46 courses with the subject WGS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
Effective Date 03/07/2017 Special Topics in Women, Gender & Sexuality.
Effective Date 01/01/2015 An introduction to gender studies, including the fields of women’s studies, feminist studies, LGBT studies, & masculinity studies. Students will examine historical movements, theoretical issues, & contemporary debates, especially as they pertain to issues of inequality & to the intersection of gender with race, class, sexuality, & nationalism. Topics will vary according to the interdisciplinary expertise & research focus of the instructor.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 We see scientific claims as objective and the pinnacle of knowledge; this gives them power to shape how we understand identities and imagine social transformation. Because science has this cachet, it can be used to make oppression seem natural and inevitable—think of the role of race science in supporting colonialism and slavery. Feminist and queer thinkers have spent decades grappling with science and imagining new, feminist, sciences as part of the interdisciplinary subfield of FSTS. Requisites Students cannot enroll if they previously completed WGS 2559 Topic #27 Feminist Science Studies
Effective Date 08/01/2026 What distinguishes the artistic or educational from the pornographic? This course asks how ideas of obscenity have been constructed, focusing on gender, race, and sexuality. Alongside feminist and queer scholarship, readings include personal essays, historical documents, news articles, and documentaries. We will address how ideas of obscenity shape issues including internet censorship, reproductive healthcare, and histories of feminism. Requisites Students cannot enroll if they previously completed WGS 2559 Topic #29 Dangerous Bodies
Effective Date 11/07/2017 Special Topics in Women, Gender & Sexuality vary by semester.
Effective Date 05/01/2026 The course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of women, gender & sexuality
Effective Date 09/05/2019 Examines human sexuality from psychological, biological, behavioral, social, and historical perspectives. Topics include sexual research and theoretical perspectives, sexual anatomy and physiology, sexual health, intimacy, communication, patterns of sexual response and pleasure and sexual problems and therapies. Course will also include examination of the development of sexuality and the intersections of other identities, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexuality and the law, sexual assault, and other social issues in sexuality. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 2559 topic 21: Human Sexualities
Effective Date 03/13/2025 This course will examine the portrayal of sex and sexuality in a variety of shows on television streaming platforms through the lens of media studies and intersectional, feminist and queer theory. The analysis will address the ideologies, narratives, values and ethics the shows impart. Topics include: the interdisciplinary meaning and representation of sexual orientation, queerness, sexual health, sexual harm, and notions of joy and pleasure.
Effective Date 08/01/2023 “What is understood as “”masculine”” has varied throughout time as well as across cultural contexts and distinct social groupings, it is equally true that most historical periods, cultures, groups, etc. believe their own understandings of masculinity to be universal. In this course, we will deconstruct this. From this class, you should be able to think critically about where men and masculinity have been, where they are going, and what this might mean more generally for gender relations and gender inequality.”
Effective Date 09/22/2020 Motherhood, mothering practices, and maternal identities have long been crucial elements of human existence that have not received the level of attention or support that their importance calls for. This course takes an interdisciplinary look (inc. anthropology, feminist theory, media studies, philosophy, psychology, sociology) at scholarly conceptualizations of “good” mothering and analyzes depictions of mothering practices. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 3559 topic 56 The Politics of Motherhood
Effective Date 03/03/2022 Explores major debates, key ideas, and historical developments in women, gender, & sexuality theory. Students will gain familiarity with queer, trans, and feminist theory, including Black, Native, socialist, crip, and other approaches. Will consider the different methods that gender & sexuality scholars have used to explain the social world, and why such explanations are vital to WGS. Course emphasizes reading, discussion,and critical writing.
Effective Date 01/01/2026 Students will be exposed to reading ancient texts from the Sanskrit ecumene which speak of plural modes of gender, of the organization of gender-segregation and economic life. Only after that do students read the histories of European colonial laws and administration that shifted older codes, and reconstituted old social-political formations.
Effective Date 08/01/2022 This course places women, feminism, and activism in a transnational perspective, and offers students the opportunity to examine how issues considered critical to the field of gender studies are impacting women’s lives globally in contemporary national contexts. We will look closely at how violence, economic marginality, intersections of race and gender, and varied strategies for development are affecting women in specific geographical locations.
Effective Date 03/26/2024 The phrase, “The first Pride was a riot” has long been repeated in LGBTQ+ circles. But what does this phrase mean, and what histories does it draw upon? What are the political histories of sexual and gender minorities in the United States beyond and before “Pride?” What are the current political stakes of Pride’s history as protest movement? What queer political futures are on the horizon? This course explores such questions. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 3559 topic #68 Queer Politics
Effective Date 08/01/2022 Offers a study of race-racialization in relation to gender-sexuality. Consider how the concept of race shapes relationships between gendered selfhood & society, how it informs identity & experiences of the erotic, & how racialized gender & sexuality are created-maintained-monitored. With an interdisciplinary perspective, we will consider how race & power are reproduced & resisted through gender & sexuality, individually-national-international.
Effective Date 08/01/2023 This course will examine how film has portrayed women’s sports and female athletes. We will explore how well the film industry has documented the history of women’s sports, issues important to female athletes such as race, sexuality, equality and issues of femininity, and we will look to see how well these productions stack up against films portraying male athletes and men’s sports.
Effective Date 01/01/2015 This course will examine female athletes from a global perspective, comparing and contrasting their experiences, and placing them in historical perspective. Among the topics considered will be the Olympic Games, Chinese sports schools, the post-apartheid athletic landscape of South Africa, and Iranian women athlete’s struggle against clothing restrictions.
Effective Date 12/09/2016 In ancient Greece, women risked death if they even attended the Olympic Games. As Pierre de Coubertin looked to revive the games in 1896, he thought women better suited to cheering on the male victors, than to competing themselves. This course will explore women’s early participation in the Olympic Games, the pressures upon Olympic sportswomen to be feminine, and the important intersections of race, class, and sexual orientation.
Effective Date 09/28/2017 Explore the intersection of gender and race in sport, specifically examining the African-American female experience in sport. This course will ask students to consider whether sport was (and continues to be) the great equalizer for both African-American sportsmen and sportswomen, and to evaluate their portrayals (or lack thereof) in both the white and black media.
Effective Date 08/01/2022 This course is an interdisciplinary analysis of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) Studies. We will study historical events and political, literary and artistic figures and works; contemporary social and political issues; the meaning and development of sexual and gender identities; and different disciplinary definitions of meaning and knowledge.
Effective Date 08/01/2022 Course focuses on 20th century history of LGBTQ activism, but will include formation of heterosexual and homosexual identities and historical constructions of sexual practices prior to the 1900s. From 20th c. the course will focus on the Homophile Movement, Gay Liberation, and ACT UP, among other activist movements. Although primary emphasis will be placed on historical activism, contemporary movements regarding LGBTQ-rights will be included.
Effective Date 01/01/2022 This course will explore the complex cultural dynamics of LGBTQ media visibility, along with its social, political, and psychological implications for LGBTQ audiences. It explores four domains: (1) the question of LGBT media visibility (2) the complex processes of inclusion, normalization, and assimilation in popular culture (3) media industries and the LGBT market (4) the relationship between digital media, LGBT audiences, and everyday life.
Effective Date 09/28/2023 From message boards to dating apps, sex and sexuality have been on the internet since its founding. At the same time, attempts to curb certain kinds of eroticism have long followed sexual content online. This course explores the ways that sexuality, eroticism, and desire have taken shape online, the ways it has been promoted and restricted, and the ways that marginalized groups have used the internet to take sexuality “into their own hands.” Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 3559 topic #65 Sex and Resistance on the Internet
Effective Date 01/01/2026 This course develops fundamental skills for critical thinking, researching, writing, and communicating in WGS. Students will learn methods for finding and analyzing sources, approaches to framing arguments, and skills for effective written and oral communication. Seminars are offered on a variety of topics. This class fulfills the Second Writing Requirement and Enhanced Writing Requirement.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 This course provides the opportunity to offer a new course in the subjects of women, gender and sexualities.
Effective Date 10/25/2022 The history of white supremacy & the heteropatriarchy includes denying sexual pleasure of marginalized communities. A major benefit of pleasure is empowerment, which threatens power structures & leads to restrictive practices & laws. This course focuses on queer activists & feminists of color who examine pleasure, systemic oppression, & the connection of inner desires & needs -physical, mental, & emotional -as a part of enacting social change. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 3559 Topic# 62 Pleasure Activism
Effective Date 08/01/2019 This course explores the significance of gender and sexuality in the territory of the present-day U.S. during the period from the first European settlements to the Civil War.
Effective Date 01/01/2014 This course explores the significance of gender and sexuality in the territory of the present-day U.S. during the period from the Civil War to the present.
Effective Date 08/01/2025 This course explores how Italian women writers have represented food in their short stories, novels and autobiographies in dialogue with the culture and society from late nineteenth century to the present. These lectures will offer a close reading of the symbolic meaning of food in narrative and the way it intersects with Italian women’s socio-cultural history, addressing issues of gender, identity and politics of the body.
Effective Date 08/01/2019 Cross-cultural readings in women’s childhood narratives. Emphasis on formal as well as thematic aspects.
Effective Date 03/13/2025 Provides a comprehensive introduction to the foundational concepts and theories underpinning social change with a focus on gender, equality/equity, and feminist issues. Students will explore the dynamic intersections of gender identity, social norms, power structures, and activism through interdisciplinary lenses including sociology, psychology, history, and critical theory.
Effective Date 03/13/2025 This course explores the diverse narratives and strategies of individuals and groups at the forefront of social justice movements. Through a critical examination of selected readings, students will engage with a variety of ideologies and approaches aimed at creating systemic change. While these activists may share common goals, their pathways to achieving these objectives differ significantly, reflecting a rich tapestry of thought and action.
Effective Date 01/01/2021 Introduction to dynamics of gender-based violence, the political and cultural structures that perpetuate it, and avenues for achieving social justice. Students will think critically about the (largely) domestic impact of this violence, and develop a practical understanding of how it intersects with other forms of oppression, by applying theory to real-world problems through experiential learning projects in the community and at the University. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 4800
Effective Date 08/01/2022 This course examines the politics of gender and sexuality in various Muslim societies since the 19th century. It covers a range of topics and themes, including historical, theological, political, and anthropological accounts of gender and sexuality discourses; various feminist movements; and sexuality, marriage, family, masculinity and LGBTQ issues. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 4559 topic 25
Effective Date 08/01/2012 Independent Study
Effective Date 09/28/2023 This interdisciplinary course introduces students to trans studies via Latin American and Latinx Studies. Through cultural and literary texts, performance art, visual culture, and activisms that highlight the imbrications of race, class, sex, gender, and nation, we examine travesti and trans of color critique; travesti activism and sexual politics; trans archival formations; and sex work as knowledge, history, and world-making practices. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 3559 topic #66 Transgender Studies in America
Effective Date 08/01/2026 As defining technology of the late-20th and early-21st century, the internet shapes the lives of its users, especially with mainstreaming. The internet has shaped our understandings of relating, meeting, and, of course, engaging in forms of sex and eroticism with one another. From old-school message boards to modern dating apps, from ASCII erotica to OnlyFans, sex and sexuality have been on the internet since its founding. As the memetic Avenue Q line goes: “The internet is for porn.” Requisites Students cannot enroll if they previously completed WGS 3559 Topic #65 Sex & Resistance on Internet
Effective Date 09/28/2023 This course investigates what and who feminist disability politics encompass. We will explore disability and ableism through their relations to interlocking structures of domination. We will link disability to anti-blackness, capitalism, empire and conquest, carcerality and policing, and cisheteropatriarchy. A major focus includes theories and practices of resistance. Students can develop creative projects alongside scholarly writing. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 4559 topic #42 Feminist Disability Politics
Effective Date 10/22/2021 This course emphasizes violence against minority groups. Particular attention will be paid to violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, although the class will also focus on forms of abuse against other historically-marginalized groups. Topics covered will include racist and sexist violence, sexualized abuse, including rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, and the politics of hate crime.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 Topics in Women, Gender & Sexuality vary by semester.
Effective Date 10/17/2024 This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject of studies of women and gender.
Effective Date 10/26/2021 This course examines central topics in global masculinity studies by expanding students’ awareness of non-US cultures. A panoramic view of masculinity from various countries, cultures and traditions enables further examination of beliefs in “manhood.” Themes will include the intersection between masculinity and colonization, nationalism, hegemony, fatherhood, marriage, initiation rituals, war/warriors, violence and health.
Effective Date 05/01/2023 Introduces students to some key & controversial theoretical texts that make up the emerging field of queer theory. The approach will be interdisciplinary, w/ an emphasis on literary, social, & aesthetic criticisms that may shift according the instructor’s areas of expertise. Active reading & informed discussion will be emphasized for the often unseen, or submerged, aspects of sexuality embedded in cultural texts, contexts, & litterateurs.
Effective Date 05/01/2023 This course provides an overview of the historical bases and contemporary developments in feminist theorizing and analyzes a range of theories on gender, including liberal, Marxist, radical, difference, and postmodernist ideas. We explore how feminist theories apply to contemporary debates on the body, sexuality, colonialism, globalization, transnationalism incorporating analyses of race, class, national difference and cross-cultural perspectives.
Effective Date 05/01/2023 This course critically examines key ideas, issues, and debates in contemporary Black feminist thought. With a particular focus on Black feminist understandings of intersectionality and womanism, the course examines how Black feminist thinkers interrogate specific concepts including Black womanhood, sexual mythologies and vulnerabilities, class distinctions, colorism, leadership, crime and punishment, and popular culture.
Effective Date 03/03/2022 This course will interrogate Black geographies in the Americas and the ways in which traditional geographies adhere to a racial-sexual logic. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we will examine Black thinkers’ and scholars’ concepts of geography and how their interventions allow us to think differently about place, space, and Blackness. Topics include maroon communities, abolition geography, plantation geographies, and demonic grounds. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken WGS 4559 topic #41 Black Geographies
Source: University of Virginia-Main Campus's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 59
