In order to complete a minor in Women's and Gender Studies, students must:

1. File a form of intention to pursue the minor at the Office of Registration,

2. Earn a grade point average of 2.0 in those courses chosen to meet the minor requirements, and

3. Complete 18 hours of course work (including at least 9 hours at the 300 or 400 level) from the following courses.

                ANTH 106/
                        WGST 106                              Introduction to Women's Studies/3 credits
                        ANTH 325                              Gender and Society/3 credits
                        ART 360                                 Women in the Visual Arts/3 credits
                        COMM 470                            Gender and Communication/3 credits
                        CRIM 323                              Gender and Crime/3 credits
                        ECON 411                              Economics of Labor and Discrimination/ 3 credits
                        ENGL 358                              Women and Film/3 credits
                        ENGL 432                              Women and Literature/3 credits
                        HLTH 430                              Women’s Health Issues/3 credits
                        HIST 321                                The History of Women in America/3 credits
                        HIST 470                               Women in World History/3 credits
                        POSC 245                               Gender and Politics/3 credits
                        PSYC 350                               Psychology of Sex and Gender/3 credits
                        SOCL 233                               Race, Class, and Gender/3 credits
                        SOCL 241                               Marriage and the Family/3 credits
                        SOCL 325                               Gender and Society/3 credits
                        SOCL 351                                Sociology of  Family Violence/3 credits
                        SOWK 309                              Human Sexual Adjustment/3 credits
                        SOWK 325                              Human Diversity: Populations at Risk/3 credits
                        THEA 431                               American Drama/3 credits
                        WGST 295                              Selected Topics/1-3 credits
                        WGST 390                              Directed or Independent Study/ 1-18
                        WGST 489                              Directed Study/2-3 credits
                        WGST 490                              Directed or Independent Study /1-18 credits
                        WGST 492                              Internship in Women’s Studies/1-6 credits
                        WGST 495                              Special Topics/1-6 credits

(and other courses to be approved by the Women's  Studies Committee)

In addition to the above courses, students are encouraged to participate in Women's Studies events on campus.

Course Descriptions

Anthropology/WGST106. Introduction to Women's Studies. The course will introduce students to literature in the social sciences by and about women. We will explore key roles which women play in society, how they have questioned these roles, and contributions which women make in different societies. We will read about women in our own and other societies as a way to explore these questions. 3 credits.

Art 360. Women in the Visual Arts. A survey of the important role women have played in the history of art from the Middle Ages to the current. 3 credits.
 

Criminology/Criminal Justice 323. Gender and Crime. This course will integrate theoretical and empirical information on a wide variety of issues related to justice and women and issues surrounding women as criminal justice practitioners. Issues related to social control and gender, theoretical perspectives and empirical research on criminal offenders, the place of women, and the victimization of women will be examined. 3 credits. ** 

Communication Studies 470. Gender and Communication. Study of advanced communication theories and research focusing on the relationships among gender identity and communication in the following communication contexts: organizations, interpersonal relationships, family, mass media and popular culture, education and health. 3 credits. ** 

English 358. Women and Film. A study of women directors and the history and conventions of portraying women in film. Prerequisites: ENGL 150. 3 credits. 

English 432. Women and Literature. Comparative study of the tradition of literature by and about women. 3 credits. ** and *** 

History 321. The History of Women in America. The changing role of women in American life from the Colonial era to the present, contrasting the ideology of women’s place in society with the reality of their lives. The Victorians, the fight for women’s suffrage, and the 20th-century liberation movement are emphasized. Prerequisite: HIST 222 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.

History 470. Women in World History. Examination of the history of women for the last several centuries, exploring women’s participation in economic, political, and social/cultural life as they both created and were affected by historical processes such as colonization, revolution, state formation, and industrialization. This course compares women in first-, second-, and third-world nations in terms of their participation in political, economic, and cultural aspects of society. 3 credits.

Political Science 245. Gender and Politics. The course examines gender as a socio-political construct within a global context. It surveys both feminist and masculinist theories of politics, which provide the foundation for the course. Attention is then paid to the gendered who, what and how of world politics. Within this discussion, the course carefully explores the gendered divisions of power and of the global economy. 3 credit. *

Psychology 350. Psychology of Sex and Gender. An examination of the differences between the male and female experience from the psychologist’s point of view. The course will include factors which have affected the male and female experience, current research on actual and perceived gender differences, and how social changes have contributed to changing roles. Prerequisites PSYC 101 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.

Sociology 233. Race, Class, and Gender. This course focuses on the causes, consequences and justifications of the inequalities associated with race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender in the United States and in other societies. Current social policies are critically examined and alternative routes to social change are explored. Race, class and gender are significant variables by which human societies make distinctions among their members. Such distinctions often lead to an inequitable distribution of political power, social well-being, and the resources available to individual members of the society. In this course we seek to increase students’ awareness and understanding of the inequities in society and the consequences of those inequities for different communities and individuals within society.

Sociology 241. Marriage and the Family. The history of American families and contemporary family issues are analyzed using sociological theory and research. Topics that are covered include marriage, cohabitation, divorce, single parent families, blended families, the impact of race and gender norms, and socioeconomic status on family structure. 3 credits. **

Sociology 325 (Anthropology 325). Gender and Society. This course provides an examination of the social construction of gender and the social organization of gender inequality, as well as an analysis of gender identity in socialization, interpersonal behavior, the family, the media, and the economy. 3 credits.

 Sociology 351. Sociology of Family Violence. This course is designed to familiarize students with the sociological literature on family violence. Topics which will be explored include the social causes and consequences of spouse abuse, marital rape, child maltreatment (physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse) and parent abuse, as well as the response of the criminal justice system to and the societal perceptions of such violence. Emphasis will be on synthesizing and critiquing family violence theories and research. Prerequisite: SOCL 101 or SOCL 102 or permission of instructor. 3 credits. 

Social Work 309. Human Sexual Adjustment. Socio-cultural influences on gender identity and sexual behavior will be analyzed and issues regarding sexual expression and sexual dysfunction will be explored. Methods of dealing with sexual adjustment difficulties at both the individual and community levels are presented including human service resources. Prerequisite: 3 hours of Sociology and Psychology. 3 credits.

Social Work 325. Human Diversity: Populations at Risk. Conceptual frameworks for understanding human diversity with a special emphasis on understanding self will under gird the identification and study of populations-at-risk in society. The dynamics of social injustices and the impact on diverse groups in society are explored. Students will develop competent skills to provide services to diverse clientele at multilevel systems.  Prerequisite: SOCL 101. 3 credits. ***

WGST 106. Introduction to Women's Studies. The course will introduce students to literature in the social sciences by and about women. We will explore key roles which women play in society, how they have questioned these roles, and contributions which women make in different societies. We will read about women in our own and other societies as a way to explore these questions. 3 credits.

WGST 295. Selected Topics. Selected topics in Women’s and Gender Studies. The topics will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit when topics change. 1-3 credits.

WGST 390. Directed or Independent Study. Must be approved by the head of the department. May be repeated as 391. 1-18 credits.

WGST489. Directed Study. Symposium in Women’s Studies sponsored by the Washington Center. Forty to 60 hours of lectures, panel discussions, workshops, site visits, and bi-weekly discussion groups over a 2 to 3 week period in Washing-ton, D.C. Prerequisites: two courses in Women’s Studies, 2.5 GPA, and approval of the Director of Women’s Studies. The work done in the Symposium will be evaluated by a faculty member designated by the Program Director, and cannot be double-counted at Longwood to meet the requirements of other disciplines. 2-3 credits.

WGST492. Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies. Directed practice in a public, private, or community agency or organization which has as one of its goals the improvement of the status of women. Students work with an on-site supervisor who guides their internship in collaboration with a faculty liaison appointed by the Director of Women’s Studies. Prerequisites: two courses in Women’s Studies, 2.5 GPA, and permission of the Longwood Women’s Studies Committee. 1-6 credits.

WGST 490. Directed or Independent Study. Must be approved by the head of the department. 1-18 credits.

WGST 495. Special Topics.  Selected topics in Women’s and Gender Studies. The topics may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit when topics change. 1-6 credits.