Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies

GSWS1020E-001&-002 Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies In-Person

A survey of selected topics in the study of gender structures and the status of women in historical and cross-cultural perspective. These will include consideration of social and psychological processes by which gender identity is established in the individual, its institutional manifestations, and its articulation with class and race structures.

GSWS1021F Introduction to Sexuality Studies In-Person

We introduce students to current social and political issues in sexuality studies, with a focus on contemporary issues around sexuality, including formation of sexual identities, sexual practices and politics, policing of sexuality, questions of sexual diversity, and the historical and global nature of ideas and controversies around sexuality.

GSWS1022G-650 Gender, Justice, Change Asynchronous Online

The 21st century is a period of accelerating change focused around issues of gender, justice and activism. This course will introduce students to the ways in which movements for justice and change are informed by and take up gender issues in matters of education, health, poverty, globalization, the environment, etc.

GSWS1024F Introduction to Equity, Diversity, and Human Rights In-Person

This course surveys theory and practice in the fields of equity, diversity, and human rights as they are taken up in institutional domains such as social work, education, and law and in schools of thought such as critical race studies, feminism and gender studies, sexuality studies, and disability studies.

GSWS2161A/B-650 Women and Popular Culture: Garbo to Gaga Asynchronous Online

How are women represented in popular culture? Women's images in the media, from newspaper and magazines to television, film and music videos produce particular notions of what it means to be a woman, be feminine, etc. We will examine both the historical and contemporary roles of women in popular culture.

GSWS2162B The Body  In-Person

How we understand the body, whether through scientific investigation or through its representation in media, literature or art, has material effects on how people's lives and experiences are shaped. We will examine social and scientific constructions of the body, including concepts of beauty, health, fitness, sexuality, and questions of representation.

GSWS2163B-650 Sex, How To: Sex Education, Its History and Controversies Asynchronous Online

Sex education is a controversial topic; should we even be teaching people how to have sex or how not to have sex? This course traces the history of sex education and its many controversies as well as looking at contemporary sex education practices both locally and in an international context.

GSWS2164A-650 Gender and Fashion Asynchronous Online

This course examines the world of fashion from a critical feminist perspective. Topics covered may include fashion's role in gender and sexuality identity; the relationship between women's fashions and women's liberation; the history, sociology, aesthetics of fashion; the mass production of fashion; and feminist concerns about exploitation and sweatshop labour.

GSWS2205G Making Men: Critical Studies in Masculinity In-Person

This course examines how historical and contemporary constructions of masculinity have shaped our understanding of what it means to act and be male in our society. It draws on critical gender theory to interrogate how issues associated with maleness and masculinity interact with questions of race, class, gender and sexuality.

GSWS2212G Gender and Work In-Person

This course mobilizes intersectional, decolonial, feminist, and anti-capitalist scholarship to understand transformative changes to paid and unpaid work, caused by multiple factors such as technology, demographics, climate change, pandemics, and globalization, and their effects upon gender equality and social justice.
Antirequisite(s): the former Women's Studies 2261F/G.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 1020E, or 1.0 course from GSWS 1021F/G, GSWS 1022F/G, GSWS 1023F/G, GSWS 1024F/G, GSWS 1030F/G.

GSWS2220E Feminist Theory and Practice for Change In-Person

An examination of the implications of feminist theories and practices at work in many different disciplines, including arts, media, social sciences, health sciences, science, law. We introduce students to theoretical concepts and ask questions about the ways sex, gender and sexuality are understood and researched from a range of perspectives.
Antirequisite(s): GSWS 2257E.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 1020E, or 1.0 course from GSWS 1021F/G, GSWS 1022F/G, GSWS 1024F/G, GSWS 1030F/G, the former GSWS 1023F/G.

GSWS2240F / ENG2190F Foundation of Feminist Thought In-Person

This course takes up foundational readings in the history of feminist thought from early feminists' calls for women's equality and rights to postmodern understandings of gender. The course will consider how feminist thought has emerged, developed and evolved in response to various historical, intellectual, social, political and cultural challenges.
Antirequisite(s): The former Women's Studies 2250E.

GSWS2244 / HEALTH2244 Women and Health In-Person

This course provides an overview of historical, social, economic, political and biological influences on women's health. Using a feminist perspective, both experiential and theoretically based knowledge will be explored through the process of critical reflection.
Antirequisite(s): The former Women's Studies 2154.

GSWS2270B Women, Law, and Social Change In-Person

How does the law affect women? What important legal changes have women fought for and achieved? What is the relationship between law and social change? Topics in a national or global context may include citizenship and discrimination, reproduction, health care, violence, sexual assault and harassment, pornography, prostitution, divorce, and marriage.
Antirequisite(s): GSWS 2260.

GSWS2283F Desiring Women In-Person

This course uses feminist, queer and trans theory to interrogate how female sexuality and desire can be understood, both historically and within a variety of contemporary cultures. It will consider the impact that representation, socialization and medicalization have had on the way female sexual subjectivity is experienced and expressed.

GSWS2291G / AH2643G / IS2682G Indigenous Women in the Arts in Canada: Cultural Traditions, Survival, and Colonial Resistance In-Person

This course examines traditional and contemporary artforms created and performed by Indigenous women. Art as an expression of Indigenous women’s social, political, and spiritual realities is studied through readings, lectures, and artistic assignments. This course also considers Indigenous analyses, varied artistic styles, forms, and mediums, from Indigenous women across Canada.
Antirequisite(s): Indigenous Studies 2682F/G, Art History 2634F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Indigenous Studies 1020E, GSWS 1020E, or 1.0 course from GSWS 1021F/G, GSWS 1022F/G, GSWS 1023F/G, GSWS 1024F/G, or GSWS 1030F/G, or 1.0 from Art History 1640 or the former VAH 1040 or two of Art History 1641A/B – 1649A/B or the former VAH 1041A/B – VAH 1045A/B, or 1.0 course or special permission from Program.

GSWS2301F The History of Sexuality In-Person

Students consider how marginalization and discrimination have been structured, imposed, and resisted from the 1800s to the present in North America. We will examine a variety of theoretical texts and primary documents, including laws, marriage manuals, erotica, and manifestos, to question the construction or nature of sexual identity and experience.
Antirequisite(s): The former GSWS 2273E.

GSWS2302G Sex Wars: Foundational Debates in Sexuality Studies In-Person

This course examines the contested nature of feminist theorizing in sexuality studies, including through radical, sex-positive, and anti-racist feminism and queer theory. We explore different approaches to a shared commitment to challenge sexual oppression and shame through topics such as pornography, BDSM, and sex work, among others.
Antirequisite(s): The former GSWS 2273E.
Pre-or Corequisite(s): GSWS 1020E, or 1.0 course from Black Studies 1030F/G, GSWS 1021F/G, GSWS 1022F/G, GSWS 1024F/G, GSWS 2301F/G, the former GSWS 1023F/G, the former GSWS 1030F/G. GSWS 2301F/G may be taken concurrently.

GSWS2310F Marriage: Feminist and Queer Perspectives In-Person

Despite the idea that love conquers all, marriage was historically about property, money, and power, not love. This course examines marriage, primarily in the west. Topics may include the transition from arranged to companionate marriage; feminism and marriage; capitalism and weddings; child marriage; marriage equality; and queer perspectives on marriage.
Antirequisite(s): GSWS 2233F/G if taken in 2022-23, the former GSWS 2710F/G.

GSWS2440F Something to Talk About: Reproductive Justice In-Person

Through an intersectional, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural approach, this course examines reproductive justice. Topics may include abortion, birth control, sex education, choice rhetoric, human rights, bodily autonomy, forced sterilization, reproductive racism, reproduction and disability, eugenics, war and reproduction, and infertility. Specific content will vary year-to-year depending on the instructor.
Pre-or Corequisite(s): GSWS 1020E, or 1.0 course from GSWS 1021F/G, GSWS 1022F/G, GSWS 1023F/G, GSWS 1024F/G, GSWS 1030F/G, or permission of the Department.

GSWS3133F Lesbian Lives and Cultures In-Person

What does it mean to be a lesbian today? This course will relate contemporary forms of lesbianism to their historical antecedents and examine lesbian culture since the early 20th century. Attention will be paid to a variety of aspects of lesbian life, including intersectionality, activism, community-building, sex, art and politics.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 2220E or GSWS 2302F/G, or the former GSWS 2273E, or permission of the Department.

GSWS3173F / ENG3209F / SASAH3393F Queer Theory In-Person

What is queer theory, where did it come from, how is it changing? Examining key foundational texts in queer theory, the contexts for its emergence, and debates over its contemporary usefulness and direction, students in this course will trace the development of queer theory and investigate its current applications.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 2220E or GSWS 2302F/G, or the former GSWS 2273E.

GSWS3306F / Theatre 3211F Queer and Trans Sexualities in Performance In-Person

This course examines the relationship between sexuality and performance with an emphasis on queer and trans experiences represented on stage. Students will examine both play texts and performances and study such topics as drag, queer performance histories, and trans* roles and representations. Plays covered may be both historical and contemporary.
Antirequisite(s): GSWS 3345F/G if taken in 2021-22, 2023-24, 2025-26, Theatre Studies 3211F/G.
Prerequisite(s): At least 60% in 1.0 of any 1000-level or above “E” or combination of two 1000- level or above “F/G” courses from any department in the following Faculties: Arts and Humanities, Information and Media Studies (FIMS), or Music; or from any of the following additional Departments: Anthropology, English (King’s), English and Cultural Studies (Huron), History (Main and Affiliates), Philosophy (Affiliates), Political Science (Main and Affiliates), Religious Studies (Affiliates), or permission of the Department.

GSWS3320G Gender and Feminist Methodologies In-Person

This course introduces students to gender studies and feminist research methodologies from a variety of disciplinary traditions and theoretical perspectives. Students will learn about and begin to apply specific methodological issues, including ethics, archival work, researcher positionality, and the practices and politics of data collection, interpretation, and reporting.
Antirequisite(s): GSWS 3321F/G and GSWS 3322F/G.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 2220E or GSWS 2302F/G, or the former GSWS 2273E, or permission of the Department.

GSWS3324G / ENG 3204G Contemporary Topics in Critical Race Studies In-Person

Focusing on the changing meanings of race and racism in the twenty-first century, this course discusses and analyzes conceptual frameworks for understanding the multi-faceted and intersectional dimensions of race and racism, and examines how these inform social justice movements and other initiatives that seek to challenge institutional racism and racial violence.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 2220E or Black Studies 2230F/G or the former GSWS 2230F/G or GSWS 2231F/G or GSWS 2302F/G, or the former GSWS 2273E, or permission of the Department. 

GSWS4455E Honours Thesis in Women’s Studies

Individual instruction in the selection of a topic, the preparation of materials, and the writing of a thesis in Women's Studies.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 2220E or permission of the Department. Restricted to fourth-year Honours Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies students.

GSWS(course code TBC) Gender, Empire, and Decolonization In-Person

This course examines decolonial feminist critiques of empire and its enduring impacts. Students analyze how colonial power shaped gender, sexuality, and resistance through intersectional frameworks. Themes include epistemic violence, nationalism, labor, and women's resistance movements in the Global South.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 2220E, or permission of the Department.

GSWS4470G / 9600 Special Topics in Sexuality Studies: Narratives, Archives, and Memory of Race and Gender In-Person

Prerequisite(s): GSWS 2273E, or permission of the department.

GSWS 4455E: Honours Thesis in Women's Studies

Please Note: This course is restrcted to students in fourth year of an Honours Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies program.

GSWS 4455E involves individual instruction in the writing of a thesis. Students who wish to take this course must apply to the Undergraduate Chair, Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. This course is restricted to students in fourth year of a GSWS program with a minimum 80% cumulative average. Additional registration in 4000-level GSWS courses require permission of the Department.

It is the responsibility of students who wish to take GSWS 4455E to write a proposal for the topic of research on which they wish to work and to find a professor who is willing to undertake the supervision of the thesis. Having done this, the student must then obtain Special Permission from the Undergraduate Chair to register for the course. The thesis supervisor should inform the Undergraduate Chair, using the form provided, of their agreement to supervise the thesis and of the subject agreed upon.

GSWS 4455E is equivalent in weight and value to other honours courses. It will require approximately 25 hours of consultation during the year. The thesis should be not less than 10,000 words and not more than 12,500 words; a substantial bibliography should be appended.

Students should submit a timeline with the preliminary reading list by the beginning of October. The timeline should include compilation of a substantial reading list (ideally within the first month of the course) which should form a significant part of the final bibliography.

The student will produce a first draft of the thesis on a mutually satisfactory date but no later than the first week of March. It may be revised or re-drafted on the advice of the supervisor. The final draft must be submitted no later than the last day of classes.

The supervising professor will be responsible for finding a second reader. One of the readers must be a full-time member of the department. Together they will assign a grade which will be given to the Undergraduate Chair within one week after the end of classes.

An undergraduate thesis need not make an original contribution to knowledge on the subject (though it may do so) but it is expected to be a coherent, literate, intensive analysis of a challenging topic or problem. There is no regular timetable for GSWS 4455E. Students in GSWS 4455E will be called upon for a brief progress report, delivered to the Undergraduate Chair, by the first week of classes in January and copied to their supervisor.

As for any other course, a grade of INC (Incomplete) must be approved by the Dean’s Office, for a specific reason supported by documentation.