SOC 215: Introduction to Women and Gender Studies

This course will offer a multidisciplinary and multicultural study of the scholarship on women and gender with two approaches.  First, an introduction to feminist theory and methodology will be provided for a thoughtful approach to how sociocultural constructs of gender influence, and are influenced by, race, ethnicity, class, nationality, and other dimensions of human identity.  Second, an application of culture studies will be utilized to gain valuable insight on how feminist and gender theory likewise are impacted in the arts and literature, throughout history, within philosophy, religion, and language.  Through the combination of social sciences and humanities, it is the goal of this course to familiarize students from an array of academic backgrounds with how the plurality of feminist viewpoints can be integrated into any field of study for a more holistic understanding.