Valparaiso University College of Arts & Sciences

Gender Studies Minor
Gender Studies Minor

Administrative Committee: Professors Dooley (Law), J. Moore (Theology), Rubchak (History); Associate Professors Burow-Flak (English), Corazzo (Art), Sandock (English, Chair), Seguin (History), Shingleton (Economics), van Doorn-Harder (Theology); Lecturer Leeb (Theology).

Objectives. The Gender Studies minor offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the lives of women and men, especially on the nature of social and cultural constructs that give meaning to the biological difference of sex. The fact that persons are male and female takes on a complex of meaning that can be explored through study of literature and the arts, religion, history, society and social institutions, the professions, human psychology and development, and life sciences. This program, by including courses that study women in culture, society, and history, and that include the best of a growing body of feminist theory and research, also intends to help correct a tradition of scholarship and teaching that has ignored the contributions and concerns of women. Overall, the program will give both men and women a better sense of identity and possibility, and will foster greater understanding of the complex ways in which we, for good and for ill, are influenced by culture and society.

Requirements. A minimum of 15 credit hours (normally five courses) constitutes a minor. Each student must take GNST 201, Introduction to Gender Studies, plus one course in social or life sciences and one course in the humanities or fine arts. The remainder of the program (normally two courses) are elective. All courses should be chosen from a list of courses approved each year by the committee. Regularly offered courses approved by the committee include:

Core Requirement

GNST 201 Introduction to Gender Studies 3 Cr.

Social and Life Sciences

ECON 233 Economics of Race and Gender 3 Cr.

PSY 390 Topics (when appropriate) 3 Cr.

SOCW 210 Social Welfare: Policy and Services 3 Cr.

SOCW 330 Vulnerable Populations: Color, Gender and Orientation 3 Cr.

SOCW 390 Colloquium (when appropriate topic) 3 Cr.

SOC 220 The Family 3 Cr.

SOC 275 Systems of Social Stratification 3 Cr.

SOC 340 Gender 3 Cr.

NUR 322 Women and Their Health 3 Cr.

Humanities and Fine Arts

ART 311 Art History and Feminism 3 Cr.

ART 318 Nineteenth Century European Art 3 Cr.

COMM 145 Interpersonal Communication 3 Cr.

ENGL 390 Topics (when appropriate) 3 Cr.

HIST 316 The Great Witchcraft Delusion 3 Cr.

THEO 317 The New Testament in Its Cultural Environment 3 Cr.

THEO 326 History of Women in the Church 3 Cr.

THEO 343 Theology of Marriage and Sexuality 3 Cr.

CC 300 Love and Friendship 3 Cr.

CC 300 Inventing the Body 3 Cr.

CC 300 Faith and Feminism 3 Cr.

GNST 201. Introduction to Gender Studies.

Cr. 3. An introductory course exploring the issues in gender construction within our society together with the ways that gender issues have affected the various disciplines within the university. This course is intended to introduce the student to the gender studies minor as a foundation for studying the issues related to gender in the other courses included in the minor.

Many additional courses for the minor will be offered as topics courses and departmental seminars, each of which must be approved and will be publicized by the administrative committee each year. Students wishing to use a course not listed above must have the course approved by the administrative committee prior to enrolling in the course.