Women and Gender Studies Program
Women and Gender Studies Program
Women and Gender Studies Program
Prospectus
The Women & Gender Studies Program is an interdisciplinary minor and certificate program designed to provide students with a gender-focused curriculum that fully incorporates the concept of gender and is responsive to the issues, experiences, research, and discourse of multiple gender identities in Guam, within Micronesia, and throughout the global community.
The Women & Gender Studies program covers a wide range of contemporary topics dealing with the processes, trends, and explanations of family, women, and gender in our diverse society. The focus of the program is to aid undergraduate students in their understanding and development of major theories, issues, and research from an interdisciplinary perspective. The program is designed to provide students with the tools and abilities to assess, discuss, research, analyze, and write about change throughout the region; generating pathways to research careers.
Students will graduate with the skills needed to pursue careers in:
- Advocacy
- Business
- Community Development
- Counseling
- Education
- Government
- International Aide
- Journalism
- Media Literacy
- Research Associations
- Social Services
- National Leadership
Additionally, the Women & Gender Studies program provides training and a strong foundation for students wishing to pursue graduate degrees in Women & Gender Studies and other related disciplines.
One of the major strengths of the program is the Regional Research Center. The Women & Gender Regional Research Center supports the efforts of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math); BUILD EXITO (research, mentoring, and career development); and the Micronesian Studies Graduate Program. The Women & Gender Studies program is for students who are interested in gender and regional research in the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of Pacific Islanders and indigenous women, whose contributions influence and contribute to the advancement of women throughout the region. Emphasis is on undergraduate student research.
The program has five main objectives:
- To offer an interdisciplinary program that will broaden understanding of the significance of gender in the lives, identities, activities, opportunities, and concerns of multiple gender identities in Guam, in other areas of Micronesia, and across cultures.
- To provide degree students with a women- and gender-focused curriculum that will enhance their major field or study by highlighting issues, experiences, research, and discourse relevant to women locally, throughout Micronesia, and in a global context.
- To offer non-degree seeking students the opportunity to gain knowledge of women- and gender-centered teaching and research that is responsive to the needs and interests of multiple gender identities in the multicultural community of Guam and culturally diverse Micronesian region within a comparative framework.
- To provide professionals, as well as non-professional community-based individuals, with a series of gender-oriented courses and workshops that will empower and enrich their own lives and sense of identity as well as that of their families and communities.
- To further establish the Regional Research Center that will investigate the needs and issues critical to people in Guam and throughout the Pacific Islands, which will serve to increase gender parity locally and internationally.
Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of the Women & Gender Studies minor or certificate, students will demonstrate the ability to:
- Understand and critique the significance of gender in the lives, identities, activities, opportunities, and concerns of multiple gender identities locally, regionally, and transnationally.
- Analyze how gendered identities intersect with social media, the state, religion, the economy, ethnicity, race, class, and sexual orientation and how systems of inequality and oppression operate and are sustained.
- Examine theoretical and practical connections between gender studies and students’ major field of study by highlighting issues, experiences, research, and discourses relevant to Guam, Micronesia, and the global community.
- Engage in research mindful of the needs and issues critical to cultural diversity in Guam, Micronesia, and the Pacific Islands, which will increase regional scholar-based partnerships, interpersonal skills, and leadership roles for students.
MINOR REQUIREMENTS
Women and Gender Studies Minor Requirements (18 credit hours)
Required Courses (9 credit hours)
|
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
Term Offered |
| WG101 | INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN & GENDER STUDIES + This course provides an introduction to basic concepts and key issues in women and
gender studies, utilizing a life-span approach. Topics include gender socialization
and identity formation, sexuality, cultural representations, gender relations, family,
work, class stratification, violence, constructions of masculinity, and oppression,
as well as racial and cultural diversity.
|
3 credit hours | FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS |
| WG490 | SPECIAL PROJECT | 3 credit hours | AS REQUIRED |
Choice of:
|
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
Term Offered |
| WG201 | GENDER AND SOCIETY + Using the slogan, 'the personal is political' as a guiding principle, this course
investigates some of the predominant trends in feminist research, thought and activism
historically as well as in contemporary society focusing specifically on the dynamics
of individual experience and collective activities.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| WG230 | MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY + This is a comparative study of family relationships with special attention given to
the social and cultural aspects of the family, mate selection, marriage adjustment,
parental roles, and family stability. Prerequisites: SO101 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS |
Elective Courses (9 credit hours)
Six credits must be upper division and outside of the student's major field of stufy, selected from those in other programs cross-listed with Women and Gender Studies. The following courses may be taken when topic is women and gender-focused.
|
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
Term Offered |
| WG323 | LITERATURE BY WOMEN + This course explores representative literature by women around the globe and across
time. The course reading covers a variety of literary forms which may include the
novel, short story, poetry and such non-fiction as essays, journals, and diaries.
Students acquire an understanding of these various literary forms and how women writers
have used them to express religious, political, social and philosophical concerns.
They also are introduced to a growing body of feminist literary theory. This course
allows students to gain an understanding of the social-historical place of literature
by women. Prerequisite: EN111; any 200-level literature course or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| EN460 | LITERATURES IN ENGLISH + This course offers an intensive study of representative works of a particular author
writing in English, or of a related group of authors (e.g., the metaphysical poets,
Commonwealth novelists, Gothic writers, or Western Pacific Writers). With different
subject matter the course may be taken more than once for credit. Prerequisite: Any
200-level literature course or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| WG461 | PACIFIC WOMEN WRITERS + This course entails an intensive study of representative works of Pacific Women Writers
to acquaint students with the contours of this emerging literature in terms of styles,
themes, symbols, images, language, politics, and subject. Students will gain an understanding
of the place of this literature in the larger context of Pacific Literature, Women's
Literature, Minority Literature and Contemporary Literature in English. Prerequisite:
EN111; Any 200-level literature course or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS |
| WG230 | MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY + This is a comparative study of family relationships with special attention given to
the social and cultural aspects of the family, mate selection, marriage adjustment,
parental roles, and family stability. Prerequisites: SO101 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS |
| SO342 | SOCIOLOGY OF SEX AND GENDER + This course examines traditional and contemporary views of gender roles and life chances
for men and women in a social and cross- cultural context. It examines what relations
exist between men and women and how women and men contribute to, negotiate with, and
explore gender and traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity. Prerequisites:
SO101 and SO230 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/EVEN YEARS |
| SO455 | SOCIOLOGY OF WOMEN + This course examines the ways in which gender and social structure shape conditions
for women. In anticipating social structures and organizations that might influence
women's lives, the course considers several areas such as the socialization of women,
images of women, women in media, women and work, women and households, women and crime,
and women and migration. Prerequisite: SO101 and SO230 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ODD YEARS |
| WG455 | PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN + This course offers a study of women through feminist scholarship and research. It
is designed to introduce students to the myriad factors influencing the development
of girls and women in a variety of cultures and societies, including Micronesia. Areas
covered include feminist scholarship and research; gender socialization, women's biology
and (mental) health; sexuality; victimization and abuse; work career, and power issues.
Prerequisite: PY101.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| PY491 | PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH SEMINAR + This course gives students experience in conducting psychological research as collaborators
in faculty-supervised investigations. Students complete a list of project-specific
readings, participate in the planning and supervision of data collection, help to
code and interpret data, and design proposals for further research in the topic area.
This course may be repeated for elective credit. Prerequisites: PY101 and the consent
of the instructor. MA151 is recommended.
|
3 credit hours | FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS |
| AL330 | NUTRITION THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN + The nutritional requirements and diet recommendations of three different life span
stages are examined. The stages include: (1) pregnancy and infancy, (2) early childhood
and adolescence, and (3) adulthood and aging. Emphasis is placed on the special demands
the various lifecycle stages impose on normal nutrition. Pre requisite: AL185. ED201
recommended.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| AL450 | FAMILY RESOURCES + This course studies family resource identification and management in relation to a
successful household. Family goals and communication, financial management, principles
and techniques in managing time, energy and money are stressed. Housing, family life
cycle, seniors and government resources are topics included. A family and community
foundation provides the basis to understand family resource management. The course
explores how family and community needs assessments to determine what community resources
exists, identification of gaps and the impacts to families. Prerequisites: BA110,
and PY101 or SO101 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS |
| SW480 | FAMILY VIOLENCE + This course examines family violence and family resilience in Guam and the Micronesian
region from a cross-cultural, interactional and interdisciplinary practice perspective.
Students learn about issues of family violence from the viewpoints of victims, members
of their extended family, perpetrators, and those who intervene in pursuit of human
rights and social justice for children and adult members of families. The course content
is heavily based on local data and the practice experiences of local social workers.
Students learn to engage with client systems, to respect client self-determination,
assess challenges and opportunities, intervene and critically evaluate practice pertaining
to family violence. The course is a required course for social work students.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| SW345 | SOCIAL JUSTICE + This course presents historic backgrounds that have led to the injustices pertaining
to contemporary social, racial, economic and environmental realities of today. It
describes the current dynamics and consequences of various forms of human oppression
and discrimination. Students learn to anchor generalist social work practice in advocacy
for universal human rights, to critically analyze justice issues from diverse points
of experiences, to identify structural foundations and barriers to change, to promote
social change and to implement interventions that advance social, racial, economic
and environmental justice. The course is a required course for social work students,
it is recommended to be taken in the first year of the BSW program.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| HI450 | TOPICS IN PACIFIC HISTORY + This course is an intensive study of a specific topic or problem in Pacific History.
With different subject matter, this course may be taken more than once for credit.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS |
CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
Women and Gender Studies Certificate Requirements (12 credit hours)
Required Courses (3 credit hours)
|
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
Term Offered |
| WG101 | INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN & GENDER STUDIES + This course provides an introduction to basic concepts and key issues in women and
gender studies, utilizing a life-span approach. Topics include gender socialization
and identity formation, sexuality, cultural representations, gender relations, family,
work, class stratification, violence, constructions of masculinity, and oppression,
as well as racial and cultural diversity.
|
3 credit hours | FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS |
Elective Courses (9 credit hours)
The following course may be taken when topic is women and gender-focused:
|
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
Term Offered |
| WG201 | GENDER AND SOCIETY + Using the slogan, 'the personal is political' as a guiding principle, this course
investigates some of the predominant trends in feminist research, thought and activism
historically as well as in contemporary society focusing specifically on the dynamics
of individual experience and collective activities.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| WG323 | LITERATURE BY WOMEN + This course explores representative literature by women around the globe and across
time. The course reading covers a variety of literary forms which may include the
novel, short story, poetry and such non-fiction as essays, journals, and diaries.
Students acquire an understanding of these various literary forms and how women writers
have used them to express religious, political, social and philosophical concerns.
They also are introduced to a growing body of feminist literary theory. This course
allows students to gain an understanding of the social-historical place of literature
by women. Prerequisite: EN111; any 200-level literature course or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| EN460 | LITERATURES IN ENGLISH + This course offers an intensive study of representative works of a particular author
writing in English, or of a related group of authors (e.g., the metaphysical poets,
Commonwealth novelists, Gothic writers, or Western Pacific Writers). With different
subject matter the course may be taken more than once for credit. Prerequisite: Any
200-level literature course or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| WG461 | PACIFIC WOMEN WRITERS + This course entails an intensive study of representative works of Pacific Women Writers
to acquaint students with the contours of this emerging literature in terms of styles,
themes, symbols, images, language, politics, and subject. Students will gain an understanding
of the place of this literature in the larger context of Pacific Literature, Women's
Literature, Minority Literature and Contemporary Literature in English. Prerequisite:
EN111; Any 200-level literature course or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS |
| WG230 | MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY + This is a comparative study of family relationships with special attention given to
the social and cultural aspects of the family, mate selection, marriage adjustment,
parental roles, and family stability. Prerequisites: SO101 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS |
| SO342 | SOCIOLOGY OF SEX AND GENDER + This course examines traditional and contemporary views of gender roles and life chances
for men and women in a social and cross- cultural context. It examines what relations
exist between men and women and how women and men contribute to, negotiate with, and
explore gender and traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity. Prerequisites:
SO101 and SO230 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/EVEN YEARS |
| SO455 | SOCIOLOGY OF WOMEN + This course examines the ways in which gender and social structure shape conditions
for women. In anticipating social structures and organizations that might influence
women's lives, the course considers several areas such as the socialization of women,
images of women, women in media, women and work, women and households, women and crime,
and women and migration. Prerequisite: SO101 and SO230 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ODD YEARS |
| WG455 | PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN + This course offers a study of women through feminist scholarship and research. It
is designed to introduce students to the myriad factors influencing the development
of girls and women in a variety of cultures and societies, including Micronesia. Areas
covered include feminist scholarship and research; gender socialization, women's biology
and (mental) health; sexuality; victimization and abuse; work career, and power issues.
Prerequisite: PY101.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| PY491 | PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH SEMINAR + This course gives students experience in conducting psychological research as collaborators
in faculty-supervised investigations. Students complete a list of project-specific
readings, participate in the planning and supervision of data collection, help to
code and interpret data, and design proposals for further research in the topic area.
This course may be repeated for elective credit. Prerequisites: PY101 and the consent
of the instructor. MA151 is recommended.
|
3 credit hours | FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS |
| AL330 | NUTRITION THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN + The nutritional requirements and diet recommendations of three different life span
stages are examined. The stages include: (1) pregnancy and infancy, (2) early childhood
and adolescence, and (3) adulthood and aging. Emphasis is placed on the special demands
the various lifecycle stages impose on normal nutrition. Pre requisite: AL185. ED201
recommended.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| AL450 | FAMILY RESOURCES + This course studies family resource identification and management in relation to a
successful household. Family goals and communication, financial management, principles
and techniques in managing time, energy and money are stressed. Housing, family life
cycle, seniors and government resources are topics included. A family and community
foundation provides the basis to understand family resource management. The course
explores how family and community needs assessments to determine what community resources
exists, identification of gaps and the impacts to families. Prerequisites: BA110,
and PY101 or SO101 or consent of instructor.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS |
| SW345 | SOCIAL JUSTICE + This course presents historic backgrounds that have led to the injustices pertaining
to contemporary social, racial, economic and environmental realities of today. It
describes the current dynamics and consequences of various forms of human oppression
and discrimination. Students learn to anchor generalist social work practice in advocacy
for universal human rights, to critically analyze justice issues from diverse points
of experiences, to identify structural foundations and barriers to change, to promote
social change and to implement interventions that advance social, racial, economic
and environmental justice. The course is a required course for social work students,
it is recommended to be taken in the first year of the BSW program.
|
3 credit hours | FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS |
| SW480 | FAMILY VIOLENCE + This course examines family violence and family resilience in Guam and the Micronesian
region from a cross-cultural, interactional and interdisciplinary practice perspective.
Students learn about issues of family violence from the viewpoints of victims, members
of their extended family, perpetrators, and those who intervene in pursuit of human
rights and social justice for children and adult members of families. The course content
is heavily based on local data and the practice experiences of local social workers.
Students learn to engage with client systems, to respect client self-determination,
assess challenges and opportunities, intervene and critically evaluate practice pertaining
to family violence. The course is a required course for social work students.
|
3 credit hours | SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS |
Students may also choose elective courses from other programs cross-listed with Women and Gender Studies or special workshops offered by the program.
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