Courses in Women's Studies

Women's studies scholarship is interdisciplinary in scope. Although the Women's Studies program offers courses in a variety of topics, students are encouraged to take courses on the topic of gender in other departments. You may apply credits earned in many of these courses towards your degree in Women's Studies. For a list of approved cross-listed courses, follow the link to the left. For more information about Women's Studies and Cross-Listed courses this year, please take a look at our 2012/2013 Course Guide.

W ST 101 Representations of Girls and Women
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). An exploration of the impact that cultural representations of femininity have on the political, economic, and social lives of girls and women throughout the world.

W ST 201 Introduction to Women’s Studies
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). Introduces students to the field of Women’s Studies, with emphasis on the theoretical foundations of feminist analysis and the diversity of debates within feminism.

W ST 202 Current Issues in Women’s Studies 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). Examines current and emerging topics and analytic perspectives in Women’s Studies. Topics include women as individuals; women’s families and communities; women’s involvement in health, science, work, popular culture, religion, politics and social change. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 301 History of Feminist Thought 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). The development of feminist thought and theories from the 18th to the 20th century, including the contributions of, and tensions among various feminisms. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 302 Feminist Research and Methodologies 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). Whether there can be and is a distinctive feminist perspective on research in various disciplines; the ways in which taking a feminist perspective or taking account of women in research, affects the research process. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 310 Gender, Development, and Beyond 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). Study of the lives of men and women in the developing world, focusing on their experiences in the family, school, paid work, and the market, and on such development issues as health, environment, and human rights. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program. Not available
to students with credit in R SOC 310.

W ST 315 Women and Gender in the Pre-Modern World
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). Introduction to the range of practices and ideas concerning women and gender that characterized premodern societies and cultures.

W ST 320 Popular Culture/Feminist Culture
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). This course examines selected cultural forms in Canadian and American society from feminist perspectives. The focus is both on developing a feminist critique of cultural representations of women, and on considering the possibilities of feminist intervention in and production of popular culture. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 325 Gender and Visual Culture
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). An introduction to the field of visual culture studies with an emphasis on the ways that gender, sexuality, and power are involved in visual experiences. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 332 Contemporary Feminist Theory 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). The origins and evolution of various schools of contemporary western feminist thought. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of Program. Not available to students with credit in PHIL 332.

W ST 340 Feminism and Food
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). Women’s material relationships to food from a variety of feminist perspectives.

W ST 350 Women and Science
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). This course will explore the roles of women in science, and the ways in which scientific theory and practice might better accommodate women’s ideas, lives, and ways of knowing. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 360 Race, Class and Gender in Canada 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 0-3s-0). Historical, contemporary and comparative perspectives on the interaction of race, class, and gender experiences in multicultural Canada. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of Program. 

W ST 370 Feminism and Sexuality 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). Examination of contemporary feminist approaches to, and key debates about, sexuality. Topics may include: sexology; critiques of heterosexuality; political lesbianism; queer theory; transgender and intersexuality; prostitution and sex work. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 380 Canadian Feminist Activisms
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). An examination of contemporary feminist activisms with an emphasis on second- and third-wave feminisms. Topics may include: distinctions between state and grassroots feminist activisms; neoliberalism and governmentality; race and sexuality struggles within feminism; the rise and decline of national feminist organizing; cyberfeminism. This course may be offered as a Community Service Learning course. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 401 Directed Readings in Women’s Studies 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 0-3s-0). Open only to Women’s Studies honors, majors and minors. Normally may be taken only once. Prerequisite: W ST 201, or consent of the Program.

 W ST 402 Honors Seminar and Project
*6 (fi 12) (two term, 0-3s-0). Prerequisite: W ST 201 and 302.

W ST 410 Feminism/Postmodernism
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 0-3s-0). An introductory exploration of tensions, disadvantages, and advantages of postmodernism for feminist theory and practice in relation to cultural and political issues such as representation, agency, identity/difference/ ambiguity, nature, bodies, sexualities, and community. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program. Not open to students with credit in W ST 300.

W ST 420 Law and Feminism in Canada
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 0-3s-0). A focus on the fundamentally contradictory role of law for women in Canada, building upon role of insights offered by feminist cross-disciplinary legal scholarship. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 431 Feminism and Sexual Assault 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). Interdisciplinary consideration of conceptual, political and legal strategies that feminists have deployed to confront sexual coercion with an emphasis on contemporary North American context. Prerequisite: W ST 201, or consent of the Program.

W ST 440 Body Politics
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). An examination of contemporary theoretical approaches to bodies and embodiment, with particular emphasis on the ways that race, class, sexuality, gender, and (dis)ability shape bodily experience. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 450 Transnational Feminisms
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). This course provides a deeper understanding of women’s issues globally and across nations. Topics may include feminist theorizing, women’s movements, development, human rights, reproductive politics and social governance. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 460 Masculinities
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). This course surveys the status of masculinity and the emergence of contemporary masculinity studies. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 470 Sexualities: Special Topics
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). This course offers advanced examination of selected issues in sexuality studies. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

W ST 498 Topics in Women’s Studies 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 0-3s-0). Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program. Note: WST 498 may be repeated for credit.

W ST 499 Special Topics in Feminist Theory
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). This course offers advanced study of selected issues in current feminist theorizing. Prerequisite: W ST 201 or consent of the Program.

Graduate Courses

W ST 500 Directed Reading in Women’s Studies 
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 0-3s-0). An individual study course pursued by a student in any graduate program under the supervision of a Women’s Studies faculty member.