Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for WS 201 Winter 2025


Course Number:
WS 201
Course Title:
Intercultural Women's Studies
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Uses an intersectional feminist perspective to examine women's experiences cross-culturally. Analyzes power inequities between societies such as colonialism, imperialism and globalization as well as patterns of migration and diaspora. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

  1. Describe an intersectional feminist analysis of the systems of oppression of women worldwide.
  2. Analyze the role of ethnocentrism in patterns of international exploitation of women.
  3. Identify the mechanisms of American exceptionalism and the Western gaze.
  4. Analyze the intersections of identity in the lived experiences of women and global feminisms.
  5. Communicate effectively in writing, speaking, and collaborating.

Integrative Learning

Students completing an associate degree at Portland Community College will be able to reflect on one’s work or competencies to make connections between course content and lived experience.

General education philosophy statement

This course aligns with the PCC General Education philosophy by providing an appreciation of history both from a global perspective and from a personal perspective, including an awareness of the role played by gender and by various cultures, This course also provides an understanding of the ethical and social requirements of responsible participation in society. It accomplishes these goals by centering intersectional feminism and analyzing the creation and maintenance of systems of oppression such as sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, racism, classism, ableism, among others.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Student mastery of outcomes may be assessed by any combination of the following:

  1. written or oral examinations
  2. participation in class discussion, exercises, small group activities or role plays
  3. objective or essay examinations
  4. performances or plays
  5. oral or visual presentations
  6. participation in organizing community or professional events
  7. sevice learning activities

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

  1. compare cross cultural gender roles
  2. examine international issues affecting women
  3. recognize ethnocentrism
  4. explore different ideas of body ownership and control
  5. develop writing, speaking and collaborative skills

Course Content: themes, concepts and issues
Instructors teaching WS 201 will focus on any combination of topics from the following list:

  • gender enculturation
  • gender enculturation theories and research
  • cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, acculturation
  • international feminism and human rights
  • roles of women in foraging, herding and agricultural societies
  • cross-cultural concepts of body ownership and control
  • female circumcision
  • dowry/honor deaths
  • female infanticide
  • child brides

Proposed revisions (9/30/2020):

  • Transnational feminism, intersectional feminism

  • Social construction of gender

  • cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, acculturation

  • US exceptionalism and imperialism

  • Colonialism

  • Globalization

  • Migration, diaspora, refugees

  • mechanisms of social inequality