What Is Women’s Studies?  Critical Terms, Core Concepts and Theoretical Frameworks 

What Is Women’s Studies?  Critical Terms, Core Concepts, and Theoretical Frameworks

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Introduction

The course WST 220: Introduction to Women’s Studies is an examination of the forces that shape women’s lives from the perspective of various disciplines such as psychology, sociology, masculinity theory, and history.  It also explores ways in which gender intersects with ethnicity, race, and socio-economic class to form social constructs.  We will use theoretical, historical and cross-cultural frameworks to explore cultural representations of women, various aspects of women’s experiences, both with public institutions and personal relationships, as well as ways in which their lives have been shaped by structures of gender inequality.  Special attention will be placed on feminism and women as agents of local and global social change.

This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural course will foster students’ understanding of women’s studies as an academic discipline in light of concepts and theories proposed by feminist, gender and women’s studies scholars. We will examine their applicability across cultures within the US and among selected societies in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America.  The course is also designed to empower young women and men and allow them to become agents of positive social change.

National Women’s Studies Association’s Definition

Looking Back at Women’s Studies Since the 1970s, NPR Interview with Beverly Guy-Sheftall

Black Women’s Studies, Beverly Guy-Sheftall