You are in the official 1996-97 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Women's Studies
School of Social Sciences
Women's Studies Program
Susan Arpad, Coordinator
Social Science Building, Room 226
(559) 278-2858
Women's Studies Program
Susan Arpad, Coordinator
Social Science Building, Room 226
(559) 278-2858
Women's Studies classes encourage students to develop critical and analytical thinking skills and the ability to communicate new ideas to a general public. Women's studies students frequently say that women's studies classes enhanced their self-esteem and enabled them to more clearly define their special skills and talents. Therefore, all fields open to most social sciences and humanities graduates are open to Women's Studies graduates.
Career Opportunities
Students with a strong academic background in information about women find
a growing number of career opportunities such as women's service agencies:
displaced homemaker centers, rape counseling service, battered women's shelters.
Students majoring in fields like gerontology, mass communications, nursing,
recreation, criminology, economics, health sciences and social work, say
that their major defines the field in which they will work; women's studies
defines their special interest within that field. Postgraduate education
in business, law, medicine, social welfare, psychology, and education has
provided many women's studies students with satisfying and challenging career
opportunities.
Program Faculty
Women's studies has its own full-time and part-time faculty, who come from
a variety of disciplines: history, humanities, economics, sociology, and
psychology. In addition to this core faculty, many individuals teach women's
studies courses in their home departments: anthropology, art, Chicano and
Latin American studies, criminology, drama, education, English, ethnic studies,
health sciences, history, philosophy, psychology, recreation, and sociology.
Saturday School faculty are most often chosen from the community-at-large
on the basis of their particular area of expertise.
Minor Requirements
An interdisciplinary minor is available to any Fresno State student. Each
student's minor program is individually planned by the student in consultation
with the women's studies program coordinator. The Minor in Women's Studies requires a minimum of 20 units, including W S 10 and W S 175. At least 6 units must be upper division. The other 14 units shall be selected from at least two different disciplines. In addition to the courses listed as regular offerings, electives may be chosen from special topics courses on women offered periodically by certain departments.
Certificate of Alcohol/Drug Studies
The Women's Studies Program is participating in a certificate of special
study awarded to those students who successfully complete a minimum of 12
units of interdisciplinary academic coursework in the area of alcohol and
drug abuse. (For complete details, see Health and
Social Work Interdisciplinary Courses in this catalog.)
Victim Services Certificate
The Women's Studies Program is participating in a certificate of special
study awarded to those students who successfully complete a minimum of12
units of interdisciplinary academic coursework in the area of victim abuse.
(For complete details, see Criminology Department
or School of Education and Human Development.)
COURSES
Women's Studies (W S)10. Introduction to Women's Studies (3)
Introductory interdisciplinary course designed to provide a foundation for Women's Studies; focus on women in the areas of sociology, psychology, history, economics, politics, and the arts. General Education BREADTH, Division 9.
12. Critical Thinking: Gender Issues (3)
An introductory course for students who may not have had any formal coursework in either critical thinking or women's studies. Designed to teach critical thinking and communication skills, using topics of sex and gender as subject matter. General Education Core, Critical Thinking.
50T. Studies in Literature (4)
(See Engl 50T section.) Women in Novels section.
55T. Topics in Women's Studies (1-4; max total 12)
Topics of current interest in the Women's Movement, covering a wide variety of issues. (See Schedule of Courses for specific topics.)
101. Women in History (3)
(See Hist 101.) General Education BREADTH, Division 9.
102T. Topics in Women's History (3; max total 6 if no topic repeated)
(Same as Hist 102T.) Prerequisite: W S 101 or permission of instructor. (See Schedule of Courses for specific topics.)
105. Education and Sex Role Stereotypes (3)
Designed to meet the needs of parents, teachers, counselors, administrators. How sex role stereotypes affect the educational system, pre-K through higher education.
108. Rape (1)
An inquiry into the phenomenon of rape, myths about rape and rapists, treatment of rape victims, discussion of physical and psychological preparation for possibility of attack. Lecture, film, paper, speakers. An all-day workshop held on two consecutive Saturdays. CR/NC grading only.
109. Incest (1)
An exploration of the victim, the victimizer, and the family dynamics of incest, as well as the psychological and sociological implications of the family secret. An all-day workshop held on two consecutive Saturdays. CR/NC grading only.
112. Assertiveness Training (1)
Women's special needs in becoming assertive; blocks preventing assertion and methods of getting around them. An all-day workshop held on two consecutive Saturdays. CR/NC grading only.
114. Women in Family Contexts (3)
Prerequisite: W S 10 or W S 131 or permission of instructor. Women in diverse family settings; the gendered division of labor; domestic violence; female-headed households; power relations in families; diversity of race, class, and sexual orientation; and conflicting family ideologies in society.
116. Domestic Violence (1)
An historical and cultural overview of the battered and battering spouse syndromes; the marriage contract as a license to abuse; the status of remedial legislation; and, the effect of parental battering on children. An all-day workshop held on two consecutive Saturdays. CR/NC grading only.
118. Women and Aging (3)
(Same as Gerontology 118.) An exploration into the myths and realities of the aging process, with a focus on women. Confronts the issues of aging in order to stimulate constructive change and positive alternatives for women.
120. Women of Color in the United States (3)
The situation of racial ethnic women is examined and analyzed. Topics include: family, work, history, health, and literature, as well as the place of women of color in the Women's Movement and the development of distinct feminism(s) in racial ethnic communities.
126. Women and Violence: Public Policy and the Law (3)
(Same as Crim 126.) Historical and contemporary issues in public policy responses to violence against women. Gender bias in the legal system and policing violence against women. Theory and research on problems in government policy and enforcement of the law.
127. Female Sexuality (3)
(See H S 126.)
130. Women's Health (3)
(See H S 130.)
131. Sociology of Sex Roles (3)
(See Soc 131.) General Education BREADTH, Division 9.
132. Women and Work (3)
(See Soc 132.)
134. Health Issues, Women of Color (3)
Examines major health issues as they affect U.S. minority women: AIDS/HIV, substance abuse, cancer incidence and prevention, reproductive health, and mental health. Comparisons of white, Asian, Native American, African American, and Mexican American women are made. Addresses the role of race, class and gender as they affect health outcomes for women of color. (Formerly W S 150T section)
135. Women in Other Cultures (3)
Examines the religious, economic, and social roles of women in the world, including their current status in at least one of the following areas: China, Southeast Asia, India, Africa, Middle East, Latin America. General Education BREADTH, Division 9.
137. African American Women (3)
(See Af Am 137.) General Education CAPSTONE Cluster course.
148. Women and Religion (3)
Seminar to explore many facets of women's religious experience, including history of women in institutional churches, theologies of liberation and oppression, women's religious experience, and feminist spirituality.
150T. Topics in Women's Studies (1-4; max total 12)
Topics of current interest in the Women's Movement, covering a wide variety of issues. (See Schedule of Courses for specific topics.)
152. The Chicano Family (3)
(See CLS 152.) General Education CAPSTONE Cluster course.
157. Social Construction of Motherhood (3)
Prerequisite: W S 10 or W S 131 or permission of instructor. Theories of social construction show how social meaning is applied to women's mothering, creating both "ideal" mothers and deviants. Examines contemporary problems in social construction of motherhood created by new technology.
160. Feminist Issues in Counseling (3)
Prerequisite: W S 10 or permission of instructor. Evaluates counseling theories; individual and group counseling techniques; examines ethical issues and power structure in therapeutic settings; surveys community resources; and explores innovative and feminist perspectives concerning the effective treatment of women.
161T. Peer Education (1; max total 4; repeatable with different topics)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be taken up to four times if no topic repeated. Topics: sexual assault, sexual harassment, alcohol and drug abuse, or eating disorders. Students learn curriculum content, develop teaching and group facilitation skills, and make presentations to campus peer groups. CR/NC grading only.
162. Community Service (1-3; max total 6; repeatable with different topics)
Prerequisite: 9 hours of W S courses and permission of instructor and sponsoring agency. Individually planned experience which relates student's classroom studies to practical experience in a women's community service agency. CR/NC grading only. (Minimum of 3 field hours per unit.)
163. Consciousness Raising: Group Leader (1; max total 2)
Prerequisite: W S 10 and permission of instructor. Students learn skills in facilitating group discussion and review content of W S 10 course; students lead a consciousness raising discussion group of students currently taking W S 10. CR/NC grading only. (2 lab hours)
165. Women and the Media (3)
Historical perspectives, contemporary issues, and future alternatives for women as mass media professionals and for consumers of sexist media messages.
168T. Women and Literature (4)
(See Engl 168T.)
170. Women: Culture and Biology (3)
(See Anth 170.) General Education CAPSTONE Cluster course.
172. Psychology of Women (3)
(See Psych 172.)
175. Seminar in Women's Studies (3)
Primarily for women's studies minors. Prerequisite: 15 units in women's studies (including W S 10). A synthesis of objective and subjective experience in women's studies. In-depth research project required.
176T. Genre Film: Form and Function (1-4; max total 8)
(See Engl 176T.)
190. Independent Study (1-3; max total 6)
See Academic Placement -- Independent Study. Approved for SP grading.
194T. Seminar in Women and Literature
(4; max total 8; repeatable with different topics)
(See Engl 194T.)
195. Diversity in the United States: Race and Gender Issues (3)
(See CLS 195.) (Formerly Eth S 195)
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