GGS 103LR - Gender, Women, Bodies, and Health

This course provides an innovative and interdisciplinary introduction to women’s bodies and health. The course starts from a foundational belief in the importance of studying women’s experiences of their bodies and health. The main objective is to learn about how gender ideologies impact scientific research and practices around women’s bodies, shaping women’s abilities to learn about their bodies and their access to healthcare. This class is explicitly designed to both ground students in the best practices of scientific inquiry and to draw from work in the humanities and social sciences to understand how science is shaped by broader social beliefs and practices. Students will be able to use this perspective in discussions and activities that explore the role of gender, race, class, religion, and sexuality in shaping the study of women’s bodies and health. The class will cover topics such as: women’s health and disease, the anatomy of the female body; pregnancy and maternal health; and the need for a focus on the diversity of women’s bodies and access to healthcare. This course also encourages students to examine what improvements can be made to scientific research and access to medical knowledge when it comes to women’s health and care.

Credits: 3

Grading
Graded (GRD)