Spring 2009 Courses
WS 200: Introduction to Women’s Studies
Prof. Leslie Petty; TR 9:30-10:45
Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary field that draws on ideas from the humanities, social and natural sciences in order to analyze how humans construct notions about women, gender and sex and how these notions in turn affect the lived experiences of both men and women. In this introduction to the field, we will focus on understanding the concept of gender as a social construct and also examine how this concept is inextricably linked to and complicated by other factors such as ethnicity, sexuality, class and age (among other things).
Chinese 215: Women in Chinese Literature
Prof. Li Han; MWF 10:00-10:50
This course intends to introduce Rhodes students to the representation of women in Chinese literature. Our readings include poetry, biography, fiction, drama, memoir, religious script and film from early China to the 20th century. Although it is a course on the representation of female in Chinese literature, students are encouraged to adopt a comparative approach to bear on the study of this course. The course will not only allow students to look into the representation of gender relationships in Chinese culture, but it will also make a contribution to gender and sexuality studies here at Rhodes. All readings are in English. No prior knowledge of Chinese language and culture is required.
German 244/English 265-4: German Fairy Tales
Prof. Michelle Matson; MWF 2:00-2:50
This course introduces students to the origins of the Grimms’ tales, their variations, their predecessors, and their impact on western culture. We will discuss the history of the tales as well as learn to read and interpret them critically using more contemporary theoretical approaches from various disciplines (literature, psychology, political theory). We will also compare them to German literary fairy tales and to more modern variants of the tales. Since fairy tales deal with basic human experiences and relationships, they often tell us a great deal about gender roles. Furthermore, their influence on contemporary understandings of gender makes it compelling to explore this particular aspect of the tales in greater depth. All readings and class discussions in English, except for German majors.
Psychology 232: Psychology of Gender and Sexuality
Prof. Marsha Walton; TR 9:30-10:45
Students in psychology 232 will address questions about the role of gender in organizing human development and human sexuality. We will consider competing theories about the nature of gender and we will look at research evidence relevant to each. Student projects will consider the role of language in the construction of gendered selves and in the construction of sexual experience.
History 349: Black and White Women in the American South
Prof. Gail S. Murray; MWF 10:00-10:50
This course focuses on the agency of African American women from the colonial period to the present. At the same time, it highlights the challenges and successes of women’s interracial work in the South. Study materials include autobiography, history, letters, film, and essays. Students will work in pairs or triads to present a research project to the class.
English 380: Dante in Translation: the Poetics of the Body
Prof. Judith Haas; TR 11:00-12:15
This course will focus on the work of Dante Alighieri, the fourteenth-century Italian poet who translated his vision of the Christian afterlife into his epic poem The Divine Comedy. We will read a few of the works that Dante read—including parts of Virgil’s Aeneid and Augustine’s Confessions—and we will follow (at least) one of Dante’s preoccupations: the body and its relation to love, sin, and salvation. Dante’s poem, in its construction of the saintly Beatrice—Dante’s muse and spiritual guide—as well as its critique of courtly love, provides insight into medieval conceptions of gender and sexuality. In addition to primary texts, the course will include some theoretical readings, medieval and contemporary, on gender, sexuality, and the body.
All readings and discussion will be in English.
International Studies 432 Women in World Politics: Global Perspectives on Women’s Issues, Rights, and Movements
Prof. Amy Risley; TR 11:00-12:15
This course examines a number of contemporary issues that affect women around the world, including the “War on Terror,” rape and similar forms of gender violence, sex trafficking, economic globalization, and environmental destruction, among others. In addition to exploring how politics shapes women’s lives, we will discuss the numerous ways in which women influence politics at the domestic and international levels. Case studies of female suicide bombers, armed revolutionaries, “motherist” groups, and other actors will highlight the diversity of women’s political goals and strategies. Given the course’s broad geographic scope, these cases will be drawn from various countries and regions of the world. The course is designed to familiarize students with the growing body of scholarship on women and politics within the fields of comparative politics and international relations.
