College of Liberal Arts and Human SciencesDepartment of Interdisciplinary StudiesWomen's Studieswww.idst.vt.edu/ws/
Member, National Women's Studies Association Barbara Ellen Smith, Director OverviewThe field of Women's Studies transforms traditional disciplines through new methods and theories generated by feminist scholarship. The Women's Studies Program is housed in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and includes IDST faculty and faculty affiliates from across the entire campus. WS affiliated faculty contribute to the program through their research, student advising, participation in governance and teaching. Women's Studies offers courses for all students in the university, including four in Area 2 of the Curriculum for Liberal Education (WS 1824, WS 2224, WS 2234, and WS 2254), one in Area 3 (WS 2264), and two in Area 7 (WS 2234 and WS 3214). Students interested in WS may select from three minors: Women's Studies, Women's Leadership, and Gender, Science, and Technology. The minors are interdisciplinary, cross-cultural programs of study in which students cultivate an understanding of the complex ways that gender is defined and contested in social structures, history, culture, and technology. The WS minors offer students new ways of thinking about how gender, race/ethnicity, class and sexuality shape social institutions and cultural beliefs as well as personal experiences and perceptions. Central to the mission of the Women's Studies Program is the empowerment of a diverse population of women, within both the academy and local, regional, national and global contexts. A graduate certificate in Women’s Studies (WS) is also available. See the Graduate Catalog. The minors in Women's Studies and in Gender, Science and Technology (GST) require 18 semester hours of course work in WS and related courses. Nine hours of preparatory course work at the 1000 and 2000 levels are required. For the WS minor, students also complete nine hours of more advanced course work at the 3000 level or above. At the 4000 level, students must complete either WS 4114 or WS 4224. Students must also complete at least three hours of a WS course (including cross-listed and approved courses) with a focus on gender and race. For the GST minor, students complete six hours of more advanced course work at the 3000 level or above, with more choice and flexibility at the upper level. Students must achieve a GPA of 2.0 or better in all the courses used to satisfy the minors. Students pursuing the minors should see the Women’s Studies Director to enroll. Please refer to the IDST web site at www.idst.vt.edu for specific requirements. Undergraduate Courses - Women's Studies (WS)1824: INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S STUDIESThis multi-disciplinary introduction to Women's Studies examines the experiences of women and their contributions to civilization, and includes study of contemporary scholarship by and about women. (3H,3C) 2224: WOMEN AND CREATIVITY A study of the philosophical, artistic, and biographical dimensions of women's creativity in a wide variety of fields. Pre: 1824. (3H,3C) 2234 (REL 2234): WOMEN, ETHICS, AND RELIGION Women's religious ethical formation; the roles and understandings of women in traditional and major modern religious traditions; authoritative writings and practices of various traditions as they focus on issues of sex and gender; gynocentric methods of study of women, ethics, and religion; feminist and womanist approaches to liberation and social change. (3H,3C) 2244: WOMEN AND SCIENCE Uses research from the disciplines of science, women's studies, history, sociology, and philosophy to examine women's roles in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Starting with historical figures, students will follow the progress women have made in entering and succeeding in science careers. Pre: 1824. (3H,3C) 2254: FEMINIST ACTIVISM Explores the history of individual and collective action geared toward gaining women's rights and improving women's positions in society. Course covers various tensions and shifts in feminist movements, as well as the various perspectives, agendas, and actions of specific subgroups of women whose perspectives sometimes conflict. Service-learning is a required component of the course. Pre: 1824. (3H,3C) 2264: RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER This course focuses on the interrelationships of race, class, and gender in the context of women's studies scholarship, and explores how these interrelationships have influenced the experiences of all people in the U.S. Students will learn to conceptualize these categories as interactive systems, not just as separate features of experience. Emphasis will be put on how race, class, and gender shape all social institutions and systems of meaning. Must have prerequisite or instructor's consent. I,II. Pre: 1824. (3H,3C) 2274: WOMEN IN THE MILITARY This course covers historical and global perspectives on the experiences women have had in and with the military. This course introduces students to issues concerning women fighters and military families, as well as to debates over women in combat positions, military policies, and globalization. (3H,3C) 2734 (AFST 2734) (REL 2734): THE BLACK WOMAN IN THE U.S. The emerging womanist perspective of "interstructured oppression" (i.e., the simultaneous effects of racism, sexism, and classism) as relevant to the contributions of Black women in the United States of America; views of Black women from African backgrounds, the Atlantic slave trade, and the progressive rise of womanist/feminist liberation movements in Black culture; contributions of Black women in the U.S. and globally. (3H,3C) 2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY Variable credit course. 2984: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course. 3004: TOPICS IN FEMINISM A variable topics course that addresses how the social construction of gender shapes social, cultural, political, economic, and institutional structures as well as individual experiences and perceptions. The course stresses interdisciplinary approaches to topics of emerging interest in feminist scholarship. Can be taken up to three times for credit with varying topic.In addition to WS 1824, must have taken a 2000-level Women's Studies course, or have instructor's consent. Pre: 1824. (3H,3C) 3214: GLOBAL FEMINISMS An introduction to the gendered analysis of global women's issues with a special focus on women of color. Examines the multiple and diverse sites of feminist struggle within the third world, and between first and third worlds both in the U.S. and internationally. Studies the impact on women of political movements such as nationalism, colonialism, revolution, authoritarianism and democracy. Compares theories originating with women of color in the U.S. with those from international third worlds. Pre: 2264. (3H,3C) 3324 (STS 3324): PERSPECTIVES ON THE BIOLOGY OF WOMEN Examines historical, social, and cultural views of women's biology and how those views have impacted women's physical and mental health. Special attention is paid to the influence of cultural traditions and beliefs on scientific perspectives. Pre: 1824. (3H,3C) 3984: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course. 4114: FEMINIST THEORY An examination of the principal conceptual bases underlying feminist theory across the disciplines. Senior standing required. Pre: 1824. (3H,3C) 4214 (UAP 4214): WOMEN, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Explores intersecting roles of gender, culture, and socio-economic status in people's use of nature, management of environmental resources, and experiences of environmental change. Examines debates on environmental and development initiatives, environmental ethics, and environmental social movements from feminist perspectives. II Pre: UAP 3344 or UAP 3354. (3H,3C) 4224: WOMEN'S STUDIES SEMINAR This multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural course examines a significant topic in Women's Studies, utilizing the perspectives of history, biology, psychology, political science, sociology, and the arts. Variable topics. Pre: 1824, (2224. (3H,3C) 4704 (STS 4704): GENDER AND SCIENCE Pre: 2224 or HST 1504. (3H,3C) Investigates the gender dimensions of science in both. 4754: INTERNSHIP Qualified students will be placed with a community agency or on-campus office which addresses contemporary issues of gender, class, and/or race, and will meet periodically with an appropriate faculty member to discuss assigned readings that will provide a context for the work experience. Students will also be expected to keep a journal and to write up a final evaluation of the experience. Variable credit: may be taken for up to 6 elective credits in the Women's Studies concentration. Junior standing, screening interviews with Tech faculty and with the service agency and consent required. Variable credit course. Pre: 1824. 4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY Variable credit course. 4984: SPECIAL STUDY Variable credit course. 4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Variable credit course. Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Programs of Study Air Force ROTC | Apparel, Housing & Resource Management | Army ROTC| Communication English | Foreign Languages and Literatures | History | Human Development | Interdisciplinary Studies International Studies | Music | Navy ROTC | Philosophy | Political Science | School of Education Science and Technology in Society | Sociology | Theatre Arts |