Women’s and Gender Studies

http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/womens-studies/

Director, 2013-14: Anna Kuxhausen (History), Russia, Europe, gender, childhood, medicine

Faculty, 2013-14: Ibtesam âl-Atiyat (Sociology/Anthropology), Islamic feminisms; Carolyn Anderson (Sociology/Anthropology), identity, kinship, theory, gender, Native North America, Western Europe, Scandinavia; Jolene Barjasteh (Romance Languages), 19th-century French literature, autobiography; Gwendolyn Barnes-Karol (Romance Languages), peninsular literature and culture; Patricia Beckman (Religion), history of Christianity, medieval mysticism, women and religions; David Booth (Religion), theology; Lisa Bowers (Biology), microbiology, molecular biology, synthetic biology, genetics; Maggie A. Broner (Romance Languages), Hispanic and applied linguistics, Spanish in the U.S.; Laurel Carrington (History), medieval, Renaissance and Reformation; Sylvia Graciela Carullo (Romance Languages), colonial and 20th-century Spanish-American literature, Hispanic culture; Grace Cho (Psychology), developmental psychology; Karen Gervais (Philosophy), feminist philosophy; Dana Gross (Psychology), developmental psychology; Carol Holly (English), women's literature; Susi Keefe (Sociology/Anthropology); Dean Krouk (Norwegian), Norwegian language and literature; Judy Kutulas (History), U.S. Women's History, media, culture; Diane LeBlanc (Interdisciplinary Studies), writing, women's studies; León Narváez (Romance Languages), cross-cultural analysis, Hispanic literature, dialects of Spanish (on leave spring semester); Bruce Nordstrom-Loeb (Sociology/Anthropology), gender, family, race and class (on leave); Jonathan O'Conner (Romance Languages), peninsular early modern literature and culture; M. Minda Oriña (Psychology), social psychology; Dolores Peters (History), France, modern Europe, history of medicine; Diana Postlethwaite (English), 19th-century British literature, literature and film; Rebecca Richards (English), rhetoric, composition, and transnational gender studies; Jamie Schillinger (Religion), theology, Islam; Susan Smalling (Social Work and Family Studies), family relationships, cross-cultural practice, field education; Ariel Strichartz (Romance Languages); Mary Titus (English), women's literature, sexuality studies; Christopher Tradowsky (Art History)

Women’s and gender studies students explore scholarship about women and gender across cultures and throughout history to examine intersections of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, nationality, ability, religion, and age. The program fosters critical thinking skills that encourage students to become active and ethical participants in career, family, social life, and community.

overview of the major and concentration

Majors and concentrators take a range of courses across the curriculum, as well as in the women’s and gender studies program. Students explore the new scholarship about gender and gain an understanding of a variety of gender experiences across cultures and throughout history.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE MAJOR

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

A major in women’s and gender studies consists of nine credits: Women’s and Gender Studies 121, Women’s and Gender Studies 399 (to be taken in the spring of the senior year), plus seven additional courses, one of which must be at level III. These seven courses shall include at least one course from each of the following areas: (1) theory and methods applicable to studying gender, (2) gender in historical contexts, (3) gender in global, comparative, or diverse contexts. One course must focus on women's lived experiences. No more than two courses from other institutions may count toward the major. A list of approved courses is posted on the program web site.

In consulation with the instructor and the program director, majors may count one course not designated as an approved women’s and gender studies course. This process requires a completed contract..

Majors who entered St. Olaf College before the fall of 2012 may opt to follow the requirements for the women's studies major, which are: Women's and Gender Studies 121, Women's and Gender Studies 399 (to be taken in the spring of the senior year), plus seven additional courses, one of which must be at level III. These seven courses shall include at least one course from each of the following areas: (1) social or natural sciences, (2) literature, languages, or the arts, (3) religious, historical, or philosophical traditions. No more than two courses taken elsewhere may count toward the major.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CONCENTRATION

Many students enhance their work in a major through an interdisciplinary focus on women and gender. A concentration in women’s and gender studies consists of Women’s and Gender Studies 121 and four additional courses, three of which must be at level II or III, drawn from at least three departments.

In consulation with the instructor and the program director, concentrators may count one course not designated as an approved women’s and gender studies course. Students who apply partial-credit courses toward the concentration must still complete the minimum number of required credits. No more than one course taken elsewhere may be counted toward the concentration.

DISTINCTION

Distinction in women's and gender studies must represent in some tangible way the culmination of interdisciplinary and/or theoretical work in the program. Distinction guidelines are posted on the program web site.

COURSES

121 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies

Required for the women's and gender studies major and concentration, this course introduces students to the concept of gender as a category of analysis. It is designed for students who seek a fuller understanding of themselves as women and men and a wider knowledge of the experiences and achievements of women. Offered each semester. Counts towards American studies major.

294 Internships

298 Independent Study

394 Internships

396 Directed Undergraduate Research: "Topic Description"

This course provides a comprehensive research opportunity, including an introduction to relevant background material, technical instruction, identification of a meaningful project, and data collection. The topic is determined by the faculty member in charge of the course and may relate to his/her research interests. Prerequisite: determined by individual instructor. Offered based on department decision. May be offered as a 1.00 credit course or .50 credit course.

398 Independent Research

399 Advanced Topics in Women's and Gender Studies

The course provides a capstone to the major. Taught as a seminar, it offers an opportunity for students to integrate their studies of women and gender across disciplines and to become more aware of the intricate web of gender, race, culture, and class that informs women's experiences. Prerequisite: Women's and Gender Studies 121. Offered annually in the spring semester.

APPROVED courses

Topics courses are acceptable only if the topic is approved. Other courses not included in this list may be approved through a contract. Contract for course credit forms are available on the program website.

Theory and methods courses:

American Studies 100: Perspectives in American Culture
Art 277: Women in Art
English 242: Children's Literature
English 264: Gender and Literature
English 340: Topic: Money and American Literature
Family Studies 242: Family Relationship
Family Studies 253: Human Sexuality
History 320: Race, Gender and Medicine
Philosophy 245: Philosophy and Feminism
Psychology 390: Intimate Relationships
Psychology 396: Research: Relationships
Psychology 396: Research: Gender and Emotions
Religion 209: Introduction to Feminist Theology
Religion 344: Feminist Christian Ethics
Sociology/Anthropology 235: Introduction to Islamic Feminisms
Sociology/Anthropology 246: Gender in Cross Cultural Perspective
Sociology/Anthropology 260: Marriage and the Family

Women and Gender in global, comparative, or diverse contexts:

French 372: Topic: Women and Identity in Literature of the Maghreb
History 121: Making Modern Russia
History 189: Topic: Women in African Colonial History
History 191: Modern Europe (when given approval by director of women's and gender studies)
History 224: Modern Germany
History 231: 20th-Century Russia
History 237: Women in Medieval Europe
History 238: Women in Early Modern Europe
History 239: Women and Gender in Modern Europe
History 320: Nation and Empire in Russian History
Philosophy 245: Philosophy and Feminism
Psychology 223: Exploring India: Human Development in Cross Cultural Context
Psychology 241 A&B: Development Psychology
Religion 209: Introduction to Feminist Theology
Religion 264: Theology and Sexuality
Sociology/Anthropology 128: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Sociology/Anthropology 235: Introduction to Islamic Feminisms
Sociology/Anthropology 261: Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Spanish 250A: Gateway to the Spanish-Speaking World

Women and Gender in historical contexts:

Dance 246: Dance in the United States
English 246: Women's Literature
English 340: Topic: Sex, Madness and Marriage
English 340: Topic: Money and American Literature
Family Studies 253: Human Sexuality
History 115: Courtly Love in the Middle Ages
History 122: Europe and the Great War
History 182: America Since World War II
History 189: Topic: Women in African Colonial History
History 238: Women in Early Modern Europe
History 272: Women in America
History 320: Race, Gender and Medicine
Religion 209: Introduction to Feminist Theology
Religion 264: Theology and Sexuality
Sociology/Anthropology 246: GLBT Lives and Issues

Elective courses:

Biology 124: Biology of Women
Norwegian 282: Ibsen
Nursing 386: Perinatal Health
Psychology 350: Development in Diverse Families