study of the mystical tradition through the examination of the lives and writings of selected women mystics: Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Theresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Simone Weil, Etty Hillesum and Hildegard of Bingen.
SOC 2231 Cultural Anthropology (I, II) 4 cr.
Comparative and contextual study of the diversity and similarity in human behaviors and socio-cultural adaptations as these occur throughout the world. This course studies anthropological concepts as tools of analysis in understanding culture, powerful "roles" of culture, cultural patterns and factors leading to culture change.
SOC 2777/4777 Women's Health Issues 4 cr.
WMS 2777 Topics in Women's Studies 2-4 cr.
Various departments offer topics courses which are applicable to Women's Studies. Check with the coordinator for current offerings on the schedule.
WMS 4488 Herstory (WI) 4 cr.
Provides students with experiences of reading about and working with women's lives as they are reflected in autobiographies and memoirs. Topics include: the connection between truth and art, the role of memory in telling one's life story, and the ways in which life stories confront history. Autobiographies and memoirs will serve as windows into others' lives and mirrors into one's own.
The women's spirituality certificate requires 16 credits of coursework and a Benedictine Immersion Retreat.
Required Capstone Experience Benedictine Immersion Retreat 0 cr.
One of the following courses is required:
HUM 2243 Women and Religion 4 cr.
Examines scriptural and historical understandings of women's roles in religion and churches. This course emphasizes the work of contemporary women thinkers who are exploring various dimensions of this question.
ENG/RES 3380 Women's Spirituality and Literature (I, IV, X, WI) 4 cr.
Involves students in the process of their own spiritual journey as well as examining the spirituality of female characters in literature. In addition, poetry, theology and spirituality texts are studied to provide the student with guides for reflection. This course incorporates journals, papers, presentations and a final integration paper.
The following courses are electives.
WMS 1011 Introduction to Women's Studies (I) 4 cr.
Provides students with a theoretical foundation for the issues explored in other Women's Studies courses. Topics include the effect of gender dynamics upon: self-identity, relationships, family, work, and institutions. Students will further develop their reading, writing, thinking, speaking, and listening skills as they study women's issues from a global perspective within the context of race, class, ethnicity and sexual preference.
TRS 1180 Benedictine Tradition (X) 4 cr.
Designed to explore with students the essential elements of the Benedictine tradition. The course ponders questions such as: What, if anything, in The Rule of Benedict can help us live spiritually in our world today? What are the core values of the Benedictine tradition that has a 1,500-year history? How can The Rule of Benedict provide tools for developing answers to the fundamental questions of our lives? The Rule of Benedict encompasses a way of life that stresses "Doing the ordinary extraordinarily well." Students explore ways of developing a spirituality that focuses on discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life.
TRS 2290 Spirituality and Everyday Living (X) 4 cr.
Focuses on Christian living with a holistic view of what it means to be fully human. Course seeks to foster spiritual growth by integrating the principles of the science of formative spirituality with the search for God in the ordinary happenings of daily life.
TRS 3381 Sexuality, Equality and Spirituality in Relationships (X, WI) 4 cr.
Presents holistic view of gender issues and sexuality beginning with religious-ethical background. Course explores ethical, psychological, social and physiological aspects of sexuality as these relate to gender roles and reverence for person and justice. It examines obstacles, value distortions and correctives from Judeo-Christian perspective.
HUM 3340 Spiritual Living: 21st Century (X, WI) 4 cr.
The course examines spiritual living with a holistic view of what it means to be fully human. It seeks to foster spiritual growth by exploring universal themes of spiritual living as they relate to the search for God in the ordinary happenings of daily life. Christian spirituality and the spirituality of other faith traditions will be studied.
HUM 3378 Spirituality and Prayer (X, WI) 4 cr.
Explores a theology and practice of prayer as reflected by some classic and contemporary Christian and non-Christian writers. This course encourages students to discover their own unique pathways of prayer, develop a personal relationship with God in their spiritual quest and engage in a prayer life that nurtures and inspires their quest for meaning in life.
HUM 4440 Women Mystics (X, WI) 4 cr.
Introduction to the study of the mystical tradition through the examination of the lives and writings of selected women mystics: Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Theresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Simone Weil, Etty Hillesum and Hildegard of Bingen.
PHL 3360 Philosophies of Feminism (IX, WI) 4 cr.
Examines theoretical accounts of the relation between women and men in present society, identifies assumptions within the feminist accounts and evaluates proposals for change
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