EIU Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor Program

The Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor is an 18-hour interdisciplinary program. Minors take WST 2309G or WST 2301G; WST 4309 or WST 4310; plus four approved electives.

CORE COURSES (6 hours)
WGS 2309G or WGS 2310G
WGS 4309 or WGS 4310

APPROVED ELECTIVES (12 hours)

ANT 3612 The Body in Anthropological Perspective

ART 3685 Women in ArtCMN 3903 Rhetoric of Gender and Sexuality

To view WGSS courses for Spring 2024, click here.

To view WGSS courses for Summer & Fall 2024, click here.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Core Courses

WGS 2309G - Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (Offered spring and fall semesters)
What does it mean to be female? To be male? To be gender nonbinary? How are gender roles created and challenged? How have they varied over time and across cultures? These and other questions will be addressed. In addition, students will look at how gender is reflected in the way we communicate and the experiences we have with various social organizations and institutions. (Writing Intensive; Cultural Diversity Requirement)

WGS 2310G - Introduction to Sexuality and Gender Diversity (Offered spring and fall semesters) How have studies of sexuality and gender diversity shaped culture and social movements? What can we learn about ourselves and our cultures by focusing on the histories, cultures, and politics of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, and other persons of diverse gender and sexual identities? (Writing Active; Cultural Diversity Requirement)

WGS 4309 - Feminist Theories (Offered as needed)
What are the Big Ideas in feminism? Who are the Great Feminist Thinkers? What is the relationship between feminist theory and feminist activism? This course addresses these questions through study of feminist theorizing, from early women’s writing for equality through contemporary theories like womanism, ecofeminism, queer theory, and Third Wave feminism. (Writing Intensive) Prerequisites & Notes: 9 semester hours in Women's Studies or permission of the instructor or Coordinator of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program.

WGS 4310 - Queer Theories (Offered as needed)
What does it mean to think queerly? How do theories of queerness further understanding of how genders, sexualities, social practices, and even ways of making knowledge come to be considered "non-normative"? This course addresses these questions while considering the intersections between queer theories and feminist, critical race, dis/ability, and critical class studies. Prerequisites & Notes: 9 semester hours in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or permission of the instructor or Coordinator of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program.

Approved Electives

ANT 3612 - The Body in Anthropological Perspective

ART 3685 - Women in Art
How many female artists can you name? How many famous images of naked women can you envision? Those questions drive this course. We study and evaluate the place of women in the history of art, both in their roles as subjects and as artists. We cover a broad historical spectrum, focusing in particular on the social conditions that contributed to attitudes about women in each era that led to the kind of subjects most commonly depicted and the success or failure of women in the profession.

CMN 3903 - Rhetoric of Gender and Sexuality
This course is an exploration of the ways in which identity categories, such as woman and man, feminine and masculine, homosexual and heterosexual, are constructed and maintained through public and popular discourses. In part, we will study the theoretical literatures in communication, feminism, poststructural, and queer theory that “trouble” supposedly static categories of gender.

ECN 3873 - Economics of Race and Gender
Exploration of the economic status of women and of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. Surveys the historical role of women and minorities in the U.S. labor market including trends in labor force participation, occupational distribution, wage differentials, labor legislation, and discrimination. (Writing Intensive) Prerequisites & Notes: ECN 2802G or permission of the instructor.

EIU 4108G - Special Topics in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
This course examines historical perspectives on a variety of women's issues. In a time of gender role flux, where roles are no longer clearly defined by sex, it is necessary to examine these changes and how they have impacted women and the world around them. (No majors are excluded. Writing Intensive) Prerequisites & Notes: Completion of 75 semester hours.

ENG 3903A Women, Literature, and Language, Pre-1800
This course content will change depending upon the instructor; each instructor focuses the course according to her/his specialization. ENG 3903 may focus on roles of women in literature, on literature by women, or on women’s relation to language. (Writing Intensive)

ENG 3903B Women, Literature, and Language, Post-1800
This course content will change depending upon the instructor; each instructor focuses the course according to her/his specialization. ENG 3903 may focus on roles of women in literature, on literature by women, or on women’s relation to language. (Writing Intensive)

FCS 3800 - Family Life Sex Education

HIS 3900 - Women in American History
This course covers United States women’s history from pre-colonial times to the present. Historians have explored the varied nature of American women’s lives, and course readings will help students to construct a layered narrative of the diverse experiences of American women. We will begin with the colonial era and survey women’s history, considering the diversity of women’s experiences as well as the historiography of American women’s history, gender history, and feminist history. We will explore these experiences in detail by reading the words of people from the time periods under study to understand social, political, and economic views of women as well as women’s views of themselves. Beyond looking at change across time, we’ll consider how women’s lives differed even within the same time period. We will explore these and other questions through lecture, reading, discussion, document-analysis, and some viewing of media. Students will also have an opportunity to research a historical question of their own choosing, allowing them to focus in-depth on a topic we can only briefly explore in a survey or to pursue a research inquiry on a topic we do not cover in class. (Writing Intensive

HIS 3901 – The Family in American History
Survey of the family as it developed within the context of American social, cultural, political, economic, and legal history, from colonial times to the present, with special attention to variations due to race, ethnicity, class, and region. (Writing Intensive)

HIS 4845/WGS 4845 (cross-listed course) Women and Gender in Modern Europe
Explores the political, social, and cultural history of women and gender relations in Europe from 1789 to the present. HIS 4845 and WST 4845 are the same course; students may not take both. Cross-listed with WST 4845. (Writing Intensive) Juniors and seniors only.

HSL 3831 - Women in Contemporary Society
An interdisciplinary study of the emergence of women as a viable force in contemporary society. The course focuses on the following: historical and contemporary contributions of women to society; changing family, political, and business roles of women in contemporary society; status of women in education, health, religion, media, sexual relationships, and gender-based violence; and social, political, economic, and psychological concerns to women.

HST 3500 - Human Sexuality

HST 3560 - Women's Health
An examination of the biological and psychosocial dimensions of women's health; the relationship between women and the health care system, and the impact of cultural stereotyping on women's physical and emotional health. Prerequisites & Notes: HST 2000 and HST 3500 or consent of instructor.

JOU 3970 – Race, Gender, and the Media
This course investigates the role of the media in constructing, reinforcing, and/or challenging the notions of race, gender, and sexuality in the U.S. Students analyze issues relating to diversity representations in the media, media workforce, media history, media ownership, among other issues. Students will develop critical perspectives in creating and understanding media messages. Prerequisites & Notes: ENG 1002G.

JOU 3903 - Women and the Media

PHI 3012 - Philosophy of Sex and Love

PLS 3903 - Women and Politics
This course offers an analysis of the policies affecting the relative status and rights of women and men with emphasis on Supreme Court decisions and national legislation designed to promote equality of the sexes. (Writing Intensive)

PSY 3720 - Psychology of Gender
Examines the biological, psychological, and social influences related to gender and how gender-related expectations interact with other cultural assumptions and stereotypes to affect experiences and behavior. Research and theories relevant to understanding gender are emphasized.

SOC 2830 - Family and Society

SOC 3903 - Gender Roles and Social Change
This course provides an understanding of gender as a social institution and how that institution functions in the United States and other countries. Students explore the dynamic ways gender has been defined and how those definitions affect the daily lives of women and men. The course is framed in the sociological study of sex and gender and current feminist research. With this lens, students examine the way gender affects the social institutions of family, education, work, and politics and what this means for social change. (Writing Intensive)

WGS 2903 - Women, Gender, and Violence
This course fulfills State of Illinois training requirements (“40-hour training”) for work in Domestic Violence services and Sexual Assault services. Students will learn about:

• Social, political, and historical contexts of gendered violence
• Myths and realities of gendered violence
• State and local policies
• Crisis Intervention
• Advocacy skills and practices, including medical and legal advocacy
• Feminist activism to end gendered violence

At the conclusion of this course, students will have the opportunity to earn 40-hour training certificates in Domestic Violence and/or Sexual Assault services.

WGS 2961 & WGS 3961 (1-16 credits) – Study Abroad ElectiveStudy Abroad is ideal for students in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor because it allows you to see first-hand how these forces are at work in people’s lives and to learn from the strategies developed by scholars, activists, and empowered individuals in other nations to address inequity and social justice concerns. If you are a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor, you probably already understand that you are a citizen of the world, that your life is connected to others’ lives through social and economic forces and through the earth itself and how we relate to it. When you study abroad, you will begin to understand these relationships in new and powerful ways. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor or Coordinator of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program.

WGS 4000 Special topics in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
This course content will change depending upon the instructor; each instructor focuses the course according to her/his specialization. Juniors and seniors only.

WGS 4275 (1-12 credits) Internship
Enrollment in WGS 4275 requires approval of the WGS Coordinator.
WGS offers internship opportunities. For more information, please contact the coordinator. Juniors and seniors only

WGS 4409 (1-3 credits) - Independent Study
Enrollment in WST 3309 requires approval of the WGS Coordinator. Students participating in the Living History Project may enroll in WGS 3309 for 1 credit, with permission of the WGS Coordinator (use the same application form).

WGS 4800 - Non-western Feminisms: Gender, Culture, and Nation In-depth study of major social concerns and theoretical issues raised in non-western feminist discourses by male and female writers from non-western countries. The course will explore the treatment of gender themes in relation to culture, class, race, and nationality. Prerequisites & Notes: WGS 2309G or permission of the instructor or Coordinator of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. Juniors and seniors only.

WGS 4845/HIS 4845 (cross-listed course) Women and Gender in Modern Europe
Explores the political, social, and cultural history of women and gender relations in Europe from 1789 to the present. HIS 4845 and WGS 4845 are the same course; students may not take both. Cross-listed with HIS 4845. (Writing Intensive) Juniors and seniors only.

Other courses may be applied to minor with a waiver, only with permission of the WGS Coordinator, if the instructor is a member of the WGS Allied Faculty