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Required for gender studies minor

Students are introduced to the sociological study of sex, gender and sexuality by exploring how cultural, racial, sexual and class components create systems of classification for sexual/gender identities in the western and non-western world. Students will study how institutions of power are pivotal sites for these identities and expressions.

Communication Writing

At the end of the semester, students will be able to:♦ Historicize contemporary notions of gender by identifying how gender changes overspace and time.♦ Explain different understandings of the relationships between sex, gender andsexuality.♦ Apply cross-cultural variation in constructions of sex, gender, and sexuality.♦ Illustrate the extent to which dominant notions of gender are culturally specific (Inother words, is gender universal or does it refer to specific social-culturalunderstandings of bodies, gender performances, configurations and relationships ofpower?).♦ Compose weekly assignments of how one can approach the various constructions ofsex, gender and sexuality.♦ Compare the ways in which the medicalization of gender and sexuality, laws andvarious institutions, work to maintain rigid boundaries for these categories.♦ Determine the role of violence as a tool of power and control over those who do notconform to normative gender and sexuality demands.

*The learning goals displayed here are those for one section of this course as offered in a recent semester, and are provided for the purpose of information only. The exact learning goals for each course section in a specific semester will be stated on the syllabus distributed at the start of the semester, and may differ in wording and emphasis from those shown here.