To view GWS courses offered during a specific semester, visit the online University Course Catalogue. Select the semester desired from the drop-down menu, then type "GWS" in the Course Prefix box or select GWS from the drop-down menu. There may also be GWS courses listed under the general "A&S" prefix or as Discovery Seminar Program "DSP" courses. Note that actual course offerings are subject to change, but this guide will provide the most current information available.
FALL 2026 COURSES
GWS 600-001: POLITICS OF MEMORY
INSTRUCTOR: MEL STEIN
MEETING TIMES: M 3:30-6:00
Selected topics of theoretical or substantive interest in women’s studies with special attention to topics of contemporary relevance.
This course will interrogate the politics of memory, an issue with considerable contemporary resonance and urgency—including contestations over history curriculum in U.S. schools, the removal of confederate statues, efforts to combat Holocaust denial, legislation to ban critical race theory, and the creation of markers at sites associated with slavery such as the Take Back Cheapside movement here in Lexington, to name just a few examples. It will consider how we remember—or forget, bury, or deny—difficult moments from our collective histories, and the ways that the present shapes our interpretations of and narratives about the past, particularly in regard to race and gender. Other topics include generational trauma and epigenetics, the gendered politics of the archive, and public memory. This course counts toward requirements for the GWS graduate certificate, PhD, and other degrees as appropriate and meets the cross-cultural requirement for the graduate certificate.
FALL 2026 COURSES
GWS 600-001: POLITICS OF MEMORY
INSTRUCTOR: MEL STEIN
MEETING TIMES: M 3:30-6:00
Selected topics of theoretical or substantive interest in women’s studies with special attention to topics of contemporary relevance.
This course will interrogate the politics of memory, an issue with considerable contemporary resonance and urgency—including contestations over history curriculum in U.S. schools, the removal of confederate statues, efforts to combat Holocaust denial, legislation to ban critical race theory, and the creation of markers at sites associated with slavery such as the Take Back Cheapside movement here in Lexington, to name just a few examples. It will consider how we remember—or forget, bury, or deny—difficult moments from our collective histories, and the ways that the present shapes our interpretations of and narratives about the past, particularly in regard to race and gender. Other topics include generational trauma and epigenetics, the gendered politics of the archive, and public memory. This course counts toward requirements for the GWS graduate certificate, PhD, and other degrees as appropriate and meets the cross-cultural requirement for the graduate certificate.
GWS 650-001: FEMINIST THEORY
INSTRUCTOR: CAROL MASON
MEETING TIMES: T 3:00-5:30
An interdisciplinary course addressing issues in contemporary feminist theory (such as intersections of race and gender, the body, ideology and representation, sexuality, etc.). This course is required for GWS PhD and GWS graduate certificate students.