WMST 2601 - Introduction to Women's Studies
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 01, CRN 40113,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Dr. Amanda Fehlbaum
Email: afehlbaum@ysu.edu
Course Description
2601. Introduction to Women's Studies. Introduces key concepts, theoretical frameworks, and interdisciplinary research drawn from current scholarship about women. Concentrates on major issues relevant to the status and roles of contemporary women, including examination of effects of sexism, racism, ethnicity, and class distinction. 3 s.h.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | Gendered Voices, Feminist Visions, 8th Ed. | Shaw, Susan M. and Janet Lee | 978-0197622612 |
| Required | The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, A Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having – or Being Denied – an Abortion | Foster, Diana Greene. | 978-1982141578 |
This course is First Day Ready which means that your book is included as part of your tuition and fees. You may opt-out of these charges though it is strongly discouraged.
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Day | Date | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue | 8/25 | Introduction to Course Team Formation |
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| Thu | 8/27 | Setting Grade Weights Team Contract |
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| Tue | 9/1 | • GVFV - Chapter 1: Women's Rights and Activism in the United States (pg. 4-10) (MO1) • GVFV - Chapter 2: pg. 53-73 (MO 2-3) • "Toward a New Vision" by Collins (MO 2-3) • "Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person" by Crosley-Corcoran (MO4) |
MODULE 1: Foundations of Women's Studies and Feminist Thought • Course Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO2, LO6 LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS MODULE: • MO1: Define course concepts in feminist thought, including patriarchy, oppression, power, and intersectionality. • MO2: Identify and describe systems of privilege and inequality related to race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability. • MO3: Apply an intersectional feminist framework to analyze social issues across institutional contexts. • MO4: Reflect on their own social identities and positionality in relation to systems of power and oppression • MO5: Collaborate effectively in teams to discuss, debate, and critically engage with foundational feminist texts and ideas. |
Readiness Assessment Process • iRAT • tRAT |
| Thu | 9/3 | Application: Whose Experience is Centered? (MO 1, MO 2) | ||
| Tue | 9/8 | Application: Institutional Power and Inequality (MO 3) | ||
| Thu | 9/10 | • Module 1 Capstone Application: Curriculum Bans (MO 1-5) • Module 1 Capstone Assignment: Social Identity Mapping and Analysis (MO 1-5) DUE |
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| Tue | 9/15 | • "The Social Construction of Gender" by Lorber (MO1) • GVFV: Chapter 4 (pg. 155-170) (MO2) • GVFV: Chapter 5 (pg. 218-229) (MO3) • "What is Pop Feminism?" by Verma (MO4) |
MODULE 2: Gendered Bodies, Sexuality, and Cultural Power • Course Learning Outcomes: LO2, LO6 LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS MODULE: • MO1: Explain how gender is learned, performed, and enforced through socialization, cultural norms, and institutions. • MO2: Analyze the ways gendered bodies are represented, regulated, and commodified in media and society. • MO3: Evaluate how power and consent shape sexual relationships and cultural expectations around intimacy. • MO4: Collaborate effectively in teams to apply feminist frameworks to critique media messages and dominant narratives about gender and sexuality. |
Readiness Assessment Process • iRAT • tRAT |
| Thu | 9/17 | Application: What's Expected of Me? (MO 1) | ||
| Tue | 9/22 | Application: Dream Crazier (MO 1-2) | ||
| Thu | 9/24 | Application: The Case of Sha'Carri Richardson (MO 1-2) | ||
| Tue | 9/29 | Application: Selling Desire (MO 2-3) | ||
| Thu | 10/1 | • Module Capstone Application: Influencer Feminism - Empowerment or Performance? (MO 1-4) • Module Capstone Assignment: Media Critique (MO 1 -3) DUE |
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| Tue | 10/6 | • The Turnaway Study: Introduction - "Melissa" (MO 1-2) | MODULE 3: Reproductive Justice and The Turnaway Study • Course Learning Outcomes: LO3, LO5, LO6 LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS MODULE: • MO1: Describe the political and legal contexts that shape abortion access in the U.S., including structural barriers faced by people seeking abortion care. • MO2: Interpret personal narratives and clinical data from the study to understand the emotional, financial, and health-related consequences of being denied an abortion. |
Readiness Assessment Process • iRAT • tRAT |
| Thu | 10/8 | View and Discuss: "Reversing Roe" (MO 1) | ||
| Tue | 10/13 | Application: Abortion Access in America (MO 1-2) | ||
| Thu | 10/15 | • Module Capstone Application: Denied & Disrupted (MO 1-2) • Module Capstone Assignment: Barriers on Trial: A Mock Hearing on Abortion Access (MO 1 - 2) DUE MIDSEMESTER PEER EVALUATION DUE |
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| Tue | 10/20 | • The Turnaway Study: Chapter 7 - Afterword | MODULE 4: Family, Parenting, and Policy in The Turnaway Study • Course Learning Outcomes: LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS MODULE: • MO1: Analyze how abortion denial affects intimate and familial relationships, including issues of parenting, partner violence, and household stability. • MO2: Critique dominant cultural and political assumptions about abortion and motherhood using data and narratives from study participants. • MO3: Collaborate effectively in teams to critically evaluate common myths and dominant narratives about abortion using empirical evidence and feminist frameworks. |
Readiness Assessment Process: • iRAT • tRAT |
| Thu | 10/22 | View and Discuss: "A Man's Place" (MO 1) | ||
| Tue | 10/27 | Application: Family Fallout (MO 1-2) | ||
| Thu | 10/29 | • Module Capstone Application: Abortion Denial & Reality (MO 1-3) • Module Capstone Assignment: Amplifying Truth (MO 1-3) DUE |
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| Tue | 11/3 | ELECTION DAY - NO CLASS | ||
| Thu | 11/5 | • GVFV: Chapter 8 (pg. 383-387) (MO 1-2) • GVFV: Chapter 9 (pg. 426-436) (MO 1-2) • "Why Sexual Assault Survivors Do Not Report to Universities," by Spencer, et al. (MO 3) • "Fundamentalism and the Control of Women," by Brown (MO 4) |
MODULE 5: Gender, Labor, and Institutions Course Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO4, LO5, LO6 LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS MODULE: • MO1: Analyze how gender shapes access to power and safety across institutions like the workplace, law, religion, and education. • MO2: Examine the gendered nature of paid and unpaid labor and its intersection with race, class, and immigration status • MO3: Critique institutional responses to gender-based violence and propose feminist-based alternatives. • MO4: Collaborate effectively in teams to apply intersectional analysis to legal, religious, or policy frameworks that reinforce or resist gender inequality. |
Readiness Assessment Process • iRAT • tRAT |
| Tue | 11/10 | • View and Discuss: Documentary (TBD) | ||
| Thu | 11/12 | Application: Power, Precarity, and Protection (MO 1-2) | ||
| Tue | 11/17 | Application: Who Protects Whom? (MO 3) | ||
| Thu | 11/19 | • Module Capstone Application: Access Denied? (MO 1-4) • Module Capstone Assignment: Scenes of Inequality (MO 1-4) DUE |
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| Tue | 11/24 | NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break | ||
| Thu | 11/26 | NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break | ||
| Tue | 12/1 | • GVFV: Chapter 13 (pg. 640-660) (MO 1-2) • "Feminist Men," by Hurt (MO 3) |
MODULE 6: Feminist Resistance and Social Change • Course Learning Outcomes: LO1 - LO6 LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS MODULE: • MO1: Understand the ways feminism and women's activism influences individuals to create change. • MO2: Reflect and recognize the ways in which patterns of privilege and discrimination emerge in one's life. • MO3: Reflect on their own perspectives and responsibilities in advancing gender equity and social change beyond the classroom. • MO4: Collaborate to analyze gender justice issues using intersectional feminist frameworks learned throughout the course and propose equity-centered solutions. |
Readiness Assessment Process • iRAT • tRAT |
| Thu | 12/3 | Application: Local to Global Feminist Voices (MO 1) | ||
| Tue | 12/8 | No Class | ||
| Thu | 12/10 | FINALS WEEK | ***CLASS IS FROM 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM*** | • Module Capstone Application: Justice for Whom? (MO 1-4) • Module Capstone Assignment: My Path to Action (MO 1-3) DUE END OF SEMESTER PEER EVALUATION DUE |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.