Courses

2024-2025 Academic Year

WOMS 1110
Focus on Women I 0.5 unit
An introduction to Women’s Studies with emphasis on the diversity of women’s lives. Topics will include women’s relations to work, family, health, education, race, class, sexuality and violence. Note: Students who have received credit for WOMS 1102 may not take this course for credit. (Also listed under Canadian Studies)

WOMS 1112
Focus on Women II 0.5 unit
An introduction to Women’s Studies with emphasis on the diversity of women’s lives. Topics will include the historical, philosophical and representational foundation of women’s oppression. Note: Students who have received credit for WOMS 1101 may not take this course for credit. (Also listed under Canadian Studies)

WOMS 1114
Introduction to Queer Studies 0.5 unit
With a focus on the Canadian context, this course approaches sexuality and gender as social constructions. The class examines efforts to construct, control, and constrain sexual and gender identities, while highlighting the efforts of those who have resisted, rejected, and worked to reform institutionalized heterosexuality.

WOMS 2221
Women and Health 0.5 unit
An interdisciplinary course which exams issues in women’s health. Topics may include body image and size, reproductive control, childbirth, mental health, aging and menopause. The course examines the social practices and power arrangements in the treatment of women’s health.

WOMS 2223/POLS 2223
Women and Politics 0.5 unit
An examination of the role of women in politics, especially in Canada. Topics to be treated may include: the status of women in traditional political thought and the feminist response, the political involvement of women as citizens and legislators, and women’s access to power in different societies. (Also listed under Canadian Studies and Public Policy Studies)

WOMS 2231
Women and Culture 0.5 unit
An examination of the role women have played in the performing and visual arts, including theatre, music, dance, film and painting. The purpose of this course is to analyse from a feminist perspective how representations of women both reflect and create our culture. The course will focus particularly on women’s role as producers, consumers and content of art forms.

WOMS 2265/PSYC 2265
Psychology of Gender 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1110 and 1120, or WOMS 1110
Explore understandings of sex, gender and related identities embedded within interpersonal, familial and cultural contexts. Empirical and conceptual research is critically reviewed through feminist and social constructionist frameworks on topics such as “doing” gender, gender socialization, transgender, discrimination/leadership, and media portrayals.

WOMS 2281
Women and Caregiving 0.5 unit
An exploration of the social, economic, and ideological influences on the role of women as caregivers. The opportunities and consequences of women’s caregiving roles, in the family and in the paid labour force will be examined. The conflicts, contradictions and tensions in the work of caregiving will be investigated.

WOMS 2300/POLS 2300
Global Women and Gender Issues 0.5 unit
This course uses intersectional feminist and gender-based analysis to examine a variety of socio-cultural, economic and political issues within a global context. We study factors and circumstances affecting women’s lives around the world and examine gender construction from a holistic point of view that highlights diversity in communities.

SOAN 2570/WOMS 2570
Gender & Society 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): SOAN 1502 or permission of the instructor
An introduction to the feminist study of gender, including heterosexual and queer forms, examining changes in gender relations, gender inequalities and the social construction of gender. Different social institutions will be analyzed. Topics such as gender relations in work, family, politics, education, media, and socialization will be covered. Note: Students who have received credit for SOAN 2265 may not take this course for credit.

WOMS 3301
Selected Topics in Women’s Studies 0.5 unit
WOMS 3302
Selected Topics in Women’s Studies 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1110 and 0.5 unit of another women’s studies or departmental women-emphasis course at the 2000 level or above
A combined lecture-seminar course on a selected topic in women’s studies. Course content will vary from year to year, depending on the faculty member who is teaching the course.

WOMS 3305/FSGN 3305
Women and Aging 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): completion of 5.0 units of university credit, including 1.0 unit of WOMS or permission of the instructor
An examination of the unique roles and position of older women in contemporary society with an emphasis on how they are perceived and treated by society. Topics may include the variations in the psychological, health and socioeconomic status and needs of older women with implications for social policy.

WOMS 3309/GWGS 6617
Feminism and Knowledge 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1112
An examination of traditional and feminist theories of knowledge asking students to think about how, what and why they know what they know. What is knowledge? How do we know? And who can know it?

WOMS 3310
Women’s Studies Methodologies 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1112, a 0.5 unit of departmental women-emphasis course, or permission of the instructor
An examination of the ways in which women scholars have worked in a variety of disciplines. It will also deal with the new methodologies and insights on methodology which have emerged in the field of women’s studies. The course will include an applied research project in women’s studies.

WOMS 3311
History of Feminist Thought 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1112
An examination of feminist thought from the seventeenth century to the 1960s, with a study of selected texts representative of a range of feminist views. Topics for consideration may include the philosophical visions of religious reformers, rationalists, political radicals, Marxists, socialists, existentialists and liberal democrats.

WOMS 3312
Contemporary Feminist Thought 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1112
An examination of feminist writing from the 1970s to the present with a study of texts analysing women’s present and proposed roles in society. Feminist study of such subjects as identity politics, psychoanalysis, jurisprudence, literature, visual art, science and history will be considered.

WOMS 3313/RELS 3313
Women, Culture and Food 0.5 unit
An examination and exploration of the reproduction, production, consumption and representation of food as it relates to women in various cultural traditions. Issues include: food as sacred/profane, food rituals, food taboos, the material conditions of food production, globalization, women’s particular responsibility for food cross-culturally and the symbolic significance of food and women’s bodies.

WOMS 3322/POLS 3322
Politics and Sex 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1112 or 1.0 unit of POLS or permission of the instructor
An examination of the ways in which sexuality intersects with politics, identity and power. The course examines gender inequality and the extent to which women and men are embodied individuals subject to structures of power. Topics may include sexual violence, body politics, prostitution, pornography, religion and veiling, same sex marriage, and political sex scandals.

WOMS 3330/CULS 3330/GWGS 6330
Canadian Women Film Directors 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1110 and 0.5 unit of another women’s studies or departmental women-emphasis course at the 2000 level or above or permission of the instructor
A study of Canadian Women Film Directors’ contribution to narrative, documentary, experimental filmmaking and animation. Diverse directional styles and subject matter will be discussed in the context of sociohistorical changes that they reflect or resist. Readings will challenge dominant mainstream representation from various feminist perspectives and suggest alternate reception strategies. (Also listed under Canadian Studies)

WOMS 3341
Legal Status of Women 0.5 unit
A study of case law and current issues related to the status of women. (Also listed under Canadian Studies)

WOMS 3351/POLS 3351
Women, War and Peace 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 unit of women’s studies or 1.0 unit of political studies or permission of the instructor
An examination of women’s historical and contemporary relationship to war and peace. Topics may include the debate over matriarchy, patriarchy and war; women in the military; women and revolution; the women’s peace movement; and feminism and non-violence.

WOMS 3361/POLS 3361
Women, Social Policy and the Welfare State 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1110 and 0.5 unit of another women’s studies or departmental women-emphasis course at the 2000 level or above or 1.0 unit of political studies or permission of the instructor
An examination of social policies and issues of particular importance for women, including the history of the welfare state, women’s caring role in the family, the feminization of poverty, homelessness, and the impact of race and class on women’s experiences of the welfare state. (Also listed under Canadian Studies and Public Policy Studies)

WOMS 3365/PSYC 3365
Psychology of Women 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 2265 or 0.5 unit of a Women’s Studies course at the 2000 level or above
A study of the psychosocial issues that pertain specifically to women. The course will utilize a feminist empiricist perspective to critically review a variety of topics, including: feminist epistemological positions, gender construction across the lifespan, women and work, motherhood, health, intimate relationships.

WOMS 3371/SOAN 3371
Women, Resistance and Empowerment 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): 5.0 units of university credit including SOAN 1502 or WOMS 1112 and 0.5 unit of another women’s studies or departmental women-emphasis course at the 2000 level or above, or permission of the instructor
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to discuss and evaluate women’s experiences of resistance and empowerment in their everyday lives. Particular emphasis will be placed on the interrelationships among work, family and community, and the extent to which they are sites of resistance and empowerment for women.

WOMS 3391/POLS 3391
Gender and International Relations 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1110 and 0.5 unit of another women’s studies or departmental women-emphasis course at the 2000 level or above or 1.0 unit of political studies or permission of the instructor
An exploration of the relationships between gender, international relations theory and international organizations, from a feminist perspective. Topics will include the historical role of women in the United Nations and other international organizations; feminist analysis of international relations and development theory; and the global women’s movement. (Also listed under Public Policy Studies)

WOMS 3400/PHIL 3400/POLS 3400
Sex Work and Sex Trafficking 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 unit of PHIL or POLS or WOMS or permission of the instructor
An examination of the ways sex work and sex trafficking have been conflated and problematized. The course examines the arguments for and against prostitution and sex work, within the context of the globalized economy. Topics will include historical, philosophical, legal, policy and grassroots approaches to sex work and sex trafficking.

WOMS 3401/SOAN 3401
Ecofeminism and Ecological Justice 0.5 unit
Prerequisites: 5.0 units of university credit including SOAN 1502 or WOMS 1112 and 0.5 unit of another women’s studies or departmental women-emphasis course at the 2000 level or above, or permission of the instructor.
This course examines environmentalism from an intersectional feminist perspective. We study the socio-cultural and political dynamics that frame our relationship to the environment, and survey sustainability practices, activism, and policy from local and global perspectives, exploring feminist and liberation ecologies across borders.

WOMS 3572/SOAN 3572
Sex and Sexualities 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): 5.0 units of university credit, which must include SOAN 1502 or WOMS 1114, or permission of the instructor
A critical evaluation of the current social and political issues in sexuality studies, with a focus on contemporary issues around sexualities, including formation of sexual identities, communities, sexual practices and politics, sexualities and social control, questions of diversity, and the historical and global nature of ideas and controversies around sexualities.

WOMS 3573
Men and Masculinities 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 1110 and 1112 or permission of the instructor
An interdisciplinary introduction to the diverse experiences and public discourses about masculinities. Using a critical and feminist framework, students will examine how the gendered social order influences men’s actions and the way men perceive themselves, their wider social relationships, as well as prospects for social change. Note: Students who have received credit for SOAN 3573, SOAN 3380 in Summer 2014 or WOMS 3301 in Summer 2012 may not take this course for credit.

WOMS 4401
Directed Study 0.5 unit
WOMS 4402
Directed Study 0.5 unit
WOMS 4403
Directed Study 1.0 unit
Prerequisite(s): advanced standing and written permission from the department Chair
An open course permitting upper-level students to pursue in-depth study in a particular area of women’s studies. The student(s) and professor will design the program of study together.

WOMS 4406/BUSI 4406
Managing Diversity: Gender and Other Issues 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): at least 10.0 units of university-level courses
A seminar course that examines issues faced by women and minority groups in the work place. Topics include discrimination based on gender and other factors, a comparison of men and women in organizations, legal implications of discrimination and managing diversity. Note: Students who have received credit for BUSI 4407 may not take this course for credit.

WOMS 4407/ENGL 4407/GWGS 6607
Queer Theory 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 unit of ENGL at the 2000 or 3000 level or 1.0 unit of WOMS at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor
A study of theories of otherness and disruptions of heteronormative discourses. The course will examine the origins of queer cultural criticism as well as more recent theorizations, covering topics such as sexuality, gender, desire, performance, identity politics, trans studies, camp, psychoanalytic theories of identification, and the representation of AIDS. Note: Students may not take both ENGL 4407/WOMS 4407/GWGS 6607 and ENGL 4408 toward the minor in Writing.

WOMS 4411/GWGS 6611
Senior Seminar 0.5 unit
WOMS 4412/GWGS 6612
Senior Seminar 0.5 unit
Prerequisite(s): WOMS 3310. Open only to seniors, women’s studies majors, or by permission of the department
An advanced seminar on a selected women’s studies topic. Topic will vary from year to year.

WOMS 4499
Honours Thesis 1.0 unit
A major research project or essay, undertaken with the approval of the department under the supervision of a faculty advisor. The presentation of work-in-progress to a women’s studies colloquium is required.

Academic Note: This web-based calendar information is applicable for the 2024-2025 academic year which runs from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025.

For information on previous years, please consult the University Academic Calendars web page.