Division of Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies
Website: http://www.twu.edu/ws/
Chair: Dr. Ashley Bender
Location: CFO 904
Telephone: 940-898-2119
Fax: 940-898-2101
Email: womenstudies@twu.edu
Division Head, Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies; M.A. Program Director; Graduate Certificate Director: Dr. Agatha Beins, Ph.D.
Phone: 40-898-2117
Email: abeins@twu.edu
B.A. Program Coordinator: Dr. Stina Soderling, Ph.D.
Phone: 940-898-2324
Email: ssoderling@twu.edu
Ph.D. Program Director: Dr. AnaLouise Keating, Ph.D.
Phone: 940-898-2129
Email: akeating@twu.edu
The innovative Bachelor of Arts degree in Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies (MWGS) prepares students for a wide range of professions and graduate studies. With its rigorous and flexible curriculum, the B.A. program could support students seeking careers as doctors, professors, attorneys, human resource specialists, researchers, teachers, artists, or community leadership. This degree also supports students interested in positions in research and service organizations that focus on social, political, and economic issues that impact women’s lives. In general, MWGS students gain strong transferable skills in reading, comprehension, speaking, writing, and active listening. Employers call these "soft" skills, and they are highly desirable in the workplace.
There are three tracks in the undergraduate program: Health Studies, Community Leadership, and General Studies. All three tracks share a common set of courses required for the major (18 credit hours), including an upper-level capstone class that directly prepares students to transition to professional life and graduate or professional studies. This structure makes it easier for students to change tracks or to decide which track to pursue later in the program. B.A. students must also select a minor (18 credit hours) to provide a strong foundation in a discipline that will support their career goals. All MWGS majors have the opportunity to pursue an internship with an organization for elective credit. Regardless of the track, each student will work closely with an advisor to develop their degree plan. All electives must be approved by this advisor.
Undergraduate Degrees Offered
The B.A. program has three tracks to prepare students for a range of employment options and for further studies:
At the graduate level, TWU offers one of the few freestanding Master of Arts degrees in Women’s and Gender Studies in the Dallas/Ft. Worth region and the only Ph.D. degree in Women’s and Gender Studies in Texas. For further information, see the Graduate Catalog and visit the Program’s website.
All applicants must meet the general undergraduate admission requirements.
Faculty
Asterisk (*) denotes Graduate Faculty status.
Courses
Contact hours identified in the course descriptions are based on a 15-week term. Students who enroll in Summer or mini-terms are expected to meet the same total number of contact hours as a 15-week term.
WS 2013. Gender and Social Change: An Introduction to Multicultural-Women's Studies. Introduction to multicultural women's and gender studies as an interdisciplinary field and how gender and other identity categories shape human experiences. Examination of social institutions, norms, and practices for their impact on the status and roles of women based on current issues and research. Satisfies three hours Language, Philosophy, & Culture Core (40) or Component Area Option (90). Satisfies Global Perspectives graduation requirement. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 2033. Womanist Spiritual Activism: Social Justice Theories for Wellness and Transformation. Introduction to interrelated roles of spiritual practice, imagination, and creativity in personal well-being and struggles for social justice. Multicultural, indigenous, and womanist approaches to wellness and social change. Satisfies three hours Core Component Area Option (90) or (91). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 2053. Women and Underrepresented Groups in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science. Examines evidence-based strategies and institutional policies designed to address barriers to success for women and underrepresented groups in the areas of engineering, mathematics, and science and includes strategies for increasing their representation. Introduction to problem-solving strategies, useful for any discipline, which emphasize solutions incorporating both current and emerging technologies. Satisfies three hours Core Component Area Option (90). Satisfies Global Perspectives graduation requirement. Prerequisite: Three hours of core math. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 2383. Perspectives on Gendered Images in Dance Performance. Survey of perspectives on the development of gendered images across various dance genres and performance contexts embedded in U.S. culture. Examines how movement expression reflects and communicates markers of identity, including gender, race, ethnicity, and sexuality, in dance performance. Satisfies three hours Creative Arts Core (50) or Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 2393. Introduction to Literature by Women. Introduction to important works of literature by women. May be organized by theme, topic, genre, ethnic group, or nationality. Topics and texts vary by course section. Contact the department for more information. Satisfies three hours Language, Philosophy, & Culture Core (40) or Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 2703. Gender and Education. An interdisciplinary examination of the relationship between gender and education in the U.S. Explores how gender relationships are created, maintained, enacted, and transformed through educational structures, practices, and institutions. Satisfies three hours Core Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3023. U.S. Women of Colors. Multidisciplinary, relational explorations of the histories, theories, cultures, and lives of U.S. women from a wide variety of ethnic/cultural backgrounds. Themes of agency, survival, resistance, and transformation. Contact the program for more information. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Satisfies three hours Core Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3063. Women in Politics. Perspectives on the impact of gender on power and influence in society; political socialization, participation, and leadership of women; overview of women's political issues and movements. Prerequisite: Three hours of political science or permission of instructor. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3073. Literature by Women. Advanced examination of literature by women. Organized by theme, topic, or genre. May be repeated when topic varies. Topics and texts vary by course section. Contact the department for more information. Prerequiste: ENG 1023. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3083. Ethics and Feminism. A comprehensive study of the literature, principles, and linguistic impact of contemporary ethics with special emphasis on the origins, authors, and audiences related to feminist philosophy. Satisfies three hours Language, Philosophy, & Culture Core (40) or Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3193. Perspectives on Women, Gender, and Religion. Introduction to scholarship in the field of women's studies in religion, including historical, comparative, and multicultural approaches. Examination of how religion shapes society, including understandings of race/ethnicity, sexualities, and social power. Topics and texts may vary by course section. Contact the department for more information. Satisfies three hours Language, Philosophy, & Culture Core (40) or Component Area Option (90). Satisfies Global Perspectives graduation requirement. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3213. Women's Roles. Women's roles are examined in the context of social institutions such as the family, the economy, and the government. Implications of sexual inequality, changing women's roles. Examines race, ethnicity, class, and age. Satisfies three hours Core Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3223. Women, Crime, and Justice. Introduction to gender, crime, and justice. Focus on women as offenders, as crime victims, and as employees in criminal justice. Feminist and critical perspectives on women, girls, and crime. Issues of gender inequality in criminal justice policy and practice. Prerequisite: SOCI 1013, SOCI 3213, WS 3213, WS 2013, or WS 3023. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3343. Women in the Visual Arts. A survey of women visual artists of the Western world and how their roles relate to those of women visual artists worldwide. An analysis, from a traditional and a feminist point of view, of the recording of the female artist's place in history. Satisfies three hours Core Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3393. Gender, Identity, and the Law. Impact of gender, identity, race, and class on citizens' legal status under the U.S. Constitution; analysis of the evolution of the current legal environment and the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, with an emphasis on parallels between gender discrimination and discrimination based on racial, ethnic, and sexual identity; discussion and analysis of substantive law regarding working conditions, compensation, education, the family, reproductive rights, and criminal law; discussion of feminist perspectives on legal reforms that impact the professional lives of individuals of all genders. Satisfies three hours Core Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3703. Women in Music. An examination of music from the historical, cultural, and contemporary perspectives of women. Topics will include women as composers and performers, and the cultural values that have affected women's participation in musical life. Satisfies three hours Creative Arts Core (50) or Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3733. Psychology of Women. Issues in the development and behavior of women, including theoretical perspectives from the sub-discipline of feminist psychology on sex- and gender-related differences and similarities, achievement, motivation, stereotype, androgyny, sexuality, career choices, mental health and disorders, psychotherapy, life-span, and special sub-groups. Emphasis on the psychology of women includes substantive exploration of research related to men, intersex, and transgender/gender-nonconforming people, as well as intersectional experiences shaped by race, ethnicity, culture, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Satisfies three hours Core Component Area Option (90). Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 3793. Research Methods in Women's and Gender Studies. Introduction to strategies, concepts, and methods for conducting research in the field of women's and gender studies. Three seminar hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4013. Texts, Trends, and Issues in Women's Studies. Explores contemporary issues, a body of research, or scholarly work relevant to women. Contact the department for more information. May be repeated for credit when the topic varies. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4023. Sexualities and Identities. Sexuality as an identity formation, social category, and theoretical construct. Interdisciplinary in focus and foundation. Aesthetic, cultural, historical, and institutional discourses that frame our contemporary understandings of sexuality. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4113. The Family. A sociological and feminist analysis of the family as an institution and dynamics of the interpersonal relations of marriage and family. Examines cultural diversity among families as well as historical changes in the family and the impact of social policy. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4203. Family Violence and Sexual Assault. Practice implications of various forms of family violence and sexual assault with an emphasis on women as victims and survivors. Theoretical explanations, research literature, policies, treatment issues, and prevention strategies in relation to child abuse, battering, incest, and intimate sexual violence. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4493. Feminist Theories. Survey of feminist criticism and theory focused on schools and movements and based on representative readings from major critics and theorists. Topics and texts may vary by course section. Contact department for more information. Prerequisite: WS 2013. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4793. Senior Capstone in Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies. Social justice career pathways and application of feminist theories and research methods to address social justice issues. Prerequisite: 18 hours of 3000 and 4000 level coursework. Three seminar hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4903. Special Topics. Seminars on topics related to womanist/feminist theories or current areas of inquiry in Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4913. Independent Study. Individual study of topics in feminist theory, scholarship, or practical areas consistent with student interests and needs. Contract between student and professor expected. Prerequisite: Minor in Women's Studies and instructor's approval. Credit: Three hours.
WS 4951. Internship in Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies. Supervised practical experience in an agency or organization related to the intellectual and career interests of MWGS majors. Minimum of 50 practicum hours on-site or remote. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of department. Credit: One hour.
WS 4952. Internship in Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies. Supervised practical experience in an agency or organization related to the intellectual and career interests of MWGS majors and minors. Minimum of 100 practicum hours on-site or remote. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of department. Credit: Two hours.
WS 4953. Internship in Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies. Supervised practical experience in an agency or organization related to the intellectual and career interests of MWGS majors and minors. Minimum of 150 practicum hours on-site or remote. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of department. Credit: Three hours.
