Gender Studies
Wabash College prepares students for leadership and service in a diverse and changing society. Central to this mission, the Gender Studies minor equips students with the vocabulary and theories to investigate gender, sex, and sexuality. Through this program, students examine how diversity and intersectionality shape our lives, and they gain tools to promote equality and challenge systems of oppression.
Graduates emerge well-prepared for careers in law, government, human services, education, the arts, media, and clinical work. The minor also serves as excellent preparation for further graduate study in gender-related fields.
The Curriculum
The curriculum is structured to build knowledge progressively. Students begin with GEN-101 Introduction to Gender Studies, the foundational introductory course. They then explore specialized perspectives through three 200-level electives in at least two departments. As an interdisciplinary field, Gender Studies encourages analysis of gender issues across multiple academic disciplines. Finally, students complete GEN-390 Gen Studies Theories & Methods, an advanced course that deepens the theoretical framework established in GEN-101 Introduction to Gender Studies while critically examining some of the research methods students may have encountered during their electives.
The Gender Studies minor is administered by the Gender Studies Minor Steering Committee.
Program Student Learning Goals
1. Gender Studies Vocabulary and Theories: Students will explain gender studies vocabulary and theories.
2. Gender Studies as Interdisciplinary: Students will examine gender and sexuality through multiple factors and disciplinary lenses.
3. Critical Thinking: Students will evaluate and/or build ideas about gender, sex, and/or sexuality.
4. Diversity, Power, and Responsibility: Students will recognize how power functions in relation to diverse genders, sexes, and/or sexualities. This recognition will help students understand how to promote equality.
Requirements for the Minor
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | ||
| GEN-101 | Introduction to Gender Studies | 1 |
| Electives | ||
| Three credits from at least two different departments. | 3 | |
| Introduction to Philosophy: Nature | ||
| Fatherhood | ||
| World Cinema | ||
| Gender & Communication | ||
| Special Topics GEN: DIV 1 | ||
| Special Topics GEN: ART | ||
| Special Topics GEN: CLA | ||
| Special Topics GEN: ENG | ||
| Special Topics Gen: Mll | ||
| Special Topics GEN: MUS | ||
| Special Topic GEN: PHI | ||
| Special Topic GEN: REL | ||
| Special Topic GEN: RHE | ||
| Special Topics GEN: THE | ||
| Special Topics GEN: ECO | ||
| Special Topics GEN: EDU | ||
| Special Topic GEN: HIS | ||
| Special Topic GEN: PSC | ||
| Special Topic GEN: PSY | ||
| Theories and Methods | ||
| GEN-390 | Gen Studies Theories & Methods | 1 |
| Total Credits | 5 | |
Recommended Sequence of Courses
We encourage Gender Studies minors to begin with GEN-101 Introduction to Gender Studies in their freshmen or sophomore year, take elective courses (in any numerical order) during their sophomore and junior years, and enroll in GEN-390 Gen Studies Theories & Methods in spring of their junior or senior year, depending on its availability.
Although we recommend the above sequence, students may take courses in a different (i.e., non-numerical) order. They must, however, enroll in GEN-390 during the spring of their junior or senior year (whichever falls during an odd-numbered year).
Course Availability and Oversight
GEN-101 Introduction to Gender Studies is offered every semester, and GEN-390 Gen Studies Theories & Methods is offered in the Spring semester during odd-numbered years.
The availability of elective courses vary dramatically because they are organized by other departments and cross-listed with Gender Studies. To determine which electives will be offered during an upcoming semester, students should consult the Registrar's home page. (Click the course offerings link and then search for Gender Studies as the department.) If students are interested in a particular elective, they should consult with the department chair or professor of that course.
Each student’s minor will be supervised by the Chair of the Gender Studies Minor Steering Committee.
Senior Comprehensive Exams
Because Gender Studies is a minor only, students do not take department comprehensive exams in the discipline. However, a member of the Gender Studies Minor Steering Committee may serve as secondary field examiner on their senior oral examination.
GEN-101 Introduction to Gender Studies
This course introduces students to the
interdisciplinary field of gender studies by
exploring questions about the
meaning of gender in society. The course will
familiarize students with the central issues,
questions and debates in
Gender Studies scholarship by analyzing themes of
gendered performance and power in law, culture,
education,
work, health, social policy and the family. Key
themes may include but are not limited to the
relationship between
sex and gender, the legal and social workings of
the private / public distinction, the way that
disciplinary practices
code certain behaviors as masculine or feminine,
the intersection of gender with race and
ethnicity, the gendered
structure of power, the tension between
difference and equality, the production and
circulation of gender
expectations in the media, and the contested role
of the law in achieving equality. By course end,
students will
understand central themes and debates in the
field of gender studies, demonstrate a facility
with basic terms and
concepts of the field, apply methods of analyzing
gender to society and to their own life
experiences and
communicate effectively about these issues in
writing and speech
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Literature/Fine Arts, , History/Philosophy/Religion, Global Citizenship, Justice, and Diversity
GEN-200 Special Topics
Topics vary with each scheduled offering. Refer to
Student Planning's section information for
descriptions of individual offerings, and
applicability to distribution requirements.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-204 Introduction to Philosophy: Nature
This course will serve as an introduction to
philosophy by examining the ways philosophers have
used nature historically to justify the social
order: by identifying essences that prescribe
roles, legitimating social hierarchy by dividing
the world between what is closer to nature and
what overcomes or surpasses nature, distinguishing
between good and natural actions and bad and
unnatural ones, and distinguishing between culture
and the material of culture. This course will
examine the philosophical positions behind these
claims and critiques of these positions. The
course will take up the example of gender at
various places across the semester to think about
the implications of various conceptions of nature
in the history of philosophy. Students are
discouraged from taking more than one course
numbered 109 or below.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion, Global Citizenship, Justice, and Diversity
Equated Courses: PHI-104
GEN-205 Fatherhood
An introduction to the psychological research
into issues surrounding fatherhood. Topics to be
covered include the role of fathers in children's
development, the effect of being a father on
adult development, men's views on fatherhood, the
effect of fatherhood on romantic relationships,
and balancing work and home life.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: PSY-105
GEN-206 World Cinema
The course will survey non-Hollywood
international movements in the history of cinema.
It will explore issues of nation, history,
culture, identity and their relation to questions
of film production and consumption in
contemporary film culture. Emphasis will be
placed on major directors, films, and movements
that contributed to the development of narrative
cinema internationally. The course will
investigate a variety of genres and individual
films, paying close attention to their aesthetic,
historical, technological and ideological
significance. For example, African cinema
introduces themes of colonialism, resistance and
post-colonial culture, while the New Iranian
Cinema articulates problems of politics and
censorship within a new national film culture.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Literature/Fine Arts, Global Citizenship, Justice, and Diversity,
Equated Courses: THE-204
GEN-207 Gender & Communication
As a culture, we often take gender for granted.
Yet, our ideals of gender and sexuality are shaped
and influenced by communicative practices and
mass-mediated representations. This class examines
this process, exploring the question, "How does
rhetoric influence my understanding and practice
of gender and sexuality?" In pursuing answers,
students will develop relevant theoretical
vocabularies and pay particular attention to the
role of power and historical contexts.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Literature/Fine Arts, Global Citizenship, Justice, and Diversity,
Equated Courses: RHE-360
GEN-261 Special Topics GEN: DIV 1
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-271 Special Topics GEN: ART
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-272 Special Topics GEN: CLA
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-273 Special Topics GEN: ENG
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-274 Special Topics Gen: Mll
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-275 Special Topics GEN: MUS
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-276 Special Topic GEN: PHI
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-277 Special Topic GEN: REL
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-278 Special Topic GEN: RHE
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-279 Special Topics GEN: THE
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-281 Special Topics GEN: ECO
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-282 Special Topics GEN: EDU
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-283 Special Topic GEN: HIS
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-284 Special Topic GEN: PSC
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-285 Special Topic GEN: PSY
Explores diverse and current issues with focus on
the intersection of Gender Studies and another
academic discipline. Topics will vary by semester
and section. This course may be repeated for
credit when content differs.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-390 Gen Studies Theories & Methods
This course explores theoretical frameworks and
methodologies that currently shape the
interdisciplinary ?eld of Gender Studies. Students
critically analyze diverse public discourses
through such lenses as feminist thought, queer
theory, or decolonial theory. Students also
investigate how gender studies methods (e.g.,
standpoint theory, intersectionality) challenge
traditional assumptions regarding knowledge
production and offer transformative alternative
theories. To bridge the gap between theory and
practice, the course introduces students to
qualitative research methodologies tailored to
gender studies, such as oral histories, archival
research, and/or discourse analysis. Ultimately,
students develop a more sophisticated
understanding of contemporary debates in Gender
Studies and the investigative tools researchers
employ to explore them. This course is appropriate
for any student whose thinking and research could
be enhanced by these theories and methods. Offered
in Spring semester in odd-numbered years.
Prerequisites: Must have taken GEN-101.
Credit: 1
Distribution: Global Citizenship, Justice, and Diversity, History/Philosophy/Religion, Literature/Fine Arts
GEN-487 Independent Study
Individual research projects. The manner of study
will be determined by the student in consultation
with the instructor. Students must receive
written approval of their project proposal from a
department Chair before registering for the
course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
GEN-488 Independent Study
Individual research projects. The manner of study
will be determined by the student in consultation
with the instructor. Students must receive
written approval of their project proposal from a
department Chair before registering for the
course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
Gender Studies Minor Steering Committee
Jennifer Abbott, Rhetoric
Mollie Ables, Music
Crystal Benedicks, English (Co-Chair)
Eric Freeze, English, fall
Cory Geraths, Rhetoric
Cara Healey, Modern Languages
Theodora Kopestonsky, Classics
Aiala Levy, History
Lorraine McCrary, Political Science
Eric Olofson, Psychology
Noe Pliego Campos, History (Co-Chair)
Michelle Rhoades, History
Agata Szczeszak-Brewer, English
Adriel Trott, Philosophy
Heidi Winters Vogel, Theater
The Gender Studies Minor Steering Committee is typically composed of faculty who teach regularly for the minor. In order to develop a stable sense of identity for this interdisciplinary program, the general expectation is that to teach for the minor, faculty will serve on the committee. We recognize that this creates an additional obligation for those faculty, but the expectations for steering committee members are light. Faculty serving on the committee, and thus teaching for the minor, are expected to
-
teach a course once every three years
-
attend a meeting once a semester to discuss administrative matters regarding the minor
-
publicize the minor with students
In the event that a faculty member who is unable to meet these obligations wishes to offer or cross-list a gender studies course, they are welcome to submit their course to the Chair of the steering committee for consideration. While we make exceptions for extenuating circumstances, we encourage faculty who plan to teach courses that they want cross-listed on a regular basis to join the committee. The minor values regularity and predictability of courses and commitment of faculty above a wide range of offerings.