Women’s Studies (W S)

www.public.iastate.edu/~womenstu/wsprogram.htm

(Interdepartmental Undergraduate Major)

Program Director: J. Bystydzienski

Undergraduate Study

Women’s Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a cross-disciplinary program in which students may elect a minor or a major. Women’s Studies provides an opportunity for students to examine women’s roles, contributions, and status in social and cultural context and to investigate a variety of disciplines from feminist perspectives. Women’s Studies creates an understanding that interrelated factors --e.g., race, ethnicity, class, age, disability, religions, national origin, and sexual orientation -- inform knowledge of women’s history, culture, and social roles. Women’s Studies seeks to improve critical thinking and to provide students with the intellectual means to question prevailing assumptions. It encourages students to explore the contexts and ideological origins of knowledge and to examine the relationship between knowledge and power in society. It promotes social responsibility by examining the connections between personal experience and political activity, and validates student contributions and voices. Women’s Studies graduates are skilled in critical thinking, research methods, and effective communication. Because they have developed a thorough understanding of gender, race, and class, they can understand and work effectively with employers, colleagues, and clients to analyze and address complex social problems. Women’s Studies graduates acquire strong backgrounds for careers in such areas as counseling, education, human resources, public policy, politics, business, or law. The program includes at various times core courses in Women’s Studies and cross-listed courses in anthropology, art history, classical studies, economics, English, foreign languages and literatures, history, health and human performance, political science, psychology, religious studies, sociology, speech communication, and zoology.

An undergraduate major requires 33 credits of core, cross-listed, and independent study courses. Women’s Studies majors must satisfy the following requirements:

1. 18 credits selected from women’s studies core courses (W S).

A. Required core courses: W S 201, 301, and 401 or 402. Students must also choose between a thesis, W S 499 (3 cr.) or an internship, W S 491 (3 cr.)B. The remaining 6 credits should be chosen from the Women’s Studies core courses ( W S 450 and 301 may be taken more than once.)C. No more than 6 credits of W S 490 may be counted toward the W S major.

2. 15 credits selected from W S cross-listed courses or W S core courses.

Women’s Studies majors must also declare either a minor or a second major in a different program or department.

English proficiency requirement: The Women’s Studies major requires an average grade of C- or better in English 104 and 105 (or 105H) and successful completion of either English 305, English 314 or a foreign language 370 course (literature and culture in English translation).

Undergraduate students may minor in Women’s Studies by taking 15 semester hours of Women’s Studies classes, including W S 201, 301 and one 400 level core Women’s Studies course, plus 6 additional credits of core or cross-listed courses.

Because course listings vary from year to year, any student interested in a minor or major in Women’s Studies should contact the chair of the program committee for advising. (See Index, Cross-Disciplinary Programs.)

The following women’s studies courses are applicable to the human relations requirement for teachers: 201, 327, 340, 345, 346, 370, 385, 386. (See Index, Teacher Education Program.)

Graduate Study

Courses open for nonmajor graduate credit: 301, 321, 323, 336, 340, 345, 350, 394, 401, 402, 422, and 450.

Courses Primarily for Undergraduate Students

W S 201. Introduction to Women’s Studies
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Women’s Studies. Contemporary status of women mainly in the United States from social, economic, historical, political, philosophical and literary perspectives. Analysis of intersection of gender, race, class, and sexuality. Topics include work, health, sexuality, violence, and sport. Background for the other courses in the program.

W S 203. Lesbian Cultures and Communities
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. An exploration of contemporary and historical lesbian cultures and communities in the United States, examining their roots, politics, populations, and conflicts from multiple perspectives.

W S 258. Human Reproduction (Same as Zool 258.)
See Zoology.

W S 301. International Perspectives on Women and Gender
(3-0) Cr. 3. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. F. Prereq: 201 or 3 credits in Women’s Studies at the 300 level or above. Study of women in a range of cultures, depending on faculty expertise. Special emphasis on women in development seen in postcolonial context. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 304. Creative Writing - Fiction (Same as Engl 304.)
See English. Acceptable only when offered as a course on women’s writing.

W S 321. Economics of Discrimination (Same as Econ 321.)
See Economics. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 323. Gender and Communication (Same as Sp Cm 323.)
See Speech Communication. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 327. Sex and Gender in Society (Same as Soc 327.)
See Sociology.

W S 328. Sociology of Masculinities and Manhood (Same as Soc 328.)
See Sociology.

W S 336. Women and Religion (Same as Relig 336.)
See Religious Studies. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 340. Survey of Women’s Literature (Same as Engl 340.)
See English. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 345. Women and Literature: Selected Topics (Same as Engl 345.)
See English. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 346. Psychology of Women (Same as Psych 346.)
See Psychology.

W S 350. African American Women (Same as Af Am 350.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 201 or Af Am 201 or 3 credits in Women’s Studies or African American Studies at the 300 level or above. Economic, social, political and cultural roles of African American women in the U.S. Includes literary, philosophical, and artistic expressions. Myths and realities explored. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 370F. French Studies in English (Same as Frnch 370.)
See Foreign Languages and Literatures. Acceptable only when offered as a course on women or feminism in French literature.

W S 370G. German Studies in English (Same as Ger 370.)
See Foreign Languages and Literatures. Acceptable only when offered as a course on women or feminism in German literature.

W S 374. Women in Classical Antiquity (Same as Cl St 374.)
See Classical Studies.

W S 380. History of Women in Science, Technology, and Medicine (Same as Hist 380.)
See History.

W S 383. Women in Science and Engineering (Same as Zool 383.)
See Zoology.

W S 385. Women in Politics (Same as Pol S 385.)
See Political Science.

W S 386. History of Women in America (Same as Hist 386.)
See History.

W S 394. Women in Art (Same as Art H 394.)
See Art History. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 401. Feminist Theories
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 201 or 3 credits in Women’s Studies at the 300 level or above. Current theories of feminism, the feminine and sexual difference. Problems in race, class, sexuality, ethnicity as they are developed in diverse feminisms. May include readings in lesbian, Black, postcolonial, psychoanalytic and postmodern thought. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 402. Feminist Research Methodologies and Scholarship
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 201 and 301. Introduction to feminist research methods and the history and influence of feminist research. Examination of scholarly works by U.S. and international feminists. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 422. Women, Men, and the English Language (Same as Engl 422.)
See English. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 450. Topics in Women’s Studies
(3-0) Cr. 3 each time taken, maximum of 6. S. Prereq: 201 or 3 credits in Women’s Studies at the 300 level or above. Special and/or experimental topics in a specific discipline, e.g., women and education, women and religion, women and the law, women and science. Nonmajor graduate credit.

W S 490. Independent Study
Cr. 1 to 3 each time taken, maximum of 6. Prereq: Any two courses in Women’s Studies, permission of instructor. The director of the Women’s Studies Program Committee must be consulted in advance.

W S 491. Senior Internship
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: Senior classification. Internship designed to provide an application of Women’s Studies principles and methods in a workplace. To be arranged with an internal or external employer and conducted under the supervision of a member of the Women’s Studies faculty.

W S 499. Senior Thesis
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: Senior classification. Senior thesis to be independently researched and written under the supervision of a member of the Women’s Studies faculty.

Courses for Graduate Students, Open To Qualified Undergraduate Students

W S 523. Gender Roles and Sport (Same as Ex Sp 523.)
See Health and Human Performance.

W S 528. Sociology of Gender (Same as Soc 528.)
See Sociology.

W S 545. Women’s Literature (Same as Engl 545.)
See English.

W S 590. Special Topics
Cr. var. Prereq: Permission of Women’s Studies Program Committee. Independent study on a topic in Women’s Studies.

W S 594. Women in Art (Same as Art H 594.)
See Art History.

Courses Offered by Other Departments

Engl 304. Creative Writing - Fiction. 
See English. Acceptable only when offered as a course on women’s writing. 

Frnch 370. French Studies in English. 
See Foreign Languages and Literatures. Acceptable only when offered as a course on women or feminism in French literature.