Women's Studies
Angela Hubler, Director
Professors Cooper, Dodd, Hedrick, McElroy, Richter, Takemoto, and Thurston; Associate Professors Anderson, Benson, Britton, Culley, De Bres, Dickinson, Dinkel, Holcomb, Hubler, Janette, Janke, McGrath, Nel, Nelson, Scott, Spears, Verschelden, Ward, Wheatley, Williams, Wood, and Zschoche; Assistant Professors Askey, Baillarqeon, and Muturi; Instructors Carroll.
E-mail: womst@k-state.edu
Women's studies explores how and why gender and related institutions of inequality have been created and are being transformed nationally and globally. It analyzes gender as a social institution that is one of the major ways in which society is organized. It focuses on understanding women's lives, status, and contributions to society and the various disciplines.
Generally, women's studies seeks to make women of all ages the central category of analysis, using feminist and other relevant theories and methods, and through multidisciplinary, historically based, academic and social action research. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which women are shaped by the major interlocking institutions of difference: gender/sexuality, “race”/ethnicity, class, and global inequality. Viewing knowledge as empowering, women's studies has the goal of integrating theory and practice to redefine cultural and material relationships so as to eliminate gender inequality and other forms of hierarchy. In the classroom, women's studies faculty members foster an interactive learning environment and encourage students to consider their own experiences in relation to course content.
With a degree in women's studies, a graduate is prepared for a variety of career directions, including the administration of women's programs, health or human services fields, and education. Women's studies is also an excellent liberal arts major, providing a firm foundation for graduate work in any professional field or academic discipline. Graduates may continue their studies in women's studies or, for instance, in the social sciences, the humanities, law, or a variety of social services or medical fields.
Major requirements
For the major, a student must complete 30 credit hours of women's studies core courses and courses cross-listed with other departments, at least 12 of which must be at the 500 level or above. Four women's studies courses are required for all majors:
| WOMST 105 | Introduction to Women's Studies | |
| WOMST 205 | Gender, Ethnicity, and Class | |
| WOMST 410 | Feminist Thought | |
| WOMST 610 | Seminar in Women's Studies | |
In addition to these courses, the 30 required hours are distributed as follows:
Core women's studies course (3 credit hours)
| WOMST 500 | Topics (variable) | |
| WOMST 505 | Independent Study | |
| WOMST 590 | Field Experience in Women's Studies | |
| WOMST 700 | Advanced Independent Study | |
| (or choose WOMST from lists below) | ||
Humanities (6 credit hours)
| WOMST450 | Stories of a Young Girl | |
| WOMST 550 | Women and Popular Culture | |
| WOMST 580 | Women and Religion | |
| WOMST 585 | Women and Islam | |
| ART 654 | Women in Art | |
| ENGL 525 | Women in Literature | |
| MUSIC 220 | Topics in Music: Women in Music | |
| MUSIC 390 | Special Studies in Music (with an approved topic) | |
The following ENGL courses vary in their emphasis— topics are approved for a given semester if they address women or gender:
| ENGL 395 | Topics in English | |
| ENGL 604 | Expository Writing Workshop | |
| ENGL 625 | Readings in 18th Century British Literature | |
| ENGL 655 | Readings in American Ethnic Literature | |
| ENGL 660 | Readings in Major Authors | |
| ENGL 670 | Topics | |
| ENGL 680 | Topics in American Literature | |
| ENGL 695 | Topics in Literature | |
| ENGL 710 | Studies in a Literary Genre | |
| ENGL 720 | Studies in a Major Author | |
| ENGL 730 | Studies in a Literary Period | |
| ENGL 740 | Studies in a Literary Theory | |
| HIST 512 | Women in European History | |
| HIST 540 | Women in America, 1600 to the Civil War | |
| HIST 542 | Women in America, Civil War to the Present | |
| HIST 551 | History and Politics of Family Violence | |
| PHILO 135 | Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy | |
| PHILO 150 | Introduction to the Philosophy of Feminism | |
| PHILO 525 | Social Political Thought (when offered as Women in Western Thought) | |
| PHILO 590 | Topics/Philosophy of Feminism | |
| SPCH 630 | Topics in Rhetoric and Communication (when offered as Feminism and Rhetoric or Women and Political Campaign Communication) | |
| THTRE 782 | Women in Theatre | |
Social science (6 credit hours)
| WOMST 380 | Women and Global Social Change | |
| WOMST 510 | The History and Politics of Family Violence | |
| WOMST 560 | Women and Violence | |
| ANTH 508 | Male/Female Cross-Cultural Perspectives | |
| ANTH 633 | Gender, Power, and International Development | |
| KIN 796 | Gender Issues, Sports, and Exercise | |
| POLSCI 606 | Gender and Politics | |
| PSYCH 540 | Psychology of Women | |
| PSYCH 543 | Women's Mental Health Issues | |
| PSYCH 563 | Gender Issues in the Workplace | |
| SOCIO 545 | Sociology of Women | |
| SOCIO 633 | Gender, Power, and International Development | |
| SOCIO 665 | Women and Crime | |
| SOCIO 670 | Diversity and Social Interaction in the Workplace | |
| MC 612 | Gender Issues and the Media | |
Electives (3 credit hours)
| Any from the above lists or one from the following: | ||
| EDADM786 | Topics in Education (when offered as Programming for Women's Concerns) | |
| EDADL430 | Women and Leadership | |
| EDCIP735 | Curriculum Materials for Non-Sexist Teaching | |
| EDACE 750 | Women, Education, Work | |
| FN520 | Topic: Women's Health and Aging | |
| FSHS 300 | Problems in Family Studies and Human Services (when offered as The Mature Woman: Middle Age and Later Years) | |
| FSHS 350 | Family Relationships and Gender Roles | |
| FSHS 600 | Economic Status of Women | |
| FSHS 708 | Topics in Family Studies and Human Services (when offered as The Legal Rights of Women) | |
| FSHS865 | Human Sexuality | |
Minor
The minor in women's studies consists of 15 credits: WOMST 105 Introduction to Women's Studies; WOMST 610 Seminar in Women's Studies (or a WOMST course at or above the 500 level approved by director); and three WOMST approved electives from two different disciplines.
Women's studies courses
WOMST 105. Introduction to Women's Studies. (3) I, II, S. An interdisciplinary introduction to academic and community-based thinking about women's lives: (1) how gender inequality in society restricts women's development, limits their contributions to the dominant culture, and subjects women to systematic violence and (2) strategies with which women can gain power within existing institutions and develop new models of social relations. Particular attention will be paid to issues of race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality.
WOMST 205. Gender, Ethnicity, and Class. (3) I. The diversity of women's experiences within the United States and in other countries. Using a framework that examines how gender is shaped within the contexts of ethnicity and class, students will be introduced to multicultural feminisms through an active examination of history, literature, and social science.
WOMST 380. Women and Global Social Change. (3) I, alternate falls. This course explores contemporary approaches that help meet the needs of women and their families in different parts of the world, including the Plains region. Students will learn how approaches to social change in the Third World influence women in North America, and how First World women relate to women's movements and organizations in the Third World. Pr.: ENGL 100 or 110.
WOMST 410. Feminist Thought. (3) II. Survey of a variety of feminist analyses of society, culture, and work, as well as visions for social change. The historical development of key feminist theories, contemporary debates, and multicultural and global feminism will be analyzed.
WOMST450. The Stories of a Young Girl. (3) I. An interdisciplinary examination of female adolescence, focusing in particular on the way it is depicted in literature. Pr.: ENGL 100 or 110.
WOMST 500. Topics in Women's Studies. (1-3) I, II. A rubric under which a variety of courses are offered, including Women and Science; Women and Law; and Women and Environmentalism: The Ecofeminist Perspective.
WOMST 505. Independent Study in Women's Studies. (1-3) I, II. Independent, interdisciplinary, supervised studies in an area of women's studies which does not fall within the boundaries of a traditional department. May be repeated once for credit with change of topic. Pr.: Junior standing, consent of instructor(s), and approval of women's studies director.
WOMST 510. The History and Politics of Family Violence. (3) Intersession. Explores the history of family or domestic violence in America as a social, cultural, legal, and public policy issue from the colonial period to the present. Stress is placed upon the cultural roots and evolution of domestic law. The development of state-controlled social welfare agencies as well as the emergence of the “battered women's movement” is particularly emphasized.
WOMST 550. Women and Popular Culture. (3) II. Images of women in a variety of popular media forms: fiction, film, television, music (including MTV), magazines, advertising, and material culture. Women are explored as objects, consumers, and producers of popular culture. Material is drawn from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, history, literary criticism, and cultural studies. Pr.: WOMST 105 or at least 3 hours of women's studies credit.
WOMST 560. Women and Violence. (3) I. The roots of male violence against women, cultural forms of sexual coercion and violence, and strategies for envisioning and enacting social change. Topics addressed include rape/ sexual harassment. Pr.: WOMST 105 or at least 3 hours of women's studies credit.
WOMST 580. Women and Religion. (3) I. How gender relations and women have been shaped by the development of religious ideologies and practices throughout the contemporary world, as well as in early class and pre-class societies. Construction of gender by religious institutions and feminist religious activities studied in relation to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, traditional Native American faiths, and diverse forms of paganism. Pr.: WOMST 105 or at least 3 hours of women's studies credit.
WOMST 585. Women and Islam. (3) Intersession only. A study of the history and sources of Islam with particular reference to women in a variety of cultures, ranging from Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East to the Western World.
WOMST 590. Field Experience in Women's Studies. (3) II, in even years. Includes field placement in campus or community organizations in order to explore different ways to promote women's self-sufficiency and social equality. Concurrently, students will engage in academic readings and class sessions that address feminist approaches to social change, program design, and participatory action research. Pr.: WOMST 105 or at least 3 hours of women's studies credit.
WOMST 610. Seminar in Women's Studies. (3) I. An intercollegiate, interdisciplinary course organized topically with students presenting papers which draw upon previous and concurrent academic experience and which approach a given topic with a consistent focus on the role of women. Provides supervised independent study and subsequent discussion, allowing students to integrate and order their perceptions about the unique roles, problems, and contributions of women. Pr.: Introduction to Women's Studies and at least 6 hours of women's studies courses.
WOMST 700. Advanced Topics in Women's Studies. (1-3) In-depth theoretical and empirical analysis of the scholarly works relating to an interdisciplinary topic in women's studies. For students who have a basic knowledge of women's studies and/or the topic area.