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Women's Studies Program

Dedicated to the study of women's issues, experiences, and contributions.

Women's Studies Minor  |  Fall 2005 Courses
Events  |  Course Descriptions  |  Faculty

In a world in which women are an increasing proportion and force in professional, educational, and cultural communities, Women's Studies provides an opportunity to examine the effects of gender on social, intellectual, and personal experiences.

The Women's Studies Program at Florida Southern College is interdisciplinary, drawing on faculty members across academic disciplines. The integration of diverse perspectives creates a compelling and energetic format for understanding women's contributions and experiences in a changing world.

Participation in Women's Studies-by pursuing the minor, taking courses, or attending programs-invites students to step out of their comfort zones and become involved in issues and topics outside of their majors.
 
Faculty members are active and support the program which has included teaching courses, writing a textbook, Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Women's Studies, and presenting papers at professional conferences and meetings (Valdosta State University, American Assoc. of University Women regional and state meetings).

Sharon Masters (left), coordinator of the Women's Studies Program, congratulates, Cristina Watson, the first student to graduate with a minor in Women's Studies at Florida Southern College. (Spring 2005)

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Women's Studies Minor
The Women's Studies Minor will afford students the opportunity to investigate the extent to which gender, race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality have affected women's access to cultural, social, political, and economic resources. It emphasizes independent and critical thinking, which provides excellent preparation for graduate school. Pursuing a minor in Women's Studies complements any major, expands career opportunities, and enhances leadership skills by heightening awareness and empathy for gender issues within all fields of study. 
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Minor Requirements (see course descriptions)
Eighteen hours including WST201 Introduction to Women Studies, WST220 Marriage and Family, WST301 Women in Contemporary Culture, WST370 Literature by Women, and two electives chosen from cross-listed courses, when offered, such as PED297 Issues in Athletics, ENG 297 Gender Wars: Men, Women & Movies, ENG 413 The Novel, ENG 445 Special Topics such as Gender and Writing, and WST460-461 Internships.

*If you are not a Florida Southern student, call 680-4268 to ask about auditing Women's Studies courses.

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Dr. Masters with the Gorilla Girls.

 

Fall 2005 Courses

WST 201 Introduction to Women's Studies
Taught by a team of six professors:

  • Dr. Luis Jimenez, Hispanic Women Autobiographical Poetry;

  • Dr. Susan Conner, Images, Voices & Lives: Episodes in Women's History;

  • Dr. Claudia Slate, Women Writers of the Sunshine State;

  • Dr. Sharla Colbert, Women's Sexuality;

  • Dr. Sue Stanley-Green, Perspectives of Women in Sports;

  • Dr. Patrick Smith, Gender Differences In Psychopathology.

Other courses offered in Fall 2005 are:

  • WST220, Marriage & Family, Dr. Sharon Masters

  • WST305, Shakespeare: The Early Plays, Dr. Catherine Eskin

  • WST340,Myth and Legend, Dr. Paula Buck

  • WST460-01 internship, Dr. Carole Obermeyer

  • WST460-02 Internship, Dr. Sharon Kay Masters

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2005-2006 Academic Year Events

  • Internships at PACE Center for Girls, Women's Resource Center, and with FSC VP of Student Life.

  • Florida Lecture Series:

    • Tracy Jean Revels. "Grander in Her Daughters: Florida's Women during the Civil War," Oct. 20

    • Diane Roberts. "Pioneer Mothers, Confederate Daughters, Citrus princesses, and Other Florida Wild Women," March 16, 7pm

  • Melvin Art Gallery

    • Lisa Erdman - November 4 to 25. Opening reception: 7:00 to 8:30, Friday, November 4 - Lisa Erdman, Assistant Professor of Art at Florida Southern College presents “Annual Checkup,” digital prints, photographs, and a multimedia installation that humorously use language and imagery of the medical and pharmaceutical industries to explore the state of health of our country in terms of its current social and political atmosphere. Lisa Erdman will discuss her work at the opening.

  • Pied Piper Players present A Taffeta Christmas, December 8-18.

  • Polk Museum of Art:

    • 11th Annual Art Symposium--Convergence: Art and Fashion, November 1 2, 1 -5 pm

    • Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Made In America, July 30-0ct. 9

    • Rebecca Sexton Larson: Another Time, Another Place, July 30-November 13

    • Maria Brito: Realizations, Sept. 3-Nov. 6

    • Carrie Mae Weems: The louisiana Project, December 10-February 12

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Course Descriptions

WST 201 - INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S STUDIES - Three hours. Taught by a team of professors from different disciplines, this class presents a variety of perspectives about the roles of women in such diverse fields as art, biology, business, criminology, economics, history, law, literature, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology. In the liberal arts tradition, students learn about both basic issues in women's studies and the rudiments of various scholarly perspectives. Collections of readings in each 138 discipline, which represent past and present contexts, form the basis for discussion. When appropriate, a textbook may be used to provide continuity.

WST 220 - MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY - Three hours. Same as SOC 220. Cross cultural studies, basic structural-functional analyses, premarital behavior patterns, courtship and mate selection, marital interaction processes, problems of parent-child relationships, and the future of the family in society.

WST 301 - WOMEN IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CULTURE - Three hours. The course brings together academic areas in an interdisciplinary effort to explore the roles, images and contributions of women in contemporary American culture. The common threads are the roles of women in producing culture and the cultural production of women's roles and images. While contemporary culture is the focus, each segment of the course is built upon relevant historical foundations. Full-participation classes are designed to bring the individual topics together in synthesizing analyses.

WST 370 - LITERATURE BY WOMEN - Three hours. Same as ENG 370. Survey of literature by selected women writers from the Middle Ages to the present.

WST 460, 461 - INTERNSHIP - Three hours each. Experience in an approved internship setting relating to issues of multi-culturalism, diversity, and gender. Internship must be approved in advance by the Director of Women's Studies.

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For More Information, contact:

Sharon Kay Masters, Ph.D.
Coordinator
Phone: 863-680-4268
Fax: 863-616-6407
Email: smasters@flsouthern.edu 

Florida Southern College faculty
who have participated in the Women's Studies Program
Joan Buccino Barbara Giles Nancy Morvillo Risdon Slate
Paula Buck Sara Harding Carole Obermeyer Alan Smith
Larry Burke Frank Hodges Paula Parsché Patrick Smith
Susan Conner Keith Huneycutt Mary Pharr Diane Stahl
Mike Denham Luis Jimenez Jim Rogers Sue Stanley-Green
Catherine Eskin Jo Jossim John Santosuosso Katherine Straw
Mary Flekke Mavra Kear Rebecca Saulsbury Chris Weaver
Carmen Gauthier Eric Kjellmark Dan Silber Waite Willis
Brenda Lewis Claudia Slate
Sharon Kay Masters, Director

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