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Women’s Studies

WS 149 Introduction to the World’s Goddesses (3)

Cross-cultural analysis of the religious narratives, beliefs, practices, iconography, and sacred sites related to female deities in the Americas, Polynesia, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe from prehistory to 1500 C.E. (Cross-listed as REL 149)

WS 151 Introduction to Women’s Studies (3)

Introduction to feminist interdisciplinary analysis from global and critical perspectives; relationships between women and men from Asia-Pacific, Hawaiian, and other cultures, with a focus on gender, race, class, and sexual dynamics; exploration of women’s negotiations with institutional dynamics.

WS 151A Introduction to Women’s Studies (3)

Introduction to feminist interdisciplinary analysis from global and critical perspectives; relationships between women and men from Asia-Pacific, Hawaiian, and other cultures. Focus on gender, race, class, sexual dynamics, and women’s negotiations with institutional dynamics. Honors students only. A-F only. Pre: departmental approval.

WS 175 History of Gender, Sex, and Sexuality in Global Perspectives to 1500 CE (3)

Explores how gender, sex, and sexuality become key elements in human society from prehistory to 1500 CE. Examines ancient world civilizations from multiple perspectives stressing issues and forces still influential today. A-F only. (Fall only)

WS 176 History of Gender, Sex and Sexuality in Global Perspective, 1500 CE to the Present (3)

Explores how gender, sex, and sexuality become key elements in human society from 1500 CE to present. Examines world cultures from multiple perspectives, stressing issues and forces of continuing influence. A-F only.

WS 200 Culture, Gender, and Appearance (3)

Social construction of gender within culture and its visual expression through appearance. Analysis of role, identity, conformity, and deviance in human appearance. Repeatable one time. Open to nonmajors. (Cross-listed as FDM 200)

WS 202 Psychology of Gender (3)

Survey of topics in psychology relevant to women’s lives: socialization of gender, mental health, violence against women, achievement motivation, lifespan issues, domestic violence. A-F only. Pre: 151 or PSY 100. (Cross-listed as PSY 202)

WS 230 Gender and Sport (3)

Explores the influence of gender in sport from cultural, psychosocial, and political perspectives. Examines women’s and men’s role as participants, spectators, and employees of sport and sports organizations. A-F only. Pre: one DS course.

WS 245 Women Writers of World Literature (3)

Major women writers of world literature examined in context of female literary tradition. Pre: one of ENG 100A, 101, or ELI 100; or consent.

WS 304 Women, War, and the Military (3)

The military as it includes and excludes women as soldiers, nurses, wives, prostitutes, and victims. Women and war economics; feminism, war, and peace. Pre: one of 151, 362, 375 or SOC 362; or consent

WS 305 Women and Health (3)

Explores current issues in the conceptualization and delivery of health care for women. Pre: 151 or 202, or SOC 100 or any 200-level SOC course, or POLS 110; or consent. (Cross-listed as SOC 305)

WS 306 Indigenous Women’s Health (3)

Examines issues of indigenous women’s health pre and post colonial in Hawai‘i, Asia, and the Pacific regions. A-F only. Pre: one of 151, 202, 305; or HWST 107, HWST 270 or HWST 285; or consent.

WS 310 U.S. Women’s History to 1890s (3)

A survey of history of U.S. women and gender relations up to 1890s. Emphasis on women’s labor, women’s involvement in social movement, development of suffrage movement, women’s literary and popular culture. Pre: AMST 201 (or concurrent), or AMST 202 (or concurrent), or WS 151 or WS 151A (or concurrent), or consent.

WS 311 U.S. Women’s History (3)

History of U.S. women and gender relations. Topics include women’s work in and outside the household, women’s involvement in social movements, changing norms about gender and sexuality, and shared and divergent experiences among women. (Cross-listed as AMST 316 and HIST 361)

WS 315 Sex and Gender (3)

Cross-cultural theories and perceptions of sexual difference; linkage between biology and cultural constructions of gender; relationship of gender ideology to women’s status. Pre: ANTH 152 (or concurrent). (Cross-listed as ANTH 315)

WS 318 Women and Social Policy (3)

Social and economic policies affecting women in families, education, social services, government, health care, the economy; public policy implementation and development; policy impact on women. Pre: 151 or any 200- or 300-level course, or SOC 100 or any 200-level SOC course; or consent. (Cross-listed as SOC 318)

WS 339 South Asian Migrants: Culture and Politics (3)

Historical and contemporary experiences of South Asian migrants in North America, Pacific, Caribbean, and/or African diasporas; causes and patterns of migration, inter-ethnic relations policies; role of race, gender, culture in community, identity formation. A-F only. Pre one ES or WS course in the 100, 200 or 300 level; or consent. (Once a year (Cross-listed as ES 339)

WS 345 20th-Century Literature by Women (3)

Twentieth-century women writers and their works; novels, short stories, poems, autobiographies. Interrelations of gender and literature. Pre: one of 151, 175, 176, and 245; or consent.

WS 346 20th-Century Chinese Women Writers (3)

A survey and critical examination of contemporary Chinese women writers from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Traces a genealogy of women’s writing from the early 1920s up until now through novels, poetry, drama, and film. Pre: one DH or DL course, or consent. (Cross-listed as ASAN 364 and EALL 364)

WS 350 Sex Differences in the Life Cycle (3)

Human sex differences, their biological basis and significance; genetic, hormonal, and behavioral determinants of sexual differentiation; biology of gender, sexuality, menopause, and aging. Pre: one semester of biological sciences. (Cross-listed as BIOL 350)

WS 351 Women, Ideas, and Society (3)

Status of women in American society today in light of the cultural, historical, and philosophical forces that have produced it. Pre: HIST 151 and HIST 152; or consent.

WS 356 Women and Religion (3)

Examining roles of, and attitudes toward, women in major religious traditions through autobiographies, films, and primary texts. Pre: 151 or ANTH 152 or REL 150. (Crosslisted as REL 356)

WS 360 Pacific/Asian Women in Hawai‘i (3)

Adaptive strategies of Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Samoan, and Southeast Asian women in Hawai‘i; feminist anthropological and historical analysis. Pre: any ANTH, SOC, or WS course. (Cross-listed as ES 365)

WS 361 Seminar: Women and International Development (3)

Topics: Women’s role, status, work and treatment in the Third World; economic development, changing work/family roles, agriculture and business, improvement/deterioration in gender equity across the Third World global feminization of poverty. Open to nonmajors. Pre: a 100 level economics course or any women’s studies course; or consent. (Cross-listed as ECON 361)

WS 362 Sociology of Gender (3)

Effect of sex and gender roles (both traditional and nontraditional) on attitudes and behavior within the family and educational, economic, and governmental systems. Recommended: at least one WS course. Pre: 151 or any 200- or 300-level WS course, or SOC 100 or any 200-level SOC course; or consent. (Cross-listed as SOC 362)

WS 367 Sustainability, Technoscience, and Social Justice (3)

Examines politics of sustainability and technoscience with an explicit attention to social justice and power relations in society. A-F only. Pre: 151 or any 200- or 300-level WS course, or 100 or any 200-level SOC course, or consent. (Fall only) (Cross-listed as SOC 367 and SUST 367)

WS 375 Women and the Media (3)

Media
portrayal of women and men; role of the media in
reproducing gender inequality. Women as producers
and consumers of media. Feminist alternatives to
mainstream media. Pre: one of 151, 362, SOC 362.

WS 381 Gender, Sexuality and Literature (3)

Basic concepts and representative texts for the study of literary constructions of gender and sexuality. Pre: one ENG DL course or consent. (Cross-listed as ENG 382)

WS 382 Island Feminisms: Art, Literature, and Culture (3)

Examines island feminisms and explores ways women have engaged in various forms of cultural production (art, literature, film). Interdisciplinary, intersectional, and transnational. Key themes discussed: settler-colonialism, race, gender, and sexuality.

WS 384 Women and Politics (3)

Women’s role in political institutions and processes in the U.S. and other countries; female and male approaches to power; feminist political goals and actions. Pre: 151 (or concurrent) or 362 (or concurrent) or any 100 level POLS course (or concurrent); or consent. (Cross-listed as POLS 384)

WS 390 Gender and Race in U.S. Society (3)

Historical and sociological studies of race and gender in U.S. society; grassroots feminist and racial/justice activism on the continent and in Hawai‘i. A-F only. Pre: 151 or ES 101 or junior standing. (Cross-listed as ES 390)

WS 392 Sexualities (3)

Multi-disciplinary course draws from psychology, sociology, biology, history, cultural anthropology, law, Hawaiian, ethnic, feminist, gender, and queer studies to explore human sexualities with emphasis on the U.S., Hawai‘i and the AsiaPacific regions. A-F only. Pre: one of 151, 202, 315 or 350; or consent.

WS 394 Co-ops, Communes, Collectives (3)

Theory and practice of democratic organizations: women’s and feminist organizations; co-ops, communes, and collectives; indigenous people’s organizations; workplace democracy and social change. A-F only. Pre: any 100- or 200-level POLS course or 390 (or concurrent) or WS 151, or consent. (Cross-listed as POLS 394)

WS 399 Directed Reading (V)

Pre: consent. Repeatable eight times, up to 45 credits.

WS 400 Food, Body, and Women: Analysis of Biopolitics (3)

Explores how food, body, and other “matter of life” are imbedded in biopolitics from the feminist perspectives. A-F only. Pre: 151 or three credits of upper division WS courses, or consent. (Spring only). (Cross-listed as SOC 400)

WS 410 Gender and Politics in U.S.-Okinawa Relations (3)

Examines gender in Okinawa in relation to historical dynamics in the Asia-Pacific region with attention to issues such as militarism and violence, colonialism and memory, and tourism and commodification of indigenous culture. A-F only. Pre: 151 or consent. (Cross-listed as ASAN 410)

WS 414 Women in Drama and Theater (3)

The role of women and their representation in the theater from ancient Greece to the present; focus on the sociopolitical status of women. Pre: THEA 311 or consent. (Cross-listed as THEA 414)

WS 418 Women and Work (3)

Gender and racial division of labor nationally and internationally; racial and gender differentials in wages, training, working conditions and unemployment; historical trends and future directions. Pre: one 300-level WS or ES course, or SOC 300; or consent. (Cross-listed as ES 418 and SOC 418)

WS 419 Feminist Issues in Philosophy (3)

Examination of basic feminist issues in philosophy, and of responses to them. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or WS, or consent. (Cross-listed as PHIL 418)

WS 424 Gender, Sexuality, and Cyberspace (3)

Students learn how gender and sexuality are constructed online and produce a website to post their analysis and contribute to knowledge production about gender and sexuality in cyberspace. A-F only.

WS 426 The Anthropology of Sexuality (3)

Explores the intersection of sexuality research and queer theory with other anthropological concerns such as identity, race, gender, religion, economy, politics, and globalization. A-F only. Pre: junior standing or consent. (Cross-listed as ANTH 426)

WS 430 Seminar in the Biology of Women (3)

Embryological, anatomical, and physiological development of human female; hormonal, neural, and behavioral determinants of female sexual behavior; psychobiology of pregnancy, ovariectomy, and menopause. Pre: 350 or BIOL 172 or BIOL 350, or
consent.

WS 434 Women and Madness (3)

Interdisciplinary critical examination of the relationship between gender and mental health. Psychological research, feminist theory, autobiography, literature, and cinema. Pre: one of 202, 245, PSY 202; or consent.

WS 435 Women and Crime (3)

Women’s relations with the criminal justice system; types of women’s offenses; responses to women’s crime; women as victims; women as workers in the criminal justice system. Recommended: at least one WS course. Pre: 151 or any 200- or 300-level WS course, or SOC 300; or consent. (Cross-listed as SOC 435)

WS 436 Gender, Justice and Law (3)

Exploration of landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases related to sex and gender. Topics may include sex discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, privacy, and reproductive freedom. A-F only. Pre: one of 151, 175, 176, 202, 360, 381, or consent. (Cross-listed as AMST 436 and POLS 368)

WS 437 Gender and Violence (3)

Interdisciplinary course will examine western constructs of gender
violence on its correlates with ethnicity, class, sexuality, nation, and empire. Repeatable one time. A-F only. Pre: one of 151, 202, 360, 361, 439, 460, 462, or consent

WS 438 Gender and Environmental Philosophy (3)

Interdisciplinary approach to women’s perspectives and roles on ecological and environmental issues; critical analysis of eco-feminism as a social and political movement; cross-cultural comparison of women’s roles in human ecology. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or WS or any course 200 or above with a DB or DP designation, or consent. (Crosslisted as PHIL 438)

WS 439 Feminist Theory (3)

Contemporary debates in feminist theory concerning gender, race, and class; subjectivity and representation; gender and colonialism; bodies, sexualities and “nature.” Pre: any 300 level WS or POLS course, or consent. (Crosslisted as POLS 339)

WS 440 Feminist Methods and Research (3)

Overview of feminist issues with dominant theories of knowledge and major methodologies employed in the social sciences; and exploration of role of gender theory and feminist politics in feminist research. Pre: 151 or consent.

WS 444 Gender and Consumption in a Global World (3)

Students learn theories of the global economy, histories of consumerism, constructions
of gendered public spaces, and how the cultural production of consumers and consumer culture functions in the process of globalization. A-F only.

WS 445 U.S. Women’s Literature and Culture (3)

Reading of selected works of U.S. women’s literature and cultural texts (such as art and film). Emphasis on historical and cultural context and diverse expressions of women’s gendered identities. (Cross-listed as AMST 455 and ENG 455)

WS 446 Gender Violence Over the Lifecycle (3)

Examines the problem of violence, particularly sexual violence, over the life cycle. Offers gendered perspective in activities aimed at prevention and treatment of violence, and cross cultural perspectives. Pre: 151 or any 200- or 300-level WS course, SOC 300; or consent. (Cross-listed as SOC 446)

WS 452 Marriage and Family: Feminist Perspective (3)

Sex-role socialization, motherhood, work-family conflicts. Alternative family structures in U.S. and other countries. Recommended: at least one WS course. Pre: 151 or any 200- or 300-level WS course, or SOC 300; or consent. (Cross-listed as SOC 452)

WS 453 Gender Issues in Education (3)

Examination of current and historical issues in education and how they are impacted upon by gender, with particular reference to gender as it intersects with ethnicity and class, locally and globally. Pre: 151 or consent. (Cross-listed as EDCS 453 and EDEF 453)

WS 454 Gender, Sexuality, and Global Popular Culture (3)

A study of gender, race, and sexuality as constructed in contemporary global popular culture, including music, films, novels, television shows, and internet culture. A-F only. Junior standing or higher.

WS 456 Politics of Men and Masculinity in U.S. Culture (3)

Examines American understandings of man, manhood, and masculinity, at the intersection of gender, race, class, and sexuality in the context of American nation and empire building in the 19th and 20th centuries. A-F only. Pre: one of 151, 175, 176, or 202; or consent.

WS 460 Feminism, Nation and Empire (3)

Examines U.S. feminist movements in the 19th and 20th century by exploring how U.S. racism, nationalism and imperialism have provided the context from which feminism emerged. A-F only. Pre: 151, 360; or consent.

WS 462 Women and Globalization in Asia (3)

History, culture, and contemporary reality of Asian women in Asia and the U.S. Includes critical analysis of American feminist methodology and theory. Pre: 360, 361, or 439 or AMST 310, AMST 316, AMST 318, AMST 373, AMST 455, or POLS 339; or consent. (Cross-listed as AMST 438 and POLS 372)

WS 463 Gender Issues in Asian Society (3)

Construction of gender identities in contemporary Asia. How these interface with other aspects of social difference and inequality (e.g. with class, religion, ethnicity). (Cross-listed as ASAN 463)

WS 465 Science, Sex, and Reproduction (3)

Explores anthropology’s critical analysis of approaches to reproductive health and procreation, primarily in developing countries. Examines sex and reproduction as sites of intervention from public health, development, and biomedical specialists, while also considering local strategies. A-F only. Junior standing or higher. Pre: 151 or ANTH 152 or ANTH 301. (Alt. years: Fall) (Cross-listed as ANTH 465)

WS 481 Women and Film (3)

Exploration of film as a philosophical and artistic form in the context of gender, race, and sexuality. Pre: one of 151, 175, 176, and THEA 201; or consent.

WS 483 Studies in Literature and Sexuality and Gender (3)

Intensive study of selected problems and issues in the construction and representation of sexuality and gender in specific genres, social and cultural contexts, thematic or figurative clusters. Repeatable one time. Pre: ENG 320 and one other 300-level ENG course; or consent. (Cross-listed as ENG 482)

WS 489 Social Sciences Internship (V)

Internship in public, private, or non-profit organizations providing opportunity for practical experience and application of social sciences concepts and theories. Three to six credits per semester; repeatable two times, up to 12 credits. Consent of instructor.

WS 492 Women and Revolution (3)

Conditions under which women’s activism and participation in protest and revolutionary movements developed in the 19th- and 20th-centuries. Cross-cultural comparisons. (Cross-listed as ASAN 492 and HIST 492)

WS 493 Trans* Studies: Trans(feminine/masculine/ gender nonconforming/sexual) (3)

Focus on various aspects of Trans* identities, biographies, cultural productions, and communities. It also addresses issues on racism, medical intervention, dating, societal condemnation, mental health, and incarceration. Junior standing or higher.

WS 495 Selected Topics (3)

Problems and issues for reading and research: feminist theory, criticism, affirmative action, etc. Repeatable two times. Pre: any WS course in appropriate area.

WS 496 Teaching Women’s Studies (3)

Strategies for teaching women’s studies; addressing complex issues of gender, race, nation, class, sexuality and culture in a contemporary multiethnic campus environment. Emphasis on classroom techniques, teaching pedagogies, and hands-on experience. Repeatable one time. A-F only. Pre: 151 and one or more WS course with a grade of B or better in all relevant courses, instructor recommendation; or consent.

WS 499 Directed Reading and Research (V)

Repeatable one time, up to six credits. WS students only. Pre: consent.

WS 602 Transnational Feminist Teaching and Research (3)

Introductory graduate seminar designed to develop common vocabulary and explore the core debates in transnational feminist teaching and research to encourage critical reflection about teaching assumptions, approaches, and techniques in the contemporary college or university environment. A-F only. Pre: graduate standing and no waiver.

WS 610 Faculty Seminar Series (1)

Seminar/ discussion to introduce students pursuing the Graduate Certificate to the Woman’s Studies faculty and their areas of research, and to initiate student’s graduate studies in a woman’s studies field. Repeatable one time. Pre: classified graduate status (or status pending) and consent.

WS 612 Women in American Culture (3)

Historical/contemporary status of women in the U.S.; women’s roles as defined by legal, educational, political, economic, and social institutions; implications for social science method. (Cross-listed as AMST 612)

WS 613 Feminist Research and Methods of Inquiry (3)

Examination of an emergent body of literature about how to shape questions concerning gender, sex, race, class, colonialism, and other vectors of power. Includes methods from social sciences and humanities and debates in the philosophy of science. Repeatable one time. Pre: classified graduate status and consent.

WS 615 Feminist Theory (3)

Selected ideas from contemporary feminist theory concerning power, knowledge, and self; articulating women’s voice; deconstructing gender. Repeatable one time. (Cross-listed as POLS 615C)

WS 618 Writing and Publishing in an Interdisciplinary Field (3)

Writing-intensive and publishing-focused class, students learn how to publish in an interdisciplinary field. Readings and assignments are designed to help students succeed in academic publishing. Graduate students only. A-F only. Pre: consent.

WS 620 Feminism and Its “Others” (3)

Relationship between feminist and other sites of critical insight and scholarship that have contributed to creating anticolonial, antiracist, antihomophobic theory, method and action. Questions the legacy of feminist coalition practices and engages the ongoing transformations that have begun to produce new alliances and coalitions that disrupt traditional boundaries of identity and power. A-F only. Pre: graduate standing, no waiver.

WS 623 Topics in Feminist Social Policy Research (3

Feminist social scientists from a variety of fields have explored issues of gender, social change and social justice. Draws from their work to critically examine strategies for conducting social policy research that is feminist in values and impact. Repeatable one time. A-F only. Pre: graduate standing, no waiver.

WS 625 Feminist Criminology (3)

Key themes in feminist criminology are explored including focus on masculinities and crime, race and intersectionality, global criminology, and the ways in which the criminal justice system controls women and girls. A-F only. (Cross-listed as SOC 625)

WS 647 Gender: Law and Conflicts (V)

Examines how international law and domestic legal systems address and resolve conflicts regarding women’s rights, gender roles, and gender identity. Takes a comparative approach with emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region. (Cross-listed as LAW 547 and PACE 637)

WS 650 Research in Feminist Studies: Capstone Experience (2)

Provide women’s studies graduate certificate students with an opportunity to design, develop and complete a research project culminating in a publishable quality work and a professional quality seminar presentation. A-F only. Pre: classified graduate status and consent.

WS 699 Directed Reading and Research (V)

Pre: classified graduate standing and consent of chair.

WS 753 (Alpha) Research Seminar in Chinese Literature (3)

Study of authors, a genre, a period, or a problem. (M) modern; (T) traditional. Repeatable one time for (M). A-F only for (M). Pre: 613, 615, 650, or EALL 611; or consent for (M); CHN 612 or consent for (T). (Cross-listed as CHN 753 (Alpha))