Approaches to Feminist Inquiry (BISGWS 303)
In 2014 Beyoncé Knowles Carter performed for a global audience in front of a giant, illuminated sign that read “FEMINIST.” Some saw this as a symbolic triumph, showcasing an embrace of feminism by a widely beloved pop star. Others were skeptical and even worried about its implications for the state of feminism. Regardless of one’s opinion it is clear that within the context of digitized media culture, feminist-inspired narratives are increasingly visible and popular forms of discourse.
This course provides both a critical and celebratory overview of feminism as found in both academic high theory and in popular music & culture. While studying several schools of feminist thought, course participants will investigate and critically analyze how feminist theories are translated into popular culture, including what is lost and/or gained in this translation. Along the way, we consider many issues central to feminist studies and social justice studies more broadly. This includes questions of epistemology (approaches to what counts as knowledge) and methodology (investigative practices). We also address the intersections and tensions within and between feminist theories, including how and where feminist scholars and popular feminist perspectives understand and problematize power relations (e.g. in relation to race, class, sexuality, gender, sex, culture, nationality, coloniality, the state, the criminal justice system).
This course provides both a critical and celebratory overview of feminism as found in both academic high theory and in popular music & culture. While studying several schools of feminist thought, course participants will investigate and critically analyze how feminist theories are translated into popular culture, including what is lost and/or gained in this translation. Along the way, we consider many issues central to feminist studies and social justice studies more broadly. This includes questions of epistemology (approaches to what counts as knowledge) and methodology (investigative practices). We also address the intersections and tensions within and between feminist theories, including how and where feminist scholars and popular feminist perspectives understand and problematize power relations (e.g. in relation to race, class, sexuality, gender, sex, culture, nationality, coloniality, the state, the criminal justice system).
Approaches to Social Research (BIS 312)
This course provides an introduction to the logics, ethics, and methods of social research. Students will learn about several social research methods as well as how to evaluate these methods in terms of their ability to discover and create new knowledge. The course also provides hands on research practice for students, and provides a practical foundation for assessing the validity and reliability of truth claims in everyday life. The course content is divided into weekly modules with their own learning objectives which are also linked to the primary course objectives.
Girls on Film (BIS 341)
Films reflect and create central cultural assumptions about gender across the life course. The study of film—its images, ideals, narratives, and thematic emphasis therefore creates an opportunity to understand shifting cultural norms about gender and its intersecting relations (e.g. race, class, sexuality) in both historical and contemporary terms. This course enters the scholarly conversation about film by exploring the cultural and institutional implications of “coming of age” narrative films about girl-identified individuals up to the age of 18.
The class screens weekly films selected from a curated list about a diversity of girl identities across a range of national and international contexts. Course readings and discussions guide students in the methods of feminist and cultural studies film analysis, offering conceptual tools that assist with interpreting the meaning of the stories that are presented.
The class screens weekly films selected from a curated list about a diversity of girl identities across a range of national and international contexts. Course readings and discussions guide students in the methods of feminist and cultural studies film analysis, offering conceptual tools that assist with interpreting the meaning of the stories that are presented.
