An introduction to Women's Studies, to its perspectives, and to its interdisciplinary nature. Using several disciplines, the class will examine women's positions in Western culture and will explore the genesis, the development, and the impact of our culture's assumptions about women's nature and women's roles. Students will be expected to read and discuss a wide range of nature and feminist writers, keep a journal, and compose a series of essays.
Women have a rich and varied tradition as composers and performers.
Although this tradition has been ignored in the past, it has recently become the focus of much research and scholarship throughout the world. Class sessions will include listening to a wide variety of music, both recorded and live. This course is an exploration of the American Indian woman's lifestyles and social roles from a variety of tribal cultures. It will focus on the traditional and contemporary values and roles of American Indian women. A constant theme of this course will be the relevance of the past to the contemporary lives of Native women.