Overview of Course

Anchored in engaged and active learning tactics, this course is an introduction to the field of women’s and gender studies. Within a U.S. context and in the ports we visit, we’ll explore: the difference between sex, gender, and sexuality; how sex and gender are complicated, socially constructed aspects of identity; the ways in which gender and sex impact and are impacted by other systems of power, thus perpetuating inequality; and the various types of feminisms. Students will develop and demonstrate the ability to critically explore how these identities intersect with each other as well as with other identities such as race, class, physical ability, etc. and consider how their own identities are constructed. In order to move beyond the theoretical, we’ll explore and enact evidence-based practical solutions to social problems stemming from the social construction of sex and gender, again, from a U.S. context and the various countries we visit throughout the term.