Spring 2026 Course List
Please know there may be changes or adjustments to this schedule.
WGS 101 Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
An introduction to Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and to its perspectives. The course will use interdisciplinary perspectives to begin to examine the categories of gender and sexuality, as they intersect with race, ethnicity, class, nationality, disability and other sites of social inequality. General Education Requirements: Ethics, Social Contexts and Institutions, and Cultural Diversity and International Perspectives (0001, TTH, 9:30 am -10:45 am, Qian Zhang) (0002, TTH, 11:00 am-12:15 pm, Qian Zhang) (0003, MWF, 10:00 am – 10:50 am, Cam McDonnell) 0991, Mary Okin, Online) 3 CR.
WGS 102 Introduction to Activism & Community Projects
An exploration of Women’s gender, and Sexuality Studies, methods, histories, and perspectives for enrolled RLE learners. This course will apply interdisciplinary scholarship to consider matters grounded in Women’s, Studies, gender Studies, and Sexuality Studies or relating to positive social changes. Particular attention is given to activating feminist theories, namely Brown’s Emergent Strategy. Brown, and assigned texts, detailed nuance relationships of identity, care networks, and power of build an empirical feminist praxis. (0001, MW, 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm, Cam McDonnell) 3 CR
WGS 103 Introduction to LGBT Studies
Introduces the major perspectives and issues in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer studies, including histories and institutions, identities and representations, and cultures and subcultures. General Education Requirements: Social Contexts and Institutions, and Cultural Diversity and International Perspectives (0001, TTH, 9:30-10:45 am, Nancy Lewis) 3 CR. Core Curriculum/Core Requirements: Social Contexts and Institutions’ , and Cultural Diversity and International Perspectives
WGS 201 Topics in WGS: Throwing Like a Girl: Explorations of the female body experience.
What does it mean to throw like a girl? What is “manspreading,” and what does it have to do with women’s athletic performance? This course introduces feminist perspectives on the body and explores the ways that western cultural expectations of femininity impact women’s athletic performance and access to sports. Through an intersectional feminist lens, we will examine the ways that race, class, gender identity, and ability influence how women’s bodies are perceived–and how these perceptions inform how women (both transgender and cisgender) navigate sports and athletics. (0001, TTH, 2:00 pm-3:15 pm, Sheena Sheffield) 3 CR. WGS 101 is recommended as a prerequisite
WGS 230 Women, Health & Environment
This course examines the impact of man-made contaminants and constructs on human health. Using a feminist lens, students will explore the connections between health issues such as cancer, autoimmune disease, infertility and gender transition and hazards that can impact health, such as non-biodegradable synthetic organic compounds, nuclear radiation, hormone treatment, and nutrition. Standard scientific approaches will be combined with feminist analyses, using the interlocking matrices of gender, race, class, and other asymmetrical systems. Agency for pollution will be examined from the personal to the global levels. Students will consider possibilities for conscious change, strategies for implementing them, and be encouraged to engage in transformative work. (0001, TTH, 3:30 -4:45 pm, Andrea Laflamme) 3 CR. Core Curriculum/Core Requirements: Ethics and Population and the Environment Prerequisites: WGS 101 or permission.
WGS 280 – Topics in WGS: Intersectionality and Social Movements
A bridge between introductory WGS courses and more focused WGS courses, WGS 280 explores topics from WGS 101 and WGS 103 such as transnational feminisms, queer theory, and ecology through intersectional perspectives which reveal the interconnected and overlapping nature of social categories such as gender, class, and race. Through close examination of a variety of texts dealing with equity and diversity, students connect pedagogies and theories to activism, self-reflection, and social movements. General Education: Cultural Diversity and International Perspectives. WGS 101 is recommended prerequisite (0001, MWF, 11:00- 11:50 am, Liliana Herakova) 3 CR
WGS 301 Topics in WGS: Gender and Religion
This course we will examine the various ways in which religion, gender, and sexuality intersect, across cultures and across historical time periods. We will survey the major world religions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, using gender as the key category of analysis as we ask the following kinds of questions: Is the primary God/ Goddess of this religion viewed as male, female or without gender? Are the primary religious leaders for this religion male or female and what do they teach about prescribed gender roles? How do the key religious texts refer to men and women in society and do they foster gender equality or inequality? In what ways have various world’s religions upheld gender role segregation? How have men and women found empowerment within various religions in spite of societal gender inequality? Which religions have allowed women to also begin to step forward as spiritual leaders? How have those in the LGBTQ+ communities been embraced or excluded by various religions? In addition to studying the world’s main “patriarchal” religions, we will also examine some of the religions of Indigenous peoples as well as some of Goddess religious traditions and examine concepts such as the “Divine Feminine.” (0990, Online, Mary Okin) 3CR
WGS 301 Topics in WGS: Human Sexuality
Discusses sexuality and its social implications against a background of constantly changing sexual mores, sex role development, alternative conceptualizations f sexuality, and implications for future trends in Human interaction. (0991, Human Sexuality, Online, Sandra Caron) 3CR
WGS 340 – Transnational Feminisms
We will explore feminist and women’s movements, solidarities, and activism in the historical and contemporary world. We will examine how women collectively and creatively challenge transnational systems of domination and construct alliances across geographic, political, and cultural
boundaries. (0001, Transnational Feminism, TTH, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, Kara Peruccio) 3 CR
WGS 401 -Topics of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies: Ethical Data Analysis
Numbers may appear objective, but the way we collect, analyze, and interpret data shapes the stories they tell. This course introduces students to quantitative research with a focus on critically engaging with data, model building, and interpretation. Through research from across the social sciences, we’ll examine how methodological choices impact findings and explore the broader implications of data use. Students will learn to use R for statistical analysis, allowing us to focus on the reasoning behind model selection and the meaning of results rather than getting lost in computation. We’ll start with fundamental descriptive statistics and progress through techniques like regression and ANOVA, all while fostering discussions on the ethical and social dimensions of quantitative methods. No prior experience with statistics or programming is required—just curiosity and a willingness to engage with data in new ways. (0001, M, 3:30 pm -6:20 pm, Kevin Roberge) 3 CR
WGS 410 -Feminist, Gender, and Queer Theory
Feminist, gender and queer theorists explore epistemological questions, or questions about how knowledge is formed and by whom and with what implications. We explore continuities and points of distinction amongst these theoretical perspectives, and with particular attention to Indigenous and Black feminist contributions. Theory can make for a challenging read — but we make sense of the materials together through seminar-style discussions and also informal writing responses. With cross-listings in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Anthropology, CMJ, Sociology, and Philosophy, this course draws students from multiple disciplines. This is fitting as feminist and gender theory informs work by researchers and teachers across the university, and in the sciences, social sciences and humanities. Over the course of the semester, you will be asked to weigh how the materials we encounter may usefully inform your work in another major or minor. Writing Intensive (0001, TTH, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm, Elizabeth Neiman) 3CR