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Programs

Jump to: Minor requirements | Spirituality Certificate

The Women's and Gender Studies Program at St. Scholastica provides opportunities for students to think beyond the boundaries of traditional gender roles in academics, in institutions, and in everyday life. The program follows an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging students to explore diverse experiences and perspectives. Students integrate classroom knowledge with hands-on service learning opportunities.

Women's studies began to gain prominence as an academic discipline during the 1960s and 1970s. United with the women's liberation movement, women's studies worked to highlight and remove the constraints traditional gender roles placed on women's lives. Early women's studies courses placed the emphasis on women and their life experiences. Examples of these courses in our program include Women's Literature, Women in United States History, and Women Mystics.

After about fifteen to twenty years of women's studies courses, gender studies began to emerge. The emphasis in gender studies is on race, class and gender issues in the lives of all people. Early gender studies scholarship came from men who also felt constrained by traditional gender roles, from lesbians who felt the traditional model focused too much on the problems of heterosexuality, and from women and men of color who felt "women's liberation" focused too much on the lives of white women. By the 1990s, the primary model for gender studies involved "the sociology of difference" and the integration of gender studies into existing academic traditions. Examples of these courses in our program include Family and Society; Media, Race, and Gender; and Psychology of Gender.

Our Women's and Gender Studies Program offers students an appropriate introduction to each perspective and allows students to explore either tradition in some detail. Students are encouraged to consult with various faculty in women's and gender studies to discuss their personal interests to determine which courses suit their goals.

In the interest of (a) introducing students to both women's and gender studies perspectives; (b) encouraging students to explore the roots and expressions of women's and gender studies in history, culture, and/or literature; (c) facilitating an understanding of feminist theory; and (d) integrating classroom experiences with service learning activities.

The minor requires 20 credits from the following areas:

(a) Introductory course:
WGS 1011 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (I) 4 cr.
This course introduces students to gender as an analytical tool to understand social relationships. The readings and discussions focus student attention on oppression, especially with regard to sexism and heterosexism. Students must complete a service learning/social change project.

(b) One of the following history courses:

HIS 3320 Women in United States History I (VII) 4 cr.
Examines significant topics in U.S. women's history from the Colonial period to 1890, focusing on the role women of different classes and races have played in shaping society. Requirements develop critical thinking skills so that students can evaluate the influences and trends that have shaped the institutions and society Americans experienced in the past and present.

HIS 3321 Women in United States History II (VII) 4 cr.
Examines significant topics in U.S. women's history from the 1890s through the present, focusing on the role women of different classes and races have played in shaping society. Requirements develop critical thinking skills so that students can evaluate the influences and trends that have shaped the institutions and society Americans experienced in the past and present.

HIS/WMS 3324 African American History I (I, VII) 4 cr.
Examines significant topics in African American history from the period of forced migration to the Americas through Reconstruction. Analyzes the roles African Americans of different classes and genders have played in shaping U.S. history.

HIS/WMS 3325 African American History II (I, VII) 4 cr.
Examines significant topics in African American history from Reconstruction through the current experience of diverse members of the African diaspora living in the U.S. Analyzes the roles African Americans of different classes and genders have played in shaping U.S. history.

One of the following culture courses:
CTA 2525 Media, Race and Gender (I) 4cr.
This course introduces students to mass-mediated representations of face, class, gender, and sexuality. We survey historically and/or culturally significant artifacts in this course in order to interpret evolving representations.

SOC 2231 Cultural Anthopology (I, II) 4 cr.
Comparative and contextual study of the diversity and similarity in human behaviors and socio-cultural adaptations as these occur throughout the world. This course studies anthropological concepts as tools of analysis in understanding culture, powerful "roles" of culture, cultural patterns and factors leading to culture change.

LIS 2220 Dance, Gender and Culture (VII) 2 cr.
A study of the body as an expressive instrument, a site of social conditioning, and a means of shaping and conveying identity. The course is organized thematically, with a specific dance culture to illustrate a set of issues ranging from sexuality, desire, and exoticism to empowerment and assertion of identity through dance. Through readings and analysis of performance, our study of dance as a cultural phenomenon leads us to investigations of history, politics, social dynamics and the shifting categories of race, class and gender, belief and cultural identity.

SOC 2433 The Family and Society (I, II) 4 cr.
Exploration of the meaning and variety of family life in the United States and other cultures. Classic and contemporary theories are combined with recent research findings to understand the changing definitions and contexts of family life. Emphasis is placed on the study of the family in a broader context, including the influence of neighborhoods, schools and religion, socioeconomic inequalities, gender roles, domestic abuse, divorce, and a life span approach to family life.

INS 3320 American Indian Women: Myth and Reality (I, II) 4 cr.
Issues of early Indian/white relations, spirituality and religion, economic roles, policy, cultural persistence, land tenure, socialization and property rights and the role of mothers from the Indian female perspective.

One of the following literature courses:

ENG 1130 Introduction to English Literature (I, IV) 4 cr.
Surveys of prose and poetry in the English language by women of the 1300s to the present. Readings include three novels and several plays. Women's issues are discussed as they arise in the literature.

ENG 3370 Studies in Women's Literature (IV, WI) 4 cr.
Studies focus on, for example, literature of women's friendship and mother-daughter literature.

TRS 3380 Women's Spirituality and Literature (I, WI) 4 cr.
Involves students in the process of their own spiritual journey as well as examining the spirituality of female characters in literature. In addition, poetry, theology and spirituality texts are studied to provide the student with guides for reflection. This course incorporates journals, papers, presentations and a final integration paper.

TRS 4440 Women Mystics (WI) 4 cr.
Introduction to the study of the mystical tradition through the examination of the lives and writings of selected women mystics: Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Theresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Simone Weil, Etty Hillesum and Hildegard of Bingen.

WGS 4488 Herstory (WI) 4 cr.
Provides students with experiences of reading about and working with women's lives as they are reflected in autobiographies and memoirs. Topics include: the connection between truth and art, the role of memory in telling one's life story, and the ways in which life stories confront history. Autobiographies and memoirs will serve as windows into others' lives and mirrors into one's own.

CTA 3525 Feminist Criticism of Media Texts 4 cr.
This course develops the student's analytical skills by examining the construction of race, class, gender, and sexuality is mass mediated texts. Students practice writing critiques developed from a variety of feminist theories.

HIS/WGS 3350 Feminism and Globalization: Women, Religion and the Body 4cr.
Explores how European imperialist accounts of non-European women's experience have been crucial to culturally dominant ideas about feminism, globalization and the legacy of the colonial state throughout the so-called "third world." Beginning with a critical and historical overview of feminist theory and practice, the course will trace recent studies, both historical and ethnographic, of how terms such as "women," "religion" and "the body" were radically changed by the colonial projects of the 19th century (e.g. in South Asia and Africa) - projects that are intimately related to contemporary debates on transnational women's movements and globalization.

PHL 3360 Philosophies of Feminism (IX, WI) 4 cr.
Examines theoretical accounts of the relation between women and men in present society, identifies assumptions within the feminist accounts and evaluates proposals for change.

(d) Service learning course:

WGS 4555 Practicum/Seminar in Women's and Gender Studies (WI) 4 cr.
The practicum/seminar requires students to complete a service learning project which must be analyzed through the writing of a seminar paper grounded in theorizing about sex, gender, race, and class dynamics. (Prerequisite: Completion of a feminist theory course).

(e) Four credits of electives from the following:

PSY 3340 Psychology of Gender (offered every other year) 2 cr.
Introduces students to the research methods, findings and theories of psychology of gender. Students examine evidence for gender differences and similarities in cognitive abilities, personality, social behavior, and physical and mental health and explore nature and nurture explanations. Gender stereotypes and their impact are discussed. Women's and men's experiences in the workplace, in relationships, in parenting and in aging are major foci of the course. Prerequisite: one psychology course or consent of instructor.

TRS/WGS 2243 Women and Religion (X) 4 cr.
Examines scriptural and historical understandings of women's roles in religion and churches. This course emphasizes the work of contemporary women thinkers who are exploring various dimensions of this question.

WGS 2777 Topics in Women and Gender Studies 2-4 cr.
Various departments offer topics courses which are applicable to Women's Studies. Check with the coordinator for current offerings on the schedule.

Another four credits from b or c above.

Requirements for a Women's Spirituality Certificate

The women's spirituality certificate requires 16 credits of coursework and a Benedictine Immersion Retreat.

Required Capstone Experience Benedictine Immersion Retreat 0 cr.

One of the following courses is required:

TRS 2243 Women and Religion (X) 4 cr.
Examines scriptural and historical understandings of women's roles in religion and churches. This course emphasizes the work of contemporary women thinkers who are exploring various dimensions of this question.

The following courses are electives:

TRS 2401 Benedictine Tradition 4 cr.
Designed to explore with students the essential elements of the Benedictine tradition. The course ponders questions such as: What, if anything, in The Rule of Benedict can help us live spiritually in our world today? What are the core values of the Benedictine tradition that has a 1,500-year history? How can The Rule of Benedict provide tools for developing answers to the fundamental questions of our lives? The Rule of Benedict encompasses a way of life that stresses "Doing the ordinary extraordinarily well." Students explore ways of developing a spirituality that focuses on discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life.

HUM 3340 Spiritual Living: 21st Century (WI) 4 cr.
The course examines spiritual living with a holistic view of what it means to be fully human. It seeks to foster spiritual growth by exploring universal themes of spiritual living as they relate to the search for God in the ordinary happenings of daily life. Christian spirituality and the spirituality of other faith traditions will be studied.

HUM 3378 Spirituality and Prayer (WI) 4 cr.
Explores a theology and practice of prayer as reflected by some classic and contemporary Christian and non-Christian writers. This course encourages students to discover their own unique pathways of prayer, develop a personal relationship with God in their spiritual quest and engage in a prayer life that nurtures and inspires their quest for meaning in life.

WGS 1011 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (I) 4 cr.
This course introduces students to gender as an analytical tool to understand social relationships. The readings and discussions focus student attention on oppression, especially with regard to sexism and heterosexism. Students must complete a service learning/social change project.