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Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation
Introduction to Women`s and Gender Studies
Course: WST100

First Term: 2011 Fall
 Lecture   3 Credit(s)   3 Period(s)   3 Load  
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S


Description: Introduction to critical issues in women`s studies.



MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Describe the sociological and feminist perspectives on women`s lives. (I)
2. Describe the academic discipline of women`s studies. (I)
3. Summarize the history of the women`s movement. (I)
4. Describe biological sex differences. (II)
5. Describe the socialization and formation of gender identity. (II)
6. Describe sexism and gender stratification. (II)
7. Describe historical perspectives on women`s work. (III)
8. Describe the sociological perspectives on work and gender stratification. (III)
9. Describe the contemporary status of women in the workforce. (III)
10. Describe tokenism, sexual harassment, and women`s culture in the workplace. (III)
11. Describe current policies for economy equity for women. (III)
12. Describe historical perspectives on modern families. (IV)
13. Describe feminist perspectives on families and households. (IV)
14. Describe issues of contemporary households. (IV)
15. Describe common social problems of modern families. (IV)
16. Describe the social structure of health. (V)
17. Describe current reproduction issues affecting women. (V)
18. Describe the relationships between women and the health-care system. (V)
19. Describe the sociological perspectives of crime and deviance involving women. (VI)
20. Describe the extent and causes of criminality among women and their experiences in prison. (VI)
21. Describe the experiences of women as victims of crime and their relationship with the criminal justice system. (VI)
22. Describe liberal and radical perspectives on social change and the future of women. (VII)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.
 
MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Women`s Lives and the Sociological Perspective
   A. Feminism and the sociological imagination
   B. Women`s studies as an academic discipline
   C. History of women`s movement
II. Social Construction of Gender
   A. Biological sex differences
      1. Biological determinism
      2. Distinguishing sex and gender
   B. Socialization and the formation of gender identity
      1. Sanctions and expectations
      2. Race, culture, and gender identity
      3. Socialization across the life course
      4. Theoretical perspectives on the formation of gender
   C. Sexism and gender stratification
      1. Sexism as ideology
      2. Gender stereotyping in the English language
      3. Women`s depiction by the media
III. Women and Work
   A. Historical perspectives on women`s work
      1. Family-based economy and slavery
      2. Family-wage economy
      3. Family-consumer economy
   B. Sociological perspectives on work and gender stratification
      1. Work
      2. Gender stratification
      3. Class and status
      4. Cultural differences
   C. Contemporary status of women
      1. Labor-force participation
      2. Occupational distribution
      3. Earnings
      4. Unemployment and job displacement
      5. Poverty
   D. Work environments for women
      1. Tokenism
      2. Sexual harassment
      3. Women`s culture in the workplace
   E. Policies for economy equity
      1. Affirmative action
      2. Equal pay and comparable worth
      3. Political economy of housework
IV. Women, Families, and Households
   A. Historical perspectives on modern families
   B. Feminist perspectives on families and households
      1. Families as social units
      2. Men`s and women`s experiences of family life
      3. Families as economic systems
   C. Issues of contemporary households
      1. Measuring family status
      2. Divorce
      3. Division of labor
      4. Alternative lifestyles
      5. Racial/cultural issues
   D. Families and social problems
      1. Violence and abuse
      2. Adolescent pregnancy
      3. Child care
V. Women, Health, and Reproduction
   A. Social structure of health
      1. Gender issues
      2. Racial/cultural issues
      3. Aging issues
   B. Reproduction issues
      1. Birth control
      2. Abortion
      3. Pregnancy and childbirth
   C. Women and the health-care system
      1. Doctor/patient relationships
      2. Women`s health movement
      3. Women as health care workers
VI. Women, Crime, and Deviance
   A. Sociological perspectives on crime and deviance
      1. Defining deviance
      2. Origins of deviance theory
      3. Labeling and social deviance
      4. Deviance, power, and social conflict
      5. Feminist perspectives on deviance
   B. Women as criminals
      1. Defining crime
      2. Extent of criminality among women
      3. Causes of female crime
      4. Women in prison
   C. Women as victims of crime
      1. Race, gender, and victimization by crime
      2. Rape
      3. Women and the criminal justice system
VII. The Future and Social Change
   A. Liberal perspectives
   B. Radical perspectives
 
MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date:  12/14/2010

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.