B.A. in Women's & Gender Studies
Contact Person:
Jacqueline Goodman, Director of Women’s and Gender Studies and Department of Sociology
311 Satterlee & 103 Morey, (315) 267-2116, goodmajk@potsdam.edu
32-37 credit hours required.
Women’s and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines the historical construction and perpetuation of asymmetrical sex and gender systems, and their relationship to other systems of power. It also explores the ways in which gender intersects with personal identities, social arrangements, economic and political systems, and ways of knowing and understanding the world.
Women’s and Gender Studies offers a major with course offerings from fifteen departments in the School of Arts and Sciences, The Crane School of Music, and the School of Education and Professional Studies. It also offers a Women’s and Gender Studies minor.
Women’s & Gender Studies Major Requirements:
The Women's and Gender Studies major has four core requirements:
| 1. Introductory Course | 3. Feminist Theory |
| 2. Research Methods | 4. Senior Seminar |
In addition, students take one course from four different disciplinary perspectives:
| a. Historical | c. Artistic-Literary |
| b. Social-Political | d. Science-Health |
Two additional W&GS electives are required as well. This interdisciplinary approach provides students with knowledge of key academic debates across the disciplines that frame the field of Women’s and Gender Studies.
All courses are 3 credits unless noted. Credits are divided as follows:
| Credits | ||
| Required Courses | 11-12 | |
| WMST 100 | Women’s & Gender Studies 1 (3-4 credits) | |
| WMST 360 | Feminist Research Methods (4 credits) | |
| WMST 462 | Research Seminar (4 credits) | |
Feminist Theory Course |
3-4 |
|
| One of the following: | ||
| POLS 353 | Feminist Political Thought (4 credits) | |
| PHIL 372 | Feminism and Philosophy | |
Multidisciplinary Perspectives Courses |
12-13 |
|
| One course from each of the following four perspectives | ||
Historical Perspective |
||
| HIST 304 | History of American Women I | |
| HIST 305 | Modern American Women | |
| HIST 450 | Modern American Oral History | |
| HIST 451 | Witchcraft in Early America | |
| ANTC 331 | Women in Native America | |
| COMM 416 | Voices of American Women | |
Social-Political Perspective |
||
| ANTC 340 | Anthropology of Gender | |
| ANTL 342 | Language and Gender | |
| POLS 332 | Women and Politics (4 credits) | |
| POLS 323 | Politics of Social Welfare (4 credits) | |
| PSYC 363 | Psychology of Women | |
| SOCI 365 | Sociology of Gender | |
| SOCI 375 | Women and Work | |
| SOCI 376 | Women and Crime | |
Artistic-Literary Perspective |
||
| DRAM 313 | History of Theatre 2 | |
| DRAM 414 | Contemporary Theatre Topics | |
| LITR 355 | Gender and Literature | |
| LITR 445 | American Women Writers | |
| LITR 446 | African American Writers | |
| LITT 450 | Images of Women in Francophone Cinemas | |
| MUAH 350 | Women in Music | |
Science-Health Perspective |
||
| ANTC 321 | Cross-Cultural Aspects of Women’s Health | |
| ANTC 346 | Human Sexuality 2: Evolving Sex Roles | |
| ANTC 421 | Cross Cultural Aspects of Women’s Health | |
| PSYC 363 | Psychology of Women | |
| HLTH 341 | Issues in Sexual Health | |
| HLTH 345 | Issues in Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Health | |
| HLTH 495 | Women’s Health | |
| Electives | 6-8 | |
| Choose any two additional Women’s and Gender Studies courses from the list below. | ||
| ANTH 150 |
Human Sexuality |
|
| ANTH 321 |
Cross-cultural Aspects of Women's Health |
|
| ANTH 342 |
Language and Gender |
|
| ANTH 412 |
Seminar in Women's Sexuality (4) |
|
| ANTH 495 |
Gender Through the Ages |
|
| COMM 201 |
Mass Media and Society |
|
| COMM 372 |
Rhetoric of the Black Church |
|
| COMM 390 |
Topics in Communication |
|
| COMM 416 |
Voices of American Women |
|
| DANC 220 |
Caribfunk I |
|
| DRAM 210 |
Interpretation and Analysis of Plays |
|
| DRAM 313 |
History of Theatre II |
|
| DRAM 414 |
Contemporary Theatre Topics |
|
| FREN 350 |
North African Literatures and Cultures |
|
| FREN 450 |
The Image of Women in Francophone Cinemas |
|
| GRED 595S |
Social Justice & Human Rights |
|
| HIST 304 |
The History of American Women I |
|
| HIST 305 |
Modern American Women |
|
| HIST 315 |
Modern Japanese Women's History |
|
| HIST 451 |
Witchcraft in Early America |
|
| HLTH 165 |
Health: A Lifestyle Approach |
|
| HLTH 341 |
Sexual Health |
|
| HLTH 342 |
Women's Health |
|
| HLTH 344 |
Issues in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Health |
|
| LANG 292 |
Languages, Cultures, Differences |
|
| LITR 322 |
Children's Literature |
|
| LITR 323 |
Young Adult Literature |
|
| LITR 355 |
Gender and Literature |
|
| LITR 359 |
Literary Themes |
|
| LITR 520 |
Special Topics |
|
| MUAH 350 |
Women in Music |
|
| POLS 323 |
Welfare Policy Research (4) |
|
| POLS 332 |
Women and Politics (4) |
|
| POLS 338 |
International Human Rights (4) |
|
| POLS 415 |
Civil Liberties I: Race, Sex & Privacy (4) |
|
| SOCI 305 |
Sociology of the Family |
|
| SOCI 310 |
Racial and Ethnic Relations |
|
| SOCI 313 |
Global Cultures |
|
| SOCI 320 |
Work and Complex Organizations |
|
| SOCI 375 |
Women and Work |
|
| SOCI 376 |
Women and Crime |
|
| SOCI 380 |
Family Violence |
|
| SOCI 385 |
The Sociology of Troubled Youth |
|
| SOCI 395 |
Global Family Issues |
|
| SPAN 306 |
Readings in Hispanic Literature |
|
|
Notes
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