Women's & Gender Studies

Session I  (June 3 - June 28)

WGST 121 - Reading Elvis Presley and 1950s America

Elena Creef, Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies

Some have argued that Elvis Presley was the greatest cultural force in twentieth-century America. This course will consider the early career of Elvis Presley as a unique window for the study of race, class, gender, and heteronormative sexuality in postwar popular American culture. Specifically, we will look at the blending of African American and other forms of musical style in Presley’s music, the representation of masculinity and sexuality across a sampling of his films and television performances, at key cultural film texts from the 1950s, and end with evaluating Presley’s lasting impact as a unique icon in American cultural history.

Meeting Times: M, W, Th 6:00 - 8:45 pm
Location:  PNE 251

Credit: 1.0 unit (4 sem. hrs.)
Tuition: $2,300
Registration Fee: $50 (non-refundable)

Session II  (July 1 - July 26)

   WGST 120 - Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies

Nancy Marshall, Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies

Introduction to the interdisciplinary field of women's and gender studies with an emphasis on an understanding of the "common differences" that both unite and divide women. Beginning with an examination of how womanhood has been represented in myths, ads, and popular culture, the course explores how gender inequalities have been both explained and critiqued. The cultural meaning given to gender as it intersects with race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality will be studied. This course also exposes some of the critiques made by women's studies' scholars of the traditional academic disciplines and the new intellectual terrain currently being mapped.

Meeting Times: M, W, Th 1:30 - 4pm
Location: PNW 116

Credit: 1.0 unit (4 sem. hrs.)
Tuition: $2,300
Registration Fee: $50 (non-refundable)