CSUB's Women and Gender Studies
Minor
The Women and Gender Studies (WGS) minor is an interdisciplinary program that examines gender through a critical lens. As an interdisciplinary program, WGS will expose you to social, cultural, historical, psychological, literary, artistic, philosophical, and biological perspectives on women and gender. Our program was recently updated. We have added more courses to the wide array of current electives that count toward the WGS minor. We now offer courses on gender and sexuality, on the intersection of gender, race, and/or class, and on gender and globalization. Students find WGS courses thought-provoking and engaging. More importantly, students find that WGS courses resonate with their lived experiences of gender.
Here are two other facts that make the WGS minor (20 units) an attractive minor:
* Many of the WGS courses count toward both the WGS minor and toward the gender, race and ethnicity requirement.
* A few WGS courses count toward both the WGS minor and toward the Theme Two requirement.
Common Questions About the Minor
What are the requirements for a minor in WGS?
As a WGS minor, you can take either INST 205 or Sociology 370 and three electives of your choosing. You can find more information on the WGS minor in the CSUB Catalog (page 117 in the 2005-2007 catalog, page 113 in the 2007-2009 catalog). Here's a current list of WGS electives.
How do I sign up for the minor in WGS?
Call, e-mail or visit Dr. Liora Gubkin, the Chair of WGS & Assistant Professor of Religious Studies. She will help you complete the necessary paper work for the minor and guide you to a mentor. She is located in FT 103E and her phone # is 654-2314. Downloadable forms are available.
Some examples of WGS Courses
Anthropology 438: Anthropology of Women
The primary objectives of this course are to obtain an in-depth understanding and appreciation of: (1) the variable roles and status of women around the world; (2) the cultural forces determining how gender roles are defined and how they change; and (3) how our perception of ourselves as women and men is affected by such cultural forces.
Communications 360: Gender and Communications
Gender communication is communication about and between men and women. When one becomes aware of one’s own sex, the sex of another, and/or both, and that comes into play, we get gendered communications. And when sex or gender overtly starts to influence the choice of words and how one relates to another during communication, whether interpersonally or through mass media, then we get gender communications. In this course, we will see that this occurs in much of our communication, both historically and in the present. And we will read the thoughts of some scholars who say we can never escape the effects of gender in communication.
Criminal Justice 325: Women and the Criminal Justice System
This course examines the roles of women in the criminal justice system. The readings, lecture material and guest speakers will focus on three specific areas: female offenders, female victims and female employees or administrators within the criminal justice system. Issues of race, class, sexuality and ethnicity will also be discussed in conjunction with gender. Additionally, this course will explore traditional and feminist theories of female criminality. We will examine the portrayal of female offenders and victims in the popular media, and we will explore the effects of crimes such as rape, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment and femicide on female victims. Finally, we will analyze the obstacles faced by women working within the criminal justice system.
Economics, Environmental and Gobal Studies 380: Gender and Diversity in the Workplace
Development of topics in labor economics from the perspectives of gender studies. Considerations of both national trends and international comparisons. Topics include household production and time allocation, labor force participation, human capital accumulation, regional mobility, occupational choices, wage differentials, discrimination, and poverty. Prerequisite: any introductory course in social and behavioral sciences or permission of instructor.
English 370: Literature by Women of Color
An extensive examination of the experiences of women of color both in the U.S. and abroad as portrayed in their fiction, nonfiction, and poetry and as interpreted in feminist and ethnic literary theory and criticism. Writer studied may include Bessie Head, Paula Gunn Allen, Nawal el-Sadaawi, Bharati Mukherjee, and Maxine Hong Kingston, as well as others. Prerequisite: ENGL 101 or the equivalent or one course from ENGL 205, 207, 290, or 295. This is a writing intensive class.
Philosophy 381: Feminist Philosophy
According to the course catalog, this course provides an introduction to feminist philosophy through a directed examination of the beliefs, assumptions and values found in traditional and contemporary philosophical analyses of women. Topics include feminist revisions of the philosophical canon, critiques of patriarchy, feminist approaches to reason and rationality, the ethics of care, the intersecting critiques of sexism, racism and homophobia, and feminist approaches to social change.
Psychology 421: Psychology of Women
Theory and research on the development of sex roles and sex differences, with an emphasis on the roles of women. Students of both sexes are welcome to participate. Prerequisite: one course in Psychology or permission of the instructor.
Religious Studies 341: Women, Religion and Sexuality
In this course we will investigate the various ways major religious traditions, Western and Asian, represent and legislate women and sexuality in their literatures and institutions in diverse historical contexts. Using a range of methodologies, we will also examine the nature of womenâs participation and leadership in these traditions as well as religious choices made by ãpostä Jewish and Christian feminists.
Sociology 370: Gender and Society
In this course we analyze the social/political formation of gender. Emphasis is placed on the link between the social construction of gender differences and gender inequality. We pay particular attention to the cultural and institutional basis of gender. For instance, we study the differential placement of women and men in social institutions, and we explore how gender differences are created, sustained, and/or changed by social institutions like the family, the economy, and the law. We also discuss the ways in which gendered differences are created, sustained, and/or changed through cultural representations. Throughout the course we bring a race, ethnicity, and social class lens to bear on our understanding of gender.
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