Gender Studies Minor

(This minor is also available via the Division of Distance Education) www.eou.edu/gender/

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

In recent years, feminist scholars have asked searching questions about the construction of the institutions and disciplines that drive our culture. They have also investigated the ways in which conceptions of femininity and masculinity are involved in structures of institutional power. Gender studies explores some of the complex questions and problems surrounding relationships between women and men, while investigating academic and activist approaches for pursuing gender equality.

The Gender Studies minor will provide opportunities:

To identify various academic approaches to the study of gender and learn skills in critical and feminist analysis of these approaches.
To integrate knowledge within the minor through understanding the intersections of gender, class, age, ability, race, culture, and sexual preference.
To understand the activist origins of gender studies and examine initiatives for promoting gender equality.
To relate academic knowledge to practice through service, internships, and practica.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will have the ability to:

- Identify major social, economic, political, psychological issues facing contemporary women and men.

Describe gender research with respect to cultural shifts and policy transformations in Western society.
Discern the parallels and intersections of gender discrimination with other prejudices against class, age, ability, race, culture, and sexual preference.
Discuss major topics and approaches in the history of feminist thought.
Comprehend the development, inter-disciplinary nature, and methodological approaches of gender studies.
Compose an informed and focused research paper communicating scholarly approaches to gender analysis.
Connect scholarly inquiry to gender justice through service, internships, and practica.

Students in Gender Studies are assessed in a variety of ways to determine their proficiencies. The faculty will use assignments such as essay exams, primary and secondary research papers, oral histories, documentaries, symposium presentations, collaborative reports, multi-media projects, art exhibits, practicum, and capstone experiences, all geared toward qualitative assessment of specified learning outcomes by means of stated criteria.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GENDER STUDIES MINOR

The interdisciplinary minor in Gender Studies not only requires students to research and read, answer test questions and write papers; it requires students to challenge the status quo-including their own assumptions. While this extra level of analysis is also part of other programs, it is possible in traditional programs to graduate without substantially challenging cultural beliefs and practices around issues such as race, gender, class, or ability. Such questioning is at the heart of Gender Studies. A minor will consist of the following:

A minimum of 33 credit hours in Gender Studies and support courses, 30 of which must be graded and 3 must be practicum credits.
At least eighteen upper-division credits in Gender Studies and approved interdisciplinary elective courses are required. A list of these courses is available each quarter on the Gender Studies Web site http://www3.eou.edu/gender/.
A minimum of ten credits applied toward the minor must be completed at EOU.
A grade of “C-” or better for all courses counting toward the minor.
A minimum G.P.A. of 2.00 for all courses counting toward the minor.
Completion of the following required courses:

GEND 301, Perspectives on Gender (5)

GEND 401, Research (1-3)

GEND 409, Practicum (1-6, S/U only)

The Program Faculty and each student’s major adviser will offer advising assistance for the Gender Studies minor.

GENDER STUDIES COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

GEND 110- Selected Topics Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

GEND 201- Gend Basic:American Women*S/HB Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed-Social Science
New Gen Ed-Human Behavior
Through readings in social research, literature and law this course examines historical and contemporary gender relations in the United States and emphasizes the ways in which gender intersects with issues of race, class, gender and sexuality.

Prerequisite: WR 121 or equivalent.

GEND 210- Selected Topics Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

GEND 220- Gender, Work & Society*S/HB Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed-Social Science
New Gen Ed-Human Behavior
This course will explore the gender implications of women’s and men’s participation in the workforce with a focus on how race, class, and gender impacts American capitalism and the creation of laboring and professional classes. Seeks to determine the meaning of work using gender as a category of analysis. Prerequisite: WR 121 or equivalent.

GEND 301- Perspects On Gender*S/HB Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed-Social Science
New Gen Ed-Human Behavior
Course provides an interdisciplinary overview of gender scholarship, with emphasis on the intersections of gender with race, class, sexuality, and culture. The course examines historical and contemporary feminist social movements and introduces students to theories of gender and sexual difference; changes in law and custom regarding gender equality in public and private life; representations of gender in language, literature, and the visual arts; and cross-cultural views on women and men in society. Prerequisite: WR 121 or equivalent. Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

GEND 310- Selected Topics Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

GEND 323- Forbidden Goddess*AH Credits: 4.00

New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
Selective study of Greek literature, myths, and rituals focused on dynamics of inclusion and exclusion that parallel modern definitions of gender. This course is cross listed with ENGL 323. Prerequisite: WR 121 or equivalent. This course is offered off-campus only. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

GEND 330- US Minority Women Writers*H/AH Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed-Humanities
New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
This course will introduce you to literature, mainly fiction by US women writers of American Indian, African, Mexican, Chinese, Jewish and Arab descent. The writers explore such subjects as their relation to the history of their people, conflict between their cultural values and the dominant White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture, and creating and affirming an ethnic minority female identity in the US.

This course is offered off-campus only. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

GEND 340- HOW-Family in Pre-Indst Era*AH Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed-Social Science
New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
This course provides an overview of women’s history and family history in their economic, social, cultural, and political contexts. Special attention is given to ideas about women’s roles inside and outside the family and how this relates to the realities of women’s experiences. This course is offered off-campus only.

This course is cross-listed with HIST 340. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

GEND 341- HOW-Women’s Movemnt Mod Era*AH Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed-Social Science
New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
This course examines the changing concepts of women’s rights and women’s roles in the domestic and public spheres with special attention to the rise of the suffrage movements and the economic, social and political foundations of modern feminism. This course is offered off-campus only. This course is cross-listed with HIST 341. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

GEND 350- Pornography/Gender&State*CP Credits: 5.00

New Gen Ed-Crit Think/Prob Sol
Examination of the production, text, and consumption of pornography in a social and political context. This course is cross-listed with SOC 350. Prerequisite: WR 121 required. Upper division standing or consent of instructor. This course is offered both on-campus and off-campus. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

GEND 360- Gender & Power*S/HB Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed-Social Science

New Gen Ed-Human Behavior
Analysis of privilege, power, and difference in relationships between women and men in the United States and in global context. Perspectives on historical movements for gender equality, and consideration of issues of domestic and paid labor, reproduction, and violence. Assessment of gender relationships within social institutions such as family, education, religion, and economy.

Prerequisite: WR 121 or equivalent. Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

GEND 395- Gender in Lit/Film*H/AH Credits: 4.00

Gen Ed-Humanities

New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
Intensive study of gender theories in relation to the production and interpretation of literary texts and/or film. Prerequisite: ENGL 104 and 200-level English course and upper division standing. This course is cross-listed with ENGL 395. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

GEND 401- Research Credits: 1.00 TO 3.00

In this course each student will pursue an independent research project. The project will be planned in collaboration with the instructor, and designed to combine the student’s major or liberal studies capstone requirements with those of the gender studies minor.

Prerequisite: GEND 301 and consent of instructor required.

This course is offered both on-campus and off-campus. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

GEND 405- Reading and Conference Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

Topics designed to meet current needs of students. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor required. This course is offered both on-campus and off-campus.

GEND 409- Practicum Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

In this course each student will pursue an independent practicum. The practicum will be planned in collaboration with the instructor and a field supervisor and designed to combine the student’s major or liberal studies interests with those of the gender studies minor.

Prerequisite: GEND 301, upper-division standing and consent of instructor required. This course is offered both on-campus and off-campus. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.