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Women and Gender Studies

Our Mission

The Women and Gender Studies Program at Clarion University is an interdisciplinary community where students gain an understanding of gender issues across cultures. Our values include respect for diversity, open-mindedness, and self-exploration.  We strive to cultivate supportive relationships for students and faculty, to make connections between personal experience and intellectual development, and to take action for social justice.  Our goal is for our graduates to be involved, informed and empowered citizens.

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Student learning outcomes

The success of the WGS Program can now be measured by the level at which students who elect to minor or concentrate in WGS achieve the following: 

Students will:

  1.  Demonstrate an interdisciplinary understanding of women and gender studies.
  2.  Analyze gender issues in a global context.
  3.  Recognize the gendered nature of power in interaction with race, ethnicity, class, age, ability, sexuality, region,    and religion at the institutional, interpersonal and individual levels. 
  4.  Demonstrate respect for and appreciation of differences.
  5.  Apply feminist theory and analysis to their major field of study.
  6.  Place their personal and professional experiences in a social and political context by evaluating women’s and men’s changing status in society. 
  7.  Advocate for and take action to promote social justice by feel comfortable exercising leadership, asking questions and standing up for their beliefs. 
  8.  Work collaboratively in an inclusive and civil manner, maintaining an open mind and engaging in constructive dialogue. 
  9.  Feel a sense of community connection and support resulting from civic engagement.

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WOMEN AND GENDER STUDIES
SPRING 2022 REGISTRATION

WGS 100: SURVEY OF WOMEN AND GENDER STUDIES (3 Credits)

C01 (1191) 1-1:50 p.m. MWF, 102 Davis, Welsch, K.

W01 (2247) Online Web-based, Pack, U.

Surveys women's studies topics offered in more advanced courses. Uses materials primarily from the social sciences to examine various topics from a feminist perspective. Examines diverse women's lives across the lifespan, feminist pedagogy, sex role socialization, women's relationships, women as students, and women in society and history, among other topics. No prerequisite.

COM 100: INTRO TO MASS MEDIA (3 Credits)

C01 (1041) 2-3:15 p.m. TR, 124 Becker,  Lyle, J.

Systematic study of mass media and their support industries. Includes historical and critical perspectives of legal, ethical and social issues surrounding the influence of the mass media on audiences, characteristics and functions of the mass media, career options, employment trends, and competencies required of a mass media professionals.

PSY 220: HUMAN SEXUALITY (3 Credits)

C01 (2192) 7-8:15 p.m. MW, 121 Harvey, Hollis, M.

Provides students with an overview of the area of human sexuality. Begins with an explanation of how human sexuality is studied. Includes a discussion of sex roles; the biological division of males and females; the physiology of the human sexual response cycle; and sexual behavior such as homosexuality, sexual coercion, and sexual dysfunctions. Covers health issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, pregnancy, and childbirth. No prerequisite.

ENGL 256: INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE AND SEXUALITIES (3 Credits)

W01, Online, Web-based, Downes, M.

Literature and Sexualities is particularly designed to introduce students to literary works, from various genres and time periods, that focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender identities (LGBT+). Through readings, lecture, discussion boards, and online presentations and projects, students will consider how literary representations of various sexualities – as well as representations of human bodies, genders, desires, and loves – are both constructed by cultures and social values and affect social values and cultures. The course will focus on several key moments in LGBT+ history (e.g., the rise of sexology; the AIDS crisis) and how LGBT+ authors have confronted those events. Students will explore how sexualities are affected by history, society, and literature and molded and constructed by other identities such as race, class, gender, and ethnicity.

ANTH 315: ENDING POVERTY (3 Credits)

W01 (2038) Online Web-based, Diamond, J.

Introduces the field of development anthropology, including its applied aspects. Explores the history of development theory; models of cultural change; contemporary issues of poverty and globalization; models of program design. Provides students with a practical background in project design, assessment, and management. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. Alternate years.

ENGL 317: IMAGES OF WORKING-CLASS LIFE (3 Credits)

V01 (1270) 12:30-1:45 p.m. TR, 404 Montv, Shawgo, R.

W01 (2245) Online Web-based, Shawgo, R.

V01 (1355) 12:30-1:45 p.m. T, 404 Montv, Shawgo, R.

Examines the experience of working-class people, both women and men, in fiction, poetry, song, drama, non-fiction, and film. From narratives of slave labor, to poems and songs about the industrial revolution, stories of the Great Depression and the rise of unions, to films about post-WWII affluence and the new global economy, this literature focuses on themes of class, identity, gender, cultural influences, and economic and political power as they explicitly relate to work, workers, and working conditions. Prerequisite: for ENG credit, ENGL 111 or equivalent; for Sociology credit, SOC 211. Offered as needed.

SOC 352: THE FAMILY (3 Credits)

C01 (1239) 12:30-1:45 p.m. TR, 104 Founders, 104 Tienes, J.

Deals with development of the family and the home in its historical, economic, and legal aspects. Considers the various factors influencing the organization, disorganization, and reorganization of the family, as well as the modern trends in the basic institution. Prerequisite: SOC 211 or permission of the instructor.

SOC 362: RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS (3 Credits)

W01C (1198) Online Web-based, Walsh, J.

W01W (1220) Online Web-based, Walsh, J.

Background of racial and ethnic identity. Examines contemporary aspects of inter-ethnic and inter-racial group relations. Considers proposals for alleviating and resolving problems and their implications. Prerequisite: SOC 211 or permission of the instructor. Once annually.

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For additional information on the WGS program, please contact Cindy Welsh at English and Modern Languages.

Program Secretary                         
Cindy Welsh            202 Davis Hall      814 393 2482     cwelsh@clarion.edu

Program Student Assistant
Marisa Chetsko           207 Harvey Hall      814 393 2720   
Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday

Last Updated 10/29/21