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2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Spanish |
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SPA 1110 - Introductory Spanish I Credits: 4
This course is offered for absolute beginners only. This course is not open to heritage speakers or students with any prior study of Spanish. Oral-aural Proficiency is acquired through speaking and role playing in class plus audio and visual practice outside of class, including mandatory language lab. Students learn basic strategies for reading and writing in the language.
Prerequisite(s): No Spanish classes on high school transcript.
Fulfills: FL in LS Core
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SPA 1120 - Introductory Spanish II Credits: 4
This course is offered for students with little or no background in Spanish. This course is not open to heritage speakers. Oral-aural Proficiency is acquired through speaking and role playing in class plus audio and visual practice outside of class, including mandatory language lab. Students learn basic strategies for reading and writing in the language.
Prerequisite(s): Placed at this level by Placement Test or SPA 1110 or equivalent or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: FL in LS Core
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SPA 2010 - Intermediate Spanish I Credits: 4
This course is not open to heritage speakers. This is an intermediate level course with an emphasis on the study of grammar. Readings will consist of short texts from Hispanic literature and civilization, along with articles of contemporary relevance. Most instruction conducted in the target language.
Prerequisite(s): Placed at this level by Placement Test or SPA 1120 or equivalent or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: The intermediate language sequence (2010, 2020) satisfies BOTH Humanities distribution requirements. FL in LS Core.
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SPA 2020 - Intermediate Spanish II Credits: 4
This course is not open to heritage speakers. This is a continuation of the intermediate course with an emphasis on the in-depth study of grammar. Class materials will consist of short texts and films from the literature and cultures that speak Spanish, along with articles of contemporary relevance. All instruction in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): Placed at this level by Placement Test or SPA 2010 or equivalent or the permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: The intermediate language sequence (2010, 2020) satisfies BOTH Humanities distribution requirements. FL in LS Core.
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SPA 3010 - Composition & Culture Credits: 4
An advanced study of the most important grammatical structures of Spanish, and extensive practice of these structures in the context of the skill areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural competence. There will be two sections of this course: one for non-native/heritage students, and another one for native or heritage speakers.
Prerequisite(s): Placed at this level by Placement Test or SPA 2020 or equivalent or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. FL in LS Core.
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SPA 3020 - Latin American and Spanish Contemporary Film Credits: 4
Formerly: Conversation and Culture
This course is focused on the development of students’ confidence in their command of Spanish and their cultural knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world, through the discussion of cultural and social issues relevant to the contemporary world as presented via recent films from Latin America and Spain. Class work will focus on analyzing the way the films work and present real world problems, on learning more about Spanish-speaking cultures, and on strengthening students’ skills to communicate.
Prerequisite(s): Placed at this level by Placement Test or SPA 2020 or equivalent or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. FL in LS Core.
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SPA 3050 - Actualidad Española Credits: 4
This course covers main events in Spain today. Reading, analysis and discussion in Spanish of recent articles from Spanish newspapers and periodicals on the most pressing issues facing Spain today and on the views of the Spanish people regarding important topics of world interest.
Prerequisite(s): Placed at this level by Placement Test or SPA 2020 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Recommended as a cultural course for qualified international business students.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. FL in LS Core.
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SPA 3060 - Actualidad Latinoamericana Credits: 4
This course covers main events in Latin America today. Reading, discussion and analysis Spanish of recent articles from Spanish-language newspapers and periodicals on the most pressing issues facing the score of nations comprising Latin America.
Prerequisite(s): Placed at this level by Placement Test or SPA 2020 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Recommended as a cultural course for qualified international business students.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. FL in LS Core.
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SPA 3200 - Introduction to Advanced Studies Credits: 4
The purpose of this course is to prepare students to transition from the intermediate-advanced courses to the cultural and literary analysis and discussion of the Advanced level courses. Theoretical texts in English will explain basic concepts that will later apply to cultural products from the Spanish-speaking world, such as literature, music, film, comics and journalism.
Prerequisite(s): SPA 3010 or SPA 3020 or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: Fulfills AL, FL and D in LS Core
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SPA 3310 - Latinos in the US: Culture and Service Learning Credits: 4
This course will present Latino culture in the US through a variety of media such as literature, comic art, film, poetry and music. Drawing from cultural studies, sociology, and history, this class will create a framework that will allow us to understand and analyze such phenomena as transnational spaces and hybrid identities and border cultures. A service-learning component will allow students to have a positive impact in local communities, while at the same time developing their own relationship with and learning from the Latino community around Merrimack College.
Prerequisite(s): SPA 3200 , or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: AL or FL, D and X in LS Core
Three hours a week, community service and an out of class cultural engagement requirement.
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SPA 3500 - Encountering Cuba: History, Culture, Environment Credits: 4
This Study Travel Course will provide Merrimack College Honors students with a unique interdisciplinary approach to understanding Cuba and its complex relationship with the United States. The course will be structured around three thematic units or plotlines: Revolution, Race, and the Environment. This course will be team-taught by professors of History, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Global Justice, Spanish, and Social Justice. The course will also feature guest speakers from a variety of departments (such as Economics, Visual and Performing Arts, Criminology, and Spanish) that will allow the community to be better prepared to encounter Cuba and to appreciate the accomplishments that its people have achieved, and the challenges they face.
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SPA 3510 - Culture and Civilization of Spain I Credits: 4
This course examines Spain and the cultural heritage of Latin America and its people as descendants of Indians, blacks, and Europeans in the New World. It will become clear that Latin America has a multifaceted cultural heritage ranging from the indigenous people of Mesoamerica to the European presence–Iberian, and through Iberia Mediterranean, Roman, Greek, and also Arab and Jewish–to the singular and suffering black African presence. Taught in English.
Fulfills: D in LS Core
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SPA 3610 - Race, Literature and Culture Credits: 4
Through the exploration of literature, history, music, film, and contemporary media, this course will explore questions of race in Spain and Latin America. Through the analysis and discussion of discourses on race (in fiction, as well as in factual, historical or anthropological texts), students will understand the history of the relations between different races in the Spanish-speaking world, as well as the relationship between race and: nation-creation, class, empire, immigration, and social inequalities. This is a topic-centered course which might focus on one specific country or historical period.
Prerequisite(s): SPA 3200 or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. D in the LS Core and AL or FL in LS Core.
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SPA 3620 - Gender, Literature, and Culture Credits: 4
This course will explore the complexities of Hispanic societies and cultures, considering gender, sexuality, in addition to other topics. The course will be structured around topics that may include feminist movements, the construction and performance of gender, the theory and practice of women’s writing and sexual identities as they relate to representations in literature and culture. This course will present materials from established authors such as Ana Maria Matute, Carmen Martin Gaite, Lourdes Ortiz, Isabel Allende and Angeles Mastretta.
Prerequisite(s): SPA 3200 or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. D in the LS Core and AL or FL in LS Core.
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SPA 3630 - Studies in Popular Culture in Latin America and Spain Credits: 4
This course will present relevant topics from the perspective of how they are constructed in Latin American and Spanish popular culture. Significant current as well as historical events and trends will be discussed and analyzed through their representation in cartoons, film, music, TV, journalism, and popular fiction. The class will develop analytical and theoretical tools to study mass and popular culture.
Prerequisite(s): SPA 3200 or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. D in the LS Core and AL or FL in LS Core.
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SPA 3700 - Special Topics Credits: 4
This course will allow students to focus on one specific topic from the perspective of the world that speaks Spanish: a certain genre (poetry, drama, and fiction), historical event or period, and/or an issue relevant to our current global society will be the focus of the course. The topic will be discussed and developed through a wide variety of cultural artifacts (literary texts, historical documents, visual arts, media, film, and music). The course will change its contents on a regular basis in order to present topics relevant to the Humanities or current events. SPA 3200 or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: Satisfies a Humanities distribution requirement.
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SPA 4060 - Film and Literature of Contemporary Spain and Latin America Credits: 4
A study of the Spanish and Latin American culture as viewed through its various symbols and myths, highlighted in texts and films of the 20th century. Students will learn about major cultural events and will also see daily culture in a wide variety of settings. A connection with the world of the Supernatural in Latin America will also be touched upon, as the nature/culture dichotomy and the world of the unconscious will be explored. Class discussions, written essays, exams and oral presentations in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): SPA 3200 or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills: AL or FL in LS Core.
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SPA 4080 - Hispanic Literature in Translation Credits: 4
This course is for students, who have not necessarily studied the Spanish language or literatures, to discover Latin American and Spanish Peninsular authors who have captivated a broad international audience in the Twentieth and Twenty first centuries. Possible authors whose texts will be discussed: Jorge Luis Borges, Juan Rulfo, Carols Ruiz Zafon, Isabel Allende, Angeles Mastretta, Carmen Martin Gaite, and Gabriel García Márquez. Taught in English.
Fulfills: AL in LS Core
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SPA 4900 - Directed Independent Study Credits: 4
Intensive program of reading/writing under the direction of a full time member of the department. Provides exceptionally qualified WLCS seniors and second-semester juniors with an opportunity to work in depth on a focused topic not covered by the usual departmental course offerings. Requires a formal detailed proposal approved by the faculty members and the department chair.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of at least one language course at the 3000 level, at least three additional courses in the major, a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the major, or permission of the instructor, in addition to the approval of the chair and consent of the members of the department under whose supervision the Directed Study will be conducted.
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Sport Management |
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SPM 3000 - Introduction to Sport Management Credits: 4
In this course, students will be introduced to the unique opportunities and operational aspects of a sport management career. The course will provide introductory exposure to the following areas: the historical evolution of American and international sports; the relationship between the mass media and the sports industry; the economic impact of sports; the interactive relationship between sports and society; and legal and ethical issues in sport management.
Prerequisite(s): BUS 1100 .
Note: This course will fulfill a required elective for the following concentration(s):
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SPM 3005 - Sport Marketing Credits: 4
Building on foundational concepts in marketing, students will explore unique aspects of the sport industry and marketing to sport consumers. Numerous sectors of the industry will be explored, including both professional and intercollegiate spectator sport, apparel, fitness, etc. With regard to spectator sport, students will consider the unique challenges facing sport marketers, most notably a lack of control over the core product. Topics include promotion, public relations, event sponsorship, strategic marketing, consumer behavior, and brand management. Four hours a week.
Prerequisite(s): BUS 2205 .
Note: This course will fulfill a required elective for the following concentration(s):
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SPM 3250 - Facilities and Event Management Credits: 4
Formerly: SPM4250
This course is designed to prepare students to plan and manage sport and recreation facilities and events. Students will study and discuss client needs and the theories involved in planning, constructing, and managing facilities. Field trips to commercial and educational recreation facilities will occur throughout the semester. Students will review contemporary event promotion practices in the industry as well as the history of marketing events. Event types of study will include sporting events, concerts, trade shows, conventions, festivals, and exhibits. In addition, fundraising for event activities will be discussed. Four hours a week.
Prerequisite(s): BUS 1100
Fulfills: X in LS Core
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SPM 3300 - Sport Analytics Credits: 4
Students will use analytics to study a wide variety of issues affecting the sport industry. Topics examined include: player performance measurement; in-game decision making; player selection/team building; general administration, such as marketing, pricing, contracts, and stadium management. Students will learn not only how the recent application of analytics has improved each of these areas within the professional and collegiate sport industry, but also how analytics can improve decision making in any other field of business.
Prerequisite(s): BUS 2213 or MTH 1110 or MTH 1111
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SPM 3315 - Sport Finance and Economics Credits: 4
In this course, students will use both financial and economic analysis to study a wide variety of issues affecting the sport industry. Specific topics examined will include (but are not limited to): player contract structures and time value of money, the effects of free agency and collective bargaining processes on player salaries, the effects of league-wide policies such as revenue sharing, salary caps, and luxury taxes on team financial performance and on league competitive balance, methods of determining team valuation, the financial drivers of NCAA conference realignment, and the impacts and rationales for government subsidization of stadiums.
From this course, students will learn core financial principles as they are related to the unique context of sport organizations, while also gaining the ability to apply analytical techniques to these organizations’ financial decision making. In addition, students will gain an awareness of both the overall economic structure of the sport industry and of the key economic issues facing the industry. In short, students will be exposed to a blend of financial and economic principles that drive revenue generation and distribution in the sport industry.
Prerequisite(s): BUS 2215 and ECO 1203
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SPM 3500 - Legal Environment of Sports Credits: 4
This course examines the legal issues arising from the areas of amateur and professional sport. Areas of study include, but are not limited to, constitutions, legal enactments; policy making in sport management; case law related to administrative, constitutional, contract, labor, product liability, and tort law; and risk-management techniques.
Prerequisite(s): BUS 1100
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SPM 4000 - Sport Management Practicum Credits: 4
This course provides students with experiential learning opportunities relevant to the sport management career. This “hands-on” experience allows students to learn how their educational training applies to a sport organization. Students work with their supervisor and professor to gain insights into the routines, processes, activities, and content of a setting or industry. They will also gain valuable insider knowledge about their industry and meet the people who may someday be their co-workers and/or supervisors, gaining advantage in the job market. Increasing personal skills and knowledge and enhancing professional competencies are key goals of the course. The practicum experience may be in for-profit, non-profit, or public sector organization. Prerequisite(s): SPM2000 and Must submit application to be reviewed for approval prior to registration. Fulfills X in LS Core. Four hours a week.
Prerequisite(s): Must submit application to be reviewed for approval prior to registration.
Fulfills: X in LS Core
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SPM 4800 - Directed Study Sport Management Credits: 1-4
An independent study course for senior sport management students under the direction of a faculty member. The student must identify his or her intention to apply for this course in the semester prior to actual enrollment. Participation must be approved by both the directed study faculty member and chair of the Sport Management department. This cannot be used to replace required sport management electives without department approval.
Prerequisite(s): Participation must be approved by both the directed study faculty member and the chair of the Sport Management department.
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SPM 4900 - Special Topics in Sport Management Credits: 4
This course is designed to explore contemporary issues in Sport Management. The specific topic varies each time the course is taught. Descriptions are available in the Lucey Center for Business Advising.
Prerequisite(s): BUS 1100
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STEM Education |
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STM 1010 - Foundations of STEM Credits: 4
This course will introduce STEM and its integral role in our current society. Students will investigate questions in the life and physical sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Students will learn to identify and understand the elements of the scientific method. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating objects in scientific activities. They should achieve a more advanced level of skill in experimental design by learning to conceptualize problems, test their hypotheses, conduct experiments and make modifications as necessary to answer STEM questions.
Prerequisite(s): Education major with a concentration in early childhood, elementary, or moderate disability
Fulfills: STEM in LS Core
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STM 3000 - STEM Capstone Credits: 4
This course explores the core ideas of science that provide the framework for understanding the universe. It investigates many of the fundamental scientific principles that relate to all matter and life in the universe and considers technological advancements and engineering innovations that have altered the natural world and impact our lives on a daily basis. An integrated approach is used to establish the roles of the scientific method, physical laws and mathematical tools in our understanding of the natural world, including the concepts of scale and size, complexity, matter and energy, and the origins of the universe, our planet and of life. This course is supported by an experiential learning component related to the educational process. Students will explore a multitude of local resources that are available in the teaching of K - 5th grade science and math classes. Examples include visits to informal environments such as the Boston Museum of Science, Acton Discovery Museum, whale watch expeditions and the Joppa Flats Mass Audubon Sanctuary, which offer a variety of educational opportunities. Making connections with our undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics students in their class projects such as bridge construction, circuit design, Thinkfest, the Seedling Project and the Environmental Sustainability campus initiatives offer opportunities for collaborative learning. At the end of the course, a global field study experience in which students travel with experienced faculty to Belize or Costa Rica to study tropical ecosystems is recommended.
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STM 4000 - STEM Practicum Credits: 4
This inquiry-based course provides students the opportunity to apply what they have learned throughout the STEM program to the teaching of that content to elementary students. This course examines how children learn science, math, technology and engineering and how teachers facilitate that learning. The course will be based on a framework where students use evidence to construct explanations and engage in argumentation. The course will be set in real life settings (both inside and outside elementary classrooms/lab/Quarrybrook Reservation) and students will become actively involved in the following: participating in and developing inquiry based STEM laboratory investigations, teaching those investigations to elementary students in two settings, assessing student understanding, addressing persistent student misconceptions and initiating self/peer/group reflections of implementation efforts. Observation and field experience are required.
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Women’s and Gender Studies |
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WGS 1010 - Gender and Society Credits: 4
This course will explore current attitudes about women, men and differently gendered persons in Western society. It approaches women’s, men’s, and differently gendered person’s experiences through insights provided by feminist thought on such areas as race and ethnicity, work, education, media, family, gender, sexuality, religion, and politics. Among the questions the course will consider are: Why is it important to study how gender is constructed? Why have women been treated differently than men in society? How have differently gendered persons been regarded and treated by society? What is patriarchy? And how is power distributed based on gender?
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
Note: Required for the Women’s and Gender Studies Major and Minor.
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WGS 2010 - Intro to Ethnic Studies Credits: 4
The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the academic field of Ethnic Studies and the interdisciplinary questions it poses about the way that race, ethnicity and racism structure our world. The course’s focus is within a framework analyzing a range of themes and topics including the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality; issues of power and privilege; immigration; popular culture and representation. The experiences of various communities of color will be explored including: African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos, Latinas, Native Americans and others. This course will also introduce major debates and issues facing Ethnic Studies in the 21st century such as immigration rights, Diaspora and globalization. A variety of mediums will be used in the course including historical and theoretical texts, newspaper articles, online postings, film and cultural analysis.
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 2200 - Gender and Social Movements Credits: 4
This course will explore social activism around gender issues both in the U.S. and globally. It will look historically at efforts to forge greater social equality, as well as competing efforts to maintain traditional notions of gender and sexuality. Students will look at grassroots and community activism, the changing meaning of citizenship and rights, and the impetus for and impact of reform, as well as the role of women and differently gendered persons as activists. Topics will include the intersection of race, class, gender and sexuality in several major US movements, namely, antislavery, suffrage, civil rights, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights. We will similarly explore the intersection of social justice initiatives in the US with movements around the world, noting how movements differ between nations and at the same time potentially influence each other. Finally, the course will address the anatomy of social change: how an issue comes to the fore, what leads people to become involved, the measures (successful or otherwise) taken to effect change, and the processes and timetables that facilitate or prevent change.
Fulfills: D and SOSC in LS Core.
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WGS 2260 - Southwestern Women Writers and Artists Credits: 4
This course will examine the diverse writing, arts and crafts, architecture, culture and landscape of the American southwest. Our focus will be on American Indian, Latina, Hispanic, Chicana, and women writers and artists whose work is inspired by their culture, history and the land. We will study how their work engages spiritual, social and embodied struggles on the borders and beyond. From performance art, painting, poetry, storytelling, Native American pottery, jewelry, weaving, essays and ceremonial dance we will consider how their writing and art challenge and expand the very definitions of what art and literature are.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. AL and D in LS Core.
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WGS 2420 - Gender, Sex, and Film Credits: 4
This course will explore how film intentionally or unintentionally reflects and shapes our perceptions of sex and gender categories and norms. Throughout the course students will examine mainstream, independent, and international films looking at how gender, sex and race are represented. Students will analyze how women and men and transgender persons have historically been portrayed in film and how sex and race are intertwined with gender. Questions and topics include how sexualities from heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, and gay have been represented during different socio-historical periods; how different film genres from romance to horror and comedy position characters according to sex and gender; who do we identify with and why; and how do different audiences respond to characters based on the intersections of sex, race, and gender? Students will have the opportunity to reverse the lens and experiment with video production.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. AL and D in LS Core.
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WGS 2520 - Women in Historic Massachusetts Credits: 4
This course will explore the lives of women who shaped not only New England but the world. This class will be a hands on exploration into the lives and cultures of great Massachusetts women such as Maria Stewart, Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Fuller, the Peabody sisters, Tituba, Betsy Gump Chamberlain, and many others. Students in this class will explore the realities of these great women by going on field trips and reading informative articles. Students will walk the paths these women walked and travel back through time to explore what these great women did to make the world better for their having been there.
Fulfills: D and X in LS Core.
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WGS 2660 - Southwest Studies in the US Credits: 4
This team-taught cross-disciplinary course with a focus on ethnicity, gender and culture and one or two additional areas including ecology and/or astronomy combine to form a coherent picture of one of the most diverse parts of the United States, the Southwest of New Mexico and Arizona. The course focuses on Native American, Chicana/o/Hispanic and Anglo forces that shape the land and influence the arts and architecture. We will examine Native American traditions, spirituality, gender, myths and rituals. In addition we will focus on two of the desert ecosystems of the Southwestern US, the Chihuahuan and Sonoran, and the boundaries between them. The dominant plants and animals will be examined. And/or students will study astronomy and archeo-astronomy. The Southwest includes the best observing sites in the continental US and we will examine optical and radio astronomy, and investigate the relationship of the sky to Anasazi culture and the astronomical alignments of the ruins of Chaco Canyon. The course includes a field trip to the Southwest.
Cross-Listed: SCI2660
Fulfills: D in LS Core
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WGS 2880 - Gender, Race, and War Credits: 4
This course will look at war and its aftermath through the prism of gender, race, sexuality and nation. It will explore how notions of war and peace are themselves gendered, and provide deeper understanding of the impact of war on the lives it touches within the military and in conflict regions. It will address both the construction of the enemy and the making of the soldier as gendered and racial projects. Using feminist analyses, we will study how officials deploy conceptions of gender, race, and sexuality in militarization - from training and maintaining combat-ready soldiers, to responses to peace and humanitarian efforts, to engagement with societies near military bases, and finally to postwar social justice initiatives and war memorials. While the primary focus will be on U.S. wars, the course will include transnational conflicts and perspectives. Organized thematically, course topics include debates about masculinity and its relationship to aggression, violence, and war; the history, roles, and treatment of women, people of color, and LGBTQ within the military and as veterans; the problem of rape and violence in the military and wartime; the treatment of women around military bases; the use of torture vs. humanitarian responses to conflict regions; the reconstruction of war zones; and the role of history and memory in maintaining gendered and racial understandings of war.
Fulfills: D, X, and SOSC in LS Core
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WGS 2900 - Writing the Gendered Life Credits: 4
This course will use writing as a tool to raise students’ consciousness about gender - who we are as gendered beings, how gender functions in society, and what our constructs of gender mean in navigating our lives and our relationship to the broader world. Similarly, gender analysis will become a tool to teach and improve student writing. Where do students’ ideas of gender come from? How might they change when students factor in a wider and more diverse idea of gender and learn about cross cultural and global expectations, manifestations, and challenges of gender? In this writing-intensive course, students will ultimately develop the skill of balancing their analyses of the gendered self with that of the wider world. The course will be divided into thematic units that examine interdisciplinary approaches to gender and will include historical, sociological psychological, religious, feminist and critical race theory writings on gender. Students will look at how gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and nation affect and interact with lived experiences and ideologies of childhood; love/marriage/family; education; media; the body; and age/aging. Students will begin each unit by writing about themselves in relationship to a given topic. They will then explore that topic through readings and films offering multicultural local and global perspectives on gender.
Fulfills: D in LS Core.
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WGS 3000 - Thinking Green: Environmental Justice, Gender, and Animal Rights Credits: 4
This interdisciplinary course will examine theories and social movements focused on environmental justice, eco- feminism and animal rights. Students will study environmental racism and how pollutants and toxic waste impact the health, lives, and land of economically disadvantaged communities of color, including Native Americans, as well as efforts to change this. The class will examine legal challenges and movements to expose and end cruelty to animals and animal exploitation, and the linkage between thinking green and creating an earth democracy that fosters a more just and healthy environment for all. Students will investigate gender diversity and the impact that environmental degradation has on populations. And they will employ cultural environmental theories to analyze how the environment and the earth is represented and misrepresented in popular culture, literature and art.
Fulfills: SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3110 - Global Gender Issues and Social Justice Credits: 4
This course provides an overview of global issues affecting the lives of women and men and conceptions of femininity and masculinity around the globe. Students will learn to examine critically patterns of continuity and change in different parts of the world as well as similarities and differences among women, men, and gender non-conforming individuals, across cultures and contexts. The course is structured to provide students with knowledge and analytical tools to understand the specific historical, political, and socioeconomic conditions that shape women’s and men experiences, relationships, and struggles. Students will also explore the ways in which activists on the ground seek to promote social justice. Topics include disparities in power and resources between the Global North and the Global South, gender-based violence, globalization, militarization, and human trafficking
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3120 - Women and Film: The Politics of Representation Credits: 4
This course studies filmic representations of women and gender in US and international cinema, documentaries and independent film and the role of feminist film directors and producers. Students will study feminist film analysis, analyze the different film genres like horror films where a strong woman usually defeats the monster. The course will contrast US and International filmic representations of women. Issues to be addressed include how representations of women change historically and reflect shifting attitudes about gender, race, ethnicity, class, nation and sex. The course will also explore audience responses to films and some techniques of filmmaking. Additionally, students will produce short videos as a means to explore how to create a feminist film and what it is like on the other side of the camera.
Fulfills: AL and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3140 - Studies in Masculinities Credits: 4
The critical study of masculinities is not only a burgeoning subfield within women’s and gender studies, but also an increasingly important subject within progressive humanities and social science scholarship of all kinds. Emerging initially as a result of the women’s and gay liberation movements in the late 1960s and early 1970s, masculinity studies today is an interdisciplinary endeavor based on the notion that masculinities are historically produced, culturally specific, locally practiced, and (continually) subject to change. Students in this course will explore how masculinity – whether considered at the global, national, local, or personal level – is always informed and mediated by intersecting social categories of race, class, and sexuality.
Fulfills: SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3230 - Gender and Popular Culture Credits: 4
Popular Culture is the US’s second largest export after weapons. This course will examine how gender is used in popular culture artifacts from popular entertainment including sports, films, music and more. Employing popular culture methods and theories including cultural studies, students will study how the meaning system is used to reinforce the status quo and also challenge it. By focusing on popular culture representations of women and gender in advertising, music videos, YouTube, television, magazines, and film, this course will explore how cultural values, fears, hopes and dreams are coded into gender scripts and representations and how race, class, ethnicity, sex, and nation are interlocked with gender. The course will also examine what is at stake both in negotiating gender in contemporary culture and in doing “feminist” cultural criticism. In addition, students will look at fan culture and uncover what pop culture gender representations have to do with the lives and experiences of real people.
Fulfills: D in LS Core.
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WGS 3250 - Sex and Gender Studies Credits: 4
This course examines the ways in which sex and gender are constructed in a range of interdisciplinary discourses including: political, legal, historical, psychological, medical, literary, popular culture and in embodied practices. Much of the focus of the course will be on the biological, social, cultural and ethical dimensions of sex and gender with an emphasis on how cultures are organized around sex and gender. Students will examine the construction of sex and gender identities. We will look at how these identities are informed by race, ethnicity, class, nation and age. We will also explore the role of gender and sexuality in social movements, citizenship and human rights.
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3290 - Women and Business Credits: 4
This course will explore the nature, scope and development of women’s relationship to the business world from an interdisciplinary perspective. The goal is to demonstrate the ways in which gender norms and ideals have historically influenced business practices and opportunities and continue to do so. Using a feminist analysis, students will study how business itself has been historically gendered and socially constructed, how job categories become defined as male or female, how groups attempt to redefine the nature of work and the professions, and the strategies used by women, immigrants, differently gendered people, and people of color and different sexualities to enter the corporate world despite obstacles that may seek/have sought to bar them. The class will explore the dialectical relationship between female workers/entrepreneurs and the economy. While the course’s focus will be largely on the U.S., it will address the impact of the global economy on the nature of work across gender, sexuality, race and class.
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3300 - U.S. Women’s History Credits: 4
This class will provide an examination of the history of women in America. It will include history prior to colonization, up to the present. The course will explore women’s roles in US Society and the intersection of class, culture, ethnicity and sexuality in shaping women’s historical experiences across time. The course will examine the transformations and continuities in women’s lives as well as the political, social, economic and cultural factors that inspired, infused or inhibited women’s changing roles. This class also explores the ways in which race, class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity have operated to unite and divide disparate groups of women. Satisfies a Humanities distribution requirement.
Fulfills: H and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3360 - Fieldwork in the American Southwest: Classroom without Walls Credits: 4
Students will learn about one of the most culturally and geographically diverse areas in the world, the desert Southwest. The focus will be on the various landscape and people. In the classroom and in the field, students will learn about the unique archeology, ecology, history, and culture of the Southwest. The course will be followed by an optional 7- 10 day fieldtrip to the Southwest during which students will visit some of the following sites Native American pueblos, Dine’ (Navajo) Nation, a working ranch, nature centers, galleries, cultural centers, and historic archeological sites. Students will learn by doing from a variety of Native American, Chicana/o and Anglo southwestern writers, artists, storytellers, activists, cowgirls and cowboys, and environmentalists. Students will try their hand at creating art, jewelry, writing, and/or doing some archeological or environmental work. Throughout the trip, students will learn about diverse cultures and their relationship to the land and the sacred. This course may be repeated for credit. **Additional fee for trip covers all expenses including airfare, lodging, two meals per day, transportation, and honorarium for artists and story-tellers, guides, fees at pueblos and nature and cultural centers. It does not cover alcohol or souvenirs. Partial scholarships may be available. Contact the WGS program director for more information. Satisfies a Humanities or a Social Science distribution requirement.
Fulfills: SOSC requirement and D and X in LS Core.
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WGS 3420 - Gender, Race, and the Media Credits: 4
In this hands-on course, students will examine theories of gender, race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality in mainstream and independent media. They will study who controls the media, whose story is told, and from what perspective. A focus will be on the historical and current impact racial and gender stereotypes in the media have on individuals and communities. The course will examine how oppressed groups worldwide are portrayed in mainstream media and how they are using the media to tell their own stories. Students will learn how various audiences interpret the media differently. The course will address issues of social inequality in the media and forms of resistance and explore alternative media, global media, media literacy and media democracy. Finally, students will put theory into practice and create group videos.
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3630 - “Changing Woman:” The Reality and Myths of Native American Women Credits: 4
Changing Woman is the most important deity of the Navajo (Dine’) people. She personifies the earth and the cyclical path of the seasons. During a young girl’s rite of passage ceremony (Kinaaldá), she is evoked as the “ideal woman” and symbolizes the change into adulthood and subsequent female empowerment. This acceptance of female change and empowerment is a dynamic characteristic in Native American culture and one aspect that will be studied in this in-depth look at the reality and myth of the Native American woman. This course will examine the historical and contemporary reality illuminating the real lives of North American Indigenous women and debunks some stereotypical myths. Students will explore how gender is constructed in tribal societies and examine various matrilineal cultures. They will learn to understand and appreciate the significance of oral traditions and storytelling that is the fabric of Indigenous communities, and students will be introduced to different worldviews examining such concepts as circular time, “walking in beauty”, and the Fifth World. A variety of mediums will be used in this exploration including feminist theory, poetry, artwork, personal narrative and film.
Fulfills: Humanities distribution requirement. D in LS Core.
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WGS 3660 - Southwestern Women in the U.S. Credits: 4
This course on Southwest Studies will examine the great diversity of women in the Southwest from ranching women and cowgirls to Native American artists and Hispanic and Chicana writers and activists. The desert landscape has inspired and enchanted countless artists and writers. Students will explore the writing, art, activism and traditional practices that define the culture and the region. The course will look at the importance of the land in shaping visions, art, and architecture as well as the economic forces and struggles that shape the people. The women to be studied in this class encounter the sacred and speak of environmental and other visions for the future.
Fulfills: D in LS Core.
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WGS 3710 - Gender and the Law Credits: 4
This course will begin with an introduction to constitutional law and develop into an intimate study of the inner workings of the Supreme Court and its major decisions affecting gender. Such topics as marriage and divorce, pornography, the right to privacy, as well as sex discrimination cases involving Title IX and transgender issues, will be discussed and evaluated through an historical and legal framework. Debate and discussion regarding the historical evolution of these legal issues and their current trends will be emphasized.
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3720 - Gender, Immigration, and the Law Credits: 4
This course will examine the intersection of immigration, gender, and the legal system in the United States. Through a careful analysis of the influence of sex, race, ethnicity, and gender on the experience of migration and movement, students will develop an understanding of the state of immigration law and politics. Students will be immersed in the work of immigration studies pioneers, exploring the social, cultural, and political issues that surround modern immigration. Federal legislation and administrative policy will be discussed in conjunction with current trends of immigration. In addition to examining the lives of others, students will trace their families’ origins and craft the story of their ancestors to create a full picture of immigration in the United States.
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 3830 - Gender and Global Health Credits: 4
This course will explore the issues surrounding the achievement of health equality around the world, focusing on the intersection of gender, race, class, and location in determining health and well-being for global citizens. Using gender- based approach to study, students will examine the status of global health in a variety of areas including: access to care, HIV/AIDS, violence against women, human trafficking, reproductive health, and aging. Throughout the course, students will discover the challenges faced in ensuring global health care equality and analyze the response of non- governmental organizations (NGO’s), local governments, and the health care community in addressing these challenges.
Fulfills: Social Science distribution requirement. SOSC requirement and D in LS Core.
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WGS 4100 - Gender Studies Credits: 4
This interdisciplinary course will explore major issues, theories, and activism around the issue of gender including an analysis of gender stereotypes in the mass media. We will look at how gender identities are constructed, contested and mapped on the body. Topics will include transgender, transsexual, intersex politics, identity and representation, the new masculinity studies, queer theory, hate crimes and what does feminism have to do with gender politics. And as always we will ask what is a woman and what is a man and how these identities have shifted and changed in various cultures throughout history and what it means politically.
Fulfills: D in LS Core
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WGS 4800 - Directed Study Credits: 4
In lieu of a formal course, qualified upper-class students may, with the approval of the director and the instructor, substitute an intensive program of reading and research under the direction of a member of the program. Such research and reading will focus on local, national, and/or transnational issues related to women, gender and sex.
Prerequisite(s): Consent of the director and the member of the program under whose supervision the Directed Study will be conducted.
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WGS 4850 - Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies Credits: 4
The Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies is a semester-long opportunity for students to combine practical experience with an in-depth academic theoretical analysis. Students will be expected to spend a number of hours per week in the field working in a setting where they experience firsthand issues related to women’s and gender studies. Such work may be individual or group/based. Students will arrange with the supervisor at their site an agreed upon work schedule, specific responsibilities, and tasks expected to be accomplished by the student over the course of the semester. All parties will sign a Memorandum of Understanding document. In addition to the responsibilities assumed as part of their placement, students must fulfill the academic component of the internship which requires periodic meetings with the internship director to discuss internship experiences and also requires that the student complete a research paper on a topic related to the internship experience. Past internships have included work with adolescent girls who are substance abusers, work with victims of domestic violence, recording oral histories of ranching women and cowgirls in the southwest, political internships at the statehouse, working with LGBT youth, working in a feminist publishing house, and creating and implementing Diversity programs in a local high school.
Prerequisite(s): Approval of the program chair and the internship director.
Fulfills: X in LS Core
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WGS 4990 - Senior Seminar Credits: 4
This is the capstone course for Women’s Studies Majors. Students will embark on a semester-long project which brings together their work and interest in women’s and gender studies. The seminar will provide feedback and aid students in their semester-long journey and projects.
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World Languages and Cultural Studies |
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WLC 1100 - The Gods Must be Crazy: Exploring Culture, Context, and Intercultural Competence Credits: 4
Using the 1980 white South African comedy The Gods Must be Crazy as a point of departure, this course explores the culture (or cultures) of certain non-English-speaking countries. The content aims to stimulate cultural curiosity, cross- cultural communication, and provide practical knowledge of the customs and culture(s) of a variety of countries. The aspects of the cultures that will be covered include Social values, Food and other customs, Economics, Geography, History, Politics, Demographics and other issues such as immigration/emigration, the environment, and mass media. Important ethical and social issues relating to intercultural communication will be discussed and students will be encouraged to reflect on their own cultural values such as what it means to live a good, productive, and happy life and how these might differ in other cultures. Students will be provided with vivid examples that will prepare them to understand and interact better in intercultural relationships.
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Writing |
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WRT 2010 - Writing Across Cultures Credits: 4
This course focuses on the study of identity, diversity, and multiculturalism as represented through the examination of cross/inter cultural intersections, past and present. Through the examination of theory and textual representations, films, and videos, and listening to the stories of individuals, students will engage in reflective inquiry, develop discourse strategies, and scholarly research. Formal and informal writing will include blogging, online discussion, and research.
Fulfills: D and W in LS Core
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WRT 2020 - Writing for Social Change Credits: 4
This course examines the impact of writing on social change through analyzing existing texts and composing original texts. Students will analyze articles, books, pamphlets, web sites, advertising campaigns, court decisions, and other documents, focusing on how writers have contributed to social movements such as abolition, women’s suffrage, temperance, civil rights, and pro-choice/pro-life. Students will also compose a variety of texts advocating change on an issue of their choice.
Fulfills: D and W in LS Core
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WRT 3700 - Special Topics in Rhetoric Credits: 4
These courses focus on the study of writing in particular professional, academic, or cultural contexts. Sample topics include: Writing About Families, Death, and Violence; Travel Writing; Issues in Second Language Writing; Feminist Rhetoric; Visual Rhetoric; Social and Political Rhetoric; and Religious Rhetoric.
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