WGST - Women's & Gender Studies (WGST)

WGST 200 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Historical and cross-cultural perspectives on women's roles in culture, the workplace, the family and other socio-political institutions; the social construction of gender; sexuality and racism; social control mechanisms and ideologies.

WGST 205 Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Interdisciplinary survey of the histories of and theories regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) identities and communities; the social construction of sexuality and gender; institutional ways in which homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are systematically deployed; advocacy by and on behalf of LGBTQ+ individuals; evolution of desire and subjectivity.

WGST 207/SOCI 207 Introduction to Gender and Society

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Similarities and differences between females and males in a number of cultures throughout the world; sociological analysis of gender in relation to social structure. Cross Listing: SOCI 207/WGST 207.

WGST 210/PBSI 210 Psychological Aspects of Human Sexuality

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Interface between human sexuality, reproductive development and gender roles across the lifespan; theoretical and research literature promotes understanding of hormonal influences, learning processes, cultural differences, sexual response and love and attraction. Prerequisite: PBSI 107. Cross Listing: PBSI 210/WGST 210.

WGST 213/SOCI 213 Gender and Health

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. An examination of social and historical context of health in the U.S., including inequities in health by gender, race, class and gendered issues in health professions. Cross Listing: SOCI 213/WGST 213.

WGST 285 Directed Studies

Credits 0 to 3. 0 to 3 Other Hours. Readings and/or research for specific needs of students majoring or minoring in women's and gender studies. Prerequisites: WGST 200 and approval of instructor.

WGST 289 Special Topics in...

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Lecture Hours. 0 to 4 Lab Hours. Selected topics in an identified area of women's/gender studies. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of director.

WGST 291 Research

Credits 0 to 3. 0 to 3 Other Hours. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in women's and gender studies. May be taken four times for credit. Prerequisites: WGST 200; freshman or sophomore classification; and approval of instructor.

WGST 300/PBSI 300 Psychology of Women

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theoretical and research literature relevant to psychological assumptions about the female personality; challenges to and verification of these assumptions by recent experimental studies. Prerequisite: PBSI 107. Cross Listing: PBSI 300/WGST 300.

WGST 303 Psychology of Women of Color

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Interdisciplinary theories to study the unique yet intersectional experiences of women from different racial groups, ethnicities, nationalities and cultural backgrounds; scholarly research from the diversity science field; contemporary topics that have developed in a global context; examination of complex issues, which affect women of color across the lifespan. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in AFST 201, PBSI 107, or WGST 200, or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: AFST 303 and PBSI 303.

WGST 315/SOCI 315 The Marriage Institution

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Courtship, engagement, marriage, family formation, personal adjustment, conflict, financing and child rearing. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: SOCI 315/WGST 315.

WGST 316/SOCI 316 Sociology of Gender

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Sociological explanations of status differences between men and women; cross-cultural comparisons; gender role socialization, cultural stereotypes, discrimination; gender roles and status in the family, economy, religion, science, other social institutions; deviance, victimization and gender; recent social changes. Cross Listing: SOCI 316/WGST 316.

WGST 318/ECON 318 The Economics of Gender and Race

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theories and evidence on gender and race differences in labor market outcomes; labor supply and the role of family formation; the effect of human capital and discrimination on earnings; analysis of government policies; international comparisons. Prerequisites: ECON 323 with a grade of C or better; junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: ECON 318/WGST 318.

WGST 320 Feminist Inquiry and Research Methods

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Interdisciplinary exploration of feminist research methods and inquiry in the humanities, social sciences and sciences; ethical approaches to research; questions of epistemology; feminist research design. Prerequisites: WGST 200.

WGST 330 Women in Ancient Greece and Rome

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Survey of women in classical Greece and Rome; emphases on female occupations and family relationships, legal and political status, traditional values, notorious women, how women were viewed and how they viewed themselves. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: CLAS 330 and HIST 330.

WGST 333/ENGL 333 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Literatures

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Representations of sexuality and gender from classical times to the present, studied in their historical and cultural contexts. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: ENGL 333/WGST 333.

WGST 334 Women's Health

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. A broad range of health issues that are either unique to women or of special importance to women; information for the health consumer; preparation as an advocate of healthy lifestyles; awareness of the role health plays in the life of all women. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: HLTH 334 and PHLT 360.

WGST 342 The Rhetoric of Gender and Health

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Study of field of rhetoric of health and medicine with specific attention to the study of gender, including issues in reproduction, expertise and illness; range of methods and methodological approaches within the field. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: ENGL 342 and COMM 342.

WGST 343/FILM 343 Sex, Gender and Cinema

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of a significant topic at the intersection of women's/gender studies and film, such as cinema and sexuality studies, cinema and women, and cinema and masculinity; may include discussion of production, film content, and/or reception. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: FILM 343/WGST 343.

WGST 367/POLS 367 Women in Government in Comparative Perspective

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of women's representation in government based on comparison across multiple nation-states; focus on legislative and executive branches of democratic governments. Prerequisites: POLS 206; junior or senior classification or approval of department head. Cross Listing: POLS 367/WGST 367.

WGST 369/ENGL 369 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Authorship

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of LGBTQ+ authorship through film and literary criticism and theories of performing the self in the act of authoring. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: ENGL 369/WGST 369.

WGST 374/ENGL 374 Women Writers

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. History of literature by women in English; emphasis on continuity of ideas and on literary contributions; study of a variety of genres with particular attention to the significance of gender in the racial, social, sexual and cultural contexts of women writing in English. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification; ENGL-374 also taught at Galveston campus. Cross Listing: ENGL 374/WGST 374.

WGST 377 Africana Women's History

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Black women’s history from the precolonial era to the present; emphasis on the cultural, political, legal, economic, sexual, social, and religious factors that shaped their experiences across the African Diaspora and the world. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: AFST 377 and HIST 377.

WGST 394 Gender and Genre

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration and analysis of the ways in which a single literary and/or film genre resonates with gendered perspectives and sexual subjectivity. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification; WGST 200 or FILM 251/ENGL 251 or ENGL 251/FILM 251.

WGST 401 Feminist Theory

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Inquiry-based examination of feminist theory from various periods and disciplinary perspectives, with application to societal debates and controversies. Prerequisites: WGST 200 or approval of instructor; junior or senior classification.

WGST 403 Language and Gender

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Language and gender from a sociolinguistic perspective; gender in the words and structures of language; gender representation and gendered language use in the media, and a variety of sociocultural contexts; language use in intimate relationships; computer-mediated discourse; language, sexuality, and sexual orientation. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: ENGL 403 and LING 403.

WGST 404/ANTH 404 Women and Culture

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examines women's lives in evolutionary and cross-cultural perspective; women's roles in subsistence, politics, religion and economics in traditional cultures; women's roles in international development; the cultural and social construction of women's biology cross-culturally including circumcision, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification; approval of instructor. Cross Listing: ANTH 404/WGST 404.

WGST 407/COMM 407 Gender, Race and Media

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. The contributions of women and ethnic groups to the evolution of the media; the portrayal of women and ethnic groups in the mass media; issues resulting from the recognition of women and ethnic groups as media audiences. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification and approval of instructor. Cross Listing: COMM 407/WGST 407.

WGST 410/SOCI 410 Reproduction, Birth and Power

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of topics related to reproductive practices, experiences and ideologies and of the constructed and contested meanings surrounding womanhood, motherhood, sexuality, reproductive freedom and eugenics. Prerequisites: SOCI 205; junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: SOCI 410/WGST 410.

WGST 411/COMM 411 Representations of Motherhood

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of understandings of motherhood from a humanities perspective and over a variety of cultures and time periods, as reflected in written, media and/or oral texts. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: COMM 411/WGST 411.

WGST 413 Race, Gender, and the Environment

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Investigation of social inequalities related to environmental issues; focus on environmental justice and ecofeminism; exploration of the connections among racism, patriarchy, and the environment. Prerequisites: GLST 201 and GLST 205; junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: GLST 413 and HISP 413.

WGST 420/COMM 420 Gender and Communication

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Survey of the role of gender in communication processes; focus on communication differences between men and women in contexts such as the family, school and work organizations; discussion of media influence in gender stereotypes. Cross Listing: COMM 420/WGST 420.

WGST 421/SOCI 421 Gender & Crime

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Gender & Crime. Gender disparities in contemporary patterns of crime, victimization and incarceration; key concepts, major theories and empirical research studies around gender and crime. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in SOCI 207/WGST 207, SOCI 211, SOCI 304, SOCI 316/WGST 316, WGST 200, WGST 207/SOCI 207, or WGST 316/SOCI 316. Cross Listing: SOCI 421/WGST 421.

WGST 428/COMM 428 Women’s Rhetoric

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of the historical imbrication of masculinity and rhetoric in relation to women’s participation in political life, reception of women’s rhetoric in the public sphere, and remembrance and representation of women as rhetorical agents throughout history; consideration of women’s rhetoric in various cultural arenas. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: COMM 428/WGST 428.

WGST 430/MGMT 430 Employment Discrimination Law

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Legal issues surrounding employment discrimination, including disparate treatment and impact; intent; affirmative action; sexual harassment; pregnancy, sex, race, religious, salary, disability, age, and ethnic discrimination; policy issues and perspectives to aid human resource specialists and managers. Prerequisite: Senior classification. Cross Listing: MGMT 430/WGST 430.

WGST 445 Queer Theory

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examines origins of theories of gender and sexual diversity and their intersections with feminist theories; considers foundational and contemporary texts that address queer theory. Prerequisites: 6 hours in Women's and Gender Studies; senior classification or approval of instructor.

WGST 461/HIST 461 History of American Women

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Cultural, political, legal and religious factors that helped shape the role and character of women in American society from colonial times to the present; historical role of women in the development of the nation. Cross Listing: HIST 461/WGST 461.

WGST 462/POLS 462 Women and the Law

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. The legal status of American women from the adoption of the Constitution to the present: constitutional developments; the 19th Amendment and the proposed Equal Rights Amendment; employment; family law; reproductive rights; education; sexual equality in context of other claims to equality; law and social norms. Prerequisite: POLS 206 or approval of department head. Cross Listing: POLS 462/WGST 462.

WGST 463 Gender in Asia

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Gender dynamics in Asia; changes in gender roles; women's movements; women and the economy; women and politics; men's and women's private lives. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: ASIA 463 and SOCI 463.

WGST 470 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Cinemas

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of cinema by and about LGBTQ individuals or communities; discussion of production, film content and reception. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in WGST 200, FILM 215/GLST 215, FILM 251/ENGL 251, ENGL 251/FILM 251, or FILM 299, and junior or senior classification; or approval of instructor.

WGST 473/HIST 473 Women's History in the Modern U.S.

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. History of women in the U.S. from the late nineteenth century to the present; role of intersectionality in defining the experience of modern womanhood; women as activists, workers, consumers, mothers, and feminists; experiences, lives and influence of women of color; examination of contemporary social, political and economic histories. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor; HIST-473 also taught at Galveston campus. Cross Listing: HIST 473/WGST 473.

WGST 474/ENGL 474 Studies in Women Writers

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. A different topic each term examining women’s writing through historical period, genre, cross-cultural study and/or feminist literary theory. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: 3 credits of literature at the 300-level; junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: ENGL 474/WGST 474.

WGST 476/HIST 476 Sex and Sexuality in History

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Changing ideas about sex and sexuality over time; includes their interaction with ideas about gender, race, class, religion, science, technology, medicine, politics and popular culture; historical and cultural processes creating modern concerns about sex and sexuality. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification. Cross Listing: HIST 476/WGST 476.

WGST 477/HIST 477 Women and Gender in Modern European History

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Women in Europe from the 18th century to the present: women's contributions to their societies; realities of their daily lives and their responses; perceptions of women; role of institutions in defining women's roles; significance for women of industrialization, revolution, warfare, scientific discoveries; interaction of class, race and gender. Cross Listing: HIST 477/WGST 477.

WGST 481 Senior Seminar

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Inquiry-based investigation of an issue, problem, or question, using gender or feminism as the organizing principle for analysis; methods and materials of scholarship in the field; includes opportunities for student research. Prerequisite: WGST 200 and junior or senior classification; or approval of instructor.

WGST 484 Internship in Women's and Gender Studies

Credits 0 to 4. 0 to 4 Other Hours. Directed internship in a public or private organization to provide students with on-the-job training and applied research experience; opportunity to observe first hand issues and problems covered in women's and gender studies courses; designed to enhance and clarify the student's career objectives. Prerequisites: WGST 200, junior or senior classification, and approval of instructor.

WGST 485 Directed Studies

Credits 0 to 4. 0 to 4 Other Hours. Readings and/or research for specific needs of students majoring or minoring in women's and gender studies. Prerequisites: WGST 200 and approval of instructor.

WGST 489 Special Topics in...

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Lecture Hours. 0 to 4 Lab Hours. Selected topics in an identified area of women's and gender studies. May be repeated for credit.

WGST 491 Research

Credits 0 to 3. 0 to 3 Other Hours. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in women's and gender studies. May be taken four times for credit. Prerequisites: WGST 200; junior or senior classification; and approval of instructor.