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. Note that actual course offerings are subject to change, but this guide will provide the most current information available.
SPRING 2026 GRADUATE COURSES:
GWS 600-001: TOPICS IN GWS: QUEER THEORY & CRITIQUE
INSTRUCTOR: ELLEN RIGGLE
MEETING TIMES: WED 3:30-6:00PM
Bulletin description for GWS 600: Selected topics of theoretical or substantive interest in women’s studies with special attention to topics of contemporary relevance. May be repeated to a maximum of nine credits under a different subtitle.
Topic: “Queer” is a versatile word that may be used as a noun, verb, adverb, or adjective; the word may denote something as different, extraordinary, or unconventional. “Theory” is a “system of ideas intended to explain something,” and is how people try to understand the world around them. “Critique” is the art of evaluation or assessment of ideas. Applied within gender and women’s studies, “queer theory” becomes a framework for critiquing existing explanations and building new narratives that go beyond the ordinary. In this course, we will begin by reading The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer; engage in reflexivity exercises; and learn forms of expression to support the art of breaking down assumptions and hegemonies, while creating new narratives and pictures to inform our discourse and how these can (re)visualize and (re)shape our world. We will read some classic qt works and expand the scope through a student-centered approach; students will be expected to engage with and help build out the syllabus based on their fields of study and expertise. [3 Credit Hours]. This course counts toward requirements for the GWS graduate certificate, PhD, and other degrees as appropriate.
GWS 630-001: SEMINAR IN FEMINIST RESEARCH METHODS
INSTRUCTOR: JENN HUNT
MEETING TIMES: TR 2:00-3:15PM
This course presents a variety of research methods used by Gender and Women’s Studies scholars. This course examines how research has been conducted in a range of fields within GWS, presents basic skills, commonly used methods, ethical issues, and social applications. Because Gender and Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary field, feminist scholars employ a wide range of methodologies in their research. In this seminar, we will discuss what constitutes feminist research and examine the research process, from generating research questions through writing and dissemination. We will begin the course by discussing epistemological and ethical questions related to feminist inquiry. We then will consider a range of methodologies, including participant observation, ethnography, interviewing and oral history, survey methods, archival analysis, and decolonial and participatory action research. Approximately one-third of class sessions will be workshops focused on developing skills, including writing good questions, coding qualitative data, engaging in field work, and writing for publication. Throughout the semester, students will examine the use of various methods in existing feminist scholarship and engage in hands-on research projects to gain experience with different methodologies. This course is required for the GWS PhD and counts toward the GWS graduate certificate and other degrees as appropriate.
GWS 700-001(Same as ENG 681-001): HITCHCOCK’S WOMEN
INSTRUCTOR: CAROL MASON
MEETING TIMES: MON 3:00-5:30PM
Intensive work in particular topics in Gender and Women’s Studies. Film director Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) is known as “the master of suspense” and “the original cinema influencer.” His movies have indelibly shaped world cinema and how we view women. This class presents a sliver of scholarship generated by his oeuvre with an aim to analyze how women are represented. For newcomers to Hitchcock, film studies, and American culture, we begin with a recent journalistic account, Hitchcock’s Blondes by Laurence Leamer. This first book familiarizes students with the popular representation of Hitchcock films (and why we study popular culture) and the longstanding perception that he had a “dark obsession” with his leading ladies. We will then read Tania Modleski’s The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitchcock and Feminist Theory (third edition), which delves into scholarly readings of particular films. Our third major text is Robert Corber’s award-winning In the Name of National Security: Hitchcock, Homophobia, and the Political Construction of Gender in Post-War America, which uses film to analyze historical eras and ideas. This course is designed to meet the students where they’re at, whether they are advanced doctoral students of film studies or master’s students new to the academic pursuit of studying gender and women. This course counts toward requirements for the GWS graduate certificate, PhD, and other degrees as appropriate.