Winter 2012 Course Descriptions 

GWST 1112

CRN 3082

Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies

10-11:50, Tuesdays/Thursdays, 4 credits, Lindsey Feitz

This course provides an introduction to the discipline of Gender and Women's Studies. All cultures engage in a complex process of assigning cultural values and social roles which vary according to the cultural environment in which human interaction occurs. Among these, the process of translating biological differences into a complex system of gender remains one of the most important. Gender and Women's Studies aims to understand how this process of 'gendering' occurs. This course also explores how this system of meaning relates to other systems of allocating power, including socioeconomic class, social status, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and nationality. Using this lens, this course explores contemporary social developments and problems. This class presents students with a variety of texts from sociological articles to literary fictions, and documentary and fictional cinema to explore gender from many directions.

GWST 2700

CRN 4414

Gender and Russian Identity in Historical Perspective

12-1:50, Mondays/Wednesdays, 4 credits, Arianna Nowakowski

Embroiled in perpetual change and uncertainty, Russia has, for centuries, attempted to forge an identity that is uniquely its own. Although the attributes of this identity continue to shift over time, gender has historically been deeply enmeshed in the mystery that is Russia. Through an exploration of literature, film, and select political writings, we will endeavor to unravel the complex and ever-changing relationship between gender and Russian national identity.  Some of the topics to be considered include: family life during the times of the tsars; gender and sexuality under communism; masculinity and organized crime in post-soviet Russia; the Orthodox Church as a purveyor of morality; and Vladimir Putin as Russia's ideal man. We will view these issues primarily through cultural productions, looking at the ways in which ideas of gender and the nation have been constructed and carefully resisted in both historical and contemporary contexts.

GWST 2982

CRN 2446

La bella italiana: Visions of Italian Feminisms in Literature and Film

4-5:50, Wednesdays, 2 credits, Roberta Waldbaum

The image of the dark-haired bella italiana brings to mind the stereotype of the dark, passionate, instinctive and bewitching Italian beauty that can be traced in literature, painting, and writings of foreign travelers and on the cinema screen. This course will examine Italy's deep-seated identification with the feminine within an Italian cultural context with readings from Italian feminist criticism, literary works written by Italian women writers and in Italian cinema. 

GWST 3950

CRN 4896

Theories in Gender and Women's Studies

6-9:50 pm, Wednesdays, 4 credits, Luc Beaudoin

This course is an overview of a number of different manifestations of gender theory. The course is divided into four parts:  feminist theory, masculinity theory, queer theory, and international perspectives.  We will be covering some of the foundational approaches to questions of sexuality and gender identity, as well as exploring examples of these questions through select works of literature and film.  This course may be repeated for credit as long as course subtitles are different.  Prerequisite:  GWST 1112.

Cross-listed Courses:

GWST/SOCI 2220

CRN 4323

Sociology of Childhood

12-1:50 p.m., Mondays/Wednesdays, 5 credits, Jennifer Reich

This course explores the social meanings of childhood. In this course we will examine aspects of the symbolic meanings of childhood as well as the experiences of being a child. The commercialization of childhood through marketing to children, contradictory messages about children as innocent or problematic, the experience of gender socialization for children, and the expectations of creating perfect children will be explored in detail. Prerequisite: SOCI 1810.

GWST/ANTH 3130

CRN 4469

The Archaeology of Gender

2-3:50 p.m., Tuesdays /Thursdays, 4 credits, Bonnie Clark

This course examines the ways archaeology can contribute to the study of gender through investigations of the deep through recent past. The class will include readings on gender theory, the uses of archaeological data, and specific case studies of engendered lives in the past.

Also-listed Courses:

COMN 3050

CRN 4301

Feminism and Intersectionality

12-1:50, Mondays/Wednesdays, 5 credits, Bernadette Calafell

Other Courses of Interest:

ASEM 2581

CRN 4314

Forgiveness, Politics and Film

2-3:50, Mondays/Wednesdays, 4 credits, Nancy Wadsworth

ASEM 2687

CRN 4557

Sex and Globalization

12-1:50, Tuesdays/Thursdays, 4 credits, Lindsey Feitz

ASEM 2658

CRN 2957

The Long Civil Rights Movement

10-11:50, Mondays/Wednesdays, 4 credits, Kate Willink

COMN 1015

CRN 2951, 4294

Voice and Gender

4-5:50 Tuesdays/Thursdays OR 2-3:50 Mondays/Wednesdays, 4 credits, TBA

COMN 2210 CRN 4298

Gender, Communication, and Culture

(Honors Program Students Only)

12-1:50 Mondays/Wednesdays, 5 credits, Kate Willink

COMN 2220

CRN 4299

Race and Popular Culture

2-3:50 Tuesdays/Thursdays, 5 credits, Shinsuke Eguchi

SOCI 2655

CRN 4324

Latinas/os in American Society

2-3:50, Mondays/Wednesdays, 5 credits, Lisa Martinez

SOCI 2701

CRN 4325

Special Topics: Globalization: Above and Below

12-1:50, Tuesdays/Thursdays, 5 credits, Hava Gordon

SOCI 2719

CRN 3024

Social Movements

2-3:50, Tuesdays/Thursdays, 5 credits, Hava Gordon

GWST  ·   University of Denver  ·   2000 E. Asbury, Sturm Hall 419  ·   Denver, CO 80208 USA