Amanda Fehlbaum, Ph.D.

INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN’S STUDIES
WMST 2601

Course Description:
The aim of this course is to introduce the discipline of Women’s Studies and, through it, to the study of women’s and men’s lives, viewpoints, and forms of expression. To do this, we need to figure out what we mean by “women” – what, if anything, it has meant to be “women” in diverse historical periods, global locations, socioeconomic classes, and racial and ethnic groups. We will do this by analyzing representations of women and the actual conditions of their lives, contemplating how ideas of femininity operate as a cultural force, and how differences in power and privilege between women complicate definitions of “womanhood.” In addition to introducing you to the body of women’s studies scholarship, this course will emphasize developing key reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Two key assumptions inform this course: 1) both commonalities and differences mark the gendered lives of women and men; 2) the dynamics of power are central to gendered lives and institutions. Over the course of the semester, we will consider the ways in which feminists have engaged these issues locally and globally.

Past Syllabus:
Fall 2023

This course involves working in a group on a semester-long Activism Project, putting theory into practice.