WOMEN IN AMERICAN SOCIETY

This course is an introduction to the field of women’s studies that focuses on the significance of gender in shaping the culture, society, and influence of the United States. Drawing upon a diverse set of theories, methods, and approaches from the social sciences, this course focuses primarily on the interrelated dynamics of gender at both the individual and societal levels in the United States, although we will view this country from both a comparative and an international perspective, showing how gender-related social and cultural phenomena vary across countries. Among the topics covered are cultural norms and values, socialization, interpersonal behavior, strategies of power and influence, gender-based violence, sexuality and reproduction, and social institutions such as the family, workplaces, government, education, religion and the media.