WGST 112: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
A social science perspective of women in psychological, sociological, historical, anthropological, economic, and political contexts; the changing roles, images, and institutions.
A full list of course descriptions is available in the Academic Bulletin. Each semester's courses with additional information can be found on the WGST Courses page.
Spring 2025
A social science perspective of women in psychological, sociological, historical, anthropological, economic, and political contexts; the changing roles, images, and institutions.
Basic functioning of the female body; effects of society on processes of health and disease.
Childhood, maturity, old age, and gender socialization within the family. Cross-listed course: ANTH 210
Too many of us treat our bodies like cars, as Sonya Renee Taylor points out in The Body is Not an Apology. We fuel ourselves—often as cheaply as possible—and we take ourselves to get checked out when we suspect something might be wrong. But, as Taylor reminds us, if for some reason we wake up to find our cars don’t start, we can get a new one, or look for other alternatives. That is not the case when it comes to our bodies. This course invites students to reflect on the fact that we live our lives in bodies—these strange assemblages of flesh, blood, and bones. What limitations do our bodies set upon us? What possibilities do they open up? Through the semester, we will focus on many different aspects of our embodied lives. We will consider the ways the world we live in shapes our experience of our bodies—particularly given our experiences of gender, race, and disability. We will also focus on the effects trauma can have on our bodies. We will not only think about the ways our bodies are shaped, but also what we ought to do with these bodies that we inhabit. We will think about how we feed and house our bodies. We will consider the remarkable fact that protestors on both sides of the aisle cry “my body, my choice,” at counter-purposes. And we will learn from Sonya Renee Taylor and Tricia Hersey, two extraordinary new black female writers on the body, about our obligations to care for our bodies and thereby to care for those around us. Cross-listed course: PHIL 103
Offers a sociological lens to develop critical ways of thinking about sex and gender as social processes in everyday lives. This course considers how sex and gender shape and affect the experiences of women, men, girls, boys, and individuals who live in the spaces in-between (those who are intersex or transgender) across a wide range of social institutions (family, work, education, politics, etc.). Prerequisite: SOCY 101 Cross-listed course: SOCY 301
The psychological, physiological, and social characteristics of marriage. Cross-listed course: PSYC 301
Historical and contemporary power relationships in race, social class, gender, and sexual orientation. Cross-listed course: SOCY 304, POLI 305
Historical development of feminist theory and contemporary debates within feminism. Cross-listed course: POLI 307
An interdisciplinary survey of the contributions of African-American women to feminist theory. Cross-listed course: AFAM 308
The study of the relationship among persons of color, women, and the mass media in the United States. Cross-listed course: JOUR 311
Impact of gender on the distribution of power in society; foundations for intersections of gender, race, social class, and sexuality and their economic, social, and political concomitants. Cross-listed course: POLI 352
Anthropological study of pregnancy and birth with a cross-cultural focus comparing the United States to other nations. Examination of cultural factors such as prenatal care, dietary practices, taboos, birth location, practitioners, and birthing styles. Cross-listed course: ANTH 388
This course examines health concerns important in the lives of women around the world through an overview of contemporary issues and challenges in the field of global health, broadly construed. Cross-listed course: ANTH 392
Selected literary topics of the Arab world. May be repeated for credit under different titles. Taught in English. Cross-listed course: ARAB 398
This senior seminar on prejudice in 20th Century America will expose students to major themes and scholarly literature, requiring them to write a long essay (approximately 20 pages) based on primary research. Topics will include racism, homophobia, antisemitism, and other forms of discriminatory or hateful discourse. We will study the evolution of various reactionary groups or modes of thinking as well as activism which combatted inequality, stereotypes, and forms of exclusion. This course is not all-inclusive in terms of coverage; while students are invited to write about any aspect of American prejudice, there are many areas of scholarship, and groups that will not be explored. Rather, the readings stand as models for effective ways to research American prejudice from a variety of perspectives and disciplines, focusing largely on mid- Century. By evaluating the work of professional historians and their own peers, students will learn how to formulate an original thesis and support this idea with historical evidence. While student work may focus on various aspects of American gender and sexuality, all papers will involve a close reading of primary sources held in Thomas Cooper Library or on-line archives. Shorter assignments will aid the process of composing the larger research paper; by the end of the course, students will be familiar with the major currents of scholarship on American gender and sexuality and engaged in the process of undertaking a substantial process of inquiry. Each week will involve discussion of readings, films, and other materials related to the course topic. Cross-listed course: HIST 498
A historical and global exploration of gender and sexuality in India and beyond. Cross-listed course: HIST 494
This course provides an overview of psychological, social, physical, and emotional issues related to men’s lives. Major topics include: gender construction, men and work, men and health, men in relationships, male sexualities, men in families, and masculinities in the media and popular culture. Cross-listed course: PSYC 432
Representative works written by women. Prerequisites: C or higher in both ENGL 101 and ENGL 102.Cross-listed course: ENGL 437
Constitutional and statutory case law dealing with gender equality issues. Topics include abortion, affirmative action, pornography, sexual harassment, fetal protection policies, employment discrimination, and women in the military. Cross-listed course: POLI 454
Supervised experience addressing a community organization's needs and allowing the student to explore an aspect of the community related to women's and gender studies issues. Contract approval by advisor required. Prerequisites: C or better in WGST 112 or WGST 113; C or better in one additional WGST course at the 200-level or higher
Application of skills and theories of adolescent mentoring taught in the classroom to a supervised, structured mentoring field experience. Cross-listed course: CRJU 551
Impact of gender-based relations on crime and the criminal justice system. Cross-listed course: CRJU 554
Health status and concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Includes an examination of measurement issues and methodological considerations in research, as well as intervention efforts targeting LGBT populations. Cross-listed course: HPEB 627Must be upper-division undergraduate (junior/ senior standing)
In this course we will cover a wide range of gender issues in Chinese-speaking culture in traditional China, the contemporary PRC, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. We will begin by briefly addressing the roles of women and men in traditional China and then trace changes in gender roles in the early years of the People's Republic of China. We will then explore contemporary Chinese-speaking cultures in contrast to traditional belief systems. Cross-listed course: ANTH 512
An in-depth analysis critically exploring the history of interactions between LGBTQ communities and agents of formal control, such as schools and the police, and evaluating the experiences of LGBTQ youth and adults in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Cross-listed course: CRJU 591
Fall 2024
A social science perspective of women in psychological, sociological, historical, anthropological, economic, and political contexts; the changing roles, images, and institutions.
Basic functioning of the female body; effects of society on processes of health and disease.
The psychological, physiological, and social characteristics of marriage.Cross-listed course: PSYC 301
Historical and contemporary power relationships in race, social class, gender, and sexual orientation. Cross-listed course: SOCY 304, POLI 305
Historical development of feminist theory and contemporary debates within feminism.Cross-listed course: POLI 307
An interdisciplinary survey of the contributions of African-American women to feminist theory.Cross-listed course: AFAM 308
Overview of theories, history, literature, politics, legal, health, and social issues connected to sexualities, including the intersections of gender, race, and social class.
Sexuality as a social construct exemplified in standards of sexual behavior in ancient Rome and their reinforcement of the ruling ideology; feminine virtue, definitions of manliness, attitudes toward homosexuality.Cross-listed course: CLAS 321
Gender and sexuality in the shaping of social and individual identity in religious contexts.Cross-listed course: RELG 333
Impact of gender on the distribution of power in society; foundations for intersections of gender, race, social class, and sexuality and their economic, social, and political concomitantsCross-listed course: POLI 352
This course examines health concerns important in the lives of women around the world through an overview of contemporary issues and challenges in the field of global health, broadly construed.Cross-listed course: ANTH 392
How the sports media culture helps create and maintain, as well as challenge, inequalities based on gender and sexual identity. Students will learn how gender and sexuality are constructed through sports media and how they intersect with race, class, able-bodiedness and nationality.Cross-listed course: JOUR 345
When Philadelphia appeared in movie theaters and Angels in America appeared on the Broadway stage in 1993, they signaled a shift in cultural representations and in popular understandings of HIV/AIDS. While stigma and trauma lingered, these representations indicated a shift in the cultural imagination. Two years later, the death toll in the US would peak as new drug therapies became available and HIV became a manageable condition rather than a death sentence. This class will examine that pivotal moment in Americanculture, as well as what happened before, what happened after—and what has happened since. We will examine literature, film, and other cultural representations, paying attention to social and political contexts. Though we will focus primarily on American cultural responses, we will also consider some international representations. How did HIV/AIDS influence American culture in the first two decades, 1981-2001? How are those early decades still represented in popular culture? How was HIV/AIDS represented in literature and film? in children’s literature? in popular music? What can those texts teach us about the history of LGBTQ activism and protest, death and dying, rage and remembrance, the nature of community and our responsibility for one another?Cross-listed course: ENGL 439
This course provides an overview of psychological, social, physical, and emotional issues related to men’s lives. Major topics include: gender construction, men and work, men and health, men in relationships, male sexualities, men in families, and masculinities in the media and popular culture.Cross-listed course: PSYC 432
Representative works written by women.Prerequisites: C or higher in both ENGL 101 and ENGL 102.Cross-listed course: ENGL 437
Application of skills and theories of adolescent mentoring taught in the classroom to a supervised, structured mentoring field experience.Cross-listed course: CRJU 551
Impact of gender-based relations on crime and the criminal justice system. Cross-listed course: CRJU 554
Health status and concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Includes an examination of measurement issues and methodological considerations in research, as well as intervention efforts targeting LGBT populations.Cross-listed course: HPEB 627Must be upper-division undergraduate (junior/ senior standing)
Summer 2024
A social science perspective of women in psychological, sociological, historical, anthropological, economic, and political contexts; the changing roles, images, and institutions. This course will be offered online only.
Basic functioning of the female body; effects of society on processes of health and disease. This course will be offered online only.
Historical and contemporary power relationships in race, social class, gender, and sexual orientation. This course will be offered online only. Cross-listed course: SOCY 304, POLI 305
Historical development of feminist theory and contemporary debates within feminism. This course will be offered online only.Cross-listed course: POLI 307
Impact of gender on the distribution of power in society; foundations for intersections of gender, race, social class, and sexuality and their economic, social, and political concomitants. This course will be offered online only.Cross-listed course: POLI 352
Constitutional and statutory case law dealing with gender equality issues. Topics include abortion, affirmative action, pornography, sexual harassment, fetal protection policies, employment discrimination, and women in the military. This course will be offered online only. Cross-listed course: POLI 454
Spring 2024
A social science perspective of women in psychological, sociological, historical, anthropological, economic, and political contexts; the changing roles, images, and institutions.
Basic functioning of the female body; effects of society on processes of health and disease.
Offers a sociological lens to develop critical ways of thinking about sex and gender as social processes in everyday lives. This course considers how sex and gender shape and affect the experiences of women, men, girls, boys, and individuals who live in the spaces in-between (those who are intersex or transgender) across a wide range of social institutions (family, work, education, politics, etc.).Prerequisite: SOCY 101Cross-listed course: SOCY 301
Historical and contemporary power relationships in race, social class, gender, and sexual orientation.Cross-listed course: SOCY 304, POLI 305
Sociological perspectives related to various aspects of family behaviors, roles, and values.Cross-listed course: SOCY 305
An interdisciplinary survey of the contributions of African-American women to feminist theory. Cross-listed course: AFAM 308
Anthropological study of pregnancy and birth with a cross-cultural focus comparing the United States to other nations. Examination of cultural factors such as prenatal care, dietary practices, taboos, birth location, practitioners, and birthing styles. Cross-listed course: ANTH 388
Exploration of Black Womanist ethics that focus on analyzing and dismantling oppression around issues of race, gender, sexuality, and social class.Cross-listed course: RELG 491, AFAM 398
Students will learn and practice methods of historical research, using the history of the women’s studiesprogram at USC as subject matter. They will become familiar with origins of the discipline of women’s studies and explore the ways USC’s fifty-year old program has followed or broken from national patterns.Cross-listed course: HIST 498
A history of the contributions of the popular aspects of American culture and their interactions with American institutions Cross-listed course: HIST 449
Representative works written by women. Prerequisites: C or higher in both ENGL 101 and ENGL 102.Cross-listed course: ENGL 437
This course will examine LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other nonnormative sexualidentities) literatures and cultures. Prerequisite: C or better in ENGL 101 and ENGL 102.Cross-listed course: ENGL 445
Constitutional and statutory case law dealing with gender equality issues. Topics include abortion, affirmative action, pornography, sexual harassment, fetal protection policies, employment discrimination, and women in the military.Cross-listed course: POLI 454
Supervised experience addressing a community organization's needs and allowing the student to explore an aspect of the community related to women's and gender studies issues. Contract approval by advisor required.Prerequisites: C or better in WGST 112 or WGST 113; C or better in one additional WGST course at the 200-level or higher
Application of skills and theories of adolescent mentoring taught in the classroom to a supervised, structured mentoring field experience.Cross-listed course: CRJU 551
Impact of gender-based relations on crime and the criminal justice system.Cross-listed course: CRJU 554
This course provides an introduction to grant writing and grant administration. It is designed for students in various disciplines who want to understand the grant process from the introductory stages to the final stages of iimplementing the grant. Beginners in grant writing and those who already have some grant writing experience are welcome.
Public health issues, social and behavioral science, policies, programs, and services related to maternal and child health in the United States and other countries.Cross-listed course: HPEB 621Must be upper-division undergraduate (junior/ senior standing)