WGS 2100 Intro to Gender & Sexuality Studies

Bonnie Hagerman

An introduction to gender and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) studies, including the fields of women’s studies, feminist studies, & masculinity studies. Students will examine historical movements, theoretical issues, & contemporary debates, especially as they pertain to issues of inequality & to the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, & nationalism. Emphasis will vary according to the interdisciplinary expertise & research focus of the instructor.

Special Note: Required for all WGS majors and minors, Intro courses do not count toward concentrations.

WGS 2600 Human Sexualities

Lisa Speidel

Examines human sexuality from psychological, biological, behavioral, social, and historical perspectives. Topics include sexual research and theoretical perspectives, sexual anatomy and physiology, sexual health, intimacy, communication, patterns of sexual response and pleasure and sexual problems and therapies. Course will also include examination of the development of sexuality and the intersections of other identities, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexuality and the law, sexual assault, and other social issues in sexuality. This course will focus on creating a safe environment for honest and authentic conversations about the issues.  Confidentiality and respect will be emphasized to create a community of trust. Students will learn about these issues of sexuality through discussion, experiential activities, film, readings, research, reflective writing and guest speakers.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 2700 Men & Masculinities

Lisa Speidel

Typically, men are dealt with in a way that casually presents them as representative of humanity.   This course addresses the various ways that men are also “gendered,” and can be the subject of inquiries of gender, sexuality, inequality, and privilege in their own right.

Course Category: Gender Concentration

WGS 3105 Issues in LGBTQ Studies

Matthew Chin

This course is an interdisciplinary analysis of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) Studies.  We will study  historical events and political, literary, and artistic figures and works; contemporary social and political issues; the meaning and development of sexual and gender identities; and different disciplinary definitions of meaning and knowledge.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3230 Gender and the Olympic Games

Bonnie Hagerman

In ancient Greece, women risked death if they participated in or even attended the Olympic Games. As Pierre de Coubertin looked to revive the games in 1896, he thought women better suited to cheering on the male victors, than to competing themselves. This course will explore women’s early participation in the Olympic Games, the pressures upon Olympic sportswomen to be feminine, and the important intersections of race, class, place and sexual orientation. We will also consider the future of the Olympic Games, its global reach, and women’s place in this brave new world, both as athletes and administrators. This course fulfills the Global Requirement.

Course Category: Gender Concentration

WGS 3340 Transnational Feminism

Brittany Leach

This course places women, feminism, and activism in a transnational perspective, and offers students the opportunity to examine how issues considered critical to the field of gender studies are impacting women’s lives globally in contemporary national contexts. We will look closely at how violence, economic marginality, intersections of race and gender, and varied strategies for development are affecting women in specific geographical locations. 

Course Category: Gender Concentration, Global Requirement

WGS 3409 LGBTQ Issues in the Media

Andre Cavalcante

This course will explore the complex cultural dynamics of LGBTQ media visibility, along with its social, political, and psychological implications for LGBTQ audiences.  It explores four domains:  (1) the question of LGBT media visibility (2) the complex processes of inclusion, normalization, and assimilation in popular culture (3) media industries and the LGBT market (4) the relationship between digital media, LGBT audiences, and everyday life.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3559 Topics in Gender & Sexuality Studies: History of American College Women

Bonnie Hagerman

From Female Seminaries to the beginning of co-education, this course will explore the history of women who wanted to pursue higher education in the United States more broadly and at the University of Virginia in particular. We will examine the importance of the Seven Sisters, land grant colleges, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities and how Title IX affected the sports landscape of higher education. We will also consider the landscape of higher education. We will also consider the landscape of sexual violence female students have had to confront on American college campuses as well as other challenges like integration and co-education.

Course Category: Gender Concentration

WGS 3559 Topics in Gender & Sexuality Studies: Reproductive Justice

Brittany Leach

This course will examine reproductive health and politics domestically and globally, primarily from a reproductive justice perspective that views reproductive rights broadly and in connection with other issues of social justice (such as racism, colonialism, economic and environmental injustice, etc). Specific topics include birth control, population control, abortion, sterilization abuse, eugenics, miscarriage, birth, and reproductive technology.

Course Category: Gender Concentration

WGS 3559 Gender & Sexuality in Islamic Culture

Maryam Zehtabi

This course examines the politics of gender and sexuality in varous Muslim societies since the 19th century. It covers a range of topics and themes, including: historical, theological, political, and anthropological accounts of gender discourse; various feminist movements; and sexuality, marriage, family, masculinity, and LGBTQ issues. Of particular interest is how social and state actors have attemped to mobilize gender for political gain.

Course Category: Gender Concentration, Sexuality Concentration, Global Requirement

WGS 3611 Gender and Sexuality in the US, 1600-1865

Cori Field

This course explores the significance of gender and sexuality in the territory of the present-day U.S. during the period from the first European settlements to the Civil War.

Course Category: Gender Concentration, Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3800 Queer Theory

Doug Meyer

This course introduces students to some of the key and some of the controversial theoretical texts that make up the emerging field of queer theory.  We will consider the beginnings of queer theory and also look at more recent work in fields such as queer gothic and phenomenology. The approach of the course will be interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on literary and aesthetic criticisms that may shift according the instructor's areas of expertise. The goal of the course is to develop critical practice by working through a variety of perspectives, not only across academic disciplines but also across cultures. Insofar as queer theory reads for the often unseen, or submerged, reality embedded in cultural texts, contexts, and literatures, we will engage conscious critical practice in the class: active reading and informed discussion. As of Fall 2015: This course fulfils the Second Writing Requirement

Special Note: Queer or Feminist Theory is required for all WGS majors/minors.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3810 Feminist Theory

Brittany Leach

This course provides an overview of the historical bases and contemporary developments in feminist theorizing and analyze a range of theories on gender, including liberal, Marxist, radical, difference, and postmodernist feminist theories. We will explore how feminist theories apply to contemporary debates on the body, sexuality, colonialism, globalization and transnationalism. Throughout the course we will incorporate analysis of race, class, and national differences as well as cross-cultural perspectives.

Special Note: This, or Queer Theory, required for all WGS majors and minors.

Course Category: Gender Concentration

WGS 3814 Gender, Sexuality, Identity in Premodern France

Deborah McGrady

This course will explore religious, social, scientific and legal views on gender, sexuality and identity that may extend from medieval through early modern Europe with an emphasis on the French tradition. Readings will include literary texts and cultural documents as well as current scholarship on questions of sexuality, gender, and identity politics.

Course Category: Gender Concentration, Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3897 Gender, Violence and Social Justice

Lisa Speidel

In an effort to streamline our offerings, we are looking to propose that we take the 2000-level “Gender Violence and Social Justice” and the 4000-level “Gender-Based Violence” and essentially combine them into a 3000-level course, keeping the title of “Gender Violence and Social Justice”; we then plan to deactivate Gender-Based Violence once we have this approval. There is marked overlap in the two courses in terms of content and approaches, so we propose one course at the 3000-level that would still attract students from outside the Major but allow the instructor to encourage students to engage in the critical thinking and written/oral communication skills that are demanded at the 3000-level.

Course Category: Gender Concentration

WGS 4500 WGS Topics Course: Violence Against Sexual Minorities

Doug Meyer

This course emphasizes violence against minority groups. Particular attention will be paid to violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, although the class will also focus on forms of abuse against other historically-marginalized groups. Topics covered will include racist and sexist violence, sexualized abuse, including rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, and the politics of hate crime. 

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 4500 Gender in South Asian Cinema

Geeta Patel

Gender and sexuality have been seminal to South Asian cinema from its inception.  This course will encompass fiction and documentary, independent movies and small scale movies made in Mumbai, Bengali cinema and the cinemas of the south.  Issues will include transgender activism, family dramas, social and national change, re-envisioned sexualities, the good woman and the courtesan.

Course Category: Gender Concentration, Sexuality Concentration, Global Requirement

WGS 4559 Global History of Intimacies

Matthew Chin

This course focuses on embodied forms of closeness that take shape across different spaces and times. It will consider theories of history, temporality, intimacy, and globality and explore methods of historical inquiry that may be used to construct accounts of intimate relations in the past. It will then mobilize these theories and methods to analyze historical case studies of intimacy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in relationship to African enslavement and Asian indentureship in the Americas as well as US-Philippine and French-Algerian imperialisms. Inspired by postcolonial, feminist, and queer approaches, our critical and interdisciplinary conversations will allow us to consider the complexities, contradictions, and problems that arise from attempts to both describe and analyze formations of intimacy in the past.

Course Category: Gender Concentration, Sexuality Concentration, Global Requirement

WGS 4559 Global History of Aging, Gender & Sexuality

Cori Field

This course will take a global approach to understanding the shifting intersections of age, race, and gender from the sixteenth-century to the present in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.  Through a series of case studies, we will explore the social history of older women in various contexts, literary representations of women's aging, and visual images.  We will consider foundational concepts and new developments in the interdisciplinary field of feminist age studies and pose questions about how age impacts health, sexuality, family life, political involvement, and spirituality.  Throughout, we will pay particular attention to how beliefs about age shape racial and class formations in different parts of the world.  
Students will complete a twenty-page research paper on a topic of their choosing related to older women.

Course Category: Gender Concentration, Sexuality Concentration, Global Requirement

Affiliated Courses

African American and African Studies
AAS 2224-001     Black Femininities and Masculinities in the US Media Lisa Shutt                                
AAS 2224-002     Black Femininities and Masculinities in the US Media Lisa Shutt                                  

Anthropology
ANTH 2420-100 Language and Gender    LEC                                         Grace Reynolds                             
ANTH 2420-101 Language and Gender    DISC                                       Staff                                                  
ANTH 2420-102 Language and Gender    DISC                                       Staff                                           
ANTH 2420-103 Language and Gender    DISC                                       Staff                                                 

History-United States History
HIUS 3611            Gender & Sexuality in AM, 1600-1865                      Cori Field                                           
HIUS 3611            Gender and Sexuality in the US, 1600-1865 Disc  Daniele Celano                             
HIUS 3611            Gender and Sexuality in the US, 1600-1865 Disc  Daniele Celano                             
HIUS 3611            Gender and Sexuality in the US, 1600-1865 Disc  Daniele Celano                              

Japanese in Translation
JPTR 5390            Women in Modern Japanese Literature                 Anri Yasuda                                 

Media Studies
MDST 3409          LGBTQ Issues in the Media                                           Andre Cavalcante                         

Psychology
PSYC 4603 Psychology of Sexual Orientation                                        Charlotte Patterson                   

South Asian Literature in Translation
SATR 3000           Women Writing in India & Pakistan: 1947-Pres    Mehr Farooqi                               

Sociology
SOC 2320-100     Gender and Society         LEC                                         David Skubby                                
SOC 2320-101     Gender and Society         DISC                                       Staff                                                  
SOC 2320-102     Gender and Society         DISC                                       Staff                                                   
SOC 2320-103     Gender and Society         DISC                                       Staff                                                   
SOC 4350             Comparative Gender Stratification                           Rae Blumberg                                 

Spanish
SPAN 4621 Latin American Women Poets                                             Gustavo Pellon                                 

WGS 2100 Intro to Gender & Sexuality Studies

Bonnie Hagerman

An introduction to gender and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) studies, including the fields of women’s studies, feminist studies, & masculinity studies. Students will examine historical movements, theoretical issues, & contemporary debates, especially as they pertain to issues of inequality & to the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, & nationalism. Emphasis will vary according to the interdisciplinary expertise & research focus of the instructor.

Special Note: Required for all WGS majors and minors, Intro courses do not count toward concentrations.

WGS 2559 New Course in Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Lily van Diepen

Topic: Race and Power in Gender and Sexuality

This course offers a study of race and racialization in relation to gender and sexuality. We will consider how the concept of race shapes relationships between gendered selfhood and society, how it informs identity and experiences of the erotic, and how racialized gender and sexuality are created, maintained, and monitored. Applying an interdisciplinary perspective, we will consider how race and and power are reproduced and resisted through gender.

WGS 2600 Human Sexualities

Lisa Speidel

Examines human sexuality from psychological, biological, behavioral, social, and historical perspectives. Topics include sexual research and theoretical perspectives, sexual anatomy and physiology, sexual health, intimacy, communication, patterns of sexual response and pleasure and sexual problems and therapies. Course will also include examination of the development of sexuality and the intersections of other identities, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexuality and the law, sexual assault, and other social issues in sexuality. This course will focus on creating a safe environment for honest and authentic conversations about the issues.  Confidentiality and respect will be emphasized to create a community of trust. Students will learn about these issues of sexuality through discussion, experiential activities, film, readings, research, reflective writing and guest speakers.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3105 Issues in LGBTQ Studies

Matthew Chin

This course is an interdisciplinary analysis of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) Studies.  We will study  historical events and political, literary, and artistic figures and works; contemporary social and political issues; the meaning and development of sexual and gender identities; and different disciplinary definitions of meaning and knowledge.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3240 Gender, Race, and Sport: a History of African American Sportswoman

Bonnie Hagerman

Course Category: Gender Concentration

This course seeks to explore the intersection of gender and race in sport, specifically examining the African-American female experience in sport. This course will ask students to consider whether sport was (and continues to be) the great equalizer for both African-American sportsmen and sportswomen, and to evaluate their portrayals (or lack thereof) in both the white and black media. We’ll consider athletic greats Jackie Robinson and Althea Gibson, as well as lesser known athletes Jack Johnson and Ora Mae Washington—why are some athletes destined to be celebrated while others are forgotten? We will also explore the activism of Muhammad Ali and Venus Williams, and the gendered differences of their campaigns, as well as the importance of sport as a platform for voicing inequality as we look not only at breaking color barriers during Jim Crow America, but “The Black Power Salute” of the 1960s, and taking a knee—and a stand—in 2016. Through primary source readings, documentaries and discussion we’ll seek to put the African-American sporting experience in context to see just how far athletes of color have actually come in the American sporting arena.

WGS 3340 Transnational Feminism

Domale Keys

This course places women, feminism, and activism in a transnational perspective, and offers students the opportunity to examine how issues considered critical to the field of gender studies are impacting women’s lives globally in contemporary national contexts. We will look closely at how violence, economic marginality, intersections of race and gender, and varied strategies for development are affecting women in specific geographical locations. 

Course Category: Gender Concentration, Global Requirement

WGS 3409 LGBTQ Issues in the Media

Andre Cavalcante

This course will explore the complex cultural dynamics of LGBTQ media visibility, along with its social, political, and psychological implications for LGBTQ audiences.  It explores four domains:  (1) the question of LGBT media visibility (2) the complex processes of inclusion, normalization, and assimilation in popular culture (3) media industries and the LGBT market (4) the relationship between digital media, LGBT audiences, and everyday life.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3500 Topics in Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Karen Myers

Topic: Women in Ancient Greece and Rome.

Nota Bene: This is a combined section class.

This course will focus on Women's roles and lives in Ancient Greece and Rome. Students will be introduced to the primary material on women and gender in antiquity and to current debates about it.  We will examine the Cultural Identity or Ideal constructed for women and men in Ancient literature in comparison with the historical evidence and analyze how the cultural categories of male and female were delineated and deployed in various social, political, and literary contexts.

WGS 3559 Topics in Gender & Sexuality Studies

Pleasure Activism Across Time

Lisa Spiedel

The history of white supremacy & the heteropatriarchy includes denying sexual pleasure of marginalized communities. A major benefit of pleasure is empowerment, which threatens power structures & leads to restrictive practices & laws. This course focuses on queer activists & feminists of color who examine pleasure, systemic oppression, & the connection of inner desires & needs -physical, mental, & emotional -as a part of enacting social change.

Reproductive Justice

Brittany Leach

This course will examine reproductive health and politics domestically and globally, primarily from a reproductive justice perspective that views reproductive rights broadly and in connection with other issues of social justice (such as racism, colonialism, economic and environmental injustice, etc). Specific topics include birth control, population control, abortion, sterilization abuse, eugenics, miscarriage, birth, and reproductive technology.

Course Category: Gender Concentration

Feminism, Capitalism, and Alternatives

Brittany Leach

This course will examine feminist perspectives on economic issues and systems in theory and practice. Theoretical traditions will include feminist strands of welfare-state liberalism, neoliberalism, Marxism, social democracy/democratic socialism, post-colonialism, and anarchism. Topics will include work/life balance, the global economy, the commons, social reproduction, alternative economies, and feminist futures.

WGS 3612 Gender and Sexuality in the US, 1865 to Present

Bonnie Hagerman

Note: this is a combined section class

This course will explore the significance of gender and sexuality in the United States from the Civil War to the present. We will ask, on the one hand, how people’s ideas about manhood, womanhood, and sexuality structured society and, on the other, how social relations defined what it meant to be a man or a woman. Readings and discussion will focus on three particular areas of inquiry: the rights and obligations of citizenship; the value and division of labor; and sexual beliefs, practices, and identities.

WGS 3800 Queer Theory

Doug Meyer

This course introduces students to some of the key and some of the controversial theoretical texts that make up the emerging field of queer theory.  We will consider the beginnings of queer theory and also look at more recent work in fields such as queer gothic and phenomenology. The approach of the course will be interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on literary and aesthetic criticisms that may shift according the instructor's areas of expertise. The goal of the course is to develop critical practice by working through a variety of perspectives, not only across academic disciplines but also across cultures. Insofar as queer theory reads for the often unseen, or submerged, reality embedded in cultural texts, contexts, and literatures, we will engage conscious critical practice in the class: active reading and informed discussion. As of Fall 2015: This course fulfils the Second Writing Requirement

Special Note: Queer or Feminist Theory is required for all WGS majors/minors.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3810 Feminist Theory

Denise Walsh

This course provides an overview of the historical bases and contemporary developments in feminist theorizing and analyze a range of theories on gender, including liberal, Marxist, radical, difference, and postmodernist feminist theories. We will explore how feminist theories apply to contemporary debates on the body, sexuality, colonialism, globalization and transnationalism. Throughout the course we will incorporate analysis of race, class, and national differences as well as cross-cultural perspectives.

Special Note: This, or Queer Theory, required for all WGS majors and minors.

Course Category: Gender Concentration

WGS 4500 WGS Topics Course: Violence - Sexual Minorities

Doug Meyer

This course emphasizes violence against minority groups. Particular attention will be paid to violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, although the class will also focus on forms of abuse against other historically-marginalized groups. Topics covered will include racist and sexist violence, sexualized abuse, including rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, and the politics of hate crime. 

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 4559 New Course in WGS

Global Men and Masculinities

Lisa Spiedel

This course examines central topics in global masculinity studies by expanding students’ awareness of non-US cultures. A panoramic view of masculinity from various countries, cultures and traditions enables further examination of beliefs in “manhood.” Themes will include the intersection between masculinity and colonization, nationalism, hegemony, fatherhood, marriage, initiation rituals, war/warriors, violence and health.

Campus Sexual Violence

Domale Keys

Through a black feminist lens, we will explore the colonial origins of sexual violence in the US and investigate the various ways it manifests in higher education and beyond. This includes examining the various representations of women in the U.S., especially black women, the role the carceral state plays in the issue, and ways Black woman combat misrepresentations of themselves through organizing against gender-based violence. 

Black Geographies

Kat Cosby

This course will interrogate Black geographies in the Americas and the ways in which traditional geographies adhere to a racial-sexual logic. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we will examine Black thinkers' and scholars’ concepts of geography and how their interventions allow us to think differently about place, space, and Blackness. Topics include maroon communities, abolition geography, plantation geographies, and demonic grounds.

WGS 7500 Island Intimacies

Matthew Chin

This interdisciplinary course explores the relationships among the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans through an investigation of how Chinese diaspora functions within and across different island formations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Focusing on Cuba, Hawaii, and Seychelles, it examines dynamics of connection and disconnection among Chinese diasporas across these different islands as well as the relationships of accommodation and conflict between the Chinese and the different ethno-racial groups within their host societies. This course uses intimacy as a framework and the methods of historiography and comparative racialization to map these relations across geographically and linguistically (Spanish, French, English) distinct sites. Ultimately, this course mobilizes the island intimacies of Chinese diaspora to make sense of the relationships among the racial orders of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Affiliated Courses   

AAS 2224 Black Femininities and Masculinities in the US Media

Lisa Shutt

This course, taught as a lower-level seminar, will address the role the media has played in creating images and understandings of 'Blackness' in the United States, particularly where it converges with popular ideologies about gender.

CLAS 3040 Women and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome

Karen Myers

This course focuses on women's roles and lives in Ancient Greece and Rome. Students are introduced to the primary material (textual and material) on women in antiquity and to current debates about it. Subjects addressed will include sexual stereotypes and ideals, power-relations of gender, familial roles, social and economic status, social and political history, visual art, medical theory, and religion. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/classics/.

HIUS 3612 Gender and Sexuality in America, 1865 to Present

Bonnie Hagerman

Studies the evolution of women's roles in American society with particular attention to the experiences of women of different races, classes, and ethnic groups.

JPTR 3020 Survey of Modern Japanese Literature

Anri Yasuda

This is an introductory course to Japanese literary traditions from the late 19th century to the present. By reading a broad range of writings including political accounts, fictional narratives and poetic prose, the course examines how a variety of writing practices contributed to the production of modern Japanese literature. No knowledge of Japanese is required.

JPTR 5020 Survey of Modern Japanese Literature

Anri Yasuda

This is an introductory course to Japanese literary traditions from the late 19th century to the present. By reading a broad range of writings including political accounts, fictional narratives and poetic prose, the course examines how a variety of writing practices contributed to the production of modern Japanese literature. No knowledge of Japanese is required.

RELJ 2030 Judaism, Roots, and Rebellion

Elizabeth Alexander

What does it mean to construct one's identity in dialogue with ancient texts and traditions? Can the gap between ancient and contemporary be bridged? Or must texts and traditions born of a remote time and place remain hopelessly irrelevant to contemporary life? This course explores these questions by examining the myriad ways that contemporary Jews balance the complexities of modern life with the demands of an ancient heritage.

RELJ 3390 Jewish Feminism

Vanessa Ochs

Jewish Feminism

SLFK 2120 Russian Folklore

Stanley Stepanic

What is folklore exactly? Further, what is it in the Russian context? This course is a thorough overview of different types of folklore throughout Russian history. We will cover a brief history of Russia from pre-Christian times and continue into a thorough analysis of various examples of Russian folklore. This will include narrative folklore (folktales, fairy tales, songs, etc.), material folklore (house structures and layout, clothing, etc.), and social folklore (weddings, funerals, etc.). Students will also be expected to investigate their own ethnic backgrounds through paper topics based on what is learned in the course.

SOC 2052 Sociology of the Family

William Wilcox

 Comparison of family organizations in relation to other social institutions in various societies; an introduction to the theory of kinship and marriage systems.

SOC 2320 Gender and Society

Elissa Zeno

Gender and Society

USEM 1580 Dream-Life

Julia Gutterman

Dreams, at once elusive and powerfully present, have puzzled and inspired generations of philosophers, psychologists, political thinkers, literary writers, and artists. 'Dream-Life' will explore the world of dreams in texts and films as diverse as Calderón de la Barca’s Life is a Dream (1635) or Charlotte Beradt’s documentation The Third Reich of Dreams. Students will document and reflect on their own dreams by keeping a dream journal.

USEM 1580 Around Grounds: Art, Arch, and History at UVA

Dylan Rogers

This seminar explores the histories of UVA, from its Monacan origins, the labor of enslaved people, its art and architecture, to issues impacting the local community today. We will use buildings, objects, archives, and people to tell stories that have been forgotten—or never told in the first place. Each class meeting will include in-class discussion paired with visits around Grounds and Charlottesville, to engage more fully with topics on-site.               

WGS 2100 Intro to Gender & Sexuality Studies

Matthew Chin, Lisa Speidel

An introduction to gender and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) studies, including the fields of women’s studies, feminist studies, & masculinity studies. Students will examine historical movements, theoretical issues, & contemporary debates, especially as they pertain to issues of inequality & to the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, & nationalism. Emphasis will vary according to the interdisciplinary expertise & research focus of the instructor.

Special Note: Required for all WGS majors and minors, Intro courses do not count toward concentrations.

WGS 2125 Race & Power in Gender & Sexuality

Matthew Chin

Offers a study of race-racialization in relation to gender-sexuality. Consider how the concept of race shapes relationships between gendered selfhood & society, how it informs identity & experiences of the erotic, & how racialized gender & sexuality are created-maintained-monitored. With an interdisciplinary perspective, we will consider how race & power are reproduced & resisted through gender & sexuality, individually-national-international.

WGS 2600 Human Sexualities

Lisa Speidel

Examines human sexuality from psychological, biological, behavioral, social, and historical perspectives. Topics include sexual research and theoretical perspectives, sexual anatomy and physiology, sexual health, intimacy, communication, patterns of sexual response and pleasure and sexual problems and therapies. Course will also include examination of the development of sexuality and the intersections of other identities, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexuality and the law, sexual assault, and other social issues in sexuality. This course will focus on creating a safe environment for honest and authentic conversations about the issues.  Confidentiality and respect will be emphasized to create a community of trust. Students will learn about these issues of sexuality through discussion, experiential activities, film, readings, research, reflective writing and guest speakers.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 2800 Politics of Motherhood

Abby Palko

Motherhood, mothering practices, and maternal identities have long been crucial elements of human existence that have not received the level of attention or support that their importance calls for. This course takes an interdisciplinary look (inc. anthropology, feminist theory, media studies, philosophy, psychology, sociology) at scholarly conceptualizations of "good" mothering and analyzes depictions of mothering practices.

WGS 3100 Intro to WGS Theory

Isabel Gonzales

Explores major debates, key ideas, and historical developments in women, gender, & sexuality theory. Students will gain familiarity with queer, trans, and feminist theory, including Black, Native, socialist, crip, and other approaches. Will consider the different methods that gender & sexuality scholars have used to explain the social world, and why such explanations are vital to WGS. Course emphasizes reading, discussion,and critical writing.

WGS 3125 Transnational Feminism

Maryam Zehtabi

This course places women, feminism, and activism in a transnational perspective, and offers students the opportunity to examine how issues considered critical to the field of gender studies are impacting women's lives globally in contemporary national contexts. We will look closely at how violence, economic marginality, intersections of race and gender, and varied strategies for development are affecting women in specific geographical locations.

WGS 3305 Issues in LGBTQ Studies

Isabel Gonzales

This course is an interdisciplinary analysis of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) Studies. We will study historical events and political, literary and artistic figures and works; contemporary social and political issues; the meaning and development of sexual and gender identities; and different disciplinary definitions of meaning and knowledge.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3500 Research and Methods in Women, Gender & Sexuality

Issues and Controversies in Women's Sport

Bonnie Hagerman

This course develops fundamental skills for critical thinking, researching, writing, and communicating in WGS. Students will learn methods for finding and analyzing sources, approaches to framing arguments, and skills for effective written and oral communication. Seminars are offered on a variety of topics. This class fulfills the Second Writing Requirement and Enhanced Writing Requirement.

Queer American History

Doug Meyer

This course develops fundamental skills for critical thinking, researching, writing, and communicating in WGS. Students will learn methods for finding and analyzing sources, approaches to framing arguments, and skills for effective written and oral communication. Seminars are offered on a variety of topics. This class fulfills the Second Writing Requirement and Enhanced Writing Requirement.

WGS 3559 New Course in Women, Gender & Sexuality

Transgender Studies in the Americas

Cole Rizki

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new course in the subjects of women, gender and sexualities.

Pleasure Activism Across Time

Lisa Speidel

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new course in the subjects of women, gender and sexualities.

Sex and Resistance on the Internet

Isabel Gonzales

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new course in the subjects of women, gender and sexualities.

WGS 3612 Gender and Sexuality in the United States, 1865-Present

Bonnie Hagerman

This course explores the significance of gender and sexuality in the territory of the present-day U.S. during the period from the Civil War to the present..

WGS 3900 Gender & Sexuality in Islamic Culture

Maryam Zehtabi

This course examines the politics of gender and sexuality in various Muslim societies since the 19th century. It covers a range of topics and themes, including historical, theological, political, and anthropological accounts of gender and sexuality discourses; various feminist movements; and sexuality, marriage, family, masculinity and LGBTQ issues

WGS 4450/5559 Violence Against Sexual Minorities

Doug Meyer

This course emphasizes violence against minority groups. Particular attention will be paid to violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, although the class will also focus on forms of abuse against other historically-marginalized groups. Topics covered will include racist and sexist violence, sexualized abuse, including rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, and the politics of hate crime.

WGS 4500 Topics in Women, Gender & Sexuality

Capstone: Gender Politics in Africa

Denise Walsh

This course focuses on the ways structures, institutions, and discourse shape gender in sub-Saharan Africa. It begins with the highly contested topics of pre-colonial gender relations and what gender means in Africa. Next, we turn to the colonial era, tackling themes such as white misperceptions of the Black body and the ways in which sex and gender were at the heart of the colonial state and national liberation movements. After independence, African women organized, moved into formal politics, and even brokered an end to violent conflicts, the third section of the course. Dramatic political transformations like these raised hopes that violence would diminish. The fourth section of the course explains why these hopes have yet to be realized, assessing gender-based violence and homophobia. Despite the odds against them, African feminists and queer theorists remain undaunted. In the final section of the course we consider their inspiring vision for the future that reaches beyond the continent and calls each one of us to action.

Capstone: Black & Indigenous Fem Survival

Tiffany King

WGS 4559/5559 Feminist Disability Politics

Sarah Orsak

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject of studies of women and gender.

WGS 3897 Gender Violence and Social Justice

Lisa Speidel

Introduction to dynamics of gender-based violence, the political and cultural structures that perpetuate it, and avenues for achieving social justice. Students will think critically about the (largely) domestic impact of this violence, and develop a practical understanding of how it intersects with other forms of oppression, by applying theory to real-world problems through experiential learning projects in the community and at the University.

WGS 2100 Intro to Gender & Sexuality Studies

Bonnie Hagerman

An introduction to gender and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) studies, including the fields of women’s studies, feminist studies, & masculinity studies. Students will examine historical movements, theoretical issues, & contemporary debates, especially as they pertain to issues of inequality & to the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, & nationalism. Emphasis will vary according to the interdisciplinary expertise & research focus of the instructor.

Special Note: Required for all WGS majors and minors, Intro courses do not count toward concentrations.

WGS 2125 Race & Power in Gender & Sexuality

Lisa Speidel

Offers a study of race-racialization in relation to gender-sexuality. Consider how the concept of race shapes relationships between gendered selfhood & society, how it informs identity & experiences of the erotic, & how racialized gender & sexuality are created-maintained-monitored. With an interdisciplinary perspective, we will consider how race & power are reproduced & resisted through gender & sexuality, individually-national-international.

WGS 2600 Human Sexualities

Lisa Speidel

Examines human sexuality from psychological, biological, behavioral, social, and historical perspectives. Topics include sexual research and theoretical perspectives, sexual anatomy and physiology, sexual health, intimacy, communication, patterns of sexual response and pleasure and sexual problems and therapies. Course will also include examination of the development of sexuality and the intersections of other identities, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexuality and the law, sexual assault, and other social issues in sexuality. This course will focus on creating a safe environment for honest and authentic conversations about the issues.  Confidentiality and respect will be emphasized to create a community of trust. Students will learn about these issues of sexuality through discussion, experiential activities, film, readings, research, reflective writing and guest speakers.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 2700 Men and Masculinities

Lisa Speidel

"What is understood as ""masculine"" has varied throughout time as well as across cultural contexts and distinct social groupings, it is equally true that most historical periods, cultures, groups, etc. believe their own understandings of masculinity to be universal. In this course, we will deconstruct this. From this class, you should be able to think critically about where men and masculinity have been, where they are going, and what this might mean more generally for gender relations and gender inequality."

WGS 3100 Intro to WGS Theory

Isabel Gonzales

Explores major debates, key ideas, and historical developments in women, gender, & sexuality theory. Students will gain familiarity with queer, trans, and feminist theory, including Black, Native, socialist, crip, and other approaches. Will consider the different methods that gender & sexuality scholars have used to explain the social world, and why such explanations are vital to WGS. Course emphasizes reading, discussion,and critical writing.

WGS 3125 Transnational Feminism

Tiffany King

This course places women, feminism, and activism in a transnational perspective, and offers students the opportunity to examine how issues considered critical to the field of gender studies are impacting women's lives globally in contemporary national contexts. We will look closely at how violence, economic marginality, intersections of race and gender, and varied strategies for development are affecting women in specific geographical locations.

WGS 3305 Issues in LGBTQ Studies

Andre Cavalcante

This course is an interdisciplinary analysis of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) Studies. We will study historical events and political, literary and artistic figures and works; contemporary social and political issues; the meaning and development of sexual and gender identities; and different disciplinary definitions of meaning and knowledge.

WGS 3409 LGBTQ Issues in the Media

Andre CavalcanteThis course will explore the complex cultural dynamics of LGBTQ media visibility, along with its social, political, and psychological implications for LGBTQ audiences. It explores four domains: (1) the question of LGBT media visibility (2) the complex processes of inclusion, normalization, and assimilation in popular culture (3) media industries and the LGBT market (4) the relationship between digital media, LGBT audiences, and everyday life.

WGS 3500 Research and Methods in Women, Gender & Sexuality

Issues and Controversies in Women's Sport

Bonnie Hagerman

This course develops fundamental skills for critical thinking, researching, writing, and communicating in WGS. Students will learn methods for finding and analyzing sources, approaches to framing arguments, and skills for effective written and oral communication. Seminars are offered on a variety of topics. This class fulfills the Second Writing Requirement and Enhanced Writing Requirement.

Queer American History

Doug Meyer

This course develops fundamental skills for critical thinking, researching, writing, and communicating in WGS. Students will learn methods for finding and analyzing sources, approaches to framing arguments, and skills for effective written and oral communication. Seminars are offered on a variety of topics. This class fulfills the Second Writing Requirement and Enhanced Writing Requirement.

WGS 3559 New Course in Women, Gender & Sexuality

Engendering Asian America

Isabel Gonzales

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new course in the subjects of women, gender and sexualities.

Queer Politics

Isabel Gonzales

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new course in the subjects of women, gender and sexualities.

WGS 3611 Gender and Sexuality in the United States, 1600-1865

Corinne Field

This course explores the significance of gender and sexuality in the territory of the present-day U.S. during the period from the first European settlements to the Civil War.

WGS 3750 Women, Childhood, Autobiography

Maryam Zehtabi

Cross-cultural readings in women's childhood narratives. Emphasis on formal as well as thematic aspects.

WGS 3900 Gender & Sexuality in Islamic Culture

Maryam Zehtabi

This course examines the politics of gender and sexuality in various Muslim societies since the 19th century. It covers a range of topics and themes, including historical, theological, political, and anthropological accounts of gender and sexuality discourses; various feminist movements; and sexuality, marriage, family, masculinity and LGBTQ issues

WGS 4500 Topics in Women, Gender & Sexuality

Capstone: Gender & Espionage

Bonnie Hagerman

This seminar for majors pursues advanced study of a particular topic in WGS. Students conceptualize, research, and produce a substantial independent project that demonstrates their competency in the interdisciplinary field of WGS. This course will enable majors to revisit foundational ideas, incorporate what they have learned into their independent research projects, and demonstrate their accumulated skills in critical thinking and communication.

WGS 4559/5559 Feminist Disability Politics

Sarah Orsak

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject of studies of women and gender.

WGS 4800 Queer Theory

Doug Meyer

Introduces students to some key & controversial theoretical texts that make up the emerging field of queer theory. The approach will be interdisciplinary, w/ an emphasis on literary, social, & aesthetic criticisms that may shift according the instructor's areas of expertise. Active reading & informed discussion will be emphasized for the often unseen, or submerged, aspects of sexuality embedded in cultural texts, contexts, & litterateurs.

WGS 4820 Black Feminist Theory

Lanice Avery

This course critically examines key ideas, issues, and debates in contemporary Black feminist thought. With a particular focus on Black feminist understandings of intersectionality and womanism, the course examines how Black feminist thinkers interrogate specific concepts including Black womanhood, sexual mythologies and vulnerabilities, class distinctions, colorism, leadership, crime and punishment, and popular culture.

WGS 2100 Intro to Gender & Sexuality Studies

Lisa Speidel

An introduction to gender and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) studies, including the fields of women’s studies, feminist studies, & masculinity studies. Students will examine historical movements, theoretical issues, & contemporary debates, especially as they pertain to issues of inequality & to the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, & nationalism. Emphasis will vary according to the interdisciplinary expertise & research focus of the instructor.

Special Note: Required for all WGS majors and minors, Intro courses do not count toward concentrations.

WGS 2125 Race & Power in Gender & Sexuality

Matthew Chin

Offers a study of race-racialization in relation to gender-sexuality. Consider how the concept of race shapes relationships between gendered selfhood & society, how it informs identity & experiences of the erotic, & how racialized gender & sexuality are created-maintained-monitored. With an interdisciplinary perspective, we will consider how race & power are reproduced & resisted through gender & sexuality, individually-national-international.

WGS 2700 Men and Masculinities

Lisa Speidel

What is understood as "masculine" has varied throughout time as well as across cultural contexts and distinct social groupings, it is equally true that most historical periods, cultures, groups, etc. believe their own understandings of masculinity to be universal. In this course, we will deconstruct this. From this class, you should be able to think critically about where men and masculinity have been, where they are going, and what this might mean more generally for gender relations and gender inequality.

Course Category: Sexuality Concentration

WGS 3100 Intro to WGS Theory

Isabel Gonzales

Explores major debates, key ideas, and historical developments in women, gender, & sexuality theory. Students will gain familiarity with queer, trans, and feminist theory, including Black, Native, socialist, crip, and other approaches. Will consider the different methods that gender & sexuality scholars have used to explain the social world, and why such explanations are vital to WGS. Course emphasizes reading, discussion,and critical writing.

WGS 3210 Gender, Sport and Film

Bonnie Hagerman

This course will examine how film has portrayed women's sports and female athletes. We will explore how well the film industry has documented the history of women's sports, issues important to female athletes such as race, sexuality, equality and issues of femininity, and we will look to see how well these productions stack up against films portraying male athletes and men's sports.

WGS 3409 LGBTQ Issues in the Media

Andre Cavalcante

This course will explore the complex cultural dynamics of LGBTQ media visibility, along with its social, political, and psychological implications for LGBTQ audiences. It explores four domains: (1) the question of LGBT media visibility (2) the complex processes of inclusion, normalization, and assimilation in popular culture (3) media industries and the LGBT market (4) the relationship between digital media, LGBT audiences, and everyday life.

WGS 3611 Gender and Sexuality in the United States, 1600-1865

Alice King

This course explores the significance of gender and sexuality in the territory of the present-day U.S. during the period from the first European settlements to the Civil War.

WGS 3612 Gender and Sexuality in the United States, 1865-Present

Bonnie Hagerman

This course explores the significance of gender and sexuality in the territory of the present-day U.S. during the period from the Civil War to the present..