Gender and Sexuality Studies courses

GESS 2900 Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies
Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies
This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to gender and sexuality studies. Its primary focus is critical perspectives on the social construction of gender and sexuality, inequalities on the basis of gender and sexuality, activism around issues of gender and sexuality, and how gender and sexuality shape and are shaped by other systems of inequality such as race, ethnicity, class, religion, nation, region, and age.
credit hours: 3
Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies

GESS 3500 Identity, Difference, and Social Inequality
Identity, Difference, and Social Inequality
This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of how gender and sexuality are implicated in, mediate, or are mediated by the social and cultural construction of racial and ethnic identities and cultures, the formation of economic structures and class cultures, and race, ethnic, and class inequalities. This course offers a service learning component.
Pre-requistites: GESS 290
credit hours: 3
Identity, Difference, and Social Inequality

GESS 3800 Writing Practicum
Writing Practicum
Fulfills the college intensive-writing requirement. Students will write one or more papers exploring major topics in feminist theory.
Pre-requistites: Successful completion of the First-Year Writing Requirement.
Co-requisites: Three-credit departmental course
credit hours: 3
Writing Practicum

GESS 3890 Service Learning
Service Learning
Students complete a service activity in the community in conjunction with the content of a three-credit core course.
Pre-requistites: Departmental approval.
credit hours: 0
Service Learning

GESS 4500 Gender and Archives
Gender and Archives
This course focuses on developing knowledge of major theories of archives, on fostering research skills by engaging with materials, and on involving students in archival work that will allow questions about gender. Exploring theories and practices of archives, the course takes students through the history of archives, with special attention to women as keeping, and represented in, scholarly collections.
Notes: The course offers a service learning project.
Pre-requistites: GESS 2900 and GESS 3500.
credit hours: 3
Gender and Archives

GESS 4700 Sexuality in US History
Sexuality in US History
In this course we will examine the ways in which sex, gender and sexuality have been fundamentally reorganized since the 18th century. Focusing primarily on the formation and development of the United States, this seminar aims to deepen your understanding of the distinctive constructions of sexuality in various historical, political, and cultural contexts, how those constructions have transformed over time, and what factors account for those changes. All of our critical inquiries will attend to the ways in which race, class, gender, religion, market cultures, and governments intersect with the history of sexuality.
Notes: Writing Practica Option.
credit hours: 3
Sexuality in US History

GESS 4910 Independent Study
Independent Study
Qualified students may arrange for independent study with an instructor to pursue a project of interest to the student. Ordinarily, independent study earns three credits. Requirements will vary depending on the project but will involve some combination of readings, oral reports, and written work. A maximum of four credits of independent studies may be applied toward the major in Gender and Sexuality Studiesand three credits toward the minor.
Pre-requistites: Approval of instructor and program director; open to upper-level majors and minors.
credit hours: 1-3
Independent Study

GESS 4920 Independent Study
Independent Study
Qualified students may arrange for independent study with an instructor to pursue a project of interest to the student. Ordinarily, independent study earns three credits. Requirements will vary depending on the project but will involve some combination of readings, oral reports, and written work. A maximum of four credits of independent studies may be applied toward the major inGender and Sexuality Studies and three credits toward the minor.
credit hours: 1-3
Independent Study

GESS 4930 Special Topics in Gender and Sexuality Studies
Special Topics in Gender and Sexuality Studies
An in-depth examination of a particular topic relevant to gender and sexuality studies. Topics for discussion focus on a theme or question that is best understood within an interdisciplinary framework.
credit hours: 3
Special Topics in Gender and Sexuality Studies

GESS 4940 Advanced Gender and Feminist Theory
Advanced Gender and Feminist Theory
This course is an advanced seminar in feminist and gender theory. The primary focus is critical engagement with social, political, and cultural theories of the social construction of gender and gender difference, and of the sources, causes, and effects of gender inequality and strategies for reducing or eradicating inequality. While emphasis will be placed on gender difference and inequality, substantial time will be spent on theories of how gender is implicated in and supported by other forms of inequality such as sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class.
Pre-requistites: GESS 290, GESS 350
credit hours: 3
Advanced Gender and Feminist Theory

GESS 4950 Advanced Sexuality and Queer Theory
Advanced Sexuality and Queer Theory
This course is an advanced seminar in sexuality and queer theory. The primary focus is critical engagement with social, political, and cultural theories of the social construction of sexuality and sexual identities, and of the sources, causes, and effects of sexual inequality and strategies for reducing or eradicating inequality. While emphasis will be placed on theories of sexuality, substantial time will be spent on theories of how sexuality is implicated in and supported by other forms of inequality such as gender, race, ethnicity, and class.
Pre-requistites: GESS 290, GESS 350
credit hours: 3
Advanced Sexuality and Queer Theory

GESS 4980 Capstone Project in Gender and Sexuality Studies
Capstone Project in Gender and Sexuality Studies
This course is the capstone course for the major and is only open to Gender and Sexuality Studies Majors. The primary goal of the course is for students to develop and execute a project through which they produce a piece of work that reflects and represents their intellectual growth and knowledge in the major. The scope and type of project is open to the student with approval from the instructor and normally reflects the student's present and future interests and goals. Some types of projects might include but are not limited to empirical research, community activism, a work of art, literature, poetry, or film, or a major review of a theoretical and/or empirical literature.
Pre-requistites: GESS 290, GESS 350, GESS 494 or GESS 495 and Approval of Instructor.
credit hours: 3
Capstone Project in Gender and Sexuality Studies

GESS 6940 Advanced Gender and Feminist Theory
Advanced Gender and Feminist Theory
This course is an advanced seminar in feminist and gender theory. The primary focus is critical engagement with social, political, and cultural theories of the social construction of gender and gender difference, and of the sources, causes, and effects of gender inequality and strategies for reducing or eradicating inequality. While emphasis will be placed on gender difference and inequality, substantial time will be spent on theories of how gender is implicated in and supported by other forms of inequality such as sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class.
credit hours: 3
Advanced Gender and Feminist Theory

GESS 6950 Advanced Sexuality and Queer Theory
Advanced Sexuality and Queer Theory
This course is an advanced seminar in sexuality and queer theory. The primary focus is critical engagement with social, political, and cultural theories of the social construction of sexuality and sexual identities, and of the sources, causes, and effects of sexual inequality and strategies for reducing or eradicating inequality. While emphasis will be placed on theories of sexuality, substantial time will be spent on theories of how sexuality is implicated in and supported by other forms of inequality such as gender, race, ethnicity, and class.
Pre-requistites: GESS 2900, GESS 3500.
credit hours: 3
Advanced Sexuality and Queer Theory

GESS H4990 Honors Thesis
Honors Thesis
Open to senior honors candidates and other qualified senior majors with approval of instructor and program director. Intensive interdisciplinary reading and research in the area of gender and/or sexuality studies.
credit hours: 3
Honors Thesis

GESS H5000 Honors Thesis
Honors Thesis
Open to senior honors candidates and other qualified senior majors with approval of instructor and program director. Intensive interdisciplinary reading and research in the area of gender and/or sexuality studies.
credit hours: 3
Honors Thesis