All gender studies majors must take Introduction to Gender Studies (GndS 100), Senior Seminar and Thesis Preparation (GndS 490), and Thesis (GndS 497 or 498). Gender studies majors must complete at least twenty-eight additional credits; at least twelve of these additional credits must be at the 300-400 level. Students will work closely with an adviser to select courses which meet the following two criteria: At least one course must be taken in each of the following four areas: theory (e.g., Pol 157, Pol 328, Phil 235), history (e.g., Hist 300, Hist 325, Clas 140), social sciences (e.g., Anth 358, Pol 357, Psyc 239, Soc 258), humanities (e.g., ArtH 329, Rel 358, RFS 240). See the list of courses offered in gender studies to determine the area into which a course falls. At least three courses at or above the 200 level must be closely related in topic or methodology. This concentration can be achieved by taking three courses from one department (e.g., history) or by taking three courses with the same focus (e.g., Latin America) from different departments. Before pre-registration for the senior year the major adviser must agree that the student has proposed an acceptable means of meeting the concentration requirement. A course in biology (e.g., Biol 120 or 125) is recommended. Students considering graduate programs are strongly advised to complete a minor in a related discipline (e.g., anthropology, history, politics, psychology, sociology). In the final semester the student must pass a senior assessment consisting of a senior thesis and an approximately one-and-a-half-hour oral examination, which will include questions concerning the thesis and coursework taken for the major.
The minor requires a minimum of twenty credits to include Gender Studies 100 and at least four hours of coursework at the 100 or 200 levels and at least eight hours at the 300 or 400 levels. The student, in consultation with a gender studies adviser, will plan a program which will meet requirements of special interest and intellectual coherence, and will include courses in the social sciences, humanities and, when possible, the sciences.
Note: A course cannot be used to satisfy both major and minor requirements, e.g., History 370 cannot be used to apply toward the thirty-eight credit requirement for the gender studies major and history minor or vice versa.
Regularly offered Gender Studies courses and applicable variable-topic courses offered 2007-08 include:
GndS 100 Introduction to Gender Studies (Fall: Morrisey; and Spring: Wilcox)
This interdisciplinary course is designed to introduce students, particularly
those intending to complete a gender studies major or minor, to questions in which
gender is a significant category of analysis. Topics will include the
construction of gender identity and sexuality and the relationship of
gender to past and present social and cultural institutions, gendered
representations in the arts and literature, and feminist
and related theoretical approaches to various disciplines.
GndS 291, 292 Independent Study (Fall and Spring; 1-4 credits)
Discussion and directed reading on a topic of interest to the individual student.
GndS 380 Special Topics:
Courses that explore selected topics in gender studies.
Fall 2008: 380 A: Queer Theory; Wilcox
Queer theory developed in the early 1990s out of the conjunction of feminist theory, sexuality studies, and queer activism. This course introduces students to some of the key authors and texts in queer theory, as well as applications of queer theory in a variety of academic fields and critiques of queer theory as androcentric, Eurocentric, overly intellectual, and impractical. It is recommended that students who take this class have previous exposure to theoretical writing in either the humanities or the social sciences.
Fall and Spring: 380 B: Introduction to Men and Masculinities; Jordan
This introductory course will explore the many meanings of manhood in modern America. We will analyze essential works in the evolving interdisciplinary field of men's studies. Our readings and class activities and discussions will grapple with the core theory that multiple models of manhood co-exist and compete with each other in a particular society or individual's life. We will assess how femininities, sexualities, race, class, and age have shaped men's statuses and experiences. Students will engage with a variety of primary source forms including literature, art, film, music, and advertising. The class will also examine gender dynamics in Whitman College and Walla Walla institutions.
Fall 2008: 380 C: Manhood and Womanhood in Modern American; Jordan
How did ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman in America today come into being? Have different cultural groups held similar or opposing views on what constitutes proper manhood and womanhood? This course will analyze how modern American norms of manhood and womanhood have evolved since the Civil War. We will examine how gender has worked in conjunction with race, class, age, and sexuality norms to determine the allocation of power and resources in American society. Readings and class activities and discussions will give particular attention to gender dynamics in politics, war, work, leisure, family, and religion.
Spring 2009: 380 A: French Feminism; Zalloua
This course will explore the movement of French Feminism as articulated by its leading representatives, Julia Kristeva, Luce Irigaray, and H??e Cixous. Taking a genealogical approach to the investigation of "feminism", we will compare these theorists' understanding of the concept with that of Simone de Beauvoir, as well as that of their Anglophone contemporaries (such as Judith Butler and Diana Fuss). Particular attention will be given to the representations of gender and sexual difference in relation to language and pleasure, essentialism, and accounts of the body, as well as French Feminism's critical dialogue with psychoanalysis, Marxism, and poststructuralism.
Spring 2009: 380 C: The Gender of Nature; Jordan
Many Americans are cognizant of the ways in which race and class norms are socially constructed and evolving, but gender norms and nature ideas have better resisted this type of popular scrutiny. Two possible explanations for this discrepancy are that environmental concepts have been used to reinforce the supposedly natural distinctions between women's and men's abilities and roles, and that gender norms have helped validate the belief that nature is a pure and fixed entity. This class will explore the evolving relationship between gender and environmental ideas, practices, and policies from pre-colonial America to the present. We will pay particular attention to how gender and environmental norms have intersected with other structures of power such as race, class, age, and sexuality.
GndS 490 Senior Seminar (Fall: Wilcox)
Taught by a gender studies faculty member with guest participation by others,
this seminar is intended to engage senior majors in sustained discussion of
contemporary gender issues. Readings, discussion, and papers,
including a proposal for the thesis. Required of and limited to senior gender
studies majors. (Fall degree candidates should plan to take
this seminar at the latest possible opportunity.)
GndS 491,492 Independent Study (Fall and Spring; 1-4 credits)
Discussion and directed reading on a topic of interest to the individual student.
GndS 497 Thesis (Spring)
Completion of a thesis based on the previous semester's plan.
GndS 498 Honors Thesis (Spring)
Completion of an honors thesis. Required of and
limited to senior honors candidates in gender studies.
See the College Catalog for specific course descriptions.
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This page is maintained by Andrea K. Dobson, dobson@whitman.edu
Last update: 1 July 2008