Women Studies Program

Program Director and Associate Professor:  Kuhlman (History)
Emerita:  Ruckman

Faculty Information    
Program Web Page    
Advisory Committee   
Minor    
Courses    

Advisory Committee

Members of the Advisory Board meet to review curricula, advise the Director on program content, consider issues facing the field or program, and formulate strategy for the future of Women’s Studies at Idaho State University. Students may consult with any of the faculty in the program or on this committee:

• Dr. Juliet Carlisle (Political Science)
• Dr. Nicole Hill (Kasiska School of Health Professions)
• Dr. Ann Hunter (Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice) 
• Ms. Kathleen Lane (Music)
• Dr. Linda Leeuwrik (Art and Pre-Architecture)
• Dr. Shannon Lynch (Psychology) 
• Dr. Rebecca Morrow (Anderson Gender Resource Center) 
• Dr. Priscilla Reis (College of Business) 
• Ms. Nancy Renn (Kasiska School of Health Professions) 
• Ms. Valerie Williams (College of Education) 
• Dr. Lynn Worsham (English)
  

Minor in Women Studies

The program in Women Studies promotes an interdisciplinary approach to learning that emphasizes gender as an essential component to understanding our past, present, and future. Grounded in contemporary scholarship, Women Studies provides students with innovative perspectives from which to analyze and assess familiar subjects. Critical and analytical skills are developed and honed as students identify and contextualize profound connections between gender and one's place in history, one's assigned roles and statuses, and one's access to social, economic, and political power.

Women Studies supports ISU's mission to create an effective and efficient learning environment that serves students of various ages, abilities, needs, and backgrounds. It enhances intellectual growth and complements the degree major by broadening academic knowledge bases and by developing a wide range of skills applicable in a variety of post-graduation settings.

The Women Studies office is located in the Department of History, Liberal Arts Room 348 (208-282-2379).

An undergraduate interdisciplinary minor in Women Studies consists of 18 credits of courses in gender topics offered by various departments and approved by the directors of Women Studies.

Required Course:

WS 2201		Introduction to Women Studies		3 cr
HIST/WS 4439	Feminism and Equality in World History	3 cr

Choose 12 credits from:

COMM 4440	Gender and Communication		3 cr
HE 4445		Human Sexuality and Health Education	2 cr
HIST 4437	Families in Former Times		3 cr
PSYC 2205	Human Sexuality				3 cr
SOC 2250	Women, Crime and Corrections		3 cr
SOC 3321	Families in American Society		3 cr
WS 4459		Internship*				1-6 cr
WS 4461		Independent Study*			1-3 cr
	OR
Choose from courses listed as approved for this component in semester-by-semester course listings in the Class Schedule.

*Students may take up to 6 credits of WS 4459 Internship and up to 6 credits of WS 4461 Independent Study. A maximum of nine credits from any combination of WS 4459 and WS 4461 are applicable to the Women Studies minor.

Women Studies Courses

WS 1160 Women’s Rape Aggression Defense 1 credit. Realistic self-defense tactics and techniques designed for women. Awareness, prevention, risk reduction, risk avoidance, and basic hands-on defense training. R.A.D. is not a Martial Arts program. Equvalent to HE 1160 and PE 1160. PREREQ: Permission of Public Safety office or sponsoring program. F, S

WS 2201 Introduction to Women Studies 3 credits. Interdisciplinary survey of the ways that various academic disciplines examine women's roles and women's issues past, present , and in various cultures, with a focus on American culture. F

WS 2205 Topics in Women Studies 1-3 credits. Examination of topics related to Women Studies. D

WS 3311 U.S. Women's Activism 3 credits. Social, historical, and political examination of the 19th century Women Suffrage Movement, the 20th century Women's Rights Movement, and the current status of women's rights activism. S

WS 4405 Topics in Women Studies 1-3 credits. In-depth examination of topics relating to Women studies, especially from a comparative or theoretical perspective. D

WS 4439 Feminism and Equality in World History 3 credits. Interdisciplinary study of the history of feminism and women’s rights in different world regions, involving the social constructs of gender, race, and class. Women Studies minors must take WS 2201 before taking HIST/WS 4439.  Equivalent to HIST 4439.  S

WS 4459 Internship 1-6 credits. Directed student internship in organization related to Women Studies. The student will be placed in a supervised position approved by faculty in the program. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: WS 2201. D

WS 4461 Independent Study 1-3 credits. Selected readings and research in areas of Women Studies not covered by the regular curricular offerings. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. PREREQ: 3.0 cumulative GPA and WS 2201 or equivalent; permission of instructor. D

IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY Academic Information  Contact: webmaster@isu.edu Revised: March 2012