Gender Studies (B.A., B.S.)

This course provides an overview of key contemporary theories, concepts, issues, and debates in Gender Studies as well as an overview of the historical roots that inform this interdisciplinary area of study. Students will also conceptualize and develop an applied gender-project. While topics may vary by instructor expertise and state of the discipline, currently, focus will be placed upon intersectionality (categories such as gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, citizenship status, social class, caste, ability, and age interlock and work together), transnationalism (no matter one's location or awareness, one is connected to others in different parts of the world) and masculinities (analysis of masculine social formation and feminist masculinities). Students will glean an overview of the field of Gender Studies and its emergence from Women's Studies and advocacy for women's rights. Students will become familiar with key concepts from current gender scholarship. As professors encounter current scholarship they will change the course content to reflect the latest debates in the field. Upon completing the course, students must be able to show that they can conceptualize and complete a substantial project with real-world applications that they can then share with other students.
Prerequisite(s): Minimum sophomore standing.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

See PHIL 3270 Feminist Theories.

An exploration of the varieties of contemporary feminist thought. We will examine ideas of convergence among feminist philosophers but also attend to the issues that divide them. Special consideration will be given to race, class, and gender both in terms of the sex/gender distinction and theorists who argue against this distinction. Having established that feminism is not a single, homogeneous system, we will also explore the local, national, and global implications of feminisms for the 21st century.
Cross listed with GEND 3270.

See COMM 3400 Communication and Gender.

This course offers an exploration of theories of the creation and perpetuation of gender and gender roles through communication. In turn, students will consider the question of the impact of gender on communication. Students will examine gender in a variety of contexts including families, schools, and media.
Cross listed with GEND 3400.

See SOC 2360 Gender and Society.

See SOC 3360 Gender and Society.

See SOC 3360 Gender and Society.

This course uses the sociological perspective to explore sex and gender relations as major features of social life. It considers the social construction of gender (including the creation of masculinities and femininities) and examines the impact of gender ideologies on the social positions of women and men. In particular, it emphasizes the way these social positions (such as gender, race, social class, sexualities, etc.) create and perpetuate the inequalities embedded in its social institutions (like the family, economy/work, religion, media, etc.) This course is cross listed with GEND 3360 and meets with SOC 2360/GEND 2360. The requirements of the 3360 course are the same as the 2360 course EXCEPT that students in the higher course number complete an additional project as determined by the instructor.
(Normally offered alternate years.)

A supervised, experiential learning opportunity in which the student works with an agency dealing with gender concerns. Students prepare weekly written reports and a reflective paper at the close of the semester. All students enrolled in the practicum will meet regularly with the faculty coordinator to discuss their internship activities and their relevance to gender studies. No P/F.
Pre or corequisite(s): GEND 3000 Perspectives in Gender.

See THTRE 2050 Dramatic Literature: Gender and Sexuality.

This speaking-instructive dramatic literature class examines how varieties of feminisms and cultural diversity have been represented in dramatic literary works. By reading, discussion, reflecting in writing and making oral presentations about a variety of dramatic works drawn from diverse perspectives students will utilize recent scholarship in gender and sexuality studies to analyze how assumptions about gender and/or sexualities have contributed to inequalities, choices, biases, oppression and/or empowerment in the culture and time periods in which the plays were written and produced.
Cross listed with GEND 2050.

An introductory course designed to help students appreciate the literary record of human relationships with nature, the supernatural, and each other. Each course examines a particular question or condition as it is represented in a restricted number of literary works, with core readings from the Bible, Greek or Roman classical literature, Shakespeare, literature by women, and literature by writers of color. Current offerings include the following:
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing.
Encountering Others- This course looks at texts that represent moments of contact, conflict, or exchange between different cultures, or between a society and those individuals the society has designated as 'different' in some crucial way.
Coming of Age- Becoming Women, Becoming Men This course looks at texts that represent the forces and processes that are part of maturation, especially those related to gender identity. This course focuses on gender issues and includes feminist perspectives. Note: This course also counts for Gender Studies credit.
Families and Relationships- This course will examine how writers from different historical eras and cultural contexts write about family, in every sense of that word.
Writing the Self 'Who am I?'- This is the quintessential question that all human beings ask. This course examines how writers from different historical eras and cultural contexts use various narrative strategies to construct a sense of self. We will also examine numerous theories that seek to explain what constitutes the 'I' that locates the self as a palpable center of self-awareness, as well as how genre influences the accounting of personal history.
Sexualities- This course is designed to help students appreciate the literary record of romantic relationships. Specifically, the course will explore how writers from different historical periods and cultural milieus address the issue of human sexuality. Note: same-sex relationships will be routinely read about and discussed in the class. Note: This course also counts for Gender Studies credit.
Law and Justice- The courtroom is a place where one's telling and interpretation of stories can mean the difference between life and death, so the analysis of literature and the practice of the law are already intertwined. This course explores the connection further by focusing on literary works that deal with the principle of justice and the application of law.
Revolution- This course looks at texts that represent moments of sudden change, upheaval, and transformation, both within societies and within individuals.
Religion and Spirituality- Religion is a virtually universal constant in recorded human history, but answers of different religions to humankind's big questions have varied enormously. What is the origin and purpose of evil? What is death? What things should be held sacred? What is the nature of the divine? How should we treat other people - and should we distinguish between those who share our beliefs and those who do not? This course will study some of the ways these questions have been answered, from most ancient times to the present.
The Environment- How are nature and the natural world imagined through literary texts? In the western tradition, "nature" is usually considered separate from humanity - a passive landscape designed to be dominated and used by humans for human purposes. What is the origin of this cultural attitude? What alternative views do we find in the history of western literature? What does the literary record of nature look like in some non-western cultural traditions? Is nature best understood as a universal category apart from human culture or is the idea of nature created by human culture? This course will explore such questions by reading texts from different eras and cultural traditions.
War- Virtually every culture has experienced war, and cultures often define and understand themselves through the memories of their wars. Literature about war, from western civilization's founding epic, Homer's Iliad, to blogs maintained by contemporary soldiers, provides us with not only some of our most memorable images of courage, loyalty, and self-sacrifice, but also compelling evidence of war's cruelty, horror, and senselessness; its themes encompass both enormous historical and cultural change and the most intimate, personal suffering.

See ENG 2200 Topics in World Literature: Sexualities.

Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Cross listed with GEND 2200.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
(Normally offered every fall and spring semester.)

See PHIL 2300 Philosophies of Race and Gender.

Most Americans have some understanding of how the categories of race and gender influence our personal and social identities. Yet many Americans also assume that race and gender are "natural," i.e., that we are born into a certain race and naturally embody a certain sex. In this course, we will examine these assumptions by reading, discussing, and critically assessing the arguments for and against the "naturalness" of race and gender. We will consider how categories of race and gender position us, historically and philosophically, as a person of a certain "type" from whom certain behaviors are expected. We will look at socio-economic conditions and philosophic positions that support or challenge racism, sexism, classism, segregation, and violence.
Cross listed with GEND 2300P.
(Normally offered alternate years.)

See RELIG 2300 Women and Religion.

This course will examine the roles and views of women in religious traditions. Students will encounter scholarship on gender, religion, and feminist theology in different traditions. The primary focus of this course will be on the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, although other traditions and contemporary religious movements may be considered.
Cross listed with GEND 2300R.
(Normally offered every year.)

See SOCWK 2350 Family Violence Across the Lifespan.

This course will expose students to the various types of violence experienced by individuals and families across their lifespan. An introduction to various theories used in working with survivors of abuse will be presented and students will learn about bruises and fractures associated with child abuse. The influence of societal "isms", culture, gender, and sexual orientation related to violence will be incorporated into the material being discussed.
Cross listed with GEND 2350.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

See HIST 2370 History of Women in the United States.

An introduction to the experiences of women in the United States from colonization to the present, with an examination of cultural meanings attached to gender; various social inequalities in access to institutions, activities, and resources; and women's status, well being, and power in American society. The course investigates the lives of women from various social, ethnic, and racial groups, analyzing the ways that they affected one another. The course emphasizes sexuality, reproduction, and maternity, and also covers politics, law, work, education, and other issues in women's lives. This course includes a service learning component.
Cross listed with GEND 2370.

See HIST 4530 Queens, Crusaders, and Wonder Women.

See HIST 4530 Queens, Crusaders, and Wonder Women.

See HIST-4530.

A study of women’s leadership and public speech across time and place, emphasizing the gendered nature of power, how it has been deployed and interpreted. This course begins in the Ancient World and then studies female leaders such as Cleopatra, and Elizabeth I, along with women who have instigated reform in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and North America. HIST 4530 meets with HIST 3530. The requirement of the courses are the same EXCEPT that a research paper is required for students in 4530.

See SOC 2380 Women and Crime.

See SOC 3380 Women and Crime.

See SOC 3380 Women and Crime.

This course uses a sociological perspective to explore gendered issues that women face as perpetrators, victims, and workers in the criminal justice system. As such, students will explore theories and empirical studies related to offending, victimization, and employment. This course is cross listed with GEND 3380 and meets with SOC 2380/GEND 2380. The requirements of the 3380 course will be the same as the 2380 course EXCEPT that students in the higher course number conduct an additional major project as determined by the instructor.

See PSYCH 2550 Psychology of Women.

An investigation of psychological theories and issues relating to the psychology of women from a feminist perspective. Gender bias in traditional psychological theories, research, and practice will be evaluated in relation to women's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Students will gain a better understanding of women's psychology across the lifespan and how other interacting constructs such as race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, nationality, and disability influence women's experiences. The social and political implications of how we understand women and gender will be explored, and emphasis will be placed on envisioning possibilities for individual (psychological) and social change.
Cross listed with GEND 2550.

See PSYCH 2650 Psychology of Gender.

Theories and research exploring how gender is constructed in American culture are introduced in this course. Topics include the construction and propagation of gender roles, differences between men and women in various domains, gender identity, sexuality, romantic relationships, and roles within work and family. 
Cross listed with GEND 2650.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing.
(Normally offered each spring semester.) 

See POLSC 2700 Women and Power.

This course examines the participation of women in society and politics, and their ability to influence the policy decisions related to the issues of concern to them. The course will take a cross-national persepective, although primary emphasis will be women in Middle Eastern and South Asian societies.
Cross listed with GEND 2700.

See MUSIC 2830 Music and Gender.

From Hildegard von Bingen to Nicki Minaj, this course examines the ways in which social constructions of gender have shaped the interpretation, reception, and historical narratives of popular, classical, and traditional music styles. Through historiography and musical analysis, we will discuss systems of domination and subordination along with stereotyped and biased assumptions about women and men pertinent to the music of specific cultures and time periods.
Cross listed with GEND 2830.

See MUSIC 2850 Sex and the Arts.

Including films, music videos, and musicals this course examines varied depictions of sexualities in the arts (defined broadly), especially those that intersect with music. Students will also discuss the ways in which social constructs of gender have shaped those works and their reception. By analyzing specific pieces we will discuss systems of domination and subordination along with stereotyped and biased assumptions about women, men, and individuals across the gender spectrum.
Cross listed with GEND 2850.

An opportunity for a student to engage in an individually arranged project supervised by a member of the Gender Studies faculty. Special Projects may not duplicate courses described in the catalog. P/F Only.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.

A supervised, experiential learning opportunity in which the student works with an agency dealing with gender concerns. Students prepare weekly written reports and a reflective paper at the close of the semester. All students enrolled in the practicum will meet regularly with the faculty coordinator to discuss their internship activities and their relevance to gender studies. No P/F.
This course does not fulfill a core requirement for the major.
Corequisite(s): GEND 3000 Perspectives in Gender or permission of the program director.

See ENG 3410 Women Writing Across Cultures.

Fiction and essays by women from various cultures (including the U.S., Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean) will be the focus of this course. The multicultural, international reading list will provide students insight into the lives and experiences of women most likely very different from themselves; thus they can appreciate and learn from the differences and make connections across cultures.
Cross listed with GEND 3410.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and sophomore standing.

See HIST 3550 Women of the American West.

See HIST 4550 Women of the American West.

See HIST 4550 Women of the American West.

This course highlights women's experiences in the American West from precontact to present, and explores topics of myth and stereotypes; women's roles in the home, family and community; and racial, class and ethnic differences in women's experiences.
HIST 4550 is cross listed with GEND 4550 and meets with HIST 3550/GEND 3550. The requirements of the courses are the same EXCEPT that a research paper is required for students in 4550.

See THTRE 3730 Gender and the Art of Film.

This course will examine representations of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny in primarily U.S. film. Students will learn to recognize and evaluate elements of film art. Using variety of film theories, we will analyze Hollywood and independent movie images of men and women for the messages conveyed about gender roles and expectations. The course provides instruction in filmmaking and public speaking.
Cross listed with GEND 3730.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

See PSYCH 3300 Transgender Identities.

What does it mean to be transgender?  What can transgender identities tell us about larger societal gender systems? This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of transgender issues in the United States.  Students will investigate the variety of transgender identities, the lived experiences of transgender people, and the differing perspectives surrounding transgender issues.  Topics will include explanations of gender diversity, discrimination, elements of gender transitions, medical and psychological treatment options, and gender privilege. 

See MUSIC 3830 Music History: Gender and Sexuality.

This course provides a rigorous and detailed examination of select pieces across the Western music tradition related to gender and/or sexuality, and also explores the relationships between music, history, and culture. Through historiography and musical analysis, we will discuss systems of domination and subordination along with stereotyped and biased assumptions about women and men pertinent to the music of specific cultures and time periods. The course is designed to:1) provide students with a foundational knowledge of key genres and social/cultural background from different historical periods across the Western music tradition; 2)  give students a sophisticated understanding of the cultural, aesthetic, stylistic, and performance practice issues related to select pieces, using scholarly articles, source readings, and stylistic analysis (scoring, dynamics, rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, form).
Cross listed with GEND 3830.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing and permission of the instructor.

This course is designed to help students understand, use, and evaluate the quantitative, qualitative, and rhetorical methods Communication scholars employ to investigate and write about their scholarship.  Application of each method will be achieved via a semester-long case study conducted at a Lincoln nonprofit organization.  Additionally, by reading a variety of social scientific research articles, students will understand how operational definitions, theories, research questions and hypotheses, a literature review, and data analysis work together to support written research reports or proposals.  The semester will culminate with an original scholarly research report using appropriate APA style. This report will also be presented in a public forum.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing and COMM 2300 Communication Theory (may be taken concurrently) or permission of instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)

A course in the theory and development of literary criticism including a general overview of theories of literary criticism before the 20th-century and 20th-century critical theories.
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing.

This course introduces students to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and its statistical procedures. The course will teach students how to run programs with the software and to interpret the output from those programs. Students will enter, edit, and learn how to analyze data using SPSS.
Prerequisite(s): Political Science major or department chair approval.
Corequisite(s): POLSC 3010 Research Methods I: Design/Qualitative Methods and POLSC 3020 Research Methods II: Quantitative Methods/Project Implementation.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

This course teaches the basics of research in political science, including questions of design and measurement. Students will also learn different qualitative research designs such a focus groups, interviews, case studies, and field work.
Corequisite(s): POLSC 2000 Introduction to Statistics and SPSS and POLSC 3020 Research Methods II: Quantitative Methods/Project Implementation.
Prerequisite(s): Political Science major or department chair approval.

This is the second of the Research Methods course sequence. It introduces quantitative research methodology and the carrying out of a research project. Students will carry out the research design prepared in Research Methods I and learn about how to test their hypothesis quantitatively.
Corequisite(s): POLSC 2000 Introduction to Statistics and SPSS and POLSC 3010 Research Methods I: Design/Qualitative Methods.
Prerequisite(s): Political Science major or department chair approval.

A course designed to introduce, apply, and evaluate the basic research methods of psychology. Emphasis is placed upon problems of research design and analysis in the laboratory and in natural settings. Students conduct investigations applying various designs and methods building skills in interpreting findings and in written communications.
Three lectures and one lab per week.
Prerequisite(s): PSYCH 1010/PSYCH 1010FYW Introduction to Psychological Science and PSYCH 2100 Psychological Statistics.
(Normally offered each semester.)

In this course, students are introduced to quantitative research methods commonly used in social science research: survey research, experimental design, secondary analysis, and evaluation research.  Emphasis is on survey research, including project design, questionnaire construction, sampling, data collection, statistical analysis, and formal presentation of results.  Key elements of the course are learning to ask researchable questions and formulate testable hypotheses.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology and any Statistics course (SOC 2910 Social Statistics is preferred.)
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

In this course, students are introduced to qualitative research methods commonly used in social science research.  Emphasis is on individualized project design, project construction, data analysis, and formal presentation of results.  Course content includes exploration of observation, participant observation, ethnography, in-depth interviewing, focus groups, content analysis, case study, and online qualitative innovations in research.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

This course is designed to guide students in their reading and collecting as they prepare for GEND 4990 Thesis Writing, the course in which they will write their senior thesis. Students will complete several low-stakes writing assignments to help them summarize, reflect on, sort and evaluate the evidence they encounter.
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing and the permission of the instructor.

A student will complete a research project or senior thesis under the direction of at least two Gender Studies faculty members. The student will present an oral defense of the thesis.
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing and permission of the supervising Gender Studies faculty members.