Subject: WGST

Term: Fall 2026

WGST 227: Islam, Gender, and Sexuality (100/13836)

MW 12:35-01:50 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Howe, J

Gender and sexuality are central to understanding Muslim societies, past and present. From debates about the veil to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, gendered concerns have been especially prominent in contemporary debates about Islam in the modern world. How are masculinity and femininity constructed in Muslim contexts? How have Muslim thinkers interpreted Islamic scriptures with respect to topics such as marriage, child custody, inheritance, and sexuality? In what ways do these interpretations reflect the political, economic, and social conditions in which they lived? How does gender structure authority and power in Muslim communities? How and why have Muslim women become so central to contemporary political debates? This course explores each of these questions, while inviting students to construct alternative narratives around Islam, gender, and sexuality. This course begins by examining gender and sexuality in the foundational Islamic texts, the Qur'an and Sunna (the practice of the Prophet Muhammad), and pre-modern interpretations of these texts. The course then turns to marriage and divorce in Muslim jurisprudence, in order to examine themes such as women's spiritual capacities, female leadership, sexuality, and slavery. Next, we will turn to the headscarf as a lens though which to explore modern configurations of gender and sexuality, as they intersect with conceptions of national belonging, religious identity, and individual freedom. Finally, we will study contemporary debates over polygyny, LGBTQ+ identities, and female religious authority. There are no prerequisites for this course. No prior knowledge of Islam is expected. Offered as RLGN 227 and WGST 227.

WGST 228: Sociology of Sexuality (100/6153)

MW 03:10-04:25 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Regan, H

This course analyzes the issues of sex and sexuality from a sociological point of view. It is centered on the notion that what we consider to be 'normal' or 'natural' about sex and sexuality is, in reality, socially constructed. One's viewpoint on the issues surrounding sexuality are influenced by the social context in which they live, as opposed to the purely biological viewpoint that presupposes some sense of normalcy or naturalness regarding sexual relations. A range of topics will be covered, including readings that discuss the variations of sexuality and the notions of sexual ''deviance" in order to explore the cultural and societal variation that exists along the lines of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and disability. Offered as SOCI 228 and WGST 228.

WGST 252: Soul Murder: Religion and Sexual Abuse (100/13840)

TR 02:45-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Clites, B

"Soul murder" is a term that psychologists and survivors use to describe the way that clergy sexual abuse destroys a child's network of relationships. In addition to sexual, developmental, and psychological harm, victims of religious abuse also experience intense theological, moral, and familial suffering. This course analyzes these topics through religious, legal, medical, and anthropological case studies. What are the cultural, racial, and gendered dynamics of religious abuse? How is it different than sexual assault in non-religious contexts? How has abuse shaped Christian and Hindu sexual ethics? These are some of the questions that you will be able to answer by the end of this seminar. Offered as RLGN 252 and WGST 252.

WGST 318: History of Black Women in the U.S. (100/13777)

MW 03:10-04:25 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Voltz, N

This course focuses on the history of black women in the United States. Moving from enslavement to the present, this course is designed to give you an overview of the lived experiences of women of African descent in this country. This course will focus on themes of labor, reproduction, health, community, family, resistance, activism, etc., highlighting the diversity of black women's experiences and the ways in which their lives have been shaped by the intersections of their race, gender, sexuality, and class. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to lectures, readings, films, and class discussion that will enable them to analyze the impact of various forms of human difference on lived experiences and individual and collective choices made by black women throughout American history. Offered as AFST 318, ETHS 318, HSTY 318, and WGST 318.

WGST 325: Philosophy of Feminism (100/13790)

TR 04:15-05:30 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Hengehold, L

Dimensions of gender difference. Definition of feminism. Critical examination of feminist critiques of culture, including especially politics, ideology, epistemology, ethics, and psychology. Readings from traditional and contemporary sources. Offered as PHIL 325, PHIL 425 and WGST 325.

WGST 367: In Her Shoes III: Multicultural U.S. Women's History 1945-2000 (100/13771)

TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Sentilles, R

This seminar course explores feminism and the impact of feminism in multicultural America from the end of the World War II to the end of the twentieth century. Over the course of the semester, we will explore a plurality of women's experiences with feminism, including its limitations. We will cover such topics as Civil Rights, Second and Third Wave Feminism, Women's Liberation, feminism and the media, family planning, and the conservative backlash. Offered as HSTY 367, HSTY 467, and WGST 367.

WGST 372: Work and Family: U.S. and Abroad (100/13874)

TR 02:45-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Hinze, S

Covers the impact on human lives of the interface between work and family; the different ways gender structures the experience of work and family depending upon racial and ethnic background, social class, age, and partner preference; the impact of historical context on work-family experiences; work-family policies in the United States and other countries. Offered as SOCI 372, WGST 372, and SOCI 472.

WGST 381: Gender, Sexuality, and Queer Culture in Israel (100/13864)

TR 02:45-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Linial, N

How do people talk about sex in Israeli culture? How have Israeli authors, artists, and filmmakers approached gender and sexuality? How do the categories of gender, sexuality, and identity map onto questions of collective memory, religion and nationalism? Since its revival at the end of the nineteenth century, issues of gender and sexuality have stood at the forefront of Hebrew literature and culture. In this course, we discuss literary texts (short stories, novels and poems), visual art (photos, artwork and sculpture), and film that foreground the role of gender in the Israeli project of nation-building and identity construction. We track how attitudes towards gender, sex, and sexuality shifted from an implicit, coded approach to more explicit forms of expression. This shift took place across a century of Jewish immigration to Palestine/Israel and establishment in the country, and the focus on gender and sexuality allows us to discuss this history from a cultural perspective. The course also focuses on the LGBTQ+ community in Israel and its struggle for same-sex rights and gender equality, exploring the tensions between this struggle for equality and Israel's self-identity as a democratic and Jewish state. Offered as JWST 81, WGST 381, and WLIT 381.

WGST 396: SAGES Capstone (100/1537)

Howe, J

Capstone experience in the fields of Women's and Gender Studies for an in-depth, independent project of particular interest to the student. Students are strongly encouraged to work with a WGST program faculty member, but some projects may be supervised by faculty in other areas or by other qualified professionals. All capstones require a WGST faculty advisor's approval of the proposal prior to registration. Open to juniors and seniors majoring in Women's and Gender Studies.

WGST 396: SAGES Capstone (101/5678)

Bostic, J

Capstone experience in the fields of Women's and Gender Studies for an in-depth, independent project of particular interest to the student. Students are strongly encouraged to work with a WGST program faculty member, but some projects may be supervised by faculty in other areas or by other qualified professionals. All capstones require a WGST faculty advisor's approval of the proposal prior to registration. Open to juniors and seniors majoring in Women's and Gender Studies.

WGST 396: SAGES Capstone (102/6025)

Jewell, M

Capstone experience in the fields of Women's and Gender Studies for an in-depth, independent project of particular interest to the student. Students are strongly encouraged to work with a WGST program faculty member, but some projects may be supervised by faculty in other areas or by other qualified professionals. All capstones require a WGST faculty advisor's approval of the proposal prior to registration. Open to juniors and seniors majoring in Women's and Gender Studies.

WGST 399: Independent Study (101/5356)

Howe, J

Independent research project in the fields of Women's and Gender Studies. Project proposals must be approved by a WGST faculty advisor. Students are strongly encouraged to work with a WGST program faculty member, but some projects may be supervised by faculty in other areas for by other qualified professionals with a WGST faculty advisor's approval. Credit varies with the scope and depth of the project.

WGST 399: Independent Study (103/6026)

Jewell, M

Independent research project in the fields of Women's and Gender Studies. Project proposals must be approved by a WGST faculty advisor. Students are strongly encouraged to work with a WGST program faculty member, but some projects may be supervised by faculty in other areas for by other qualified professionals with a WGST faculty advisor's approval. Credit varies with the scope and depth of the project.