Current Course Offerings
Fall 2026 - Undergraduate
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An introduction to the history and culture of ancient Greece and Rome through a consideration of the role and status of women in the classical world. Lectures with slides will be supplemented by readings of ancient texts in translation, in addition to textbook assignments. Crosslisted as CLSC 1030
N01
Instructor: K. Hame
Online -
Exploration of the growing body of research available from many disciplines (humanities, social sciences, sciences) for the study of women and men in the United States and abroad. Investigation of femininity and masculinity and the intersection of gender with other categories of identity.
In-Person
Section 1
Instructor: O. Njoku
TTH 1-2:15, TBDSection 2 - Freshmen Only
Instructor: P. Gordon
TTH 9:30-10:45, Brevard 122Section 3 -
Instructor: P. Gordon
TTH 8:00-9:15 AM, Brevard 122Section 4 -
Instructor: P. Gordon
TTH 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM, Brevard 122Section 5 -
Instructor: T. Starkey
TTH 1:00 - 2:15 PM, Honors 107Section 6 -
Instructor: TBD
MW 4-5:15 Lamar 133Section 7 -
Instructor: TBD
MWF 12-12:50, Carrier 211Online and Independent Study
N01
Instructor: E. VenellN02
Instructor: E. VenellN03
Instructor: E. VenellN04
Instructor: A. LaGrotteriaN05
Instructor: A. LaGrotteriaN06
Instructor: A. LaGrotteriaN07
Instructor: J. EnszerN08
Instructor: J. EnszerN09
Instructor: D. McCarthy HowardN10
Instructor: J. VenableN11
Instructor: J. VenableN12
Instructor: D. McCarthy HowardIndependent Study Sec 4
Instructor: E. Venell -
This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of queer and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) studies with a particular focus on the queer south. This course examines the historical and social contexts of personal, cultural and political aspects of queer/LGBT life, and it explores LGBT liberation movements in relation to families, religion, laws, and society using intersectional lenses that consider gender, ethnicity, race, class, and ability. We consider the status, roles, and experiences, of lesbians, gay men, bisexual, and transgender people, using a variety of sources from fields such as anthropology, history, literature, sociology, southern studies, and women’s studies. Through the readings, discussions, and assignments, students develop critical analytical skills to consider social change movements with particular attention to how sex, gender, race, class, sexuality, sexual orientation, and other systems of power shape people’s everyday lives.
Online 1
Instructor: J. Enszer -
The American family as an institution and a group of interacting persons; the nature and problems of courtship, husband-wife, and parent-child relationships.
Crosslisted as SOCY 3010
Section 001
Instructor: TBD
MWF 1-1:50, Lamar 132Section 002
Instructor: A. Perry
TTH 1-2::15, Lamar 127Online N01
Instructor: M. Katterjohn
Online N02
Instructor: M. KatterjohnOnline N03
Instructor: J. SinskiOnline N04
Instructor: J. Sinski -
A study of gender roles within traditional and popular culture. The specific content of the course may vary in different semesters. Possible emphases might include women in the arts, women in film, women in the media, and women in popular culture.
Section 1
Instructor: L. Norell
TTH 2:30-3:45 PM
Topic: Disability and GenderThis course explores the intersections of disability and gender, particularly at how social, cultural, political, and economic factors influence the disabled. Topics covered include the disability rights movement, healthcare disparities, employment and economic experiences, and social stigma.
Online - N02
Instructor: A. LaGrotteria
Topic: Gender, Geography, and AppalachiaThis Gender Studies course explores varied experiences of people living in Appalachia by focusing on texts in which this regional location plays a prominent role. Understanding that regional boundaries are fluid and open to interpretation, we will discuss Appalachian novels, essays, poems, memoirs, personal narratives, photographs, films, and/or music videos that raise questions of: what and where is Appalachia; issues of gender, class, sexuality, region, and race; stereotypes; and what roles Appalachia plays in relation to the United States as a national entity. Students will be asked to frame their own experiences with place and identity in broader cultural and political terms.
Students will be required to perform close readings of primary and secondary sources, learn interdisciplinary approaches to research methods, and demonstrate refined critical thinking and the application of new knowledge.
Online N03
Instructor: E. Venell
Topic: Queer CinemaThis incarnation of 301 focuses on the history and concept of queer cinema, which includes but is not limited to representations of LGBTQ characters and themes. Central to our investigation will be an ongoing conversation about the relationship between sex, gender, sexuality, and other aspects of identity. The course will include weekly screenings (primarily feature-length films) and written accounts (research studies, essays, memoir) of cinematic engagements with sexuality. Course materials span genre, time period, and national context.
IS Section 32 Independent Study
Instructor: E. Venell
Queer CinemaIS Section 13 Independent Study
Instructor: A. LaGrotteria -
This class examines environmental issues through the lens of gender and its intersections with race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, and nationality.
Online 1
Instructor: J. Venable -
Theories in Gender is an interdisciplinary course encompassing works from feminist theory and other theoretical and methodological frameworks commonly used in Gender Studies, such as social construction theory and intersectionality. Feminist writers and thinkers have developed a multiplicity of theories to explain sex and gender, but feminist theory is not limited to these concepts. Feminists also theorize race, identity, sexuality, embodiment, work, citizenship, activism, and gendered positions in the family, the workplace, and society. Theories in Gender invites students to explore feminist theories in the context of the historical moments and intellectual traditions to which they relate.
Online 1
Instructor: J. Enszer -
This course examines representations of femininity, masculinity, and sexuality across different modes of film practice in the history of popular US cinema, with specific attention to how these representations intersect with race, ethnicity, nation and class. Using analytical approaches from gender and sexuality studies, film and media studies, and cultural studies we will investigate the ways in which popular US cinema critically engages in the historical, social, and cultural construction of gender and sexuality. This course teaches basic concepts of film analysis so that students can apply them to the films we watch.
Online 1
Instructor: L. DelassusOnline 2
Instructor: L. Delassus -
This course teaches students to examine and analyze how representations of gender and sexuality have or have not changed over time. This exploration will include theoretical readings and analysis of television, film, music & music videos, broadcast and print journalism, magazines, advertising, social media, comic books, graphic novels, anime, user-generated online content, and online gaming.
Online 1
Instructor: K. Cozart
Topic: Visualizing Gender and Sexuality in the MediaStudents will learn and apply gender and communications theories to examine and analyze how representations of gender and sexuality have or have not changed over time. This exploration will include readings and surveying television, film, music & music videos, broadcast and print journalism, magazines, advertising, social media, comic books, graphic novels, anime, and user-generated online content.
iStudy Sec 11
Instructor: K. CozartQueering Television
Beginning with Norman Lear’s portfolio of shows from the 70s on and continuing through to streaming shows such as Sense8, Clean Slate, and One Day at a Time (a modern reboot of a Norman Lear show), this course will explore the characters, shows, moments, and directors/producers/creators that queered or changed television. Students will contemplate issues of gender, sexuality, sexual freedom, aging, intersexuality, changing social norms, and more.
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Examines the social and cultural construction of gender differences in contemporary U.S. society, focusing on the social history of gender roles and gender inequality in current cultural and institutional practices.
Crosslisted as SOCY 3250
N01 - Online
Instructor: J. Sinski -
An exploration of LGBTQ-related plays and their influence on American culture.
Crosslisted as THEA 3290
N01 - Online
Instructor: P. Williams -
An exploration of the changing roles of European women and men since the French Revolution in 1789.
Crosslisted as HIST 3490
Section 001
Instructor: TBD
TTH, 9:30-10:45 -
This course is an analysis of selected gay and lesbian literature and films especially suitable for young adults of high school age with an emphasis on approaches and methods for teaching literature and addressing the needs of LGBTQ+ students. This course will also include trans/nonbinary representation as well as discussions of intersections of race/ethnicity with sexualities and gender identities.
Section 001
Instructor, J. Harker
TTH, 2:30-3:45 - Guyton 115
Topic: The YA Novel: Queer YAThis class explores the development of LGBTQ+ themes in Young Adult literature, from the 1982 novel Annie on My Mind, through novels like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012), to the contemporary explosion of queer and trans YA novels. We will read a range of writers, including Casey McQuiston, Joseph Allen White, Malinda Lo, Kalynn Baryon, and George M. Johnson. We will also read secondary sources of queer young adult literature. Writing assignments include weekly journal entries, three short papers, and a final research project.
Graduate Courses
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In this class, we will examine a variety of theoretical perspectives and themes used by researchers of gender from the last century (e.g., Intersectionality, Queer Theory, Critical Race Theory).
Section 1
Instructor: T. Starkey
T 2:30-5 PM, Location: TBD -
This course examines major topics in U.S. women’s and gender history.
Section 001
Instructor: R. Rahim
T, 4-6:30 - Bishop 333 -
Section 001 - Creative Criticism
Instructor: D. Kreisel
W, 4-6:30In this course we will do the following: 1. Survey and explore the history and parameters of academic literary criticism as a genre.
Why is it written the way it is? How did it come to be written the way it is? What ranges of styles/voices are considered appropriate, and why? What constitutes “evidence” in literary criticism? 2. Read and discuss critical work that has been exploring (and deliberately undermining) these generic conventions, including Bammer and Boetcher-Joeres; Barthes; Booth; Felski; Guillory; Hilevaara and Orley; Kosofsky Sedgwick; Kramnik; Rabinowitz; Spacks; Tompkins; Warner; Wilde; Woolf; and others. 3. Write our own experimental/creative literary criticism and discuss it. Our core literary texts (about four) for this part of the course will be suggested by students enrolled in the class, and will encompass a range of historical periods, literary genres, and styles. 4. Also, we will have fun. This course is appropriate for both creative and literary-critical grad students.
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Section 001
Instructor: P. Alexander
W, 4-:60
Can the penitentiary teach the academy?” So asks H. Bruce Franklin, the well-known scholar of literary works produced from jail and prison, in a 2008 issue of PMLA. This seminar responds to Franklin’s question through our study of Black orators and/or Black writers whose works of life writing on racialized mass incarceration span from the Civil Rights era to the current Black Lives Matter moment.We will be particularly attentive to how these works have redefined the field of African American literary studies and reshaped the terrain of public intellectualism. Our literary journeys will traverse personal experiences with and/or intimate witness of mass criminalization and mass incarceration: we will investigate the aesthetic and political significance of depictions of the prison-industrial complex and the U.S. carceral state as they appear in the manifestoes, letters, speeches, autobiographies, memoirs, and essays of some (if not all) of the following Black literary authors and intellectuals: Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, George Jackson, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Angela Y. Davis, Assata Shakur, Safiya Bukhari, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Bryan Stevenson, Shaka Senghor, Susan Burton, Albert Woodfox, and Keeda J. Haynes.
We will also examine the reception of these works in relation to their engagement in(counter-)public intellectualism, whether that (counter-)public intellectualism appears in the form of (open) letters, critical essays, public addresses, prison interviews, critically acclaimed documentaries, or Hollywood biopics. Finally, we will consider how these works participate in a vibrant tradition of neoabolitionism within the African American literary tradition, and also how they anticipate and expand contemporary critical discourse on Black intellectual history (the work of Grant Fared and Brittany Cooper), studies of contemporary imprisonment in Black literature (the work of H. Bruce Franklin, Michael Hames-García, Dennis Childs, and Lisa Corrigan), and engagements in critical prison studies scholarship with imprisoned intellectualism, abolition, ant carceral feminism, abolition feminism, policing, state violence, gendered social control, discriminatory sentencing, indefinite solitary confinement, and Updated 03/14/2024 6racialized prisoner abuse (the work of Angela Y. Davis [with Gina Dent, Erica R. Meiners, and Beth E. Richie], Joy James, Dylan Rodríguez, and Victoria Law).
Second Fall 2026
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Exploration of the growing body of research available from many disciplines (humanities, social sciences, sciences) for the study of women and men in the United States and abroad. Investigation of femininity and masculinity and the intersection of gender with other categories of identity.
Online - N14
Instructor: J. VenableOnline - N15
Instructor:Online - N16
Instructor:Online - N17
Instructor: TBAOnline - N18
Instructor: TBAOnline - N19
Instructor: TBAOnline - N20
Instructor: TBAOnline - N21
Instructor: TBAOnline - N22
Instructor: TBA -
This introductory class will examine and complicate gender and sexuality as categories of identity.
Online - N02
Instructor: J. Enszer -
A study of gender roles within traditional and popular culture. The specific content of the course may vary in different semesters. Possible emphases might include women in the arts, women in film, women in the media, and women in popular culture.
May be repeated once for credit with permission of director.
Online - N01
Instructor: P. WilliamsWomen and the Avant-Garde
Women have been influential artists in every major avant-garde movement. However, they are often left out of the traditional histories told about movements such as Symbolism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, and others. But to understand the impact and value of these women, it is necessary to have a grounding in the historical and social contexts that created the avant-garde movements of the 19th and 20th centuries as well as what we mean by avant-garde and its key elements. Thus, this class will have a duel focus: first to give you a basic understanding of avant-garde and its movements and to then have you research a specific woman avant-garde artist for you to learn about her contributions and art. The class may include art with adult themes and images. If this will be a problem for you, please contact the instructor immediately.
Online - N04
Instructor: D. McCarthy-HowardRace, Gender, and Music
Often defined as “the universal language,” music has long held a reputation for its ability to cross borders, both literal and figurative. Until the 20th century, however, little attention had been given to the ways in which judgments of “good” versus “bad” music were influenced by perceptions of race, gender, sexuality, and other categories of identity. In this course, we will begin by understanding the ways in which music shapes our world, as well as how music can be shaped by subjectivities and biases. Through case studies of classical, hip-hop, country, punk, K-pop, reggaeton, and other genres, we will examine the ways in which issues of identity in music impact both musicians and audiences. We will read texts from musicology and ethnomusicology, gender and women’s studies, and ethnic studies as examples of how scholars from multiple disciplines write and engage with themes of race, gender, and sexuality in conversation with music. The semester will culminate in the presentation of an interdisciplinary final project that explores themes of music and identity alongside the student’s own interests.