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Womens Studies
In the College of Arts and Letters
Office: Adams Humanities 3138
Telephone: (619) 594-6524
Chair: Zimmerman
Professors: Cayleff, Espín, Huckle, Jones, Watson, Zimmerman
Associate Professor: Kohen
Master of Arts degree in women's studies.
Major in women's studies.
Minor in women's studies.
Women's studies explores who women were, who women are, who they might be, and how their lives and human interactions are affected by society's values, traditions, and institutions. SDSU has offered courses in women's studies since 1969 and has one of the strongest academic programs in the nation. Its origins are in the women's movement, and its vision includes a world free of sexual, racial, age, and class distinctions and other inequalities.
Courses are designed to provide students with a coherent, integrated, and academically rigorous education. Content areas include concepts of self and family, theories of sex differences, history, cultural contributions, and the study of society's institutions. The emphasis is on increasing the awareness of objective conditions in women's lives throughout the world, and on developing critical analytical skills.
A degree in women's studies may be used as preparation for a wide range of careers. Professional opportunities exist in political and social agencies working with women and developing public policy on women's issues such as health care, employment, family violence, and education. Women's studies students prepare for careers in such fields as law, journalism, public administration, social services, personnel, and psychology. The skills that women's studies majors develop in critical thinking and analysis are highly valued in many additional occupations and professions today. A women's studies major may also go on to advanced academic work preparing for a career as a women's studies scholar.
Many women's studies majors plan double majors to enhance their career opportunities.
All candidates for a degree in liberal arts and sciences must complete the graduation requirements listed in the section of this catalog on "Graduation Requirements." No more than 48 units in women's studies courses can apply to the degree.
Students majoring in women's studies must complete a minor in another field to be approved by the chair or major adviser of the department.
Preparation for the Major. Women's Studies 201 and 205. (6 units)
Foreign Language Requirement. Competency (equivalent to that which is normally attained through three consecutive semesters of college study) is required in one foreign language as part of the preparation for the major. Refer to section of catalog on "Graduation Requirements."
Upper Division Writing Requirement. Passing the University Examination or completing one of the approved writing courses with a grade of C (2.0) or better.
Major. A minimum of 27 upper division units to include twelve units from Group I; nine units from Group II; and Women's Studies 590 and 595 or 597.
Group I: Women's Studies 310, 320, 325, 340, 341A-341B, 351, 352, 356, 360, 370, 375; Africana Studies 332*, American Indian Studies 303*, Mexican American Studies 340*, Religious Studies 370*.
Group II: (Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.) Women's Studies 485, 515, 521, 522, 530, 535, 536, 553, 565, 580.
The minor in women's studies consists of a minimum of 18 units in women's studies to include:
Women's Studies 201, 205 and six to nine units selected from Women's Studies 310, 320, 325, 340, 341A-341B, 351, 352, 356, 360, 370, 375, Africana Studies 332*, American Indian Studies 303*, Mexican American Studies 340*, Religious Studies 370*.
Three to six units selected from Women's Studies 485, 515, 521, 522, 530, 535, 536, 553, 565, 580, 590, 595.
Courses in the minor may not be counted toward the major, but may be used to satisfy preparation for the major and general education requirements, if applicable. A minimum of six upper division units must be completed in residence at San Diego State University.
201. Women and the Social Sciences (3) I, II
Interdisciplinary introduction to women's studies thought and scholarship in the social sciences, to include such areas as gender-based language, personality development and self-concept, social evolution, family structures, and economic life.
205. Women in the Humanities (3) I, II
Major cultural representations of women in ancient through contemporary societies from perspective of the humanities, including philosophy, religion, art, literature, and history.
296. Experimental Topics (1-4)
Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree.
310. Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3) I, II
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in
Foundations II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences required for nonmajors.
Women from an anthropological perspective; social, economic, legal and ideological aspects of women's position in selected preindustrial or transitional compared with industrial societies.
320. Socialization of Women (3) I, II
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in
Foundations II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences required for nonmajors.
Theories of socialization; summary of studies on the impact of formal and informal social institutions on female development.
325. Psychology of Women (3) I, II
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in
Foundations II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences required for nonmajors.
Theories of the psychological development of women; investigation of biological and cultural factors influencing personality and behavior.
340. Women in Modern European History (3) I, II
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in
Foundations II.C., Humanities required for nonmajors.
Social, cultural, economic, political and ideological aspects of women's history in the modern period. Impact of modernization on roles of women in family and society from the eighteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries in Europe.
341A-341B. Women in American History (3-3) I, II
History of American social, cultural, economic, political, and intellectual institutions, focusing on the role and perspective of women. Semester I: From colonization to 1860; Semester II: From 1860 to the present. Satisfies the graduation requirement in American Institutions.
351. Women in the Arts (3)
Images of women in society as reflected in the plastic, graphic and performing arts; artistic contribution of women. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.
352. Women in Literature (3) I, II
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in
Foundations II.C., Humanities required for nonmajors.
Literature by and about women; appraisals of women's place in various literary genres; historical and contemporary themes; evolution of forms and techniques.
356. Women in Popular Culture (3)
Images and concepts of womanhood found in popular culture and mass media. Topics include critical theories, popular literature, television, women's magazines, myth and ritual, and the impact of feminism.
360. Women's Sexuality (3)
Historical changes in women's perceived sexual natures; role of medical and scientific expertise; research and theory on psychological, social, and cultural aspects of women's sexuality; relationships among social beliefs, expectations, customs and traditions, and among sexual behavior responses and identity.
370. Women and the Law (3) I, II
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in
Foundations II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences required for nonmajors.
Legal factors affecting women in employment, education, health and welfare, property ownership and criminal justice, including investigation of public policy issues which affect women's lives.
375. Sex, Power, and U.S. Politics (3) I,II
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in
Foundations II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences required for nonmajors.
Social, economic and political factors which explain women's political status and participation. Topics include institutional structures, leadership and ideology, power and authority, and the women's movement as a political movement.
485. Women's Work (3)
Prerequisites: Three upper division units in women's studies; and
completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations II.B.,
Social and Behavioral Sciences required for nonmajors.
Conditions and factors affecting women's paid and unpaid work. Marriage, divorce, fertility, and childcare; women's occupations, earnings and education; the economics of sex discrimination; government economic policies and women's welfare.
496. Experimental Topics (1-4)
Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree.
498. Field Internship (3) I, II Cr/NC
Prerequisites: Three upper division units in women's studies and
consent of instructor.
Observation and analysis of public and private agencies which deal primarily with women in the San Diego area. Maximum credit six units.
499. Special Study (1-3)
Prerequisites: Three upper division units and consent of the department chair and instructor.
Individual study. Maximum credit six units.
515. Women: Mythology and Ritual (3)
Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.
Meanings and functions of myths and rituals in their sacred and secular aspects, emphasizing their impact on women's lives and relationships in differing cultural contexts, past and present.
521. Life Cycles of Women (3)
Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.
Women's developmental processes across the life cycle; their impact on women, men, and the family, including life passages related to adolescence, marriage, motherhood, divorce, widowhood, "second careers," and aging in varying socioeconomic and cultural contexts.
522. Women: Madness and Sanity (3)
Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.
Concepts of mental health and mental illness as applied to women. Theory of psychotherapy, both traditional and feminist. Alternative approaches to mental health.
530. International Women's Movement (3)
Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.
Comparative study of women's movements worldwide in past and present, to include discussion of issues such as female bonding, leadership, and women's goals and strategies to achieve them within local, national, and global contexts. (Formerly numbered Women's Studies 330.)
535. Lesbian Lives and Cultures (3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Historical, cultural, and social exploration of lesbianism. Topics include myths and stereotypes, history and literature, social and political movements, theoretical explanations, and current conditions. (Formerly numbered Women's Studies 335.)
536. Women, Race, and Class (3)
Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.
Major issues and themes in the history, culture, and contemporary lives of women of color in the U.S. Analysis of theories explaining similarities and differences in opportunities and life choices. Roles within social and political movements.
553. Women Writers (3)
Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.
Literary, historical, and social consideration of women writers; may focus on one author, era, or theme. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units. Limit of three units applicable to the major in women's studies.
565. Women, Health, and Medicine (3)
Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.
Historical and contemporary relationship of women to alternative and traditional healing systems. Illness labeling, folk-healing beliefs, sectarian medicine, reproduction, birth control, life-cycle events, roles as practitioners and patients, ethical controversies, and aging.
580. Women and International Development (3)
Prerequisite: Three upper division units in women's studies.
Women's roles as agents and recipients of change worldwide, focusing on such issues as self-determination, education, family and work, food and hunger, and reproduction.
590. Feminist Thought (3) I
Prerequisite: Six upper division units in women's studies.
Readings in feminist theory and contemporary theoretical perspectives on core concepts and issues in feminist scholarship. Focus on understanding from a feminist perspective and on the significance of analyzing female experiences.
595. Seminar in Women's Studies (3) II
Prerequisites: Six upper division units in women's studies and consent of instructor.
Directed research in women's studies. Field of investigation will vary with instructor. Methods of investigation, development of bibliography, presentation of paper based on original research. See Class Schedule for specific content.
596. Topics in Women's Studies (3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Advanced topics in women's studies. See Class Schedule for specific content. May be repeated with new content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree.
597. Research Project (3) I, II
Prerequisites: Six upper division units in women's studies and consent of adviser.
Individual research project. May be taken in place of Women's Studies 595, Seminar in Women's Studies.
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